Until relatively recently, walk in wardrobes have been reserved for large mansions and rich properties. With better storage solutions and better room layout designs, walk in wardrobes are becoming more and more popular with home improvement DIYers.
In this article we’re going to be discussing how to make the most of your walk in wardrobe, design tips without breaking the bank, and some walk in wardrobe ideas.
Creating Space for a Walk in Wardrobe
The first thing you need to do when designing a walk-in wardrobe, is to plan the space efficiently. Ideally, you’ll want to build the storage space in the master bedroom but depending on the size of the room, you may be restricted.
When you’re planning your space consider whether or not you’re wanting it to function as a dressing room as well. This will obviously require much more space, and you’ll want to design the layout differently.
Next you’ll want to plan out your organisation system. Do you have more of one type of garment, lots of shoes or big suit jackets? These will need to be considered when planning out your closet organisation.
If you’re planning on having an island in your walk in wardrobe, you’ll need to make sure there is enough space to walk around it. You’ll want a good 36 inches either side of the island to make walking around it not too claustrophobic. You can drop this space down to 24 inches either side if you’re struggling to find space.
If you have eaves your room try to utilise these to use up some otherwise lost footprint space. It won’t matter as much if the back of your wardrobe is in the eaves or sloped ceiling. Check out these tips for storage solutions in alcoves and eaves.
How to make a Walk in Wardrobe Light
Of course, if you’re including a dressing area in your walk in wardrobe, then you’ll want to have as much light as possible. If you’re using the room to get dressed however, you’ll want blinds or curtains on any window letting in natural light.
You’ll want to paint the room in light and neutral colours. This is because lighter colours will make the room more welcoming and comfortable, check out the guide to hygge for neutral colours. Your clothes and garments will add a splash of colour to the room, so there’s no need to worry about it being too plain.
You’ll need to add different types of light fittings to have an even coverage of light throughout the wardrobe. This is important, because you’ll need lighting that shows off the true likeness of the clothes you’re picking. Unlike in a bedroom where the lighting maybe dimmed and used to add background texture.
Using mirrored doors serves some useful functions as well as looking good. Mirrors help promote light around the room and will make it feel much airier. Mirrored wardrobe doors can also help make the room feel larger, this is ideal if you plan on having a small walk in closet. Finally, if you’re planning on getting dressed in the walk in wardrobe, it can help you check yourself before leaving the house.
Our sliding wardrobe door ranges all come with a wide range of finishes, including different mirror finishes. Find out why mirrored doors are popular in interior design.
Prioritise Hanging Space
You’ll want to prioritise your hanging space first, because you can always add a set of drawers to the bedroom if there isn’t enough space in the walk in wardrobe. You’ll want to have a mix of different hanging heights for different types of garments.
Separate your garments into long or short and get the average hanging height. Add an extra 20% onto this measurement to get the ideal hanging heights for your wardrobe.
In an average room where the ceiling height is 2.2m, you should be able to get 2 rows of short garments hanging. Or 1 row of long garments hanging with some drawers or shelves below them.
Overhead Storage
Create a bit of additional storage above the hanging rails to store away your out-of-season clothes or items that you don’t wear very often. This space is usually a bit too high to access on a daily basis, so it makes it ideal to hide away garments until they’re needed.
You could also get this space measured correctly to store your holiday luggage away. This kind of clever closet design will create a lot less clutter and help you manage your seldom-used items better.
Think About Your Shoe Storage
Shoe collections come in lots of different sizes and it’s something that needs to be considered when you’re designing a walk in wardrobe. If you have a small shoe collection, you probably don’t want to install a bespoke shoe storage system.
However, if you have a large collection of shoes you may want to designate a wall to shoe racks. Keep your shoes in one place, so that it’s organised and you can quickly see your options. Installing open slanted shelving units will help you quickly and easily see your full collection, even when they’re on higher shelves.
If you have a whole section of your shoe collection dedicated to boots, then remember to create extra tall shelving spaces.
Walk in Wardrobe Doors
One of the reasons you might want to have a walk in wardrobe is to keep the clutter and mess out of the bedroom. If this is the case, you’ll want to have some doors to the entrance of the wardrobe. This not only leaves the bedroom clutter and stress free, but if done correctly can help you organise your garments. This saves you time and helps reduce little micro-stresses.
Sliding wardrobes offer a contemporary walk in wardrobe finish and can save footprint space. Our wide range of sliding doors are perfect for walk in wardrobes and closet doors.
