The word “parlor” comes from the French word for “speak” or “conversation”. A very formal and elegantly furnished room, it was used exclusively for the receiving and entertaining of guests, most frequently on Sunday afternoons. It was never used as a “living room” by the family. Google
The parlor is now the master bedroom, but it is NOT used exclusively for the receiving and entertaining of guests. It is a quiet place for just Hubby and me. I believe the master bedroom should be beautiful with the things you love. It should also be an inviting place that brings comfort and relaxation.
When we were looking for our dream house, I always said, “I want our bedroom to be on the east side so the sun will shine through the windows in the morning.” That is exactly what I got, and it makes me happy. No heavy curtains, so the sun shines in and brightens my day.
The Victorian dresser takes center attention in our master bedroom. The dresser was in Hubby’s bedroom while he was growing up. When his six sisters got together to go through their parent’s estate, Hubby asked me what I would like. I said, “I do not want to be involved with the estate. I got most of my parent’s furniture from their estate. I don’t need anything. But you can take what you want.”
He said, “Just give me an idea, we have to take some things.”
“Okay, I don’t think we will get it, but I would love to have the Victorian dresser and if it’s possible, the oak, kitchen table.” I laughed. “With six sister-in-laws. No way!” To my surprise that is just what we got. I wasn’t even there to plead my case. It was just the seven siblings that got together that day. Yep, seven! Hubby has three older sisters and three younger sisters. He’s the prince right in the middle, and I am the lucky one to marry him.
The little side cabinet beside the chair came from a dear friend. She had it in her basement and wondered if I wanted it. Well, of course! Hubby used his magic touch and refinished it. It only had one knob, but he liked the original knob. So, believe it or not, he made a knob to match. It amazes me at times. I would have bought two that looked similar. No, he goes out of his way for perfection.
Before 
After
The antique arm chair was a rescue from the trash. When we were first married, we had no money to buy furniture. We lived on love, and also on the second-floor apartment in Cleveland. I saw that antique chair in the dumpster outside our bedroom window. I asked Hubby if he would get it for me. Not only did he get it for me, but he refinished it for me. To refinish it he had to take it all apart and glue it back together. I love the chair so much it’s been reupholstered twice.
Each piece of furniture in our master bedroom has a story. The dresser in this picture has three parts. The first part was the dresser. I bought it at a garage sale for $5, but it didn’t have a top. Hubby made a pine top for it, and I used it in the basement for my material. A few years later, the mirror was in my neighbor’s trash. I couldn’t believe she was throwing that beautiful mirror away. So I called and asked her if I could have it. I had my son go and pick it up. When we moved here, I was at a furniture store and saw a marble top in the clearance section. I asked if they could hold it for me. I went home and measured and found out it would fit perfect. I went back and bought it. After we put on the marble top, it became parlor worthy.
The antique bedside table was at a thrift store for a couple of months. It was marked down a couple of times. I think the reason it didn’t sell was that it had a hole cut out of the top. But it had a beautiful piece of marble to cover it. It fits our parlor bedroom perfectly. It is a well built, sturdy, piece of furniture. It also helped me when I had my hip surgery because I used it to push myself up.
Crown molding and 2 borders 
Wallpaper in bathroom 
Opening exposing the old wood siding of the original house.
The master bathroom and closet was an addition. That is why we could expose the old wood siding that was on the outside of the original house. The picture on the right is behind our toilet. I use the little shelf to store toilet paper. We were waiting for our carpenter to come back to put trim around the opening and a few other odd jobs. But he had an accident and couldn’t come back because of a long recovery. So I took the smaller matching border and framed the opening. Well, it’s still there, and I don’t know if we will ever change it.
This was my inspiration picture. I looked up parlors on the computer and in books and magazines. For some reason, I liked the border on this picture, even though the picture quality is not that great. That part was fun and easy. To find the border I wanted, was hard. I looked through tons of wallpaper books. I wanted a complete set that had two borders, wallpaper, fabric, and curtain valance that all matched. It also had to be the color I wanted. After having this color and design for 15 years, I still am in love with it.
