Jennifer Aniston made headlines last week when she took home the Drama TV Star of the Year award at the People's Choice Awards for her role in The Morning Show. But the buzz was arguably less focused on her win, and more focused on the reveal of her massive dressing room.
An Instagram post from the Friends star getting ready for the red carpet at her $21 million mansion in Bel Air ahead of the awards, offered a glimpse of a space the size of a studio apartment, filled with illuminated shelves of neatly folded cashmere sweaters and rails with dresses on matching hangers. "Dream closet" - as fellow actress Elizabeth Tulloch noted - was the general consensus.
Of course, neither space nor budget is an obstacle for an A-lister to make their clothing store resemble a Bond Street boutique. But on this side of the pond, changing rooms are becoming "non-negotiable" even for wealthy property buyers, according to Will Watson, partner at specialist agency The Buying Solution. 'Master suites' with attached bathrooms and his and hers dressing rooms can add value, especially compared to neighboring properties. The Hamptons real estate agency notes how developers are incorporating these wherever possible, creating personalized sanctuaries that mimic the feel of a high-end shopping experience.
While a walk-in closet houses clothes, a dressing room by definition takes functionality to the next level, often featuring a drawer-filled island for storing valuables like jewelry and watches, as well as a hair and makeup station.
Designers at Neville Johnson, where prices start from £3,000 + VAT for fitted wardrobes, have noticed a spike in the number of customers referencing social media images (the model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who posts outfit selfies from her wooden wardrobe enclave in London, too (like her marble-clad Malibu setup, no doubt on many an inspiration board.) At premium maker Neatsmith, customers are investing the same expenditure as a luxury family holiday in their wardrobes, with extras like built-in LED lighting and mirrored doors.
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In the suburbs, spare rooms are quickly handed over, so that the 'chairdrobe' (a chair that is perpetually loaded with clothes that are not quite ready for the laundry basket) is a thing of the past. But the costs of customization can be prohibitive.
Meet Ikea's customizable PAX system, which has been 'hacked' (or modified to look 100 times superior to its flat-pack roots) by bargain-conscious renovators, who share their innovations on social media. One of these is Chelsea Stonier from Shropshire, who was initially paid £32,000 for the floor-to-ceiling oak joinery she wanted for her dressing room.
She got this look for less than a fifth of that price thanks to PAX and custom wood veneer doors. Even more cost-friendly - albeit less pleasing to the eye - are open units without a door. A London fashion editor who ran out of money at the end of her renovation spent £1,250 on carcasses, using Ikea's virtual planner, and paid £455 to a few tradesmen she found on Taskrabbit to build them and obstruct Remove skirting boards for a neat fit. "That was the best money I spent," she laughs.
Here we detail all the best tips and cheats from those who have designed dressing rooms - minus the celebrity price tag.
How much space do you need?
William Durrant, owner of Kent-based kitchen and carpentry specialist Herringbone, recommends a minimum walkway or door clearance of 85cm (33 inches). For small spaces, he suggests eliminating cabinet doors altogether so you don't have to leave enough room for them to swing open. The great thing about custom joinery, however, is that anything is possible. Therefore, if desired, narrow doors can be made to enclose whatever is hanging.
Think about your build
Ultimately, the main question here is open (also called 'naked') versus closed. Content creator and writer Lisa Dawson inherited fitted wardrobes from Ikea in a small corner next to her bedroom in her Grade II listed house in York. But eventually she ripped them out: "They didn't make the best use of the space, and because I couldn't see everything that was in there, I forgot a lot of stuff."
Her solution, after wallpapering the room in the same botanical print as her bedroom, was to add a few scaffolding posts (prices on The Metal Store's website start from £4.20) to use as rails in the alcove: "They are used in screwed into the wall and they don't budge," she testifies.
She then hired a local carpenter to make two tall shelves from MDF, which were attached to the wall. While some say exposed clothing gets dusty, she has found that constantly moving clothes on the rails (and her daughter raiding her stash) has led to the opposite.
But a guest room that doubles as a walk-in room can benefit from an enclosure. Stockport-based influencer and vintage expert Sophia Barrese learned lessons from the messy-looking open rails she had in her previous home. In her dressing room, her clothes don't cannibalize the space, thanks to diamond-paneled doors and rattan inlays, sprayed in Farrow & Ball's Red Earth; and she can still put in a sofa bed when people come to stay.
The inner workings
Rails vs. drawers vs. shelves... You'll probably need a combination of all three, but what you actually need to store should determine how you divide your closet space. High rails are a no-brainer for long dresses - but don't forget jumpsuits and dungarees, as well as off-season jackets. Men's configurations often call for shorter hanging space, as trousers and suits take up half the length of a gown, freeing up space underneath for wide drawers.
Custom angled shelves work well for those with shoe collections; and while modular options (like Ikea's PAX) don't have the sleekest finish on the inside, the beauty of it for Stonier is that it's given her the flexibility to convert a tall cabinet into extra shelving for her "trainer-obsessed" ' clothing. " husband. And don't forget the external details: a horizontal rail on the outside of closets, or strategically placed hooks, allow garments to air out while you put together your next outfit.
Every centimeter counts
Going from floor to ceiling is the best way to maximize space. Barrese's top corner is lined with suitcases, and after discovering that drawers took up valuable space in her previous project, she reviews simple shelving for knitwear.
Controversial to some, Dawson hangs up her sweaters, which makes her industrial rails work even harder - and frees up space on her shelves for denim. Chimney breasts are a common problem in older British homes; Stonier concealed hers with 12-inch-deep shelves, which are ideal for shoes and are flush with the cabinets in the alcoves on either side.
How to keep costs low
Eliminating doors is an obvious way to reduce costs, but in Barrese's case, doors were non-negotiable. Her initial estimate from Cheshire Bespoke Joinery was for solid wood used throughout, but the price was almost halved when MDF was suggested for the carcasses instead (the exposed ends and doors are all solid oak). It's proof that giving honest feedback, rather than misleading traders when the price isn't quite right, can lead to happy compromises.
Drawers, which are labor-intensive to make, can also be replaced with cheaper options; Durrant presents metal anthracite-colored chests of drawers.
Barrese and Dawson are fans of baskets: Dawson stores underwear, accessories and swimwear in large baskets purchased from HomeSense on her decorated shelves. A freestanding chest of drawers is also an obvious consideration: Stonier created what appears to be a custom island from two Ikea Hemnes drawer units placed back to back, with the legs removed and side panels added (the opulent marble top was a one budget-breaking move, but increases the entire effect).
If there's an element of easy-to-achieve DIY, take that: Dawson painted her shelves herself for a cohesive look, and estimates she spent around £600 on the whole project. And then there is enlightenment; if the room has a natural light source, you can get away with no fancy additions.
