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Room of the Day: Storage Space Turned Classy Dressing Room
In this vintage-inspired space, Mom can get ready for the day or take some time for herself
Limited counter space wreaked havoc on this homeowner’s morning routine. She had a vanity in her master bathroom, but she was constantly worried about dropping jewelry and makeup down the drain. Her accessories needed a better, safer home. “Things were literally everywhere!” jokes designer Julie Kantrowitz of JK Interior Living. Kantrowitz worked with the family to turn the master bedroom’s loft into a sophisticated dressing room.
After: The designer’s approach — the one she uses with all of her clients — was to home in on what the client wanted and then create an atmosphere that was as functional as it was beautiful.
This client wanted to get ready without having to worry about losing jewelry down the bathroom sink or bumping into her husband when they were getting ready. A dedicated dressing room would give her the space to comfortably prepare for the day while actually enjoying the process.
After determining how the room would be used, the homeowner and designer settled on a direction for the design. During the search for decor that embodied female sophistication, Kantrowitz found vintage pieces at a New York City antiques dealer. Items such as a beaded handbag, lipstick case, powder case, brooch and pearl necklace not only helped inspire the room design, but they also serve as artwork in shadow-box frames on the wall.
“I wanted to incorporate them as an art install to infuse the space with femininity from all angles,” Kantrowitz says.
Vanity desk and chair: Bungalow 5; cowhide rug: Houzz; large area rug: Rugs USA
This client wanted to get ready without having to worry about losing jewelry down the bathroom sink or bumping into her husband when they were getting ready. A dedicated dressing room would give her the space to comfortably prepare for the day while actually enjoying the process.
After determining how the room would be used, the homeowner and designer settled on a direction for the design. During the search for decor that embodied female sophistication, Kantrowitz found vintage pieces at a New York City antiques dealer. Items such as a beaded handbag, lipstick case, powder case, brooch and pearl necklace not only helped inspire the room design, but they also serve as artwork in shadow-box frames on the wall.
“I wanted to incorporate them as an art install to infuse the space with femininity from all angles,” Kantrowitz says.
Vanity desk and chair: Bungalow 5; cowhide rug: Houzz; large area rug: Rugs USA
The vintage pieces, along with modern accents such as the cylinder vase and square tray, create an eclectic feel. The vanity, tabletop mirror and comfy velvet chair provide the perfect place to apply makeup.
Mirrored tray: Wostbrock Home
Mirrored tray: Wostbrock Home
“Without question what brought this room to life, and what served as my inspiration throughout the design process, was the wallpapered feature wall,” Kantrowitz says.
The designer fell in love with the wallpaper’s colors, slight shimmer and delicate pattern, and luckily so did the client. After the built-in shelving was designed, the design plan came to fruition. The shelves were painted a color that matched the tone of the wallpaper to avoid a stark contrast, and the wallpaper was added to the back of the shelves to make it appear continuous. Lastly, complementary fabric was chosen for the pillows on the window seat.
The cabinets at the bottom of the built-in shelving and the drawers under the window seat provide additional, discreet storage. With everything having its own home, the room can stay organized even during the flurry of preparing for the day.
Sconces: Aerin for Visual Comfort; Roman shades: Hunter Douglas; fabric for pillows: Schumacher, Holly Hunt, Kelly Wearstler for Lee Jofa and Thibaut
The designer fell in love with the wallpaper’s colors, slight shimmer and delicate pattern, and luckily so did the client. After the built-in shelving was designed, the design plan came to fruition. The shelves were painted a color that matched the tone of the wallpaper to avoid a stark contrast, and the wallpaper was added to the back of the shelves to make it appear continuous. Lastly, complementary fabric was chosen for the pillows on the window seat.
The cabinets at the bottom of the built-in shelving and the drawers under the window seat provide additional, discreet storage. With everything having its own home, the room can stay organized even during the flurry of preparing for the day.
Sconces: Aerin for Visual Comfort; Roman shades: Hunter Douglas; fabric for pillows: Schumacher, Holly Hunt, Kelly Wearstler for Lee Jofa and Thibaut
As an avid reader, Mom wanted a quiet space to catch up on her magazines and books. To make that happen, Kantrowitz needed to be intentional with how she placed lighting. The room has a lot of natural light, but an adjustable sconce above the chaise lounge makes it easy to read any time. The window seat is another great place to relax and read, so the designer placed two sconces above that area too.
To add warmth, she chose two rugs for the floor. This wasn’t easy, though, because the room has odd dimensions and is full of little nooks. After the built-in shelves were installed on either side of the window seat, there were even more odd spaces to consider. Kantrowitz centered a large area rug in front of the window seat. Then she added a small rug to create the illusion of a continuous floor covering. After figuring out how she wanted to cover the floor, Kantrowitz says, the placement of the furniture fell into place.
Chaise lounge: Anthropologie; accent table: Interlude Home; sconce: Barbara Barry for Visual Comfort
Contractor: Cag Construction in Paterson, New Jersey
Electrician: Power Supply Electrical Contractors
Custom vintage artwork and framing: Right Angle in Hoboken, New Jersey
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A Plain White Office Bursts Into Bloom
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To add warmth, she chose two rugs for the floor. This wasn’t easy, though, because the room has odd dimensions and is full of little nooks. After the built-in shelves were installed on either side of the window seat, there were even more odd spaces to consider. Kantrowitz centered a large area rug in front of the window seat. Then she added a small rug to create the illusion of a continuous floor covering. After figuring out how she wanted to cover the floor, Kantrowitz says, the placement of the furniture fell into place.
Chaise lounge: Anthropologie; accent table: Interlude Home; sconce: Barbara Barry for Visual Comfort
Contractor: Cag Construction in Paterson, New Jersey
Electrician: Power Supply Electrical Contractors
Custom vintage artwork and framing: Right Angle in Hoboken, New Jersey
More
A Plain White Office Bursts Into Bloom
Read more Room of the Day stories
Dressing Room at a Glance
Who uses it: A stay-at-home mom
Location: Wyckoff, New Jersey
Size: 160 square feet (14.9 square meters)
Designer: Julie Kantrowitz, owner of JK Interior Living
Before: As with many homes, this spare room was collecting all kinds of unused items. Because it’s right off the master bedroom, Mom felt it was the perfect place to call her own and use as a quiet place to dress, accessorize, read and relax.