Wardrobe design rules from the experts

March 23, 2023

When you’re ready to take the plunge and start designing your dream wardrobe, it’s good to start with a solid wardrobe design strategy to ensure your new wardrobe meets all of your needs. Here are our top wardrobe design considerations to keep in mind.

What are the must haves?

First up, time to take stock. Have a think about the items in your wardrobe: are you the queen of shoes, the king of suits or the ace of designer handbags? Do you have more clothing that needs hanging or will shelves serve you better? Do you have lots of long coats or gowns? What do you need to store in drawers? Will you be sharing the wardrobe? All of these questions will help you to determine what sort of structure your wardrobe design should have. It’s also worth considering what works and what doesn’t work in your current wardrobe.

How much space do you have?

Regardless whether you are working with an existing space or building or renovating, the space will need to be assessed and accurately measured. Keep note of power points, windows, doors, ceiling height, door jambs etc. At Boston Wardrobes, we are experts at making the very best use of any space, but there are guidelines to how much space is ideal. These are our recommended minimum dimensions for optimal wardrobe design:

1800mm length per person (2400mm for walk-in or walk-through wardrobes)
600mm internal depth (suit jackets and coats require at least this)
400mm shelf depth and width (folded garments are typically 350mm wide/deep)

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Wardrobe design basics

The main components of wardrobe design are as follows

Hanging space

Usually you would have a mixture of long hang, short or half hang and possibly three-quarter hang, your wardrobe design will be different depending on what you need to store. If two people will be sharing the wardrobe, each would ideally have their own hanging space.

Shelving

Shelves are great for jeans, jumpers, t-shirts, and any items you want to store folded. Shelf height is a standard 400mm but can be adjusted according to your requirements, for example if you have lots of handbags you need to store. You can also store smaller items on shelves by adding baskets or containers.

Drawers

Storing underwear, socks, gym clothes and other smaller or delicate items might be best in a drawer. Drawers come in multiple depths and can be from 400mm to 1200mm wide. They can be open topped, push-to-open or have handles. All of the drawers at Boston Wardrobes come with Hettich runners and a soft-close. Keep in mind that drawers are one of the more expensive components of wardrobe design, so adding or removing drawers will impact the overall budget.

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Shoe space

Having specific space to store your shoes not only helps to organise your wardrobe, but also to protect your shoes. There are several options for this including shoe shelves, shoe drawers and, in some ranges, shoe racks. You can have them running along the bottom of the space or dedicate a vertical space to them. This will depend on how much space you have to work with, how many shoes you have and, of course, your personal preference.

Accessories

Finishing touches for your new wardrobe design could include a full length pull-out mirror, bespoke pull-out trouser racks, belt or tie racks, hidden jewellery drawers, or LED lighting. These accessories will ensue all of your items are stored beautifully, with everything immediately accessible and easy to see.

Doors

Adding doors to your brand new wardrobe design will keep your space looking neat and tidy and protect your clothes from dust. You can choose sliding wardrobe doors, bi-fold or hinged. Available floor space will play a key role in this decision, as will access requirements, whether this is a walk-in, walk-through or reach-in wardrobe, and technical details such as door jamb dimensions. What are door jambs? They are the wooden framing around door openings. Most of our doors require door jambs.

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Materials

Now it’s time to decide on how you’d like your wardrobe to look. Finish your wardrobe design in a luscious, textured woodgrain, opt for a block colour to complement your bedroom palette, or choose a minimalist white. Would you like your wardrobe to have back panels on it? Or perhaps you could make the back wall shine through with a pop of colour or a beautiful wallpaper. The possibilities are endless and wardrobes need not be standard and boring, we want you to fall in love with your wardrobe every day!

Next Steps

Ready to talk wardrobe design and wardrobe doors? We can’t wait! Bring your measurements + photos or plans into our beautiful Grafton showroom to see the dozens of options available, and we can start crafting your perfect wardrobe immediately. If you need help measuring, check out our handy guide below.

At Boston Wardrobes, we are passionate about helping homeowners create smarter, more functional spaces in their home. We have 35 years experience designing and building wardrobes and doors for Aucklanders

Check out our ‘How to Measure’ guide here