So you have a small awkward storage space in your bedroom? How about transforming this closet into a makeup station and storage for a more aesthetic and functional space? That’s exactly what we did in our bedroom.
A bit of background on storage and Layout in our bedroom
Before I move onto the details, I just want to say that we added a walk-in in our bedroom by taking some space from the adjacent room. Therefore, we already have storage for most of our things. However, we still had an old closet with the infamous folding doors that was so dysfunctional and quite frankly ugly. I had been wanting to change it for a long time, and we finally did it!
Prior to renovating this closet, I had my makeup vanity in one corner of our bedroom, but I have always wanted to have a small nook in lieu of the vanity to place an accent chair for reading, journaling and meditating as I took on this practice with the change of lifestyle I did. So, my makeup vanity had to go somewhere else, and there was no better place than to put in in this old closet.
I also wanted an additional place for shoe storage and a linen closet as well because we didn’t have enough space in the bathroom to store all the towels and extra bedsheets. And this closet was really an opportunity to create all this in one space. That would remove all the awkward hidden corners that weren’t easy accessible, put more emphasis on this space instead of downplaying it and simply remove the eyesore in our bedroom.
Space planning
So I started taking measurements, and designing the space. It is a small closet, but with proper division, I could fit all this. And here’s how I decided to split this 82″x28″ space, from right to left.
- 20″ for shoes – an Ikea Pax fits perfectly in there. With some pull-out shelves/drawers, I would be able to store my shoes.
- 40 1/2″ for a makeup vanity. This is something to DIY in order to have it fit exactly
- 13″ for a linen closet that would open from the hallway – we have just enough space between the bathroom door and the bedroom door to add a closet there.
We decided to keep the height and depth as is, including the wall check from the ceiling. Electricity was already available since the closet had lighting. We would just need to add more for outlets and additional lighting.
Design Direction
I wanted this nook to be a place that I would be encouraged to use, because I wanted to give more time for myself for self-care and routine, which I had neglected in the past few years. So, using the concepts of neuroscience, creating a warm, inviting, beautiful and meaningful nook was what I needed in addition to function.
I wanted to replicate the wood slats that we used to create the slatted barn door to the walk-in. However, I just wanted it to be full in order to block the view of the Pax show storage.
Adding brass accents and black was also a must since this is what I already had on our nightstands. I wanted a marble top that would add aesthetics and an organic touch, just like the limewash wall behind our bed.
Finally, I was able to work with Komar products, a German company that has beautiful wallpapers with a great quality. This was a space where I wanted to create a feel that would trigger happy memories and push me to take time doing my self-care routine. I chose the Hanging Hanami wallpaper as it reminded me of the hanging jasmine tree at my grandparents’ summer home, all the sweet memories I have – one way to use neuroscience in design!!
Renovation quick-off
We first started by removing the doors and walls that needed to be knocked down. The, we made the necessary electrical work to add an outlet that would go behind the vanity to plug my hair dryer, curling irons, etc. We were also adding a second light since the other one wasn’t strong enough and too high in the ceiling. I chose a led picture light that would go above the mirror and provide enough lighting when I needed it. The other one would stay as an extra accent light.
We then moved onto adding 4×4″ frame where we wanted to close the closet and have it open in the hallway. We added the drywall, screwed everything in place and applied the usual compound, sanding, etc.
The next task was a bit more daunting. We had to fill redo the flooring where the previous walls were. There was no flooring there, and luckily, we had some that we kept from the office makeover. Our hardwood floor doesn’t exist in store anymore in the proper size, and thankfully it is the same almost across the house. Yay!! This really took time since we had to remove and cut some of the existing flooring to be able to replace it with bigger length pieces, without damaging the ones that needed to stay.
We primed and painted everything with Benjamin Moore Simply White, the colour we have in the rest of the room, and most of the house too.
The aesthetic parts!
When it was all done, we proceeded to installing the beautiful Hanging Hanami wallpaper… omg! It completely change this nook. We put in the Ikea Pax and in order to make the side look more aesthetic, we installed headboard to the exposed side.
In the meantime, we diyed the makeup vanity and painted it with Sherwin Williams Iron Ore, with brass hardware, just like the nightstands. I added a pretty trim around the drawers and marble effect contact paper for the lining. We installed a rail for the sliding door. We took a regular door rail and made the door thick enough to be able to hang onto the rail and remain straight. To cover the rail, we added a piece of 1″x4″ pine wood to the top of the wall, and added to it the same trim we used on the vanity drawers. We also DIYed the sliding door and stained it with the Varathane Wood Accelerator. The other slat door one was just natural but I stained it just like this one, I have been loving the richer tones of wood. Plus it contrasts better with the wallpaper and walls.
I was lucky enough to find a coffee table with a marble top on Facebook Marketplace for only $60. We only needed the top, which we cut to size to fit the vanity top. white this was being done, we painted and installed the baseboards. Then, we put the vanity and marble top in place, mounted the light fixture, the mirror that I found at HomeSense and the two little artworks I made and framed.
The following steps
Now, all is done and I just needed to style and use! I kept the styling very minimal in order to keep the surface clear. A small plant, a few perfume bottles with a vintage ceramic catch all bowl I thrifted. I am so happy with the result, not only did this give more space to the room, but it turned an awkward closet into a beautiful and functional nook that I adore using now! This allowed me to add my my accent chair with a small diyed table for my meditation, journaling and sometimes reading.
The only part that still needed to be done was the linen closet that opens from the hallway, but the room is now all complete and a space that we love, rich with textures, muted colours and truly a room where we can unwind and recharge. I 100% recommend using any old closet you have that is not very functional into something different, if your room allows it and you have other storage solutions for your needs.