At Home with Style Icon and CHORD Founder Mary Orton: Inside Her Enchanting Bedroom Transformation

Step inside the richly layered new primary bedroom of Mary Orton, founder of CHORD and style authority known for her refined eye. Wrapped in bold florals and grounded by timeless textures, the space has become a modern homage to old-world elegance. From the dramatic patterned drapery to the tailored mix of prints and trims, Mary’s design creates a haven that is both polished and inviting. Here, she shares the inspiration behind the transformation and the thoughtful details that bring her signature style to life.

A Tudor Bedroom Wrapped in a Calming Floral Embrace

HOMEWORTHY: What was the inspiration behind your bedroom redesign, and what feeling did you hope to capture the moment you step inside?

MARY ORTON: A strong sense of place is hugely important to me in design. We live in a 100-year-old Tudor Revival, and the primary bedroom still had its original plaster moldings and the most charming bed nook – details I wanted to honor rather than overwrite. 

When I discovered Schumacher’s Ariana Floral Stripe (based on an 18th-century English woodblock pattern, and so new it hadn’t yet been used anywhere) I knew I wanted to drench the room in it. I’m a firm believer in pattern drenching, especially in bedrooms. The repetition of a single motif has this deeply calming effect, and when the walls and draperies are wrapped in it, the room just feels like it’s hugging you.

Timeless Foundations, Modern Details: Bringing CHORD’s Curated Style into the Bedroom

HOMEWORTHY: Your brand CHORD is all about curated, elevated style—how did that same philosophy guide your choices in designing this space?

MARY ORTON: At CHORD, we’ve reimagined the baseball cap – one of the most iconic American accessories – through the lens of luxury fabrics and finishes that really matter to women. Much like centuries-old, classic furniture silhouettes we return to again and again in interior design, the cap itself hasn’t meaningfully changed in nearly two centuries. The form is timeless, but the details hadn’t kept pace. For me, the joy lies in taking something classic and beloved, and making it sharper, smarter, and more modern.

That’s exactly how I approached this bedroom. I wanted to honor the bones of our pre-war home, but in a way that felt fresh and personal. Just as CHORD caps carry musical references drawn from my lifelong piano playing (i.e. the upside-down piano pedal logo, the five stitched lines on the brim echoing a musical staff), this room is layered with personal objects and antiques collected over the course of my life. My favorite might be the antique wicker top hat perched on our mantle. Since founding CHORD, friends have dubbed me the “mad hatter,” so it feels right for that to have pride of place in the bedroom.

Luxury in the Details: How Texture, Pattern, and Play Make This Bedroom Warm and Inviting

HOMEWORTHY: Luxury often lies in the details. Which textures, materials, or finishes did you choose to create that polished yet effortlessly inviting feel?

MARY: Amen! For me, luxury is all about the details. At CHORD, no element is too small: gold-plated hardware, a genuine leather closure, even an organic cotton sweatband in our signature cognac hue that cleverly hides the inevitable makeup stain. That same obsession with detail definitely carried into this bedroom.

This space is a soothing celebration of texture and pattern, and my toxic trait is the urge to add trim to absolutely everything. One of my favorite pieces is a massive antique breakfront that I lined with an embroidered Schumacher ticking stripe. Its imposing Federal silhouette in deep mahogany is completely disarmed by the pale-blue shirred linen tucked inside its glassfront doors – a pairing that makes me smile every time I walk by. Similarly, the ultra comfortable Chaddock chairs nestled in our bay window are another example of the kind of juxtaposition I love: a classic, skirted silhouette reimagined in a Casa Branca flamestitch that feels electric and modern. I find that kind of tension so satisfying and I enjoyed infusing this combination of old and new throughout the space. It’s my favorite way to take things that could feel stuffy and make them warm and approachable.

Also, the room is fairly large so we had the opportunity to create multiple cozy perches that are thoroughly enjoyed by our young family. The mix of fabrics and pattern play does a lot of the work in making it feel inviting and my happiest moments are when all four of my children are tucked into different corners – one with a book, another with a string of beads, another with a puzzle – while the baby snoozes in my lap on a Sunday afternoon.

The Subtle Details That Steal the Show

HOMEWORTHY: Is there a hidden “hero” element in the room—something subtle that most people might overlook—that brings you joy every time you see it?

MARY: I joke that at some point this room became less a bedroom and more a shrine to trim. Whether it’s the striped Schumacher fringe on the bed nook drapery, the tape trim punctuating our crown and baseboards or the Samuel and Sons striped gimp on the seat of the antique Italian grotto chair, those are definitely the subtle details that make the space for me. 

That said, if you asked my followers, they’d likely tell you that the unsung heroes of the space are the air vents. My installer painstakingly wrapped them in the same fabric as the walls so they practically vanish. When I first shared the room, those vents nearly broke the internet. Who knew HVAC could be a moment?

A Bedroom Filled with Childhood Memories and Family Moments

HOMEWORTHY: Now that you’re a mom of four, how has your idea of “home” evolved, and how does this bedroom reflect that?

MARY: I’ve always been passionate about interiors (truly, there are pictures of me at age seven on the floor of my bedroom, surrounded by shelter mags), but motherhood poured jet fuel on that fire. These walls aren’t just walls – they’re the backdrop of my kids’ childhoods, the place where our daily chaos somehow turns into our most cherished memories.

This bedroom, in particular, is layered with meaning because it’s where I brought home our fourth baby this summer. My favorite nightly ritual this summer was my girls tumbling in after camp, sprawling across my bed to make friendship bracelets, while I nursed the baby on the chaise by the fireplace. It was everything I’ve ever dreamed of!

Top off your fall wardrobe with timeless pieces—shop CHORD’s latest fall collection here.