Houzz Tours
Room Tours
Room Tour: An Elegant Dressing Room Brimming with Stylish Storage
Beautiful bespoke cabinets, inspired lighting and thoughtful touches take this space from unloved to luxurious
When the owners of this Sheffield home decided to convert an under-used spare room into a dedicated dressing room, they knew who to call: Elizabeth Ennis of Wolfe Interiors. Elizabeth had already transformed their bathroom and immediately understood the brief, which specified masses of storage and an understated, luxurious feel.
An uneven ceiling that slopes down near the window was a challenge, but Elizabeth’s design of bespoke wardrobes and a neat dressing table worked with those angles, while respecting the unique character of the space.
An uneven ceiling that slopes down near the window was a challenge, but Elizabeth’s design of bespoke wardrobes and a neat dressing table worked with those angles, while respecting the unique character of the space.
The dressing room before, when it was a spare bedroom.
The room looking the other way, from the window wall into the space.
Working in lots of storage was at the heart of the owner’s brief. “She also definitely wanted to include an island,” Elizabeth says, “and for the space to have a real luxury feel to it, where everything was thought through.”
The owner specified some display areas for her handbags and shoes, too.
Ceiling light, Lights & Lamps.
The owner specified some display areas for her handbags and shoes, too.
Ceiling light, Lights & Lamps.
This bank of storage, next to the door into the couple’s bedroom, contains the display space the owner wanted, with her handbags and shoes lit up behind glass-fronted doors. The unit is built around a chimney breast, hence the shallower shelves in the middle.
“Originally, we did think about doing fully glazed doors here,” Elizabeth says, “but I suggested the bottom half be concealed, with pull-out shoe storage in there. It doesn’t have to be quite as orderly and tidy, as it’s not visible.”
As the cabinetry was being installed, it became obvious that the ceiling wasn’t straight. “It’s what you’d expect with a period house like this,” Elizabeth says. In discussions with the joiner, she considered building right up to the ceiling. “We decided to go with it in the end,” she says. “This is a room with so much character and we didn’t want to take that away, so we kept everything square, and you can see all the lovely detail on the ceiling.”
All bespoke joinery, LA Bespoke Joinery.
“Originally, we did think about doing fully glazed doors here,” Elizabeth says, “but I suggested the bottom half be concealed, with pull-out shoe storage in there. It doesn’t have to be quite as orderly and tidy, as it’s not visible.”
As the cabinetry was being installed, it became obvious that the ceiling wasn’t straight. “It’s what you’d expect with a period house like this,” Elizabeth says. In discussions with the joiner, she considered building right up to the ceiling. “We decided to go with it in the end,” she says. “This is a room with so much character and we didn’t want to take that away, so we kept everything square, and you can see all the lovely detail on the ceiling.”
All bespoke joinery, LA Bespoke Joinery.
The owner also wanted a place to store and display her jewellery. Elizabeth designed a glass top to part of the island that gives a view into the jewellery drawers beneath. “Again, there’s also storage that’s hidden, so you don’t have to have everything on display,” she says.
All the lights inside the display areas and also by the dressing table are on separate circuits and switches, so the lighting in a particular area can be on as a feature at any time.
Thinking of renovating? Find everyone you need, from interior designers to builders, carpenters and decorators, on Houzz.
All the lights inside the display areas and also by the dressing table are on separate circuits and switches, so the lighting in a particular area can be on as a feature at any time.
Thinking of renovating? Find everyone you need, from interior designers to builders, carpenters and decorators, on Houzz.
The colour palette is pale and muted, but Elizabeth introduced a few bronze elements, including the curtain pole, cast-iron radiator and knobs on the cabinetry. There is also bronze trim added around the jewellery display. “The bronze brings in that depth and strength of colour, rather than everything being very light, and stops it feeling washed out,” she says.
The curtain is designed to open up to the right, so it doesn’t interfere with the dressing table area on the left. “It’s a wide window, so there’s quite a lot of fabric,” she says. “We also used double-pleat curtains to give that really nice finish and detail.”
Cabinet knobs, Corston. Cabinets painted in Skimming Stone; walls painted in Dove Tale, both Farrow & Ball. Curtains made from Kendari fabric, Villa Nova.
The curtain is designed to open up to the right, so it doesn’t interfere with the dressing table area on the left. “It’s a wide window, so there’s quite a lot of fabric,” she says. “We also used double-pleat curtains to give that really nice finish and detail.”
Cabinet knobs, Corston. Cabinets painted in Skimming Stone; walls painted in Dove Tale, both Farrow & Ball. Curtains made from Kendari fabric, Villa Nova.
To add some definition to the pale scheme, Elizabeth commissioned a bespoke ottoman covered in geometric fabric. “It brings that charcoal through and a little bit of pattern,” she says. “The room didn’t need more than that. Adding just one piece of pattern keeps it quite simple.” The ottoman also contains further storage.
Ottoman covered in Fitzroy Grey fabric, Andrew Martin.
Ottoman covered in Fitzroy Grey fabric, Andrew Martin.
The ceiling slopes down near the window, so Elizabeth felt this was the ideal spot to fit a dressing table. “It utilises that space well,” she says. “It was a good point to finish the wardrobe and start the dressing table area, where there’s less ceiling height.”
Chair, Liang & Eimil.
Chair, Liang & Eimil.
This corner of the room now holds the majority of the storage, built around the corner.
The new storage contains a mixture of double hanging space, shelves and internal drawers. The exterior has a spray finish, with oak veneer inside. “All the internals are really well lit,” Elizabeth says. “The lights are all on sensors, so they come on as you open the doors.”
There’s a large mirror fitted in the dressing area, with two integrated wall lights. Elizabeth designed open storage tucked neatly into the recess on the far side and added LED strips to add to the wall lights. “It gave us an opportunity to put some more feature lighting in there, which gives that little space a really luxurious feel,” she says.
Wall lights, Corston.
Wall lights, Corston.
From initial contact to completion, this project took about six months. The owners were keen to get on with it, so Elizabeth was pulling in quotes as the designs progressed.
Throughout, she used Houzz Pro software tools – “I rely on them!” she says – which allow homeowners and pros to collaborate on everything down to the last detail. “I always send through Mood Boards for them to approve,” she says. “That’s the official confirmation of what the owners want to go ahead with, and I will invoice directly from there.”
Discover why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software.
Throughout, she used Houzz Pro software tools – “I rely on them!” she says – which allow homeowners and pros to collaborate on everything down to the last detail. “I always send through Mood Boards for them to approve,” she says. “That’s the official confirmation of what the owners want to go ahead with, and I will invoice directly from there.”
Discover why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software.
Delighted with the finished space, the owner has since asked Elizabeth to redesign two guest bedrooms. “She absolutely loves this room and is thrilled with how it’s turned out,” Elizabeth says. “Along with the bathroom and guest rooms, it has completely transformed the house. Now, all these rooms have a purpose and everything has a place.”
Tell us…
What do you like about Elizabeth’s design for this dressing room? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Tell us…
What do you like about Elizabeth’s design for this dressing room? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Sponsored
Who lives here? A couple with a young child
Location Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Property A large stone-built period house
Room dimensions 4.3m x 4m
Project year 2024
Designer Elizabeth Ennis of Wolfe Interiors
Photos by Adam Hunter of Adam Steals Light
This house is blessed with six bedrooms, and this spare room was not used well. “It inevitably turned into a place where everything got stored,” Elizabeth says, “but as it’s right next to the main bedroom, it was perfect to use as a dressing room.”