Family Room/ Play Room/ Laundry Room, a project by me

I'd like to bring to you the latest project I've worked on. This was a challenging project as the client had a very short period of time to execute it (It was done in 10 days), The budget was very limited, and the room needed to function as a Laundry room, Play room, and a Family room due to a baby being born into the family about 2 years earlier- now a toddler who needs her own informal space to play and thrive in.

The design needed to be functional, kids friendly, spacious looking, and colorful while serving all purposes.

The family wanted to conceal all of the laundry appliances, baskets, ironing table, and drying rack when not used and thus I designed a custom aluminum closet with perforations to allow the humidity to escape. The closets were made to match the existing wall to wall, floor to ceiling aluminum closets used for storage along the wall.

The walls needed a lot of work as it had a lot of cracks, peeling plaster, and leakage marks so we had some plaster work to be done that was then followed by primer and a beautiful sky blue paint.

The dining table and chairs were already in the house, we just moved them over from another space in the villa so that they serve a better purpose in this room.

A TV is supposed to be hung on the wall above the white side-board.

Colored Initial Plan

Custom Aluminum Closet Design

Custom Aluminum Closet

Dream Closets

I'm yet to meet a single person male or female who would not like a walk-in closet/dressing room and I've met quiet a few who are absolutely in LOVE with the idea of having their own celebrity style walk-in closet thus I figured I'll write about dressing rooms and what you need in one to make it stand out and be ELLE Decor worthy.

So what's a dressing room for as oppose to say having a wardrobe or closet in your bedroom. A dressing room is a place where you go in to plan or put on an outfit as oppose to "storing clothes" which is what a closet or a wardrobe is for.

In a dressing room you are; storing clothes and accessories, displaying special items, getting your hair and makeup done, trying on different clothes/shoes, and finally emerging in an "outfit"

So what would you need in a dressing room for it to be both, efficient and awe worthy?

Just like a wardrobe or a closet; one of the main purposes of a dressing room is storing and displaying clothes. That job is performed by closets, shelves, hanging rods, drawers, etc...(which is basically what a wardrobes/closets fit-out company would do for you such as; American Wardrobe, Creative Wardrobe, IKEA and any of the other redundant shops in Doha,

The type and amount of storage depends on 3 main factors; the room area, the type of clothes you want to store/display, and the amount of clothes you want to store/display. Now whether you want to "store" or "display" your clothes that is also an additional factor.

While you might want to hide away all of your clothes in closed wardrobes and drawers

Or put a few special items on display

others might like to go all out and have open storage for everything that they own

And some might even go the extra mile to do a very extravagant display of something they cherish so much, wedding gown in a box frame ladies? or are you more of a "display it on a mannequin" kind of bride

Adrienne Maloof, former cast member of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills had her wedding gown displayed oh-so beautifully in a clear box frame

a gown put on display on a mannequin in a shop. This could very much be done in your own dressing room for an exclusive boutique sort of feel. 

or maybe it's jewelry, makeup, or bags and shoes that you like to keep out in a special display?

The choices of how to display these items are endless and they depend again on space, quantity, and type of items. It could be a jeweler stand, a counter with a clear top or clear boxes just like at jewelry boutiques, an open or glass front armoire, shelves, and just a corner in the dressing room, the last will make the piece look like it's a sculpture or a vase on display!

Now for the utilitarian makeup savvy artist the top vanity is a dream come true , but you can still get your beauty on (hair & makeup) at a fit for a Hollywood star vanity and get to store all of your makeup and hair products. Be it modern and more on the utilitarian side or fancy and old world glamorous, a vanity table, mirror, and chair are a must have in a good dressing room.

This leads us to the trying clothes on and getting ready role of the dressing room. Now what's also essential in a dressing room for getting ready is for it to be equipped with the following; seating, to sit and put shoes on or to wait while someone else is trying clothes on, a hanger/table to put whatever you want to wear on while your getting ready, a full size mirror, and adequate lighting.

Now with seating and the mirrors you can either make them statement pieces or make them blend in with the rest of the interiors and be a built in within the wardrobe set.

I absolutely love having hangers and counter tops or tables for laying out or hanging clothes out to wear them. It helps a lot too if you need to get something steamed.

Would you like a hotel bellboy sort of golden rail cart to hang your clothes out on for steaming? I wouldn't mind! will make you feel like you are staying at a hotel.

And last but not least is what I believe to be the most important thing in a dressing room, adequate lighting. You want your dressing room to be well lit with soft general lighting that is a mix of slightly warm light and daylight in order to be able to see the true colors of your clothing/make up yet still get the tone improvement effect of having the warmer lights. Steer clear from directional lighting and strong lights that cast harsh shadows because they will put a super model to shame (changing room meltdown flashback anyone?)

So whether you've got a small space to use as a dressing room

or a huge space

got a classic style

or a quirky one

There is always room for dressing rooms love!

Just remember:

Put your clothes away

But show off some

Vanity Fair

Sit

Get Ready

and Go!

What do you think? do you have a dressing room envy? or do you already have your dream closet fitted?

Wardrobe Organization by Nurbry

I had to share this great piece on organizing your wardrobe from Nurbry, a must-check-out website

"Summer is here, and if you have not had time to conquer your closet yet, there is no better time than now. An unorganized closet can equate to clutter, tardiness, and stress…who has time for that?

How To Organize Your Closet For A Guilt-Free Wardrobe

Your closet is no place for guilt! Every item in your wardrobe should make you feel amazing and proud of your investment, not the other way around.  It’s time to streamline your life and feel amazing about your beautifully organized closet!

With a little work, some closet therapy, and daily maintenance, you can save yourself a great deal of stress.  Any good closet organization project starts with going through your closet and ridding yourself of items that you no longer need, use, or should be wearing.

Below, we’ve listed 3 closet decluttering steps necessary for you to achieve a guilt-free wardrobe. Leave a comment below telling us your wardrobe organization strategies!

RELATED POST: How To: Organize Your Closet

Step 1: Purge and Plan

Start by going through your closet and deciding what items you need to get rid of and what items are questionable.  If you don’t wear it, pass it on and don’t let it clutter your life. We often hold onto hope that we will wear something again, but that item often continues to sit in our closets and causes nothing but guilt every time we happen upon it. Free yourself, your mind, and your closet…if you haven’t worn it in a year – give it away! Remember to always give away items, rather than throw away, because you never know who might be able to use your hand-me-downs! 

Follow the closet purging tips below to help you decide what needs to go:

• Analyze Everything: invite a friend over, try everything on, and take pictures of yourself. Be subjective. If an item of clothing doesn’t make you feel amazing when on, get rid of it – no matter how expensive, stylish, or amazing off the hanger something might look, if its not right for you, it doesn’t belong in your closet.

• Think Creatively: some items can be salvaged but will need some creativity, a good tailor, or a needle and tread. Set aside anything that requires a new button or needs repairs, and take care of it now! Never put damaged items back in your closet. If items have potential, take them to a tailor to have them custom fitted. Or, consider shortening, hemming, or altering items to make them more stylish/wearable.

• Mark Maybes: for questionable items that you just can’t make up your mind about, try a hanger or labeling system. Have all of your hangers facing one way and as you wear items turn the hangers around. As the year progresses you will realize what you have not worn and can toss them. You might also try marking maybes with a post-it and utilizing the same system.

Step 2: Implement

After you have the items you want to keep, devise an organization system that works for you. Try these simple tips to help organize all the items in your closet.

• Accessories: roll up belts, gloves, and other small accessories and keep them in a drawer. Belts can often become tangled up so keep them separated and easy to gaze over.

Roll belts and store in a drawer with other accessories

• Scarves: try using a tie hanger/organizer for scarves. This is an easy way to hang and display your scarves so that they are organized and easy to find.

Hang / Tie scarves so you can easily see them

• Shoes: make your shoes visible. If you love shoe boxes, put a picture on the shoe box. If you can’t see them, you are unlikely to wear them. You might try buying a shoe hanger system and place off-season shoes in an under-the-bed container to maximize space.

• Shelves: utilize shelves. Items like jeans, sweaters, and tee shirts can be much more easily organized and save you space by organizing on a shelf. Try labeling a shelf for jeans. Use categories like skinny, trouser, straight leg, etc. Then, place your jeans on a shelf according to the right label so that you can easily see style and color.

Use shelves to accommodate folded sweaters

Label jeans and display them neatly on a shelf

Step 3: Maintain

A well-organized closet stays well organized because of constant maintenance. Below are some organization rules to live by.

• Never drop clothes on the floor and leave them there.

• Take 5 minutes a day to inspect your closet and ensure that everything stays organized.

• Have a special bin for items that need repair and constantly evaluate.

• If you find yourself always feeling blah when you wear a certain outfit or always passing something over even after trying it on, let it go."

I'd add this

* Store shoes/accessories/hats/etc in boxes and bins and place them at the bottom of your wardrobe if you had that space available.

*organize your clothes per color or per category or both, you might want to have a gradient of color going through your wardrobe from one end to the other, or you might prefer to have a gradient of jacket colors on one side and then blouses, pants, and so on.

*Add baskets/bins on top of your closet if you had that space available for storing out-of-season items or- if planning a new closet- plan to have floor to ceiling built-in wardrobes, if you can afford them, the extra storage space that you get on top of your regular storage is priceless.

*For all of those drawers separators & organizers, closet organizers, shoes closet hangers, etc in Doha, visit IKEA they are ultimately the best