When I first moved in with my husband ten years ago, my one condition was that we get a two-bedroom apartment so I could have a spare room that was completely my own. He agreed. Our second bedroom became a personal haven for me that I decorated with ultra-femme art and soft, pastel finishes. My husband dubbed it “the beauty room.” It was where I displayed my jewelry, applied my makeup, and found sanctuary from the world. Since then, I’ve had two different incarnations of the beauty room, but the name has stuck around.

My last beauty room was in the space that is now my daughter’s nursery. Once I found out I was pregnant with her, I knew I was going to be evicted and had to come up with an alternate location. But when you live in a small home like we do, there isn’t much unused square footage to work with. So, to create my new (and current) beauty room, we finished what used to be an unheated, enclosed sun porch off our bedroom by painting and installing new flooring, shutters, heating and A/C, and lighting. Here is my beauty room as it appears today (it might be my favorite of them all):

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The need for a beauty room is apparently a hereditary condition. My mom has what she always called a “dressing room” in her home, though it’s hardly bigger than a small closet. Her dressing room houses a vanity, a treasure trove of jewelry, a collection of vintage fashion prints, and a curio cabinet full of personal souvenirs. As a kid, this room held so much wonder for me. I remember sitting on the floor, watching my mom dab perfume on her wrists and riffle through her jewelry to find the perfect piece to wear on a night out (in reality, I was probably wrapped around her leg crying and begging her not to go). I still find new marvels every time I set foot in this magical little enclave. Undoubtedly my mom’s dressing room influenced my desire to have a similar space of my own.

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The funny thing about having a beauty room intended to be my private sanctuary is that everyone else in my household gravitates toward it, too. My husband does his hair in there because he says the lighting is better and I have good products. My three-year-old son sits at my vanity and applies my makeup like face paint. My twenty-month-old daughter likes to open all my drawers and strew my jewelry across the floor. So much for a room of my own!

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Do you have a beauty room, or even just a beauty space, of your own? Tell me about it in the comments!