Passion for fashion? Design your dressing room like Victoria Beckham

And who hasn’t spied the elegant dressing room belonging to Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender’s characters in the hot new spooks thriller Black Bag? Indeed, dressing rooms have become the ultimate status symbol for the style-conscious women — and men — who want to follow in the Christian Louboutin-wearing footsteps of the rich and famous. But how exactly do you stay a step ahead of the fashion set?

A dressing room by Laura Hammett features display cabinets for bags and shoes

Make space for style

“The dressing room has a long and rather grand history,” explains Theo James-Wright, the director at Blue Book Agency, which specialises in selling country houses. “In the great country houses of Britain, these spaces were once where gentlemen were assisted into their riding boots and ladies had their gowns laced up. In some cases, there were even rooms for putting on suits of armour. While the attire may have changed, the desire for a well-appointed dressing room remains the same.” Of course, if you don’t have a spare bedroom to convert — or a Cotswold barn or London townhouse like VB — you’ll need to get creative.

In a recent project, the interior designer Tiffany Duggan — the founder of the London-based Studio Duggan — turned a box room next to a bedroom into a closet by opening up the archway between them and installing a privacy curtain. A similar technique can be used to section off a small area of your bedroom, while you can transform generous alcoves, bedroom corners and dead spaces between bedrooms and bathrooms.

This dressing room has bespoke lighting by John Cullen

JAMES BALSTON

Customise your cabinetry

Tailored cabinetry and bespoke storage are crucial, whether you’ve got the space and means of Mrs Beckham or not. “Now, many high-net-worth individuals want their handbag and shoe collections on display, rather than hidden away,” says Philipp Nagel, director of Neatsmith, which makes bespoke wardrobes. “Dressing rooms are moving away from being purely functional and becoming increasingly performative spaces where you can enjoy your own personal boutique and runway.”

The company’s Reflex door changes from glossy mirror into transparent glass when lit from the inside so you can view your collection. The maker also often incorporates minibars and coffee stations.

• The most extravagant walk-in wardrobes

“Open-fronted sections with beautiful anthracite hanging rails work beautifully for curating outfits and displaying clothes,” adds James Bodsworth, the creative director at Daval Furniture, “but if you don’t have the time or energy to keep your pieces organised, store them neatly away behind a full-height wardrobe section as part of the design but use integrated mood lighting to create that sense of hotel-room luxury every time you’re getting dressed.”

Bodsworth also suggests using textured surfaces and different finishes for added sophistication, whether a linen-effect door or marble-style panel, to create depth and zones. But the real jewels in the crown? “Integrated technology and appliances such as a television or soundbar as well as a champagne chiller sunk into a central dressing room island to ensure you get that special occasion feeling every time you use it,” he says.

Jennifer Hamilton, the director at The Vawdrey House, a design and architecture studio in West Sussex, has another trick up her sleeve: “We recently created a ‘holding space’ for a client where they could easily hang items that weren’t ready to be washed but could be worn again — removing the prospect of the clothes being thrown on a chair or the floor.”

An island can really up the ante

Do add a dressing table (or island)

Hamilton adds: “We’ll always try to integrate dressing tables, often one for each partner — men like a space for watches, charging phones and grooming, while women prefer make-up drawers and plugs for hairdryers and straighteners.”

Alternatively, a dressing room island really ups the ante. “It’s not just furniture, but a game-changer,” says Tom Howley, the creative design director at his eponymous kitchen design company. “Every watch, tie, jewel or bag perfectly organised in bespoke compartments. It’s storage with intention built to streamline and simplify your dressing routine. No more rummaging around, turning chaos into calm.”

If space permits, why not add an oversized pouf or chaise longue, à la Beckham? Her green sofa is said to be the Evelyn from the furniture company Love Your Home.

Mirrors and lighting can help you to choose looks for different occasions

Get your lighting right

It’s worth investing in a well-considered lighting scheme if you want to avoid the unflattering glare of a Zara dressing room. Sally Storey, creative director of John Cullen Lighting, advises: “Start by illuminating wardrobes with directional downlights angled towards the doors for a soft, reflected glow or integrate LED strips inside for seamless visibility. A statement pendant above a central island adds glamour, while well-placed lighting around a dressing table ensures flattering, shadow-free illumination.”

She adds: “For tricky spaces like sloped ceilings or open wardrobes, concealed LED strips are subtle yet effective. Finally, accent lighting within display shelves enhances the luxurious feel, showcasing statement pieces and adding depth.”

Becky Fatemi, executive partner at Sotheby’s International Realty UK, suggests going one step further with smart mirrors that adjust to different lighting conditions so you know exactly how you’ll look at a lunch meeting versus a rooftop party.

“But the real luxury is natural light,” she notes. “Nothing beats it for seeing colour and texture. In fact, more homes are integrating skylights, frosted panels and reflective surfaces in these spaces to maximise daylight.”

A fridge can blend seamlessly with cabinetry

TIM NEHOTTE PHOTOGRAPHY

Bring on the beauty fridge

Yes, really. Sub-Zero & Wolf — the high-end kitchen appliance brand — has reported a surge in its cutting-edge kit being used in dressing rooms.

“A warming drawer is one of the hardest-working appliances in the kitchen, but clients are now incorporating them upstairs as a way of having perfectly toasty towels and loungewear,” explains managing director Ricky Davies. “Our refrigeration drawers are also being used by those who want to elegantly store their expensive beauty creams and de-puffing ice globes without having to go downstairs every morning.”

The sexy pieces of kit can be seamlessly built into bespoke cabinetry and include adjustable dividers that allow you to separate your morning and evening routines, together with smart-touch technology so you can select the best temperature for your products. Perfectly chilled lotions and potions from Victoria Beckham Beauty? Nothing less than you deserve, darling.

Warming drawers can be used for dressing gowns, pyjamas, or … pants

Go on … go all-out

Still not satisfied? Mark Breffit, a senior adviser at Hamptons Private Office, has a few extra ideas. “This year, I’ve seen a couple of dedicated fur rooms — cedar-lined spaces to combat moths and ensure the longevity of precious investment pieces — while twin dressing rooms have become the height of fashion.”

He explains that ultra-high-net-worth individuals, with global lifestyles and multiple properties, go one step further by working with stylists who kit out their dressing rooms with capsule collections for each season.

Richard Gutteridge, the co-head of prime central London sale at the estate agency Savills, adds: “For those with such expansive wardrobes, a wardrobe manual may even be assigned to each house detailing the pieces contained in the dressing room.”

Meanwhile, over at the chef Jason Atherton’s new(ish) London restaurant, ROW on 5, the interior designer Dale Atkinson has cleverly installed dry cleaning facilities into the design. Food for thought, fashionistas?