Five tips for designing a wardrobe

When you’re designing a wardrobe, there’s more to think about than just where you’re going to hang your clothes. Here’s our top five tips:

Samantha standing in front of custom built cabinetry

1. How much work and money do you want to put into the robe?

Is this a wardrobe for your long-term home or are you building a short-term solution? Are you creating a wardrobe for your dream master bedroom, or a robe for a kids’ room or home office?

Know what you want for that room. Be aware that the more custom you get, the more work will be involved and the more expensive your wardrobe will be.

2. Think about the functional space you want in your wardrobe.

How will you interact with your space? It’s important to design a space that will last the distance and make your life easier.

Do you need drawers, cubby holes, and hanging space? Do you fold jumpers or hang them – that will help you decide on whether you need extra drawers or more hanging space.

What do you grab for most in your daily life – make those items the easiest to access. If you have clothes you don’t wear a lot, such as thick winter gear you only use for a short time, put those in a harder place to access.

Think about double-height hanging areas, a longer space for coats and long dresses, hooks for bags and shallow jewellery drawers so you can see your accessories.

The same goes for shoes. How will you store them?

3. Do you need extra storage?

Sometimes wardrobes can become catch-alls if your home doesn’t have enough storage. For example, do you need extra shelves at the top of your robe to store items like suitcases, Christmas decorations or anything seasonal that you might not have space for in your house? Think about your overall home storage and what your wardrobe can solve for your storage needs.

4. Think about access to the wardrobe.

Is there a bed in the room, or is it a kids’ playroom or home office? Think about what other furniture might be in that space so you don’t build yourself out of opportunity in that room.

For instance, if it is a multi-purpose room, office, or study, you’ll want to be able to move your desk around, so be mindful of what size doors you’re putting on your wardrobe so that the swing space isn’t going to impact the how you’re going to furnish the room.

5. Future-proof your wardrobe.

Make sure your wardrobe has longevity in terms of multi-purpose uses for the room. It might be an office now, but if that room needed to be a bedroom, can the wardrobe still act as a functional space?

The room might start as an office, then turn into a baby’s nursery or an elderly parent’s bedroom, a kids’ room, a playroom or second living area. Not only that, by giving your design a bit of thought, it future proofs your house by being a built-in robe if you decide to sell your house.