A dressing room is a different thing from a bedroom with a lot of wardrobes. The point is that getting ready happens in one place: clothes, shoes, a mirror you can actually see yourself in, somewhere to sit, and light that tells the truth about colours. When those pieces are planned together the room feels like a small luxury every morning.
We have built dressing rooms with fitted joinery on every wall, and the good ones always start from how the person uses the space rather than how much cupboard can be squeezed in. This guide walks through the decisions in the order we make them.
Choosing the room and the layout
Most dressing rooms we see are a small spare bedroom next to the main bedroom, or the end of a large bedroom separated off. The shape of that space decides the layout far more than taste does.
A long narrow room suits joinery down one or both long walls with a clear walkway between. A squarer room can take a U shape, with the far wall kept for a dressing table or a full length mirror. Whatever the shape, we keep a comfortable walking width in the middle, because a dressing room where you have to turn sideways to pass an open door soon becomes annoying.
Working out the mix of hanging and shelving
The honest way to plan storage is to look at what you own. Count roughly how much hangs long, how much hangs short, how many pairs of shoes there are and how much is folded. Then add some room to grow.
Double hanging, with one rail above another, suits shirts, jackets and skirts and doubles the use of a section. Long hanging is kept for coats and dresses. Shelves and drawers take knitwear, and shoes tend to be happiest on shallow angled or flat shelves at a height you can see without bending.
- Drawers near waist height for things you reach for daily.
- High shelves for luggage and out of season clothes.
- A small section for bags, belts and accessories so they do not end up on the floor.
- Space left in the plan for what you will buy next year.
Open, glazed or closed fronts
Because the room is only used for getting ready, many people like some open shelving or glazed doors so the clothes become part of the look. Open storage is quick to use but shows dust and clutter. Closed doors keep everything calm and are easier to live with if the room doubles as a guest room.
A mix often works best: doors on most of it, with one open or glazed section as a feature where the tidiest things live.
Light and mirrors
Lighting is where dressing rooms are won or lost. Overhead light alone throws shadows onto your face and into the backs of cupboards. We like light built into the joinery itself, inside hanging sections and along shelves, so you can see what you are choosing, together with even light at the mirror.
A full length mirror is close to essential. It can sit on the back of a door, on a wall between runs, or as a panel within the joinery. Some clients like smoked mirror or mirrored doors, which also makes a smaller room feel larger.
The dressing table and a place to sit
If there is room, a built in dressing table under a window is lovely, because daylight is the best light for makeup. It can be made as part of the same run so it matches the doors and handles. Even a small upholstered stool or bench makes putting on shoes easier, and we can make the upholstery to suit the room.
Finishing touches that make it feel finished
Joinery taken right up to the ceiling looks built in rather than added, and it stops dust gathering on top. Matching skirting, a painted finish in a colour that works with the bedroom, and handles chosen to be comfortable in daily use all add up. Where a dressing room joins a bedroom, carrying the same door style through ties the two rooms together.
When we visit we draw the room, talk through how you get ready and then design the joinery around that. Nothing is made until you are happy with the plan.
Common questions
- How big does a room need to be for a fitted dressing room?
- There is no fixed size. What matters is keeping a comfortable walkway once the joinery is in. A small spare bedroom often works well with storage on one or two walls.
- Should a dressing room have open shelves or doors?
- Doors keep it calm and dust free, open shelving is quicker to use and shows off clothes. Many people choose doors on most runs with one open or glazed section.
- What lighting works best in a dressing room?
- Light built into the joinery so you can see inside the sections, plus even light at the mirror. Relying only on a ceiling light tends to leave shadows.
- Can you build a dressing table into the joinery?
- Yes. A dressing table can be made as part of the same run, often under a window for daylight, so it matches the rest of the room.
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