Q. In the master bedroom and bathroom, what is the current trend regarding coordinating these two areas as far as color, window coverings, towels and rugs matching the bedspread and other bedroom décor?

I used to see shower curtains that matched the bedspreads, drapes, etc. but am not seeing that any more. - Sherri Rickman, Helena

A. Great question! Most major department stores still sell the matching, towels, shower curtain, soap dish etc. I call it “department store décor.” It is an easy way for the “do-it-yourselfer” to decorate their master bedroom and bath.

The problem is that you end up with a themed room. I once had a client who found this beautiful bedding with a pine cone motif. She liked it so much she bought the matching pine cone towels, the curtains, soap dish, tissue box cover and toothbrush holder. When she was done she was in pine-cone overload.

Themed rooms are fine for children’s bedrooms but are not sophisticated enough for the master. The master bath is an extension of the master bedroom and should be decorated as such. It should complement and coordinate but not match.

Here’s an example of what I mean. Let’s say your bedroom is decorated in a rustic lodge look. Your furniture is mission style, the walls are beige, and your bedding is sage green. One option would be to take the sage green from the bedding and paint the bathroom walls the same color. By carrying the color from the bedroom to the bath you have joined the two rooms.

Now for the accessories, imagine the soap dish is carved out of a piece of wood, the tissue box is hammered copper and the art on the wall is a painting of elk in a barn wood frame. As you can see none of these things match but they complement each other beautifully. Here are some tips for achieving that professional custom look.

1. Use white towels. The finest hotel suites and spas all use white towels. When I stage homes for sale the first thing I do is replace all the towels with white ones. We associate white with clean and fresh. If your wall color is white then use colored towels instead.

2. Paint your bathroom walls a lighter version of the color on the bedroom walls. Most master baths are on the small side and are windowless. If this is the case, keep your wall color on the lighter side. If the room is large, pick a color from your bedroom for the walls to tie the rooms together.

3. Use neutral accessories. When selecting accessories for your bathroom stay with white, clear, black, brown or one of the metals. For a splash of color use colored candles, flowers and art.

If you have any questions you would like answered, e-mail thedesigngrp@hotmail.com or call 439-2687.