5 steps to design a dressing room

There is an irony to an alluring dressing room, a place intended to facilitate getting ready by storing your wardrobe with the organizational elan of a fashion savant. Yet this space designed by Marcia Tucker is so inviting you may not want to leave. It is pretty, modern and functional yet toned down from being overly girlish ascribed to divas with a penchant for feathered accessories and lingerie so delicate you have to import purified water to clean it. “The excitement of preparing for a weekend away, or a few nights out without having racks of clothes and overwhelming options, this space is artfully curated to enjoy the moments of getting ready and taking time to enjoy the process,” says Tucker.

Dressing room designed by Marcia Tucker, featured at the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse, reveals that you do not need a tiara and vault of cosmetics for a modern, feminine space.

Dressing rooms have gone in and out of fashion, typically because the modern day equivalent to a silver screen actress or Marie Antoinette with their inventory of hat boxes and wigs is an anomaly. Though today’s style mavens have their fair inventory of goods and need the platform to access it all. Says Tucker, “Not to be confused with a closet for storing clothes, the dressing room is a staging area for the fashion lover who loves to plan her look of the day: to style an outfit or two for a work event or a weekend getaway.” For those considering a dressing room update over other items on the home improvement wishlist like a space-challenged pantry or dilapidated shed, we applaud upholding this me-based millennial attitude. When you look and feel good, food and gardening storage become inconsequential.

: A curated selection of accessories drive the look.

: Clothes on display and used as decor.

In this dressing room design Tucker found inspiration from Barneys Fashion Director Marina Larroude by employing a “playful mix of iconic and of-the-moment pieces.” She also emphasized artistic, aspirational elements such as upholstering the walls with Dedar fabric, custom millwork by Ornare and a création lumineuse, or light sculpture, from Semeur D’Etoiles that is influenced from a pearl necklace. While there are the trappings of a starlet’s dressing room with shimmered and furry pink accents, the space is intelligently presented with vintage additions, design books, period pieces and abstract art. “This dressing room was created with an aesthetic full of authenticity and personality, whilst remaining timeless,” says Tucker.

Statement pieces add to the personalized style of the room. Change a look simply by replacing the garments.

5 Steps to Creating a Modern Classic Dressing Room:

Engage the senses with an attention to lighting, mirrors, flowers, edibles, refreshments, music and textual touches.
Display your finest pieces as art, select clothes for color and scale that work within the overall composition.
Expand the room’s dimension by bringing in leisure features like seating, books and stationery.
When able showcase your wares, which eases the dressing process, and group by color and size.
Add personal touches to secure the space as your own.