How to plan and design a wardrobe that works...
Walk in wardobes, fitted robes; sliding, hinged, mirror wardrobes. So many choices!
Your wardrobe is one of the most important functional features of the bedroom. You need to build it right, as there is nothing more frustrating than wardrobe doors that won’t close due to not enough space for clothes hangers, or mildew damaging and ruining your clothes and shoes.
So what makes a good wardrobe?
We chatted to David Sharp from Cutting Edge Kitchens; a specialist in custom build wardrobes and joinery for his advice.
1. Do you need a back on your wardrobe? Or even a floor?
We believe wardrobes should have kickboards with solid backs and floors with full depth drawers and shelves.
The only reason wardrobes are built without floors and backs is to save on material which makes your wardrobe cheaper to build, but not necessarily functional.
All the wardrobes designed and built by Cutting Edge Kitchens sit on a 100mm high kickboard and have a solid 16mm back with a 20mm void to the wall. This air gap prevents any chance of mould or rising damp getting to your clothes and causing damage.
2. What are the key dimensions for sliding door or hinged door wardrobes?
Sliding door wardrobes are around 700mm deep externally, with a 120mm door track. They give 580mm of hanging depth but the internal shelves and drawers are only 450mm deep.
Hinged door wardrobes are 620mm deep externally with 580mm of hanging depth. All shelves and drawers are full depth giving more storage space.
Hinged door wardrobes allow far more internal options.
3. What are the differences in wardrobe types?
Sliding door type wardrobes are installed with no backs or bottoms. The melamine used is of a much cheaper quality. The drawer runners are typical bottom fix with no softclose option. These wardrobes are usually around 1/3 cheaper and come with short warranties.
Hinged door wardrobes almost always have kickboards and solid backs. The solid backs have a 20mm void to the wall. The combination of this air gap and the kickboard stops the possibility of rising damp. The melamine used is of a much higher quality and you have infinite options with the internal layout, drawer width/height and the type of door.
They are more expensive but the quality and internal options are far higher. They also allow for more door options.
A lot of people dismiss hinged doors because they think that their room is too small. A hinged door wardrobe is around 610mm deep while a sliding door wardrobe without a back or bottom is around 700mm deep. Hinged doors should be no wider than 500mm which means if you have room to stand in front of the wardrobe you have the room to open the doors.
Remember that a hinged door wardrobe takes up 90mm LESS space in your room.
Most sliding door wardrobes come with a 1 year warranty. Cutting Edge Kitchens gives a 10 year warranty on all hinged door wardrobes.
Are you after a custom designed and built wardrobe in Sydney? Cutting Edge Kitchens is a wardrobe specialist. Dave will design a functional wardrobe to meet your needs, available with any style door, material or colour. Fitted with Blum Tandem softclose runners and hinges. That’s the Cutting Edge difference!
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Great content! Super high-quality! Keep it up! 🙂
It is a wonderful article stating the what makes a good walk in wardrobe, which can be the best option as per your need. I like how you have researched and presented these exact points so clearly.
Thanks for the information on walk-in wardrobes. I would like to get a customized wardrobe for my master bedroom. We’ll start looking for a builder who can help us.