How Do I... Design a Built-in Wardrobe?
The humble robe has had a style makeover – an expert reveals the most fashionable looks and accessories now on offer
Georgia Madden
18 August 2018
In this practical series, we ask experts to answer your burning home and design questions. Here, Marylou Cafaro, interior designer and trend forecaster for Stegbar, unveils the latest wardrobes finishes and inclusions you can choose from, plus a few buyer’s tips for selecting the right style and layout to suit your needs.
Wardrobes have come a long way in recent years. Until fairly recently, most robes were little more than a plain, white carcass with a single hanging rail – perhaps two, if you were lucky. We would fling shoes and clothes inside and keep our fingers crossed that the whole lot wouldn’t come tumbling out onto the floor the next time the door was opened.
That’s no longer the case. Wardrobes have become an integral design feature of the bedroom, crafted from luxurious finishes – both inside and out – and featuring all manner of user-friendly accessories that make it easy to keep possessions neat and organised.
And with open-plan boudoirs that blend the bedroom, bathroom and robe into one on the rise, I suspect that show-stopping, custom wardrobes are here to stay.
That’s no longer the case. Wardrobes have become an integral design feature of the bedroom, crafted from luxurious finishes – both inside and out – and featuring all manner of user-friendly accessories that make it easy to keep possessions neat and organised.
And with open-plan boudoirs that blend the bedroom, bathroom and robe into one on the rise, I suspect that show-stopping, custom wardrobes are here to stay.
A design statement
Once seen purely as a functional item, today’s designer wardrobes are more a considered piece of custom furniture, tailored not just to fit the room they’re going into, but the type of clothes you need to store.
Many feature beautiful decorative finishes that complement or match the timber joinery and furniture in the adjoining bedroom and bathroom. And these sumptuous finishes are not limited to wardrobe doors; timber detailing is echoed on internal shelving and drawers for a chic and cohesive feel.
Period Details and Luxe Touches Mingle in a London Bedroom
Once seen purely as a functional item, today’s designer wardrobes are more a considered piece of custom furniture, tailored not just to fit the room they’re going into, but the type of clothes you need to store.
Many feature beautiful decorative finishes that complement or match the timber joinery and furniture in the adjoining bedroom and bathroom. And these sumptuous finishes are not limited to wardrobe doors; timber detailing is echoed on internal shelving and drawers for a chic and cohesive feel.
Period Details and Luxe Touches Mingle in a London Bedroom
Trending finishes
Decorative woodgrain surfaces are the most popular choice for custom wardrobe doors and interior detailing right now – in particular dark timber tones, which are often paired with sleek, metal handles.
You can achieve this look with:
Decorative woodgrain surfaces are the most popular choice for custom wardrobe doors and interior detailing right now – in particular dark timber tones, which are often paired with sleek, metal handles.
You can achieve this look with:
- Solid timber
- Timber veneer
- Low-pressure melamine on MDF (an affordable alternative to solid timber and veneer, giving you the look of real timber without the hefty price tag).
Image: Stegbar
Handle trends
The latest hardware trends include:
Picture Perfect: 30 European Laundries From Around the World
Handle trends
The latest hardware trends include:
- Black
- Copper
- Antiqued metals
- Leather
Picture Perfect: 30 European Laundries From Around the World
Luxe accessories
Wardrobe accessories have also had a serious upgrade and you can now chose from all manner of handy extras that are designed to maximise your ‘robe space and make it easy to keep clothes and shoes organised.
These include:
Wardrobe accessories have also had a serious upgrade and you can now chose from all manner of handy extras that are designed to maximise your ‘robe space and make it easy to keep clothes and shoes organised.
These include:
- Trouser racks
- Pull-out laundry hampers
- Mounted or pull-out shoe racks
- Belt and tie racks
- Pull-out jewellery trays
What to consider
When planning a custom wardrobe for your bedroom, you should consider:
When planning a custom wardrobe for your bedroom, you should consider:
- How many people will be using it? If it’s more than one, you’ll want to zone your wardrobe real restate so there’s minimal overlap.
- Do you both need the same amount of storage space? It might work better to allocate space according to how much you each possess.
- When working out rail heights, factor in the full height and length of the clothes you own. Long coats and evening dresses will need far more vertical space than shirts and pants, for example.
Image: Stegbar
- Think about exactly what you need to store and allocate space accordingly. If you have more folded ideas than hanging ones, turn over more space to shelves and drawers. If you have more dresses and shirts, maximise railing space. For those with extensive footwear collections, allocate a decent portion of wardrobe space to shoe racks.
- If your budget can stretch to it, purpose-designed accessories such as racks and rails are a smart investment and will allow you to get much more from your wardrobe.
- I always advise leaving about a third of your wardrobe space free to accomodate any future purchases.
What to expect to pay
The average cost of a custom, built-in wardrobe varies greatly depending on the size, finishes and accessories you choose..
As a guide, a basic custom robe set-up consisting of one hanging rod, a top shelf and standard handles might start around $1,300.
Add in some storage accessories in a coloured board or timber-look finish and the prices rises to around $3,500.
If you build a large fully customised walk-in robe, consisting of architectural-quality hardware, storage accessories such as shoe, trouser and tie racks, pull-out laundry hampers and soft-close drawers, this can cost as much as $35,000. But this very much depends on your needs, the space available and your design choices.
The average cost of a custom, built-in wardrobe varies greatly depending on the size, finishes and accessories you choose..
As a guide, a basic custom robe set-up consisting of one hanging rod, a top shelf and standard handles might start around $1,300.
Add in some storage accessories in a coloured board or timber-look finish and the prices rises to around $3,500.
If you build a large fully customised walk-in robe, consisting of architectural-quality hardware, storage accessories such as shoe, trouser and tie racks, pull-out laundry hampers and soft-close drawers, this can cost as much as $35,000. But this very much depends on your needs, the space available and your design choices.
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Did you find this story useful? Let us know in the Comments below. And don’t forget to like or share this story and save the photos. Join the conversation.
More
Find a home storage designer near you
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I started reading with enthusiasm, until "And with open-plan boudoirs that blend the bedroom, bathroom and robe into one on the rise . ." The bath tub in the bedroom has some appeal when on holidays at a beach resort where someone else cleans it every day and the open robes look lovely in display homes and real estate listings when they are styled with nothing more than a gracefully draped designer dress and a trendy brand-name shopping bag, but when I click on anything containing words like 'design' and 'storage' I'm hoping for practical suggestions applicable to real world everyday living. Fortunately the rest was informative, though basic. Among the details I've looked into are how to ensure good quality low-outgassing MDF, how best to store trousers especially when partner prefers to leave his belts in, how to utilise all that higher space effectively so that it doesn't simply become a junk magnet for items you don't need to reach every day.
We just have purchased our walk-in wardrobe with sliding doors for the exact reasons Elisabeth and macyjean mention. We gave it a lot of thought how we were going to use the space - measure, measure and imagine: how much space you have to walk around, how much or little stuff we have, how many shoes. We also chose an automatic light switch inside the actual wardrobe.