Grace Manor: Closet Chronicles
Over the years, my closet / dressing room has become my favorite room in the house. The first one was sort of make-shift, done on my own. I hadn’t yet been introduced to the world of custom closets. But the space was large enough to make it pretty, at least to me. And since in addition to decor and design, organizing stuff is something I’m good at, I organized it to make it highly functional for me as well. I’ve shared in a couple other posts, that I believe your spaces should be tailored functionally for YOU, and the way you live in them, no matter what the trend is. You can check out my fave organization posts HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Since then, having completely immersed myself in Pinterest and Instagram, and all kinds of fancy closet spaces posted there, and finally seeing all the companies that provide custom closet services, beginning with my third home, The Dollhouse in 2017, I’ve used Closet Factory for my closet buildouts, specifically Lauri Wright, designer extraordinaire with Closet Factory. I mentioned her HERE when she designed that first closet in The Dollhouse, and HERE, for the first iteration The Queen’s Quarters’ closet, and later, HERE when I shared the re-do of that closet. I absolutely loved and enjoyed this closet tremendously, and I really hope the current residents are loving it as much as I did.
I’ve shared in previous posts about the extraordinary costs of upgrades in a new-build home and being strategic about saving some things for the after-build. My closets have always been planned for the “after-build”. It’s a shame that you can’t get the builders to just leave the walls bare in your closet, allowing you to perhaps sign a waiver that states you are relinquishing the rights to have their builder-grade rods and shelves put in. But oh well… Thankfully, demo of my existing closets have always been included at no extra cost. Just another reason why I chose them for a third time. Here’s what the standard build-out of my new closet looked like…
Ok so, nothing special to see there, right? Initially when Lauri and I met for her to get measurements and discuss what I wanted for this space, I had big eyes and dreams, not knowing how much those longed-for upgrades were going to cost; like doors, a built-in laundry hamper, and built-in lighting. I wasn’t ready for that big girl pricing, so I settled with three of my most-wanted features: built-ins that went to the ceiling, crown molding, and deeper panels to completely encase my clothes. There’s always a compromise, but thinking of the cost savings, this was one I could certainly live with. With regards to the actual décor of the space, I wanted the Grace Manor Owner’s Closet to be different this time; not whimsical like my first, self-designed one, not the minimal yet lovely blingyness (is that a word) of my second one, and not the bright-white bling-y closet of my dreams for the third one. I wanted this one to be smokey, less shiny, and more sophisticated; feminine but not princess-y. And I think I achieved that. So let’s see how I did…
I was only going to paint the back wall over the bank of drawers to compliment the mirror. Funny side story… My mom bought this mirror some time in and around 1998, and every time I went to see her I would boldly covet it, and ask for it. I mean, you have not cause you ask not, right? And each time she’d tell me: “Honey, I’ll be dead before you get THAT mirror.” Welp, here we are. She really loved this mirror too, and I think of her every time I look at it. 😊 BTW, it weighs about 50lbs. Getting it in that space wasn’t easy. But this space was specifically designed around the measurements of that mirror, so it was going in there some kind of way!
Once I’d painted that small wall portion where the mirror sits, I decided since I had a gallon of paint and nothing but time, at the time, I said “hmm, let’s just paint the whole room and see what it looks like. What’s the worst that could happen?” I was giddy as I painted and watch the room come to life. And you know I used my all-time favorite Behr Marquee paint in eggshell finish. No odor, one coat, and very little spillage. The color is Cracked Pepper, and I had no idea, it was chosen as “the color of the year” for 2024, but I’m in love with it.
I actually purged a lot so this closet would have the “feel” that it does. I wanted a sitting area and more open space since this is the largest closet I’ve ever had. Here are a few purchase details, all from, drum roll please… you guessed it, Amazon! Given our current political and economic climate I’m currently in an internal battle with them, but I’ll save that for another post 😉 So here are the links: purse stand, belt organizer, ladder, ceiling lights, sensor lights, area rugs, hat organizer. The large leaning mirror is from HomeGoods, and the butterfly wall décor is from Burlington. Everything else I already had.
Another piece of my Mom’s memory in this closet is the Neiman Marcus hat box at the top of the shoe shelf. She said it was one of her first purchases from working her first job after graduating High School.
I’m sure this space will evolve as it always has in the past, but for now, I walk in here, and I’m so grateful that I get to have a space I love so much to get dressed in every day. Until next time… xoxo
