A Suite Master Bedroom

There is an old saying that “a man’s home is his castle,” a haven after a busy day.

Well, throw that out the window. Women work just as hard, and they need to create a place to unwind.

Dr. Nina Elliott, with the help of a local architect and design firm, has done just that. Her home is now a showcase for a redesigned master bedroom, with an adjoining walk-in closet (complete with a convenient laundry space) and a killer master bathroom.

“I wanted a sanctuary to relax and call my own place,” says Elliott, who works as an emergency room physician with PinnacleHeath Harrisburg Hospital. Of her commute, Elliott says “it’s not too bad—about 45 minutes.”

But, still, one needs to wind down. Enter TONO Group, based on James Street in Lancaster. TONO Group is a comprised of a family of businesses: RETRO Development, TONO Architects, PROTO Construction, and Interiors by DECO—the entity that procures furnishings, finishes, artwork, and décor.

Such teamwork makes it easier for Angelique Miller, director of Interiors by DECO, which is TONO Group’s procurement company “for all things décor, furniture, [and] artwork related,” as Miller describes it.

“Nina had an idea of what she was thinking the space should be,” says Miller. “It was my job to make sure all her wants and needs were incorporated into the space, and it was a place that she would want to spend time in and relax,” Miller recalls. “We worked together to create a color scheme that she loved as well as selections of finishes.”

But first, a little history is in order.

Elliott, a native of State College, has lived in her home for five years. The house was built in 1990, and “I really liked the house the way it was,” she says. “But there were some things that needed to be changed.”

Let’s start with the bathroom.

It was nice, Elliott says, but it “originally had a huge black tub [in the master bathroom].” She remembers thinking, “Really 1990s!” and “That has to go.” How did the big, black, party-size tub meet its fate?

“I guess they cut it up in pieces!” Elliott laughs.

A smaller—but still generous—white oval bathtub replaced it. It’s a nice place to soak, but Elliott confesses, “I had in my head a walk-in shower … I’m a real shower person.”

And what a shower it is in which to wash the cares of the day away. It’s not only big, but it also has Bluetooth audio. “I can listen to NPR” —National Public Radio— “or whatever,” Elliott says.

“I wanted a big shower with jets!” Elliott confesses of the several showerheads. It’s a perfect respite for a doctor who sometimes does night shifts.

An unusual extra-large vanity sink, which, despite its size, is quite understated, is crowned by twin oval mirrors that light up.

Now let’s move into the bedroom.

It’s a spacious, airy room with high ceilings and a dividing wall that is open at the top, so it isn’t entirely separated from the adjoining walk-in closet, laundry, and bathroom space.

“The bedroom was actually changed,” Elliott says of the area. “The walk-in [closet] was in a different place. The entire suite is more conducive and flows better now.”

Elliott says of her project with TONO, “They took out a bunch of walls.”

Doors were rearranged. It was the PROTO division of TONO Group that did the construction work, Miller notes. That’s where that teamwork kicks in.

“In regards to working for a company that has four entities, we find that this creates a ‘seamless’ experience for our clients,” Miller sums up. It’s literally everything under one roof.

Elliott had to sleep in another bedroom in her house for a while, and “I had to find someplace else to do my laundry!”

But, while temporarily displaced, Elliott was impressed with working with TONO. The entire rebuild “basically started in mid-April and was finished by mid-June,” she says.

“They worked hard not to be disruptive. They respected my space,” Elliott says.

Asked what she liked best about dealing with the firm, Elliott says: “Just the quality of the work involved.”

The entire project cost five figures, and Elliott remembers thinking, “Wow! That’s a lot!” But considering the work involved, the price “wasn’t really far off the mark … You get what you pay for.”

Elliott isn’t finished with her home improvements. She’s looking to having work done on her kitchen and dining room area. She intends on working with TONO again.

After all, a busy woman’s home is her castle. BW