The newest trend in home decorating is turning your closet (or an entire room) into a fab dressing area.
Closets are no longer a utilitarian place that you wedge stuff into – dark and cave-like – instead they have become a room to enjoy and hang out in. No longer are people “coming out of the closet” but instead willingly staying in them!
This closet transformation trend exploded after Mr. Big did a major closet make-over to demonstrate his love for Carrie in the movie “Sex and the City” – seen here. It is also the place where he proposed to her with a pair of Manolo shoes in his hands. Who knew that fantasies could come true – in a closet?
Celebrities have always had fab dressing areas. Their grand walk-in closets are really rooms that provide spacious quarters for the celebrity and their personal stylist to coordinate and contemplate the celebrity’s image and/or brand. Here is singer Mariah Carey’s dressing room which really resembles a luxury boutique.
In a celebrity closet, everything is designed to make finding that perfect ensemble easy and efficient. The essentials in a celebrity closet are: abundant storage (shelves, cabinets, drawers) oversize mirrors, good lighting and a place to sit.
All of these “essentials” have to look fabulous in addition to being functional. No plastic storage bins for sweaters, instead you’ll find fabric boxes with clear inserts so you can see what is inside at a glance.
Here are four ways to turn your utilitarian closet (regardless of its size) into a celebrity worthy dressing area.
1 First is creating “good bones” meaning designing an organizational structure for your closet which compartmentalizes things. Gone are the days where you have a single rod with everything on a hanger. A true fashionista needs a customized closet.
Here are links to most popular modular and custom storage systems:
Ikea Pax and Algot systems
Our Fab Closet board on Pinterest has lots of examples of these systems in place.
2 Once you have the bones in place, it is time to put some “meat” on the bones,. That includes decorative, yet functional things such as a rug, great lighting and pretty boxes for things you don’t want on a hanger, like sweaters. You can find attractive boxes like this at The Container store.
Also remember to get padded or wooden hangers or hangers that are uniform in size, style and color. (Not the hangers you get from the dry cleaners.)
3 Then do a little “feng shui” on your closet. Cear out the clutter to remove those items which are no longer your style or size or are faded from too much wear and tear. Reorganizing your closet, can help you reorganize your life and get a fresh start. A closet can literally weigh you down.
4 Every fashionista has those personal favorites that make her feel pretty. The next best thing to wearing it everyday is to have out on display where you can enjoy looking at it. That’s where is dress form can be handy. (we sell a variety of styles of dress forms at Mannequin Madness)
You can use a dress form to display special outfit or your favorite pieces of jewelry. Check out the pearl necklaces displayed on this leather dress form in the bedroom of personal branding specialist Sheila Coates of Be Your Own Brand.
This idea is not only decorative but space saving and functional as it eliminates your necklaces getting tangled up necklaces in the drawer.
Interior designers say many homeowners see their closet-rooms as bastions of privacy and professionally necessary. “People are successful because they’re efficient,” says Jeff Klein, president of the Association of Closet and Storage Professionals, a Wheaton, Ill., trade group. “What better way to start your day than be efficient in your closet?”
For more products and tips, check out this article from HGTV : Tips on turning your closet into a chic boutique. See our next two blog posts for more photos and ideas for turning your closet into a fab dressing area.
