For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of having a space for a vanity table. A space of my own, a small corner of my home for just me. This probably stems from sitting on the edge of my parents bed when I was young watching my Mom put her make-up on. For years apartment living obviously got in the way of my vanity table dreams. When we bought our house I was struggling to find the right space in our new bedroom.
Despite plenty of space in our room finding a spot with good natural light and a good wall for a mirror was trickier than I thought. After a lot of measuring and sizing of pieces from the IKEA catalogue, I finally settled on a narrow space behind the door in our room, which gets flooded with morning light. The space is narrow and there is a radiator to one side, but it works and fits well and most importantly it houses all I need it to.
Getting make-up on in the morning is definitely no longer the labour of love it once was. These days it’s more like an express service of necessity. Now I use the right combination of products to camouflage my chronic tiredness in the shortest amount of time possible. Generally, I have approximately 6 minutes to do this, and so having things visible and organised is definitely the key to my 6 minute success. That said, I’ve been making a stellar effort in the past few weeks to prioritize self care. I have been trying to establish a routine and treat myself to some cosmetic and skin care products. It felt only fitting to give their new home a bit of a make-over. So here you have it, the corner of our bedroom where the true magic happens! My long awaited vanity table and all it’s treasures.
IKEA
This VittsjÖ table is from IKEA costing a thrifty €40. It’s great because it is narrow, and tall and so will fit in tighter spaces, like behind a door. I also picked up this Bekvam stool in black for €16 which acts as a seat and handy step stool for upper wardrobe presses in our bedroom. The glass finish of the table is tidy and minimalist and compliments the cosmetic storage boxes. The Nissedal mirror is also an IKEA find and was a bargain for €19.
Muji
I have my Muji acryclic cosmetic storage boxes for about 6 years now. They were an investment at the time but have worn incredibly well. The size of the drawers are perfect for holding most beauty products. A two drawer box retails for £24.95. You can browse their selection on Chatham Street, just off Grafton Street in Dublin 2.
Primark/Penneys
I picked up these amazing acrylic boxes in Penneys (Primark). The lipstick box with drawer was €8 with the larger 3 drawer box set costing €12. The boxes work perfectly with the table, with the larger box the exact dimensions of the shelf space on the VittsjÖ.
All in all I’m delighted with how this space has worked out. My cosmetics are organised, easily visible and compactly stored. More importantly though, I have my own corner of our bedroom (compact as it may be!) that houses all of the things that make me feel human on the days when the joys of motherhood are getting the better of me.