S-Club star Rachel Stevens took a big risk when designing her dream dressing room – but it paid off with stunning results

When designing a room, many of us go in with a clear idea of what we want the decorating scheme to be. Things might change slightly along the way, but a complete U-turn in the design can feel like a huge risk most people wouldn't be brave enough to take (or too stubborn to follow through with).

But Rachel Stevens did just that when planning her dressing room ideas. The S Club star went in with plans for a dark and moody space, but wasn't afraid to take a risk and change her mind, leaning into the abundance of natural light and opting for a bright neutral scheme instead.

The singer has only just moved into her new home and discovered Neville Johnson, with its designs for bespoke fitted furniture, after spotting Erica Davies’ stunning pink dressing room on Instagram. Rachel worked on the dressing room with the help of Neville Johnson’s Senior Designer, Simon Tcherniak, who guided her through designing her dream space.

'I was initially drawn to something a little moodier and more dramatic, but as the design started to come together, I realised I wanted it to feel softer and more calming, something that would really work for me day to day,' says Rachel of the turning point in the design process.

'The room gets such lovely natural light, and the new design makes the most of that. It’s fresh and elegant, and I feel completely serene here.'

The finished luxury bespoke dressing room is painted in a soft cream shade called Mayflower. The wardrobes use Neville Johnson's padded Henley doors, which add an extra layer of texture with the upholstered fronts. The final flourish is the integrated lighting in the magnificent wall of accessories.

However, that's just the surface look of the dressing room and underneath that a huge amount of design has gone into every element to create a space that's both stunning and functional.

'Rachel had recently moved in, so all her clothes were still out on rails – which actually made it much easier for me to measure them and plan a configuration that worked for her,' explains Senior Designer Simon Tcherniak. 'The room itself also lent itself well to wardrobes along two walls, with display shelving around the door.'

It wasn't just the room Simon measured, but the height of Rachel's clothes and handbags to make sure they could be easily stored.

'You need to make sure all the largest items will fit. In this case, the shelves to the left of the door were designed to accommodate the tallest handbags, while the shelves on the right were sized for the average-sized bags,' he explains.

'Getting the measurements right was especially important here because all the external shelves are fixed.'

Rachel reveals that she used to find storing handbags tricky. 'I’ve collected them over the years, but storing them was always a bit of a nightmare,' she explains.

'The lovely open shelving section keeps them upright, easy to see, and beautifully displayed. It’s made such a difference. I can actually see everything now, which makes choosing one so much easier and more enjoyable.'

The shelving for handbags and shoes makes clever use of what could easily have become dead space around a bathroom door. But building in shelving like this comes with its fair share of challenges.

'An even gap around the door is really important, so accurate measurements, precision manufacturing, and careful installation are all critical,' says Simon.

The light switch had to be moved and mounted into the end panel, and the ladder added an extra layer of complications.

'If we’d mounted the board for the ladder rail above the door, the top of the ladder would have clashed with the ceiling,' says Simon. Instead, they designed a break in the ladder rail, and made sure the shelf above the door was within easy and safe reach.

Rachel says its hard to choose a favourite part of the whole dressing room transformation

'The little details are brilliant. The storage drawers for my jewellery and sunglasses are so thoughtful. The designer really got how important it was to have a place for everything, and now it’s all so organised and easy to get to.'

'It just makes the whole space feel so well thought out and special. Getting ready in the morning feels like a real treat,' she adds.

The stunning finish is a testament to how sometimes it pays to change your mind, and follow where the natural light and feel of the room takes you.