To date, one of the most popular posts on my blog has been the one where I talked about my DIY dressing table and vanity mirror. I absolutely loved that whole set up. It was exactly what I wanted at the time and it served me very well in our old apartment. However, the whole set up included lots of different pieces of furniture and it took up quite a lot of space in our bedroom and I also felt like I had kind of outgrown the style of it.
When we moved apartments earlier this year, I used it as a good excuse to do a massive clear out of all of my old makeup and general cosmetics, and I really wanted to minimise everything. In a bid to also get rid of some furniture I ended up selling my old dressing table, along with all the bits that went with it, and replaced it with something much more compact and practical.
Ikea Svalnas Dressing Table
I wanted something that just had enough space for me to keep my everyday makeup essentials and nothing else. I find that the less makeup I have to choose from, the faster I am at getting ready every day as I know exactly what I am going to use and where it is. Eliminating choice means that I have less decisions to make in the morning and I find that it just speeds everything up lol.
With all of this in mind, I came across the Ikea SVALNÄS bamboo workstation. This was EXACTLY the kind of thing I was looking for! I love that it is wall mounted as that immediately makes it feel as though it takes up less space, and the two little drawers in the front are perfect for storing my everyday makeup items and absolutely nothing else!!
The other thing that I love about this unit is that it is modular, like most pieces of Ikea furniture. What that means is that you can pick and choose different pieces to go together to make your ideal piece of furniture. For example, the original version of this unit came with the drawers and 1 shelf, but I was able to add an additional shelf (from a choice of two sizes) which meant that in the end my unit had the drawers, one narrow shelf at the top and a slightly wider shelf under the top one. You just need to select the right size of frame and then you can add as many shelves as you want.
I absolutely love that the unit has these built in shelves as it’s like getting a dressing table and a shelf in one, which I think is such a good use of wall space. It also means I can decorate it nicely without things sitting in my way on the actual dressing table part :). I also love the combination of open and closed storage.
As you can see, I have pretty much managed to fit all of my makeup into one little drawer, with the second drawer being used for my makeup brushes. As much as I wish I could say that this is my entire makeup collection, that would not be telling the truth. This is what I mainly use on a daily basis and then I have a stash of stuff in another cupboard that I like to take things from now and again, or if I fancy switching something up in the ‘everyday drawer’. This system is definitely more manageable than how I had it before, and even though I still have far too much makeup, I have definitely minimised the amount compared to what I had before we moved. This just works so much better for me.
Søstrene Grene – Pink Stool
There is definitely a trend when it comes to velvet chairs in my apartment – they are all from Søstrene Grene! I have a navy and a pink velvet chair from Søstrene Grene which have featured on my blog many times and when I spotted this little pink stool in there for about £20, I thought it would go perfectly with my new dressing table. Again, it is quite small and compact so it fits perfectly under the wall mounted unit. Not forgetting the best thing about this stool….. the colour!! I just love it.
Unfortunately with Søstrene Grene, you cannot buy from them online. You can browse their online catalogue but if you spot something you like you just have to hope that they have it in your local shop.
Zara Home – Gold Mirror With Marble Base
On top of my dressing table I have this Zara Home free standing mirror with a marble base. I LOVE this mirror and I think it completes the look of the whole dressing table. I first spotted this mirror in Zara Home in Abu Dhabi, but I ended up ordering it from the UK as it saved me about £20. It did arrive in a GIANT box though that we had to carry in a separate suitcase back to Abu Dhabi lol… the things I will do for a nice mirror!
Ikea- Grey Pudda Basket
Under the dressing table I have a grey Ikea fabric storage box with gold buttons that stores my hair dryer and brushes and things like that. I think everyone has a dreaded ‘hair stuff’ box that is usually just a big jumble of hair tools, brushes and leads lol. Nonetheless, they are very essential! There really isn’t much you can say about a storage box lol but I do really like this one. It is nice and big but I love the colour. I think it looks nice beside my pink stool and it does a good job of hiding the mess that exists inside it!
Details
As always, I have decorated the shelves with a few plants and a couple of cosmetic bags that I got last year in Oliver Bonas. I also keep some little Jo Malone perfumes on the top shelf as I think they look so pretty and elegant lined up here :).
That’s it for my updated dressing table :). I love how it has all turned out. It works really well for me and doesn’t take up too much space.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post as much as my first dressing table post :). As you know, I love writing interior blog posts, and of course I love writing about makeup, so writing an interior blog post about how I store my makeup is like my ideal blog post to write lol :).
I hope everyone has a great weekend! x
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