The Lady’s Room

The Chic Woman Caves of New York

 By Neesha Arter • 07/30/13 5:00pm

For years men have been disappearing into “man caves.” There, they’ve  watched baseball games, played poker and drank scotch. But if men need a room to retreat to when they want to pretend to be Don Draper, women need one where they can pretend to be Joan Harris. It’s time for ladies to have their own sanctuaries. Forget anything as simple as a walk-in closet. It’s time for the woman cave. They’re not just a place to get dressed or try on shoes. They’re a place to be the kind of woman you always dreamed of being when you were a kid.

And it’s a dream that has turned into the latest interior design trend.

Melanie Charlton, CEO and Creative Director of the closet customization and design company Clos-ette, says, “More and more square footage is being allocated to women’s dressing rooms in New York City. From client to client and even in development and design work, the majority of my projects are becoming more about the female and her own space. Most women in New York City want a walk in closet and want to put a desk or a chair in it, too. It’s all about luxury and abundant space.”

Whether it is a vibrant, purple library in an Upper East Side townhouse or an elegant 1930’s inspired bathroom, these “women caves” each represent their owners’ personalities. They embody femininity, luxury and sophistication and independence.

THE SIREN’S LAIR

This bathroom by Claudia Giselle might well have designed for a 1940’s starlet. Rita Hayworth seems like she could be hiding slightly off camera in a bubble bath, awaiting a call from Prince Aly Khan. Why shouldn’t the modern woman be just as glamorous? The serene cream and gold colors offset by a bold black ceiling – and the sense of light and open space reinforced by crystal sconces and lamps – screams “elegance” (but softly, like a lady).  You’ll just need a negligee, some bubble bath and a romantic relationship with someone titled to complete the scene.