I’m really excited to bring you another room reveal from our newly finished home. We shared our Kitchen last week and this time it’s the only room in the house that is just for me….my dream Dressing Room.
Growing up, if my parents were going out I would stand – in a sort of trance – watching my Mum getting ready at her dressing table. It’s that quiet before the storm, a moment a woman has to herself to get ready – although as a Mum myself now, it’s often more about wrestling my clothes from the hands of a toddler! Anyway, I always dreamed of having a space like that of my own, and I’m very lucky to have been able to create my dream dressing room in our new home. When we left LA, I had a huge Marie Kondo style clear-out and passed on nearly a thousand pieces of clothing. A move overseas required some serious wardrobe streamlining and I really downsized, keeping anything I considered special and timeless. It was cathartic, not to mention more practical. Not only has it made me more conscious of where I shop, but I’m also keen to have a wardrobe that works hard and is more sustainable.
All the rooms in our new house were designed with a clear vision in mind; yet this one was different. I was being a little bolder, more experimental, so I had to take it piece by piece, waiting to see if colours would work, or clash. It was the slowest space to create. I knew I wanted somewhere warm and happy; a room that would inspire me and that was feminine without being a girly boudoir. One of the first things I did was open up the wall to expose the old fireplace; I’m a firm believer in restoring a house to its former glory and it adds so much character to the room. We added a traditionally Georgian mantel, in-keeping with the house’s era.
The idea for the cupboards came from my visit to the Plain English showroom in Marylebone where they had joinery painted in Kipper (13); the most perfect putty pink (but not quite pink) nude. It’s a warmed-up version of a neutral and the high gloss finish is really unique, giving the room its own identity and making it totally different from anything else in the house. I love watching people’s reaction when they see it, they love it! Our cupboard genius at British Standard installed fitted wardrobes, and any smaller spaces or tricky alcoves had bespoke units by the same chap, which meant everything fits neatly in place.
With my Kipper cupboards decided on I popped into Little Greene for a consultation, to find a colour for the walls that would work with the joinery. Enter Rolling Fog (143) which I’m so pleased with; it provides enough of a contrast against the furniture but still has that warmth that I was keen to keep.
Furniture wise, once the cupboards were fitted I didn’t want to overcrowd the space. I had seen an amazing ottoman from Ceraudo (a brand I love that was started by two sisters in 2016) called The Carlotta from their Pome! collection, which was so different to anything else I’ve ever seen. They kindly sent me a fabric swatch in advance to check the colours match, and now this fabulous ottoman sits in the middle of the room, with a fringe trim. Honor likes to sit on it and tell me what to wear.
I then found a gorgeous tallboy from Love Antiques. The rich tone of the wood works with the original wooden flooring to help ground the colours in the room. I added some sisal from Alternative Flooring as well as art from Polly Fern, whose prints I love. I knew her colours would go perfectly in this room and I mounted them with picture frames from eBay. I also used one of her ceramic dishes for my jewellery…which you can see here.
As for curtains, I didn’t want to lose any light, but for privacy reasons (getting changed!), I needed some window treatments. I also felt the room had quite enough colour and print, so I wanted something calm, white, but not modern. On a night away last Christmas, I spotted some vintage lace panels at our hotel, and asked my IG audience if they recognised it. The power of social media prevailed! You all pointed me towards Nest Design who created two sheer panels for the room.
The final things to find, were lampshades. After a lot of hunting around, I got the talented artist Tessa Newall to hand paint some pendants for me, which I am thrilled with. They’re just perfectly whimsical for this room and tie up all my ideas so that the finished result is better than I could have dreamed.
