Walk-in heaven! Indulgent, extravagant and a luxury most women can't afford, but dressing rooms are a dream come true
Remember the old lady who lived in a shoe? Well, now it's time to have ahome for your shoes and your dresses, suits, jackets and handbags because the dressing room is making its presence felt on the floorplan.
Apparently, Gwyneth Paltrow copied the design for her dressing room froma London hotel suite, and interior designer Kelly Hoppen's is the size of a decent kitchen.
But size isn't everything. Most of us would be happy with something purely functional, whether it's a bespoke wardrobe or a walk-in closet.
Gwyneth Paltrow based her dressing room on a design from a London hotel suite
However, if you want to go all Tudor with chandeliers, dressing tables topped by ornate mirrors and panelled walls, there's a market for that, too.
More...
Elsenham House in Bishop's Stortford, Hertford-shire on sale for 3.5 million through agent Fine has a French-inspired dressing room that was used in the TV series Footballers' Wives.
Then there's the Italian bevelled mirrors and Swarovski crystal-studded lighting of the Versailles dressing room, designed by Hill House In! teriors for Octagon Homes.
Homeowners sacrifice small bedrooms for rows of Jimmy Choos
'We've long pitched lavish dressing rooms as the new ensuite,' says Helen Bygraves of Hill House Interiors. 'And the lifestyle choice is catching on, with homeowners willing to sacrifice a small bedroom in favour of a paradise with rows of Jimmy Choos.'
For fashionistas, a dressing room is as important as a kitchen. In London especially, dressing rooms have become essential in high-end properties, according to Mark Pollack, of agent Aston Chase.
'Buyers of super-prime homes expect his and hers air-conditioned dressing rooms, with cedar-lined wardrobes, custom-built compartments for the Louboutin shoe collection, elevated storage for the Hermes Birkin handbags and extensive hanging space for his Savile Row suits,' he says.
Pollack has a six-bedroom family home in Hampstead on the market at 6,950,000. The main bedroom has a dressing room with bespoke furniture and silk carpet. Extravagances in some dressing rooms include treatment tables for facials or cameras that photograph you from every angle.
And for the rest of us? There is no minimum size, according to Adam Hunter at Finchatton, a property design and development company that specialises in high-end homes. Options include full and half-height hanging rails, open shelving, shoe racks, boot storage and drawers with compartments for belts, cufflinks, tie racks and handbags.
But if you want to transform your spare room, think about how it will affect the overall feel of your home. You need five or more bedrooms in the first place, says Justin Bhoday, of Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward.
He says: 'If you have children, an extra room is always going to! be of v alue. And if you plan to sell, is it more marketable to have a spare room or a dressing room?'
If you do decide on a dressing room, it won't necessarily cost the 25,000 that high-end designers can quote. There is always Ikea selected stores have personal furnishing advisers offering free advice and quoting from 500 to transform a 12 sq ft bedroom using the PAX wardrobe system and KOMPLEMENT storage range. Just make sure you leave space for a bed, so it's still a spare room.
FINE: 0845 899 0008, fine.co.uk; Hill House Interiors: 01932 858 900, hillhouseinteriors.com; Aston Chase: 020 7724 4724, astonchase.com; Finchatton: 020 7591 2700, finchatton.co.uk; Octagon: 020 8481 7500, octagon.co.uk; kfh.co.uk; ikea.com.
Comments