How to Light a Dressing Room Like an Interior Designer

Courtesy of J. Kathryn Interiors // Product Shot Image A personal dressing room is such a luxury and, indeed, has a storied history to that very regard. These antechambers of the bedroom (called boudoirs in France) were first incorporated into English and European homes and estates during the 17th century as a way for nobility to show their staying power.

These spaces, which provided privacy for dressing and finishing one’s toilette, were also a special sanctuary of reprieve, particularly for women. Here, the lady of the house could steal away to write correspondence, reflect, and have a private conversation. The purpose of today’s dressing rooms has not necessarily evolved, though how we decorate—and especially light—them certainly has.

“I love the idea of a dressing room feeling like your own little boutique—it’s a space where you start and end your day, so it should feel beautiful, intimate, and personal,” says Kate Marker , an interior designer who just released her first lighting collection with Mitzi of Hudson Valley Lighting Group at High Point’s fall market.

“My biggest must-do [when decorating a dressing room] is layering lighting. You want a combination of ambient and task lighting so the room feels warm and inviting but is still functional.” A dressing room designed by Marker mixes a dramatic chandelier with a sculptural table lamp for selecting jewelry.

Louisville, Kentucky-based interior designer Jessica Kain Barton ( J. Kathryn Interiors ) doesn’t overcomplicate lighting in dressing rooms: “We like to keep lighting quite simple in dressing rooms. I always hear my mother in the back of my head saying, ‘No one looks good under a changing room light,’” says Barton.

“When designing these spaces, we like to keep everything warm and simple, including the light.” So how does one approach mixing sources of light in a small but hardworking space like a dressing room? Marker suggests choosing a ceiling fixture that’s larger in scale or more decorative in style.

“A beautiful pendant or petite chandelier can really become the jewelry of a dressing room,” she says. Barton recommends a chandelier, lantern, or flush mount with at least three or four candle bulbs for adequate light. Both designers layer larger overhead fixtures with petite yet pretty task lights.

For Marker, that’s a pair of sconces flanking a mirror. “Sconces one of my favorite ways to create beautiful, flattering light, especially in a dressing room or vanity area. Lighting at face level helps minimize shadows, which is so important when you’re getting ready,” she says.

Barton reaches for sconces as well and advises, “If you have a makeup vanity within the closet, a pair of small library sconces are so beautiful coming out of cabinetry or paneling,” she says. Another looming question is how to handle recessed lighting. Marker never relies solely on this style in a dressing room: “It can feel harsh and create unflattering shadows.

I always want to incorporate something decorative that brings personality and softness into the space,” she says. If architectural lighting is unavoidable, Barton suggests “no more than four recessed lights—preferably mud-in style as to disappear—that are no wider than three inches in diameter,” she says.

Bulb temperature is paramount too. Marker and Barton say their go-tos are 2700K bulbs, which give a softer glow. Warmer lighting will also lend a cozier, more inviting feeling to the room while remaining bright enough for getting dressed.

For lighting a vanity, Marker recommends 3000K bulbs with excellent color rendering. And, most importantly, “Always put your decorative lighting on dimmers,” says Marker. “Being able to adjust the lighting completely changes how a space feels.” Barton softens a dressing room’s paneled cabinetry with gathered fabric and brass hardware.

A dressing room should feel distinctive and uniquely personal. Wrapping a boudoir in wallpaper or splurging on window treatments will make the space feel well-appointed. Working in softer pieces alongside your lighting choices will also help the room shine.

“One of my favorite elements of the [Mitzi] collection is the incorporation of fabric,” says Marker. “I love mixing materials in my interiors, and lighting felt like another opportunity to introduce that softness and texture. The patina brass finish adds warmth and works so naturally with mirrors, cabinetry, and all those beautiful details in a dressing room.” Barton also heralds adding mirrors inside of cabinet panels or hidden behind doors.

Even better: An antique mirror for a vanity table will add sparkle to such a personal space. She adds, “It sounds silly, but I love a beautiful wicker laundry basket. I treated myself to one when I finished my own personal dressing room.

And, everything including dirty laundry looks chic peeking out of it!”