Carrie Bradshaw is not the only one that dreams about closets. According to lifestyle product designer Christopher Peacock, luxury dressing rooms are the home design trend of today. Peacock is known for transforming raw timbers into cabinetry for kitchens, libraries and bathrooms. He recently utilized his attention to impeccable detail and color to create a show stopping dressing room for the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse. The warm, cheerful pink walls of the closet livened the mood of the home and put a smile on the faces of visitors. Peacock believes that a space should make its owner feel good, which sometimes means creating custom compartments for each make-up brush and tube or even a hidden, temperature controlled wine drawer. Homeowners today are looking for spaces that support their daily lives and display their fashion pieces rather than hide them.
I spoke with Christopher Peacock about his years of design experience and his thoughts on the latest luxury trend.
How did you start in this line of work?
I started in the UK when I was 20 years old helping out a family friend deliver kitchen cabinetry, and took a full time job doing everything and anything they asked. From there I worked my way up through different companies and came to the United States in the late 80’s as a designer working for a British company which hit tough times, so I started my own business in 1992.
People fell in love with the closet you designed for the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse in May; what was your inspiration for the projeCT?
I design cabinetry for every room in the house and have done so for many years so I was happy to be asked to create a dressing
room for the house. This was my fifth year at the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse and I wanted to do something special with the space. High gloss pink glam was bound to get peoples attention. It was surprisingly beautiful given how bold the color was.
Why do you think luxury dressing rooms are so popular right now?
It’s the next logical space to renovate as part of a master suite, and as we see the economy bouncing back, especially at the high end, it makes sense to complete the plan. I also believe that these days life is so busy that my clients need to escape and have private space that is not on show to friends. They can create a special retreat in their home that is luxurious, yet private.
What is your priority in designing a closet for a client?
Practical storage that is tailored to the clients needs. After that I want it to be as fabulous as possible!
Lighting, good mirrors, storage for make-up, customized storage for trinkets, jewelry, watches and more.
You are known for your cabinetry, kitchens and bathrooms. How is designing a dressing room similar to these projects?
It’s the same process, starting with a lot of detailed discussion and then developing the room layout down to the last detail.
What is the first step in your design process?
The client meeting and understanding the objective. The look and feel of the space comes next.
What is your most memorable dressing room project and why?
There are two, really. The first is the dressing room we built for Jennifer Hudson, which was huge and spectacular and shown on Oprah. The second was the Kips Bay house this year, because the reaction to it was simply amazing.
You’ve made efforts toward creating more sustainable and environmentally responsible spaces with your cabinetry; will we see this in your dressing rooms?
We try wherever possible to be responsible and respectful of our environment during manufacturing and on from there.
What do you think will be the next trend in home design?
Super luxury, smaller spaces with the latest technology integrated into the space–a clash of traditional yet organic materials and super cool gadgets.
Peacock Home, Greenwich, 888-889-8891, D&D, 212-580-0223.
