SD Project: Bijou Dressing Table

I am SO EXCITED to share my latest project with you.  It's been in the works for ages and it's finally, finally done!

As you may have seen from previous "home tour" posts, I have an old home that is fairly streamlined and not very girly.  I love our decor but I've always wanted a pretty dressing room.  I've been sort of adding elements, such as my shoe cabinets, to our guest room but I am loathe to take over the whole space completely.  I also, didn't really have a place that would be safe for a delicate dressing table or all the perfumes, puffs and crystal that I would want to be there.

But that doesn't mean that I haven't dreamed of a pretty space all my own...

Then I realized I did have one small space that I could repurpose into a bijou dressing table. I started making plans and lists...

In my funky old home I have a funny closet-in-a-closet space in the guest room.

You open the outer door and you see this rectangular space that has a clothes rod on the left, a window on the right and another deep cabinet straight ahead.

The inner cabinet holds the guest room blankets and pillows, hat boxes and craft supplies. I keep some shoes in here as well as my off season clothes.

I drew up plans for a shelf that would be hinged under the window which would be supported by a shelf bracket for a brace and two decorative chains on each side.  The bracket would be hinged to lie flat against the wall and then the table part, also hinged would be able to be lowered down so I could open the inner cabinet doors.

Once I decided on a plan, I started to plan my furnishings - vintage dressing table linens...

A Ghost chair to sit on...  I thought and searched for ages on what chair to have in the space.  It need to be high enough but small in width.  I looked at all kinds of chairs and stools from new Pottery Barn to vintage vanity stools.  In the end, I've always loved the Ghost chairs and the clear will keep the small space airy. 

With a color scheme of crystal, pinks soft and bright, gold and small touches of black, a sari was the perfect fabric to act as a cover for the clothing section and a window shade.

A gilded shelf for accessories...

Antique tassels...

The project has been on hold for a while but know that I'm back in town, the pub is done and I'm done being sick this week, it has all come together.

The outer door now has a small sign warning of the girly space inside.

Yes, I have a Keep Calm poster, but now it's hidden inside the "fourth wall" of the room.  The sari was long enough to cover the clothes still on the left, drape across the ceiling and down, suspended from chain, to cover and decorate the window.

Isn't it ADORABLE????

I've decorated it with some of my existing pieces as well.  A Waterford crystal sugar sifter for powder, a Caron puff, my Chanel and Chloe perfumes and Waterford clock (the first piece I ever bought from when I was 17) on a Waterford tray.  A glove hand and small boxes for jewelry.

The most crucial piece I invested in and that I was very specific about was the mirror.  I knew from the start that I wanted a vintage Murano dressing mirror and this one with it's gilding and pale pink glass flowers was everything I dreamed of.

The Ghost chair and my tuffet fit perfectly too.  I'm going to get a faux flokati to cushion and protect the chair.  That's the last detail.

The last details are these amazing antique hand-cut paper cuts I had framed.  With their fairy tale themes they are perfect for my new space.

And my gilded shelf holds a delicate glass carousel horse. 

I so thrilled to have my little space.  I can't wait to linger over perfumes and polish and powder.

We all need a special place to find a bit of peace... mine just happens to be pink!

Other posts:

Key Word: Projects - an anthology

Key Word: Custom - an anthology

Key Word: Home - an anthology

Seasonal Swap

This weekend it's finally time to do my Seasonal Swap.

I have three very accessible closets but twice a year I switch light tees for jackets and heavier skirts for summer ones. I also try to be good and clear out some of the shoes and clothes I don't wear as often as I should.  I don't seem to have a lot of clothes I want to get rid of this year but I am clearing out a bunch of clothes and some accessories.

I have some big secret plans for one of my closets and I need to make some room.  These shoes are off to consignment or Craigslist. More on that soon... as soon as I get all the pieces together and in place.

Even if you have a single closet, do you switch around around your seasonal favorites?

The Big Reveal

Ages ago I shared my closets with you and bemoaned the fact that I would never have pretty storage or room to have my favorite shoes on display. Ever since then I've been thinking about creating more of a dressing room in the spare bedroom and on the hunt for glassed in bookshelves.

This was a challenge because I didn't want to spend too much but I could never just have my shoes out on an open shelf. Between a very dusty, drafty old house and 4 cats, there is no way it would happen.

But then I found these wonderful, reasonaby-priced, glass-door shelves from Ikea - Bergsbo! These suckers are HUGE and I instantly knew they would make my dream come true.

It took me a few hours each to put them together and they weighed a ton but they were worth it. Now I have two gorgeous displays for all of my favorite pretty shoes. I know I'm showing off but I have to share.

Click on any/all pictures to see BIG!

Cabinet #1 is filled with pinks, blacks, whites, silvers and purples -

Cabinet #2 is red, blues, neutrals, greens and golds -

I have to admit I get a bit giddy and giggly when I walk into the room. Now every morning when I'm getting dressed, it feels like I'm going shopping!

Sneak Preview

I had some posts planned but I decided to work on a spur of the moment huge undertaking.

Think of this as a sneak preview....



Better shots to follow!

SD Review: Tszuji Shoe Storage Boxes

A while back a received a nice note from a representative of the Tszuji company asking me if I wanted to learn more about their shoe storage options and maybe test out some of their shoe boxes.

Now as much as I love the look of shoes on display there is no way I could do something like this:



First of all, I have no space for a cabinet like this. I also like to baby my shoes by keeping them all wrapped up in their original boxes and, frankly, I just have way too many darn shoes to even consider this as a viable option.

So, when asked on how I store my shoes, I admit they are in their boxes stacked up high in the closets. I have them sorted somewhat by color and having the box they came in helps me to identify what pair is what. Of course, that's not a perfect system either. I've considered doing the pictures taped to the front thing too, but I'm just too lazy to do that.

Another issue is not all my shoes come with boxes. When I buy vintage shoes they don't usually come with boxes at all. To get something inexpensive and local, I've resorted to photo organizer boxes. But the downfall there is I now have 15 of the same box and it makes it hard to tell which pair is which. They are also larger than a standard shoe box which messes with the whole stacking element.

So when I received these clear boxes from Tszuji I was really excited to see how they stacked up (gah, lame pun! Sorry!).



The package that arrived was a flat pack filled with 6 unfolded shoe boxes. A great benefit of this over buying photo boxes is that they are much easier to store until a new pair comes along.



The plastic is sturdy with reinforced edges as well as air holes for good circulation. These boxes also have little tabs that help ensure they stack well, won't fall over or slide around.



The size is great too. Just a bit larger than a standard shoe box...

They hold heels...

And chunkier sneakers with room to spare. Tszuji also makes versions for boots and ankle boots, so check them out.

But my big concern is strength. My stacks can be up to 10 boxes so it needs to be able to hold some weight. So I gave it a test - 3 pairs of shoes, including heavy sneakers, topped with my filled to the brim purse. Looks sturdy to me!

Tabs -

Box handle -

The handle lays flat too but I love this because I usually carry my shoes to work in their box. I drive a stick shift car so I wear crummier shoes to drive. This makes it easy to carry my pair for the day in with me.

All in all, I'd say these are a great buy. The price is good (especially if you are in the UK) and there are a lot of options.

Tszuji also has a number of other shoe accessory, display and storage options, including the shoe wheel you may have seen.

Thank you Tszuji for letting me give these a test run!