Must-Have: A Glamorous Girl Cave
A spacious walk-in is nothing new, but one that doubles as a lounge takes a couture-clad closet to the next level. When Michelle DeLaCruz renovated her Buckingham estate into a family-friendly retreat, with a Santorini-inspired backyard oasis, she decided to reserve an area for grown-up sophistication: her walk-in. The DeLaCruz Homes designer replaced the former primary bedroom with a California Closets-designed space and added a separate, new primary suite with his-and-hers bathrooms. The roughly 300-square-foot closet showcases her red-soled stilettos, Chanel totes and party dresses (everyday garb is in a separate closet nearby).
“The goal was a boutique department store—to have that same vibe,” Michelle says. “Every item is unique and worthy of being seen.” Instead of adding an island with storage, Michelle stores her accessories in concealed trunks and opted to use the space as a practical sitting area. To highlight her collection, Michelle filled the room with cool-toned illumination, including in every shelf. California Closets’ Candice Clarke says the ubiquitous lighting is not very common. To make the dressing room into a gathering space for friends and family, Michelle devoted an L-shaped area to refreshments, with a built-in Zephyr fridge, stocked with wine, and a snack drawer with Hawaiian Island Princess chocolates and classic childhood munchies like Cheetos. A Louis Vuitton vase brimming with dried roses sits atop the counter and the area is periodically spritzed with perfume. “It’s kind of like a girl cave,” Michelle says of her retail-therapy enclave.
