Imagine it: A special room set aside to display your clothes, shoes and bags, all arranged according to colour, laid out or hung up neatly, like in a boutique.
Meet every woman's fantasy - the walk-in wardrobe.
A TV commercial for German beer brand Heineken knows its allure.
In it, a woman shows friends around her new house while her husband and his pals party.
The women squeal with delight and envy when they see her huge, brightly lit walk-in closet. (The hubby's buddies, on the other hand, go ape over his walk-in beer fridge).
Indeed, a quick check by Urban found that a walk-in wardrobe takes the No. 1 spot on every Singapore fashion lover's home renovation list.
No space? No problem. Some interior designers say up to 80 per cent of customers who live in HDB flats are closet fans.
However, unlike the TV ad, our check found that a walk-in wardrobe is desired by both women and men here.
Urban's door-knocking uncovered 30 socialites and celebrities here who own walk-in wardrobes, not to mention countless young heartlanders, going by growing demand reported by wardrobe fitters.
Famous names with sartorial shrines - think polished hangers, neatly divided pull-out drawers, special pigeonholes for shoes and well-organised holders for bags, trinkets and scarves - include shoe shop owner Joanna Tan and Sharel Ho, managing director of De Fred Jewels.
The space invaders are making their mark not just with celebrities.
Take businesswoman Olivia Petros, 41, who moved into her four-bedroom apartment at The Sail @ Marina Bay two months ago and is thrilled with her built-in walk-in wardrobe, which is as big as her master bedroom.
She says: 'Having a walk-in wardrobe makes me feel like Carrie Bradshaw (the protagonist in Sex And The City). It is very luxurious to be able to sit on my couch and admire my range of clothes and shoes.'
Heartlanders are also adoring their in-house boutiques. Says Jeslyn Tan, 24, an account executive who paid $2,400 to build a walk-in wardrobe in her three-room flat in Punggol: 'It is great to be able to play dress-up in the spacious room as I can strike poses in front of my mirrored closet doors.'
A check with 12 interior design firms here found that there has been a surge in the number dedicated to building walk-in wardrobes, amid growing demand, with customers willing to pay thousands of dollars for their fantasy.
One interior designer, Yeow Chuen Chai of YStudio, observes that about 60 to 70 per cent of his clients living in HDB flats would ask for a walk-in wardrobe three years ago, but the figure has risen to 80 per cent this year.
The figures are also stacking up at 12-year-old local design firm Mudian, which specialises in European materials and finishes, and whose customers are mainly private home owners.
Its sales and marketing director, Calsia Lee, says: 'In the past, everyone was concerned with the number of rooms their property has. Now, people don't mind losing a bedroom to a walk-in dressing room.
'Having a walk-in closet is seen as being more luxurious than a guest room.'
The number of customers wanting walk-in wardrobes has tripled over the past year, she reports, and they are happy to shell out between $6,500 and $7,500 for one that is as big as a room, or pay as much as $12,000 for premium models.
The latter are bigger or feature expensive materials such as cherry wood.
For every five projects the firm undertakes, at least three clients request walk-in closets.
Eva Yeo, designer at five-year-old Closet Designs, notes that a closet can be customised to individual taste, with items such as a couch or display island.
She adds: 'You can see whatever you have at one glance, which is definitely more convenient than pulling each outfit out to see how it looks.'
Increasingly, more apartments and landed properties are coming with built-in walk-in closets.
At least 10 new condominiums here have thrown in this sweetener, including top-end projects such as The Sail @ Marina Bay, St Regis Residences and One Shenton.
Chua Geok Lee, corporate communications manager at the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore, says: 'These wardrobes are usually built-in as an added feature for mid- to high-end houses as a marketing tool for the houses to stand out in this competitive market.'
The dream closet comes at a price though. For one, walk-in wardrobes can be high-maintenance as they have to be kept moisture- and stench-free to ensure clothes and leather items are kept in tip-top condition.
Says Petros: 'I have to make sure I don't take my son's dirty football shoes into the wardrobe as the smell will seep into my clothes.
'Instead, dirty shoes have to be placed either in sealed pigeonholes or vacuum packs to prevent the smell from spreading.'
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SAMANTHA LIANG, 39
HOMEMAKER
Home: She lives in a bungalow in Serangoon Gardens with her 40-year-old businessman husband and two kids, aged eight and 10.
Wardrobe fast facts: Five out of our seven bedrooms have walk-in wardrobes. It was planned when we renovated the house early this year.
I allocated a corner in my bedroom for my wardrobe, which consists of pull-out drawers and cubbyholes for my bags, as well as different compartments for different types of clothes such as my husband's shirts and my long dresses.
What's in there? Some of the items which are not used as often, such as winter clothes, are stored in compression bags and stowed in the closet.
It also stores my bags and outfits from brands such as Burberry, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Mulberry, Prada, Vivienne Tam and Yves Saint Laurent.
Why a walk-in wardrobe? It's every girl's dream to have a walk-in wardrobe. Given the luxury of space in the 1,000 sq ft master bedroom, we allocated 100 sq ft for the wardrobe. Now that the clothes are filling up quickly, I wish I had negotiated for 200 sq ft instead.
There was never enough wardrobe space when we lived in an apartment. I had to store our stuff in storage boxes.
Who designed it? Our house was designed by Cube design company and the home renovation took five months. I informed them about my requirements - such as the amount of space I need to hang my clothes - and they designed the wardrobe for me.
I chose a dark wood material for the wardrobe as I wanted it to match my flooring.
Pros and cons: What's great about having a walk-in closet is that it facilitates mixing and matching of my outfits.
It also allows me to see all of my clothes as I often forget what I have. It is also a personal space where I can have fun and bond with my daughter through dressing up.
However, the large space doesn't help to curb my shopping.
Spring cleaning is necessary once every three months as having no space constraints means we tend to hoard many unused things.
TIMOTHY GO, 30
Channel NewsAsia presenter and host of technology programme That's IT!
Home: The bachelor lives alone in a two-bedroom apartment near King Albert Park. He has a walk-in wardrobe in his spare guest room.
Wardrobe fast facts: Besides a queen-sized bed, Go has also managed to fit in a floor-to-ceiling shoe rack and two big closets that are bursting at the seams.
What's in there? My winter travel coats. I have a system of putting recently worn and laundered clothes in there and rotating them with the clothes in my main closet in the master bedroom.
I also keep in there sweaters that I don't wear and sports gear that I don't have much time to use these days.
My bed linen and towels are also stored there, together with three-quarters of my over 60 pairs of shoes. (I keep my work clothes in closets at MediaCorp.)
Why a walk-in wardrobe? I have always wanted one because I have a lot of stuff. When I moved in, it took me a long time to decide where to put my clothes and shoes. As I don't often have guests, I decided to pack the room with closets.
I routinely ship clothes that don't fit back home to the Philippines. I also try to restrain myself from buying more because I have no more space.
Who designed it? Me. When I decided the room would be an extension of my closet, I bought the closets from a small furniture shop and made sure I used all the ceiling space. Above my closets are suitcases stacked on top of each other.
Pros and cons: It's bad when you know at the back of your head that you will be able to find space in the closet for another new item. This leads to more shopping trips.
I can't think of any pros apart from having more space to keep your clothes.
JOANNA TAN, 36
Owner of shoe chain Heel & Toe, which has outlets in Tanglin Mall and Palais Renaissance
Home: She lives in a four-bedroom house in Jervois Road with her husband and three children.
Wardrobe fast facts: She has two walk-in wardrobes - one for clothes and the other for handbags.
The latter was converted from an odd corner in the house. It measures 30 sq ft and cost about $2,000 to build.
Both spaces are part of the master bedroom.
What's in there? Plenty of jeans, casual tops and shift dresses.
Most of the items are comfortable, easy wash-and-wear stuff that suits my casual lifestyle.
Handbags are my weakness though. I love accessorising with handbags as they can transform a casual outfit.
I love bags from brands like Bottega Veneta, Salvatore Ferragamo, Prada, Tods and Gucci.
I also share the walk-in wardrobe with my husband - he has more clothes than I do.
Why a walk-in wardrobe? There was an awkward corner in the house with a flight of stairs which led nowhere and took up a lot of space.
I decided it would be more practical to make use of it to store my handbags.
I built a partition around the area and fixed shelves and hooks on the wall, turning it into my own handbag closet. I also love that the mini chandelier glams it up subtly.
Who designed it? I designed and built it myself. I bought the materials off my contractor. The process took about three weeks.
Pros and cons: There is no disadvantage to being able to view every item I have with the sweep of an eye - except that my kids use my wardrobe to play hide and seek.
There's also plenty of space - and an excuse to shop.
SHAREL HO, 35
Managing director of jewellery store De Fred Jewels, which can be found in Grand Hyatt Singapore
Home: A four-room penthouse in Stevens Road, where she lives with her husband and two children, aged six and nine.
Wardrobe fast facts: Converted from a bedroom, it is about 1,000 sq ft and cost $10,000 to build.
All the clothes are hung and arranged according to colour and style.
What's in there? More than 1,000 pieces of clothing, including fur coats, gowns and cocktail dresses. Brands include Marchesa, Moschino, Luella and Lanvin.
I also store about 80 bags in this closet. Bags are very important in completing one's outfit and I have no qualms about splurging on them.
My most expensive piece is a Hermes Kelly bag that cost $18,000.
Why a walk-in wardrobe? It's every woman's dream as it resembles a boutique and it speaks to the shopaholic in every one of us.
It is also much easier for me to pick my clothes and put outfits together and it allows me to organise my clothes better and to keep track of what I have.
Who designed it? I hired interior design company Design Flux and it took about two months to design and build it.
The company didn't have to tear down any walls. It merely built floor-to-ceiling shelves, installed drawers and included some racks to let me hang my clothes and stash my accessories.
Pros and cons: It's much easier to mix and match outfits when I am able to see what I have.
I also love that the layout is neat and tidy, instead of having my clothes stashed in tight closets.
The downside is that I had to sacrifice a room that could have been used as a guest or study room.
This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.
