Right now, my wardrobe is about three feet across and it stands from floor to ceiling. It's a piece of furniture. In my dream home this would simply not work. I can't just go out to Ikea and buy a flat packed closet and come home and spend the day assembling it. This wardrobe is an entire space on it's own, that will serve not only as mere storage space for my infinite amounts of couture, but it will be used as a gallery to display my prized possessions and to also gaze upon them while sipping cocktails with my friends.
I grew up watching Carrie rustle through her magical wardrobe on Sex and the City but it was only when the film came out (the first one) that I really wanted a walk-in. The closet she had in her flat was lovely the way it flowed from her bedroom into her bathroom and you know you couldn't possibly go through it with spreading your arms out and stroking her clothes as you strutted past. Her closet in the movie, however, is nothing shy of divine as it gleams in white wood and glass. When she opens the double doors to get her first look at the heavenly room you can imagine a choir singing in the background as a single white dove flies off into the light...
As with everything in my home, my wardrobe will be unspeakably awesome as it is not bound by what is possible in today's world. I've searched the internet relentlessly and come to the conclusion that I'm going to have to make everything myself (because I'm just little miss handy) since nobody else seems to have the same design aesthetic as I do. In my mind...
Although I am not inclined towards minimalist design, Carrie's bright white wardrobe appeals to me. Another distinctly white yet not quite as minimalist wardrobe is that of Mariah Carey. Ever since I spied her immaculate closet in In Style magazine I was in love with it. As I gazed upon her covetable shoe collection I knew- I had to have a shoe space that not only matched hers but was superior in every aspect. To achieve this, I think the only way is up! Taking a leaf out of Eva Longoria's book (
see her wardrobe); a ladder would be really awesome to have, perhaps even something that can whiz around the whole wardrobe! Maybe even electronically! Of course, one cannot overlook the design of even the most basic things. I am a fan of iron work, I like the way it's very heavy. Wood (or dare I say plastic?!) just seems too flimsy for my taste.
So, imagine the ladder on the right to have all the features of the ladder on the left. And imagine it to have more like twenty steps rather than a puny nine. I love the colour of the left ladder, the gold detailing on the wheels look wonderful. And actually, I do quite like the wooden handrails, they're dark and antique looking. But, it still seems a bit too plain. Perhaps, I will have the entire ladder to be made of gold? No, that might come off as tacky...
I love animals; they inspire me and they are lovely to look at. A few bronze animals wouldn't go terribly amiss somewhere on the ladder.
Elephants,
lions,
dragons or
pigs would look wonderful adorning the rails, steps and wheels.
Now, although I've ranted on and on about such stark white marble, which looks gloriously clean and would allow my massive collection to be the soul focal point, it would be unlike me to choose something so plain. Instead, I've found this fantastic
polished concrete floor with swirling motifs and florals. Whether or not I'll choose this particular design, I'm unsure. The flowers are sweet but I might incorporate it with something I'm especially interested in like
Indian henna designs,
Celtic knots,
Mexican skulls or
steampunk cogs and mechanics.
When I think about walking around barefoot on concrete I get the chills a bit, so, I'm thinking CARPET. Yeah. Obviously I'm not going to cop out on any ordinary carpet, no. What I've found is a work of art. The carpets that I'm looking at here are
byHenzel and quite frankly I would settle for any of their stuff; I saw this
lion and I almost sighed...
But the carpet that really sold it for me was this (on the left),
Northern Lights. I love the bright splodges of colour and I think it would be a perfect contrast against all the hard, dark materials I would be using. Of course, this is a rug, not a carpet, but I am all powerful so whatever I want: I get.
The carpet will rug along the centre the entire space, save about fifteen centimetres of the polished concrete that will act as skirting on the floor around all the shelving units, and a small, concrete dining area.
What's this? A dining area in your wardrobe? Yes. A dining area. In my wardrobe. I wouldn't be eating a five course meal in here, but it would be charming to share a few cocktails and cakes with friends as we pranced around in Louboutins and various bits of princess-wear. :)
The dining area would be a raised corner of the room of substantial size, using the polished concrete. There would be a couch, table and a few other small chairs. Obviously I would want all the furniture to be as comfortable as possible, maybe even stretch to make it casual (this word really wouldn't exist in my house...), and so I have found this fabulously luxurious
couch from
Bretz, though quite understated. On the
site it says you can substitute the leather covered buttons with Swarovski crystals, and well, as I always say: when you can, you should. Also, it looks a bit too red, I'd have re-upholstered with greyish-brown velvet. Then, just to round it off, I found this (below left) absolutely exquisite armchair by
Alessandro Mendini. The bronze detail would compliment the other components in the room. And lastly for the dining area, there must be a table, and
this is the one I found. It's a nineteenth century marble top coffee table with a new iron base and I think it's enchanting.
The lighting would be inconspicuous, the room would be fully lit but one would never know where it was sourced. Also, this room would probably be a central room and would have no windows, however, as this would obviously be connected in some way to my bedroom, I'd say it should probably be located on the top floor, making it possible to have a skylight. And, I know, this would give me the chance to put in some stained glass, but NO! I would prefer this room to have a clear skylight, spanning the entire ceiling, to welcome in as much natural light as possible. Natural light? B-but... SILK!! Yes, yes, this is where the technology that may or may not be available right now comes into the picture...
And finally, what wardrobe would be complete without an abundance of mirrors? Yes, well, along with many floor-to-ceiling regular mirrors, there will be MOSAIC MIRRORS just to jazz things up some.
