How to Design a Dressing Room From a Large Closet

The Planning Stages

• Planning is important when designing a dressing room in a fixed space such as a closet. Start by emptying the closet of everything, including any rods or shelves. This is the easiest way to get accurate measurements for organizational pieces and furniture, and gives you a blank canvas with which to start. Then, go through your clothing and accessories to determine how much hanging space, drawers, shelving and hooks you’ll need. Include extra space for a few new items down the road. Measure the closet and transfer this information to scale on a piece of graph paper. Make a few drawings: one for the layout of the dressing room and one of each wall to plan how you’ll use the vertical space in the closet. Use this information when purchasing organizational items, furniture and even artwork for the walls.

Electricity

• Standard closets, even larger ones, often come outfitted with one light fixture and no outlets. A dressing room requires plenty of lighting and oftentimes one or two outlets for hair tools, a floor lamp or other items. Once you have a basic layout determined, hire an electrician to run additional power to the closet where it’s needed. If you already have outlets in the space, try to plan your layout to make use of these, saving money and time.

Include Plenty of Organization

• A dressing room is nothing more than a glorified vanity space without storage for your clothing, shoes and accessories. Install hanging rods, shelves, shoe racks and hooks to keep your items neatly organized. Opt for decorative wood closet organizers to make the room feel finished and complete, giving the appearance of the type of builtins you’d see in a family room or den. In larger walk-in closets, closet organizers with doors are a classic option and can give your new dressing room a high-end look. In smaller spaces, open rods and shelving keep the room from feeling too closed in; to keep things looking put together, organize your clothes, shoes and accessories as decoratively and neatly as possible.

Decorate it Like a Room, Not Storage

• The best way to transform a closet into a dressing area is to reenvision the space as an actual room in your home rather than as just storage. Choose paint or wallpaper, flooring and lighting for your closet. Finish the walls to tie in with the adjacent bedroom, either using the same finishes or opting for a coordinating variation. Add an area rug to brighten the space, and replace the existing light fixture with pendant lighting, a chandelier, recessed lighting or a combination of these. Install lighting along the shelves, around the vanity and, in a very large closet, incorporate one or two table lamps or a floor lamp. Several types of lighting both decorate a dressing room and make it more functional.

Finishing Touches

• Add a few extra pieces to finish off the new dressing room, depending on how much space you have available. In large walk-in closets, a vanity that matches your closet organizers is a pretty and useful touch, and is one feature that really transforms a closet into a dressing room. Include a chair or ottoman, either inside the dressing room or sitting right outside the door of the closet to make putting on shoes or periodic organizing more comfortable. Choose colorful, bright upholstery to balance a more neutral color palette, or use a cool, light upholstered chair so that it doesn’t draw too much attention in an already full, colorfully decorated room. Include a full-length mirror, either attached to the wall or back of the door, or a freestanding version. Fill walls with decorative prints, photos or paintings that match the overall decor of your new dressing room.