One of the first jobs when we moved into our new home, was to figure out what to do with this bedroom:
The best thing that this bedroom had going for it was its size – it would spaciously accommodate a double or queen sized bed as well as other furniture. Like the other rooms, it also had a beautiful floor to ceiling large window as well as some inbuilt cupboard space.
But, like the other rooms, it was severely in need of TLC. We also didn’t need to use it as a bedroom, so our options were wide open.
One of our biggest pain points in the flat had been storage for our clothes, shoes and accessories. We had been sharing two double cupboards between us for everything we owned, and it was a mess. The lack of space meant that we were cramming clothes, shoes, bags in a tightly as possible and it was really difficult to see what things you even owned. We also ended up packing a bunch of things away in storage, because there was literally no space.
Moving to this home, we both agreed that we wanted to make space for our belongings to shine, and to be stored correctly. The more we discussed this room, the more it felt like a no-brainer that we should convert it into a walk-in wardrobe/dressing room.
I especially wanted this room to also accommodate my cosmetics collection and be a space where I could do my spa sessions and get ready in peace.
So, we did some research and found Neatsmith, a bespoke wardrobe designer and installer, who would be able to advise on the best layout and configuration, supply and install our new room.
Our consultant, Hannah, came round to take measurements and properly see the space. We excitedly waited for her to come back with some thoughts of what the space could be transformed into.
We met Hannah in the Neatsmith showroom to go over the initial plans she had created. This was both to give feedback on her ideas, but would also give us an opportunity to inspect the actual different materials, finishings, and options that Neatsmith offered for their wardrobes.
On that visit, we aligned on the ideal configuration that would work for us in the space (including debating things like how many shelves, how much full-length storage, what should the inside of drawers look like), as well as picked what we thought would be the best finishing and colour options.
Hannah then went away to produce 3D renders so we could completely visualise what the space would look like. Here are the renders:
We absolutely loved where we had got to with these renders. I especially loved the dressing table by the window, where natural light could flood in as I was getting ready. I also loved the open shelving by the door that would be great for things like handbag storage.
We were also really excited about our finishings. Behind the open shelving in the middle of the room, we had chosen a textured mirrored backing, which would make the space feel bigger. We also really liked the silver textured frontage for the shelves, and the LED lights we chose for extra mood lighting.
The next step was to give Neatsmith the okay and to book in when our installation would happen. The lead time for Neatsmith to produce the materials was not actually as long as I thought it would have been, only around 8 weeks.
Finally, the week of installation arrived. The two nicest, most polite fitters arrived to do the work. These guys were top tier fitters – super quiet, polite, and very very clean – at the end of every day everything was cleaned and as pristine as an in-progress install could be.
Here are some shots of the in-progress install:
At the end of the week, as promised, the build was complete and our new wardrobes and dressing area was installed.
Here are some shots of the room at the end of the week, before we put any of the finishing touches to the room and before our stuff actually went in!
We are so excited about this room’s transformation into a room of real utility. There are still a bunch of finishing touches needed though to make its transformation complete, namely:
- The yellow walls need to be painted over. This will be happening in the next month or two when our decorator comes back.
- We need a blind so that the neighbours can’t see in when we are getting changed
- We need to find a beautiful new light fitting
- We need to change the carpet
I’ll be making a new post showing the finished walk-in wardrobe with stuff inside, when at least a couple of the above changes are also completed!
