The Bigger the Better?

House of Turquoise

What if you had a huge master bedroom but wanted a cozier space? I know, I know. Most of us are longing for more space. But seriously, there are people out there who have really open floor plans who long for a more intimate room (and lower heating/cooling bills).

Case in point: Hubsters and I have been considering (i.e. dreaming) buying a house in the (hopefully) near future. There is a great development near us that we really like that includes a few different home builders, namely D R Horton.

One of their floorplans is called "Saratoga", and includes a massive master bedroom. I mean HUGE people. When I took my three-year-old daughter through the model she gasped "wow!" and immediately started running circles around the room singing the break out song from Disney's "Tangled".

I could go running and racing
And dancing and chasing
And leaping and bounding
Hair flying, heart pounding...

Yeah, like big open field, big.

So! What do you do if decorating and defining a huge room like that is all a little overwhelming? How about blocking off 1/3 of the room with a wall, add a wide doorway, and create a master entry with sitting room/dressing area. The new master "entry" gives you additional wall space for a gallery wall, pretty table, console, dresser, and/or slipper chair, while also creating a more intimate space and adding lots of character and interest to your home. The master can still house a large bed, side tables, and a pretty chaise lounge and/or ottoman.

Here's a little diagram I whipped up in Photoshop for some visualization.

BEFORE
D R Horton

P.S. For reference, the walk-in closet is the same size as my daughter's standard sized bedroom!

AFTER

D R Horton

And the inspiration photo again for comparison.

And another version (bench instead of dresser) from the inside of the new entry looking towards the master bath.

Q: Thoughts? Rather have a big open space using furniture (i.e. maybe creating a sitting area with small rug and chairs) to define the room? Prefer adding walls and structural elements to define a space? Like the idea of cutting heating/cooling costs with smaller rooms, or is a grand open area or vaulted ceilings worth the monthly cost? Are your kids as obsessed with Tangled as mine is?


("After" image of the floor plan with added wall is for illustration purposes only and is not meant to be representative of original D R Horton designs)