Transforming a Spare Room into Your Dream Wardrobe: Tips and Ideas for a Stylish and Functional Space.

What would you do if you needed more closet space? What would you do if you had an extra bedroom that wasn't being utilized to its fullest potential? Read on & find out exactly what I did!

Ever since I was in elementary, I loved clothes. I love putting outfits together & luckily, I was the youngest of three & my sisters were nine & ten years older than me, so I gained style inspiration very young. I knew that one day, LOL many moons later I would be sharing that passion!

As time went by & I got older, I'd help my friends with their style & pick out their outfits, whether for a school dance, back to school, or just an outfit I would create while at their house. I didn't overthink it at the time as I loved helping my friends, but later on, in my late 20s, I did something about my love for clothes. I opened up a boutique, CiaBella Boutique, in 2009. It had all of the trendy brands of the time, accessories, handbags, cosmetics, & my line. We'll leave that for another post. It was like my very own wardrobe room! But even better as I could share it with everyone who walked in. Talking about it, that is where my hutch found its first home; it held one at a time: denim, handbags & cosmetics. I wish I had some pictures to share, but unfortunately, this was the time before smartphones were a hit. I had a blackberry at the time & one had to connect their phone to a computer to download the photos. I had a Facebook page, but I don't remember any passwords, so unfortunately, I have no pictures. But you better believe I had several chandeliers, huge mirrors & vintage goodness that have followed me through my years, many can still be seen in our home!

The wardrobe room would serve as an extension to my main closet & also my office. I wanted the office part to blend in as much as possible & be able to conceal my office supplies in a manner that would work with the esthetic. The printer is pretty much the only eye sore as it's black & well a printer, it's like that TV in our living rooms that we hate to photograph, but this one is much smaller. I only had a portion of the room to use as I decided to keep our daybed, which takes up entire wall space, but I still used what I could off the wall. I was able to hang all of my large hats above the bed & underneath, I have a few shoe boxes, FreeBirds shoes & my walking pad! Yes! Working from home, I wanted to continue to be able to work out even while working. A space that works for me to work at the computer, create content, or chat with you on Instagram.

Coming up on a year of sharing my favorite clothing style with you, I needed more space & space where I could create content from try-on hauls to GRWM. It would represent a different decor style that I hardly tend to share; I came up with Boho-Country-Chic & I believe that is precisely how it turned out. Whites & gold would be the two primary colors & pinks would be seen throughout. I am vibing with pinks lately & this space was a great place to embrace it. & then of course with the clothing it would show more colors. A disco ball made its way in, too, of course, right?! I wanted to bring in artwork with pieces that represent me & things that I love. I added it above the rack digital prints. I framed them in shiny gold frames, new ones. Since I went with all the photos 11x14, I decided not to go with vintage frames as I wanted more simple, shiny gold frames & all the same. Thankfully, Michaels was having a massive sale on their frames altogether. The purchase of the prints, printing & frames cost me roughly $60, & the photos were 60% OFF at CVS.

I added my hanging wood pendant & I added the final touches to it by adding twinkling lights. I went with a wired strand & one that I could plug in as I didn't want to bother with having to change out the batteries. A new brass & white bookshelf is placed in the corner the top three shelves hold my booties; at the beginning I struggled what I should put on the shelves & after while it came to me that my shorter boots would look great & would make them easily accessible.

Since the shelves can't be seen due to the daybed being up against it, the bottom two are for storage. I have my fall votive candle holders & a few other seasonal decor pieces, it worked out perfectly!

As for what I used to hang my clothes, I went with three Z racks due to the space & that we rent. I wanted to avoid committing to something such as built-ins. I thought about adding rods, but finding the studs would have been difficult with the measurements I needed for the clothes. With heavy clothing, I needed to find studs for all the brackets.! With the Z racks, I felt comfortable that they would serve the purpose nicely & having them in my store before, I knew that they would be sturdy enough to hold a good amount of weight.

I use a smaller rack for items that have arrived & that I still need to create content with. Once I have made the content, I will hang them in their appropriate space. in the wardrobe room or my main closet or coat or jacket closet; yes, I have a coat & jacket closet. It's okay; it's an obsession but one that I have loved & am happy to share with you, my style. I also have a small wardrobe closet; it has a canvas cover. I have had that for a while now; It holds my seasonal clothing that I rotate my season. I found it on Amazon for a great deal!

For lighting, I wanted something grand, something different than a crystal chandelier; I went with a modern eight-arm gold chandelier. The best part is that it's already wired as a plug-in. Our home doesn't have hard-wire lighting. The chandelier is wired on a dimmer & is so beautiful even with the slightest glow. One can only have a wardrobe room with a full-size mirror! I found one that is perfect in style, weight & price! The style is a simple gold frame & is super lightweight, so I can move it around the room as I see fit. The price is under $70, but you can usually add a coupon, bringing the price down. I added a phone holder to the mirror to be able to create content & share my #ootd.

My desk is in the middle of the room, a perfect white desk with gold accents! I paid attention to the space & the size of the desk. It is because I wanted to maximize every inch possible in a good, non-crowded way I needed to. The desk had a stool, so I didn't need to worry about looking for one. & when I am not using the stool, it fits perfectly underneath the desk. To the right side of the desk is a small drawer cabinet that holds my collection of bracelets. I love how organized my bracelets are! It makes it so easy to see & grab & create a stack daily. On top of the cabinet, I have my necklaces on a necklace holder. I added a few vintage dishes to catch my everyday pieces & a tray for my staple earrings.

Underneath the window, I have two white drawer cabinets just like the one by the desk. These are for office supplies & paperwork; I know how boring it is! I did get one drawer of necklaces, though. On top, my printer sits.

Behind the door, I wanted to use every space possible. I added a peg rail & I can hang my purses. On top is a grid organizer. I keep mail there that needs my attention. It's also a catch-all of what's inside of my purse.

Of course, I would have a disco ball! I have been playing around where to place it. Until the sun starts to shine good, I will know where. But it's still pretty to look at.

Since I started writing this post, a lot has changed in my life, home & my heart & soul. Pepper passed a few weeks ago. I am writing a tribute to him, but it is taking me some time, as most posts do, not because I am procrastinating; I am just filled with so many emotions of grief that writing it out in one sitting would be impossible for me to do. The room has changed a bit; it now holds several of Pepper's pictures on the wall above the day bed. I hung three white floating shelves. Each holds a photo of Pepper, several actually & a few decor items that represent my sweet boy, such as butterflies. His collar is on the top shelf, where his larger photo sits. It was my favorite one of his. He had for many years. My hats have now been rearranged to accommodate the shelves. Over the past few weeks, I have received some sweet cards from friends who love Pepper & wanted to send their condolences. I had them on our mantel in the living room, but I moved them to this space this week.

On the small wall where the bookshelf is, there was enough space to place a butterfly frame print I recently purchased at Marshall's. It looks beautiful there & adds a special touch to the area. The desk in the middle has a photo of Billy, Pepper & I. It's one of my favorites of us; it's a selfie in the car as we were taking one of our many road trips. I used to love taking selfies of us in the car. Pepper would always be in the back seat & smiling. I love working & seeing the photos there. A space meant for work & fun content has also become a place that I tend to go to & lie down & mourn my loss. I love it even more.

So, if you have a space, room in your home & if you can make it your very own. It can be your home office, wardrobe room, craft room, or just a room you call yours. I have linked the items in the pictures. You can find a highlight in my LTK, "Wardrobe Room" that I update frequently with any new items. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comment section of the post.

Thank you for allowing me to share this space with you that I created when I needed to find function & balance & now it has turned into my favorite room.

XO

Ali