If you follow me over on Instagram and watch my Instagram Stories, you’ll know I’ve been busy working away on the tiniest (and possibly quirkiest) room in my house. I’d initially deemed it the ‘Jack n’ Jill’ room as it’s a term used in the States to describe bathrooms that are accessible from two different bedrooms – usually two children’s rooms, thus the name. Now in our home, we have something similar. It’s only small – 207cm x 180cm (or around 6’10” x 5’11”) and is only accessible from the master bedroom and the second bedroom which is currently being used as my office/dressing room.
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Now, we have no plans to convert it into a bathroom – the plumbing would be a nightmare as it is at the front of the house and the options available to us to convert it into a bathroom aren’t really worth the expense/hassle. Besides, once work is completed, we’ll have two bathrooms in the house which for just the 2 of us, is enough. So what to do with this tiny strange room?
From the original estate listing: the measurements as shown here are wrong but you can see how what is labelled a ‘dressing room’ sits between the master on the left and the second bedroom on the right.
Here’s what it looked like when we moved in…
As I mentioned, I have a combined office and dressing room – in that my office desk and sideboard, as well as my chest of drawers and hanging rail, all reside in the same space. But, I realised there was really no place to put my vanity or the shelving I used to have in the little dressing room in my old house. So this tiny room with its nice bright window became my ‘makeup room’.
In my office, the colour scheme is black, gold, rose pink, grey and white (there’s still plenty to do in here – like those horrible floors!) and having just completed the makeover of the master bedroom, the colours in there are black, gold, rose pink, grey and white – sensing a pattern here?
The view from the office, through the dressing room and into the master bedroom – as you can see, it’s all connected!
So it made sense to tie these two rooms together with a similar colour scheme. I decided paint would be the easiest and quickest way to give my little makeup room a refresh without spending a lot of additional money along with a few little updates to dress up the space. I’ll put you out of your misery now and show you what it looks like now (and then we can talk through the changes!)…
After purchasing a number of different samples, I landed on Little Green Paint Company’s Hellebore – a soft and warm rose pink colour that was nearly an exact match for my MADE Talia bed, as well as the rose pink curtains from JD Williams that hang in my office. Happily, they agreed to work with me on this little makeover and sent the paint straight out. The following day, I completed the painting and I just have to mention how incredible the paint was to work with! I adored it – it has a beautiful texture, incredible coverage and stunning pigmentation. I’m a HUGE fan of this paint (it may genuinely be the best I’ve ever used) and will definitely be purchasing more in the future.
Once the painting was done, I was able to move on to dressing the space! Of course, because the room is so tiny, it’s REALLY hard to shoot properly but hopefully, you can get the idea. I do also have a slight confession – it’s not 100% done!
I decided to keep the wall shelving that was already in here. It’s not the prettiest looking shelving you’ve ever seen but it was super sturdy and bolted in and I didn’t really want to remove them for fear of damaging the walls. Plus, they come in very handy for displaying and storing some of my things so I thought I’d work with them!
I decided to wrap the shelves in a marble sticky back plastic to spruce them up a bit but realised after I’d started that I didn’t have enough to do both shelves! (#fail) So as you can see, only one shelf has been done. I’m just waiting for another roll to come in and I can get that finished up! It’s not a biggie but I know some of you are pretty eagle-eyed and would notice so I figured I’d acknowledge it! Ha!
I also decided to leave the shelving in the same mint green colour I had in my old dressing room. I considered very briefly repainting them another colour but they’ve been through a couple of iterations and paint colours already.
As they are just cheap IKEA Billy bookcases that we dolled up a bit with paint, trim and wallpaper years ago (you can see how we did it here), it probably wasn’t worth the time/expense/hassle – basically, I couldn’t face painting them all over again and wanted this room done. So yeah, I was being lazy!! Ha! They are fine though, I don’t hate them although, at some point in time, I’ll probably replace/change them.
For now, the one next to the vanity table holds my most-used shoes and bags and the other one is more practical, holding some shoes as well as all my hair care and skin care products.
As I really wanted to keep costs down for this little makeover, the only big purchase I made for the room was that cute grey velvet chair with brass legs from Cult Furniture. I had a Louis Ghost Chair reproduction in my dressing room for years but it was looking pretty battered and scratched up so I figured I’d splurge on something pretty.
I’d never ordered from Cult Furniture before but was very impressed with the high quality of the chair when the prices are so reasonable. I paid just over £100 for it (they offer a small discount when you sign up for their emails so I took advantage) but I reckon it’s a pretty good dupe for Anthropologie’s Elowen chair which is 4 times the price!
You may recognise the Vernay Console Desk from my ‘fantasy office space’ post with MADE. The petite size, clean lines and the handy storage drawers made it the perfect choice to use as a vanity and it fits the spot beneath the window here perfectly. On top, I store my most-reached-for makeup and brushes. I’ve had that mirror for years now but decided to give it a little refresh with some gold spray paint.
I was also kindly gifted the Alfa Italia pink hairdryer and straightening iron travel set from Chill Cabinet. The set comes in a few different colours but I fell HARD for that beautiful coral pink colour. It’s a stunning little set and at 1200watt for the hairdryer and a temperature of up to 190c for the straightening irons, they actually pack quite a punch in their petite size. I’m definitely taking them with me when we’re off on holiday soon but they look so cute in the little case that I just had to show them off here too!
So that’s my little makeup room reveal! It’s tiny but it works really nicely for me when I’m getting myself together for the day. I do have a few more things planned for this room including some new lighting which I’ll hopefully be able to show off soon and I’m also contemplating wallpapering the ceiling (once I figure how the heck that can be done)!
So a few bits left to do in here but for now, I’m rather liking this tiny room. I’d love to know what you think! Let me know in the comments.
Disclaimer: The paint and travel styling set were provided free in exchange for my unbiased review but as always, all images, words and opinions are my own. I only work with brands I love and think you’ll like too! Thanks for supporting the brands that support Swoon Worthy.
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. You really are the queen of glamour styling. Is Wayne getting itchy for a man cave I wonder? xx
Haha! Aww thanks darling! He kind of already has one! The smallest of the bedrooms is his office/dressing space so he’s got a place to escape and play his PC games! ;) I haven’t shown it on the blog yet because it’s pretty ugly (yellow walls and blue carpet?!) but it’ll get some love at some point in time and for now, he’s happy! :D xxx
I love Little Greene Paint and have been using it for years. It really is a superb coverage, isn’t it?
The room looks lovely and very practical. You’ve made me wish for a space like that for getting ready!
It’s unbelievable coverage! I was super impressed by the quality! I had heard so many good things about the paint so it was nice to finally test it out – it definitely won’t be the last time I use it :) And thank you – it’s really a lovely little space! xxx
It’s lovely. You could spray paint those shelf uprights and brackets in gold, when you finish covering the other shelf (and yes, I did spot that!).
I love that you got your pink walls in there! It’s a really nice pink too.
Ya know, I did think about removing them and spraying them but the walls are so old (nearly 130 years old!) so I didn’t want to take them out and put them back. When I removed the wall lighting, it basically just fell out in my hands when I removed the screws – wallplugs and all! – so I didn’t want to mess with it! Ha! But thank you – it really is such a lovely pink, I’m really happy with my choice! :D xxx
Ah yes, I can see why you didn’t now! Mind you, there is a way around that. What I’d do, is take the shelves and brackets off, mask off around the uprights, and use a brush to paint them. Then you can spray the brackets.
Anyway, just an idea, you have many more things in the house to take up your time before worrying about the fittings not matching!
Oh that’s a clever idea – I like that! Will definitely keep that in mind (I’m thinking maybe Rub n’buff could work?!) :D Thanks darling! xx
Oh yes, that would work. I hadn’t heard of that, so just looked it up, and now I NEED it in my life! Haha!
So wonderful you have this sweet dressing room! Love the pink wall colour, it’s so pretty, and the chair is the sort of thing I’ll be searching for when eventually I have a dressing table.
Aww thanks darling! It’s lovely to have that little space again! The chair is brilliant – really impressive quality for the price! :) xxx
Beautiful little gem! I think it’s very important to have that space/time to oneself everyday as you get ready for the day ahead. As you so perfectly demonstrate, it need not be a large space, just one that is to your taste
and that takes advantage of vertical space for storage needs. I love the pink color!
Aww thank you! I knew after having the space in my old house that I wanted it again – it really is so nice to have even if it’s just a little nook somewhere :) xx
Very cute. I have been all over Little Greene for years now it is the best.
Will you keep the clothes in the office or move the office?
I’d heard so many good things about LGPC so it was so nice to try it out – and yep, it totally lived up to the hype! I was so impressed with it! I was considering moving the office downstairs but now I’m not so sure! I might just get built-in wardrobes & storage so I’ll keep it as both – I haven’t quite decided yet but it’s a lovely light-filled room to work out of for now anyway ;) xx
I actually like the pop of the green against the pink. I think it makes a feature of it.
I also love how you’ve used cleverly used leopard as a neutral in the room (bookcase, vase, picture, folder holder)……
Another great job 👍🏻
Aww thanks Andrea! You know I can’t resist a bit of leopard print! Ha! I do think my laziness actually worked out pretty well – I definitely don’t hate the mint green with the pink, it kind of works ;) xx
Looks super sweet. Ditto on minty Billies: they photograph really well while still being in the theme of soothing, airy pastels.
Good job on the chair! I got a great little glass lampshade last year there for £20! It is a bonus to have Cult Furniture showroom on the school run route ;)
Looking forward to see how the grey floor (is it lino or carpet?) will be replaced in the office.
Yeah the mint does work pretty good with it all! My laziness worked out! Haha! Oh I reckon having a Cult Furniture within easy access could be dangerous – they have some really great stuff! ;) Oh and yes, the flooring in the office is lino – it’s genuinely terrible!! LOL! I think I may carpet the floors – I want a bit of a luxurious feel eventually and it’d be nice to have that warmth underfoot :) xx
Can’t believe what you’ve done with such an odd/small space. It’s amazing! You’ve done it again.
Aww thanks Sarah! I just hate ‘wasting’ precious real estate in our house! Ha! Every room needs a purpose ;) xx
It looks Gorgeous, I really do love it. The colours you have used are fab Xxx
Thanks so much lovely! I’m rather fond of it myself! :) xxx
I love this so much! It’s the perfect use of that fun little space, and you’ve made it look so beautiful! That pink works so well with the pink bed and the office curtains – it ties together wonderfully!
I really like that console desk too – I’m tempted to get one for the new house (if all goes to plan). I’ve got a white Ikea Malm dressing table at the moment, which does the job, but I just really like this one you’ve got! Such a nice shape and style.
I’m looking forward to seeing the extra touches – the lighting and ceiling!! xxx
Aww thanks darling! It’s so nice to have this little space done and when I’m doing my makeup, I can gaze into the bedroom and I can almost convince myself that my house is actually kind of nice! Haha! The console is really cute – I’d actually considered the Malm one first tbf but this does tick a lot of boxes for me and has a nice shape as you said :) xx
just dreamy! Perfect use of the space, and you get the flattering glow of your pink walls! So nice to keep the (beautifully organised) clutter out of the bedroom. Great photos too :0)
Yes! No more mint (what a mistake that was! Ha!) ;) It is a really lovely little nook now – I’m happy I was able to find a good use for it! Now to get on to the clutter in the office!! ;) xx
You’re moving fast Kimberly! Gorgeous, as usual. I expect it from you. I so admire how you keep everything so tidy, everything in its place. You inspire me! Love that you can put on your makeup with the light facing you. Thank you for sharing this.
I wish it felt fast to me, Beth! Hahaha! Thank you so much and the lighting in the room is perfect really along with that gorgeous rosey glow, it’s very flattering ;) xxx
Gorgeous!!! Where did you purchase the art of the lady in leopard print?
Thank you Donna! It was originally purchased from John Lewis years ago but the artist – Leigh Viner – sells on her own site as well as Etsy! She’s amazing ;) https://rstyle.me/n/c9r98icci47 xxx
This is so pretty and glam! Can I ask where you found the gold trays you are displaying/storing your products in, they are so lovely?
One was purchased years ago from Angel & Boho (this one they now carry is pretty similar: https://www.angelandboho.com/gilt-mirrored-trays-25020-p.asp) and the other was purchased for a song at TK Maxx very recently in their bathroom section so you might still be able to find it :) Hope that helps! xx