DIY Custom Closet Dressing Room + Video

Sometimes a DIY project can be so huge that it consumes much of your "me" time and every ounce of patience.  Even the best of DIY'er, no matter how much s/he enjoys the project, would want to get it done and move on to the next project.  I can see a bunch of you DIY'ers nodding your head in agreement.  I feel for you, and the Mr. can relate.  

Our DIY closet/ dressing room was one such monstrous build.  The Mr. worked on our closet tirelessly, after work and on weekends.  In between the miscellaneous projects I threw at him (my bad) and other commitments, (did I mention he was also the coach of our son's hockey team?), he managed to stay afloat.  Although it took longer than he expected, the build is now complete, AND the chandelier installed.  WOO-HOO!

To mark this special occasion, we've put together a video that documents the blood and sweat that went into the building of this closet.  It's funny how this closet required so much detailed planning, that the Mr. was amazed he had done it all while watching the video.  

How we turned a HIS and HER closet space to one beautiful custom closet / dressing room. For details on the cabinet doors installation, check out our video tutorial: https://youtu.be/TSiq34SMtJA. Our blog www.classyglamliving.com has more DIY, design and decor ideas. Go check it out!

(Please scroll to the bottom of this post for a source guide.)

After he came back from his much-deserved amazing guys' trip last month, I again had a bunch of "stuff" lined up for him. Putting up this chandelier was one of them.  It's the cherry on top; what the closet/ dressing room needed to feel complete.  The sparkles from the chandelier compliment the sparkly glass pulls on the doors, and bring out the gold tone in the drawer hardware.

If you've only started to follow our blog, allow me to backtrack a bit.  This closet came to be when we made a request to the builder of this new house to delete the wall that separates the "his and her" closets, so that we can create this dressing room.

The closet's design went through several iterations and changes, and we ultimately ended with our current design.  We were very into the boutique style closet for a long time, and even researched the DIY possibilities.  However, we leaned towards a closet of closed storage, so that I can hide my mess!  

So we blended these two sources of closet inspiration:

Image via Atlanta Homes

... any Sex and the City fan would recognize Carrie Bradshaw's dreamy dressing room from the movie:

Image via Marks & Frantz, set designer

... and we created our own version:

Now, this is a dressing room fit for a princess; one who demands that there's a spot for all her specific storage needs.  (Did I just describe myself?  ;-P )

While making the DIY start-to-finish video above, I witnessed once again the Mr.'s persistence to complete this project.  I never doubted his ability to build this closet, and like I mentioned in the previous update, the closet turned out to be even more beautiful and elegant than I had imagined.  I hope he knows that I am immensely proud of this monstrous undertaking.

Well, that's precisely one of the reasons why I started this blog, so that I would be reminded again and again of the Mr.'s dedication to making our house a beautiful home.  For this home, this custom closet/ dressing room is the first step to making this home a classy and glamorous one.

Understandably, building from scratch isn't for the faint of heart. But we've also done an easier dressing room in our previous home with IKEA PAX wardrobes. All you need are some mouldings. Check it out here! 

(Scroll down for source guide)

We hope we haven't kept you waiting for too long for this final reveal of our DIY custom closet/ dressing room!  Here are the previous updates of this DIY project:

Update #1

Update #2

Update #3

Update #4 - lots of detailed shots in this post

Source Guide

• The closet frames and drawers were constructed from maple wood for sturdiness.

• Paint color - Benjamin Moore's Sidewalk Gray @ 50% tint

• Hardware - Glass door pulls from House of Antique Hardware; vanity glass knobs from Lee Valley Tools; brass drawer pulls from Gingers Bath.

• Marble adhesive - Amazon (affiliated link)

• Acrylic mirrors - Plas-Tech Inc.

Mirrors - The Luxe Factor in a Kitchen

SEE OUR MOST RECENT KITCHEN UPDATE!

Mirrors, mirrors, and more mirrors!  Seems like these recent blog updates are all about mirror installations.  Can't help it, they're the easiest way to give the illusion of added square footage and improve brightness in a small space.  

Installing the mirrors at the back of the kitchen glass cabinets was one of our to-do items on the list, found here.  When we placed the order of acrylic mirrors for our DIY closet doors, we also included an order for the kitchen glass cabinets.  We could've gone to our local home improvement store for a sheet of acrylic mirror and cut them to size ourselves, but we figured we would let the professionals at the plastic company handle the custom-sized cuts.   The cost difference in terms of time and effort would work out to be the same.

The Mr. handled the easy installation process, which was the same as for the DIY closet doors. He test fitted the mirror against the cabinet's back before the installation.  He used the thinnest double sided tape to avoid the wavy reflections.  See?  Doesn't get any easier than double sided tape!

Here's a glance at the quick process:

The "before" shot, taken after we changed out the builder's knobs and pulls.

And this is the "after" of the mirror backs installation:  (The above photo was taken on a gloomy day.  This one below was taken on a sunny day...  what a huge difference especially with the mirrors!)

The mirrors add brightness to the otherwise dull cabinet backs.  Not only did the mirrors multiply the brightness and give an illusion of depth, but they seem to have doubled our inventory of stemware as well!

Here's the view of the kitchen from the dining room.  The mirrors are reflecting the light from the patio doors and large windows from this space.

The brightest time of the day in the kitchen is a bit past noon.  On a bright sunny day like when this set of photos was taken, I usually don't bother switching on the lights in the kitchen.  With the lights on, the mirrors catch and reflect the light right back.

The simple addition of the mirrors livens up the little cabinet space, while making the kitchen more welcoming. Now that I'm spending more time at home, nothing makes me happier and more relaxed than a clean and bright kitchen. 

The designs we've integrated into this builder's kitchen allowed for ample counter space, which was a priority for this utilitarian kitchen.  We've added our personal touches to make it more luxe and less utilitarian.  

The kitchen is very close to completion.  It's got most of the large items down, and it looks and functions amazing as is.  Here is a list of what's left to tackle:

• Install mirror backsplash

• Build more drawers in lower cabinets

• Install glass shelves for the glass cabinets

• Install LED rope lighting for under the upper cabinet

• Install valence

• and I forgot to mention to the Mr. that I want the builder's dinky trim at the bulkhead replaced with a thicker one ;-)

To see how this kitchen design came about, check out our previous posts:

• NEW HOUSE - RANGE HOOD AND MINIMALIST KITCHEN DESIGN

• OUR MARBLE ALTERNATIVE KITCHEN COUNTERTOP REVEALED!

• NEW KITCHEN UPDATE - INTEGRATED HOOD + UPPER CABINETS

• GIVING A BUILDER'S KITCHEN A PERSONAL TOUCH - CABINET HARDWARE