Wardrobe Design Getting it all in place

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The first step in designing a wardrobe is figuring out all the various items. Then you can maximise storage to suit your specific needs. The basic criteria is to always exceed your storage requirements (plan ahead), make sure the room doesn’t look too stuffed and determine your budget.

The exterior of a wardrobe need not necessarily be wood veneer panels polished to match your doors and windows. In fact, if you have a small room, wood will be a little overbearing. You could consider putting frosted glass or mirrors on the panels to open up the room. Alternatively, you could also paint/polish the doors to blend in with the walls. For example, use satin finish paint in light colours or ash/ white oak veneers. You should also cater for some lighting on the wardrobe to make things easy to access.

Mostly, we tend to see full carcass wardrobes, with side panels and back, but for apartments where the builder has already built a niche you could go in for a frame wardrobe(especially for awkward spaces) and spend the money you save getting some modern fittings and accessories. Sliding door panels are a great option for a small space and rooms where free movement is a major constraint.

In terms of materials, there are a variety of options to suit almost any budget. The low cost option is commercial board with laminate on the exterior and paint or basic polish on the inside. You could also go in for the compressed wood/particle board versions although they are not really suited for fitted wardrobes, neither are they as durable.

A good brand is always worth it even on a low budget. Use premium board and veneer if your budget permits as wardrobes are something you are likely to live with for at least a decade. You could also laminate the entire interior of the wardrobe for a superior finished look. Basically your costs could vary from Rs 800/ per square foot to over Rs 4000/ so you really need to decide how much you are willing to spend. The 10-20% variation depending on design is something manageable. 

Using good quality fittings and hardware is a major component of good wardrobe construction. Compromising on this does not pay in the long run although you will bring costs down initially.

Once the panel design and material have been decided you can focus on the aspect of space allocation inside the wardrobe. You could have full height wardrobes all the way to the ceiling and use the top part for storage . Door height wardrobes are usually the ones you can buy at showrooms. Less storage but easy to transport. Or perhaps an interesting detail addition.

In fitted wardrobes,there are three basic categories. The first is hanger space. You could have varying heights for saris, shirts and trousers. Suits and salwar kameezs also have a different height specification. Get double hanging space where the lower one could be removable. It is useful when you shift from winter to summer and vice versa. Use as much as you would need and utilise the rest for other things. Get small pigeon hole panels for things like handbags and woollens. The second category is drawers. These best for underwear, ties/belts or other smaller items; and also useful for t-shirts, sweaters,duppatas,scarves, blouses etc.The lower part of the wardrobe should be used for things like shoes, sheets and towels so that everything is stored away properly and easy to reach.

For the shopaholics, try and use the back panel of the wardrobe to hang bags, belts, ties and other accessories that you keep collecting. Usually the wardrobe is deep enough for that extra space. Another thing to think about is the top panel. If you really aren’t going to store much there, then think about getting pull down fittings at some extra cost and use it to hang your clothes rather than waste it for a couple of suitcases.
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There is not much point in thinking about how wardrobes used to be designed because most our grandparents had one tenth of the clothes we do!! We seem to be a generation of compulsive shoppers (it isn’t really gender specific anymore) so we need to cater for that change in lifestyle when we plan storage.

Baskets are a great way of organising storage without making a lot of compartments. If you are still short on storage and your box bed is full capacity, then you may need to consider overhead and side panels to coordinate with your bed. This is often the case in a kid’s room where wardrobe space is minimum and there is a lot to store. You could use creativity to bring in the additional storage rather than just put a regular wardrobe in a room that is already small. When a fitted cupboard is merged with the walls and ceiling it gives you storage without the bulk. A feeling of openness is essential to achieving mental equilibrium in a bedroom.


Many people assume that creating fitted wardrobes in rented apartments is a waste. That is not necessarily true. You could create a modular structure that can be fitted in panels and adjusted. If you work on the assumption that a normal apartment bedroom is 12 by 10 feet you should be ok. It doesn’t get smaller than that. The trick is to get things in a similar finish that can be put together in at least 3-4 different combinations. So deciding finish, dimensions and proportion are imperative. Once you achieve this your home will look custom made no matter how long you stay there.



The other way is opt for organisers and movable storage that can be shifted from room to room depending on your space constraints. Try to stick to light colours in veneers or paint finish is you are likely to move often. Bring in the colour through furnishings which are easy to change periodically.

Finally,if you have a large bedroom and money is no object, you could either have a walk in wardrobe (if you have a separate room, or create one using a divider), or wall to wall storage with fittings and accessories from Hettich or Hafele.





The range available for the wardrobe panels is wide ---from imported Italian fitted, to custom made designs here in India. Regardless of the budget, if you have made space for your clothes and other accessories, and paid attention to a visual aesthetic, your wardrobes would add value to your living.