Sometimes, you just need to go where you’re calm and comfortable

If homes are our sanctuaries, then bedrooms are our inner sanctums. They’re places to retreat to and, once cloistered, recharge in and collect ourselves. Below, we’ve rounded up some of our favourites – and calmest – designer bedrooms in the GTA (with one slightly beyond our fair city’s borders).

Photo by Shai Gil

Sky High

The master bedroom in this Dubbeldam-designed home, dubbed Skygarden for its third-storey patio, is neatly split between contemporary indoor and bucolic outdoor spaces, making for a cottage-y vibe in the heart of Summerhill. Read about this country home in the city here.

Rural Retreat

Barn doors and massive timber beams pay homage to this Erin, Ontario property’s past as a working farm, but the restrained decor and hardwood furniture – the antique teak bed especially – inserts a midcentury flair, making for a designer bedroom that’s equal parts classic and contemporary. Read about Caledon Build‘s modern farmhouse here.

Photo by Brenda Liu

Crystal Clear

Architect Johnson Chou created a series distinct spaces with glass partitions, transforming the attic of this century-old Beaches home into a well-lit reprieve from city. The peaked window, which survived the thorough renovation, provides a visual focal point and frames the ensuite’s Corian tub. Read about the home here.

Photo by Arash Moallemi

Staying Put

A designer and builder/designer initially bought their home as an investment property, but after the reno, they ended up staying – who could blame them? The master bedroom, outfitted with a Herman Miller bed and custom bench built by the couple’s company, Ben Homes, gives them even more reason to stick around. Read about the home whose designers just couldn’t leave here.

Double Decker

For this tall, narrow children’s bedroom, building out wasn’t an option for designer Mary Ratcliffe, so she built up instead. The black walnut platform doubles as both bed and storage, but the centrepiece is the hammock floor above, which gently filters light from the skylight overheard while doubling as an out-of-the-way retreat. Read the full story on this overhead hideaway here.