I hate to agree, but I do think it will be too small...especially since this looks like a lovely, high-end home. People really seem to have a problem with small MBRs. In our previous home, the MBR was 12 x 16. While not terribly tight with a queen sized bed, it certainly didn't give us a lot of wiggle room for furniture placement. But, when we were selling that house, no one really mentioned it being small since it was pretty standard for the neighborhood...however the one issue that did come up over and over was our very small backyard. Oy vey...I was about to lose my mind! Our yard sloped up and we had a landscape architect design a beautiful stone retaining wall, and we had gorgeous gardens, shrubs, and mature trees, as well as a small lawn area. No one cared, they all wanted a big grassy backyard! So...I am afraid the previous posters may be right. I would maximize you rear yard. In our new house, which has almost a 1/2 ac lot, dh was absolutely adamant that we would have a big grassy yard! I do hear you about the side load garage, though. I feel like you, I wouldn't have built a house with one. We actually have ours rear facing (alley behind us) which when you have a 3 car garage makes for quite an awesome basketball court for our ds! Is there anyway you can trade lots or something to get a little bit more width to design the house the way you want? Oh, and I also love painted brick...that is what we chose for our house! We must have similar taste! :)

Any ideas for warm wall colors that aren't yellow? Maybe in the warm white family? I prefer to keep my bedding dark as I have 2 black cats and 2 messy boys. The hallway just outside the bedroom will be Gray Owl. I have been looking at Palladian Blue but many online sources are warning me away from cool colors. This bedroom gets mainly northern light and I am located in MN.

Thank you Courtney that 2nd pic especially looks comparable to our size issue but solves the problem very nicely. I think getting those sconces replaced with more interesting light fixtures and moving them further apart is going to make the biggest difference. For now, I like the idea of adding a colorful throw or more interesting pillows. Someone else mentioned about storage and suggested a storage bench at the foot of the bed. We have an adjacent office/library and a large closet so no need for either storage or a sitting area in this room. So that helps!

I am, also, of the opinion that a small room can be painted a darker color. What makes a light small room look smaller are the shadows in the corners. A dark color reflects less light blurring the edges of the room., By absorbing the light, "the walls of the room are less clearly marked and can give an illusion of more space." I would consider removing the crown molding, as it is one more thing defining the size of the room. Is there a light in the ceiling? Often a semi-flush up light gives the feeling of height.