How to design wardrobe

Wardrobe Designing Tips

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We’re glad you’re here! We are passionate about closets and all things storage and organization. We are eager to help your closet dreams come true. Whether you love all things organization or are here looking for tips and organizing hacks, you came to the right place. Get all your storage and organization inspiration and how-tos right here. Tell your friends, the more the merrier! Don’t wait, let's start organizing now.

When it comes time to design for a new closet organization system in the bedroom, there are some general rules of thumb to abide by. Check out these helpful tips to designing the most functional wardrobe space.

Calculate the numbers.

Take an inventory of your belongings in the closet. Use our Clothing Storage Guide for average measurements. These calculations will help dictate how much space you'll need for hanging, shelving and accessories. Once you've totaled up your clothes and belongings, you'll be able to more effectively design and organize.

Prioritize space for dresses or longer hanging clothes.

Design for a long hang section first and then place drawers and shelves after. Make all remaining space double hang in order to maximize vertical space. Long hang for the average woman should take up anywhere from 18-24" of hanging space on average.

Fold knits and sweaters to avoid damage to the clothing.

Help maintain the garment's shape by stacking or folding sweaters, knits and t-shirts in drawers or on shelves. If you are folding them in drawers, follow a filing method so you can see what shirt you're pulling out. Follow these recommended heights if you are stacking folded clothes to prevent tipping: 2-4 sweaters/sweatshirts, 5-6 shirts and 4-6 jeans.

freedomRail in White

Consider seasonal storage when designing.

If you are pressed for space, rotate your seasonal clothing (spring/summer and fall/winter) from the master closet into a secondary closet or storage space. Baskets and bins will work wonders when keeping seasonal items organized and out of the way. With freedomRail, you can always adjust to fit seasonal changes such as tall boots or slim sandals.

Create a noticeable divide for a shared closet.

This will prevent any future arguments about crowding each other space or mixing clothes. Learn more ways to share a closet with a significant other here. Women's clothing tends to take up more space then men's and require more long hang. Work this into you wardrobe designing if you are sharing a space.

Design with extra shoe storage in mind.

The average woman has 40 pairs of shoes compared to the men's average of 10 pairs. Design for ample shoe storage and allow room to grow. More shoes can fit on a flat shelf and they are best stored heel to toe for maximum space functionality. For more shoe organization tips, check out the best 5 ways to store your shoe collection.

freedomRail in White

The best part about having a freedomRail closet is that you can always add more to the closet or adjust the components whenever you need to, without any tools. Are you ready to design your dream closet organization system? Use the Free Online Design Tool to start creating your freedomRail closet or visit your local Organized Living dealer today.

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Wardrobe design tips, tricks and measurements — The Little Design Corner

Today I’m expanding on a popular post over on my Instagram page where I shared some wardrobe joinery (millwork) design tips, tricks and measurements. In the post I will share some tips on getting the depth and dimensions right for your wardrobes/closets and then also share my tips on designing the internals of the wardrobe and how to plan it the right way for your needs.

Before we get started - in this post I will refer to wardrobes as that’s what we call them here in Australia - but I am talking about closets here if you’re in North America or elsewhere in the world and prefer that terminology :) I will also try and include measurements in both metric and imperial system for you as well!

Wardrobe/Closet Depths

The depth of your wardrobe will depend on what you are storing.

Here’s a few standard measurements:

Standard depth of a wardrobe/closet is normally 600-650mm (24 inches).
The minimum wardrobe depth could be as little as 500mm (20 inches), but hangers will likely need to be turned slightly to make this work and this depth won’t be suitable for clothes of a larger person with broad shoulders. This depth normally works better for wardrobes with no doors - and I would recommend only using this depth if space is a problem
Shoe shelves are normally around 300-350mm (12 inches) but I always recommend measuring the shoe length of the largest person who is using the wardrobe before deciding on the final depth.
Shelves for folded clothes normally run with the same depth as the rest of the wardrobe.

Wardrobe/Closet Design Tips

Make sure you choose carefully between sliding and hinged doors. Think about furniture placement in the room and make sure hinged doors will be able to open once furniture is in the room. This is especially important for children’s or spare bedrooms that may be on the smaller side.
Keep the maximum width of a single hinged door on a built in wardrobe in a bedroom to around 600-650mm (24 inches). This will allow for flexibility of furniture placement in the room and also avoid any warping on larger doors.
If space is a problem then measure the width of the largest clothing items the users of the wardrobes have across the shoulders (see below) - then design the wardrobe to just a little larger than this depth

In terms of materials to choose - you have endless choice here. Most wardrobes/closets are made from melamine but this can look a bit cheap so avoid this in higher end homes. The most expensive option is to create the wardrobes from real timber but if that’s out of your budget then a good alternative are laminates that look like timber. There are many excellent ‘timber look’ laminates on the market and lots of a textured grain look that make them appear more realistic.
As a general rule - the more higher end/expensive the home, the more higher end/expensive the finish of the wardrobes should be, especially the walk in wardrobe in primary suite (master bedroom).
Consider the lighting at the time of planning. In walk in wardrobes it can be nice to have LED strip lighting as it has a high end look for very little extra cost. But this will need to be factored in at the planning stage as it won’t be able to easily be added after install. Remember to go with warm LED strips over cool ones!
Lots of people forget to think about where they can add a mirror, especially in walk in wardrobes - so remember to plan that in before building.
Doors or no doors on walk in wardrobes? This one is really personal preference. Do you prefer to see what you have or close it away as it looks messy? Do you have allergies and want to have doors to avoid too much dust getting on your clothes? Do you have expensive items that are best kept behind doors to protect them? Does a lot of sunlight come in the room (which could fade your clothes)?
Keep in mind that doors on your walk in wardrobe will significantly increase the cost of the wardrobe. If you have higher end finishes in the joinery/millwork then I suggest keeping the doors off and showing off what you’ve got! Plus it’s easier to see and find things quickly when you need them.
If you have very expensive items to store (e.g. handbags or formal wear) then make sure you consider the ventilation of the room to ensure these items don’t go mouldy. You may need a dehumidifier if you don’t have good airflow.

Wardrobe/Closet Internals

The most important thing to consider as you get started with planning your wardrobe/closets is what sort of lifestyle you have. Are you like me and mostly have casual and active wear to store (which means I need lots of drawers and folded space) or do you have a huge formal wear collection that needs to be stored (which will require lots of long hanging space)?

Here’s my tips for designing your wardrobe internals:

There is no such thing as an ‘ideal’ wardrobe or closet. The biggest mistake you can make is not planning properly in advance or just taking the advice of a wardrobe/closet installer as to what you might need in your space. If you want to create the perfect wardrobe for your needs then you must take a lot of time to carefully plan your space for YOUR exact requirements.
When you start planning make a list of everything that needs to be stored and ensure there is sufficient space for all the items. Each person uses their wardrobes/closets differently and has different requirements - e.g. if you’re a shoe lover then make sure you have lots of shoe storage and count up exactly how many pairs will need to be stored. Also - do you need tie racks, lots of hanging space, more folded space, extra drawers?
Some things to consider as you plan your space are:
- jewellery
- purses and handbags
- watches
- ties
- belts
- suits
- shoes
- winter coats (these will be bulky and take up a lot of room)
- swimwear
- hats
- underwear
- formal clothes (long hanging) - also how tall are you? Make sure the long hanging is the right height for your clothes!
- sunglasses
- active wear
- folded clothes
- clothes you want to hang
- personal items
- makeup/dressing table (but this will take up valuable storage space to consider whether you have the space for this)
If a wardrobe is shared then think how you will divide up the space and where each person’s items will go
Do you want somewhere to sit? This can be helpful for putting on socks - but it can be a luxury if space is limited.
Knits are best folded rather than hung to avoid them becoming damaged on hangers.
Think about using accessories like clear bins, baskets or boxes to organise and store things on shelves. IKEA have some good options if you’re on a budget!
If you don’t have a lot of room then consider having secondary storage elsewhere in the house and do a seasonal rotation of your clothes
Remember to design for growth - if you have 25 pairs of shoes now then don’t only allow for those shoes in the wardrobe. You are very likely to buy more in the future so have some space for future growth.
If you’re limited with space then choose slim-line hangers for your clothes as you’ll be able to fit more in. I personally love all my hangers to match - looks so much nicer :)
Use inserts in drawers - again IKEA have great ones - or if you have extra budget then get these included by your cabinet maker. Small felt boxes can help to keep smaller items more organised inside your drawers and they look nice too!
Do you need any electrical sockets/power points in the wardrobe? Always good to include at least one I think.

Measurements for wardrobe/closet internals

Here are some general rules for the measurements of the internals of your wardrobe/closet. These are just a guide - I recommend that you always measure your own clothes to get specific spacings that work for you without wasting space.

Allow about 950mm (H) for short hanging space (37/38 inches)
Allow about 1900mm (H) for long hanging space (75 inches)
Remember to include a 3/4 hanging level as well if you need it for shorter dresses or longer coats
If you include drawers take the bank to a finished height of around 900-1100mm (38-43inches). Make sure to factor in the end user when considering the height - they need to be able to see inside the top drawer!
Wardrobe shelving and drawers are normally finished to a depth of 450-500mm (approx 18 inches), depending on the overall depth of the wardrobe
Measure the height of all shoes that need to go in the shoe shelves - e. g. what height is needed for the high heeled shoes, are there long boots that need to be stored? Measure all shoe heights to make sure they will fit!
Keep your shelves adjustable rather than fixed - this will give you maximum flexibility
Taller people can have higher top rails than shorter people (which will give them a bit more storage space)

And one final tip - remember that good design and planning of your wardrobe costs exactly the same as bad design and planning!

Many people rush the design of their wardrobes (including the internals of children’s wardrobes or other storage spaces around the home) or they just take the advice of whoever is installing it for them and as a result they don’t end up with the right storage needs for their individual requirements.

So take time to really think and plan what you need in your space. Draw it up and make sure everything fits. You can either do this by hand on a piece of paper or you can use a program like SketchUp (see below). You’ll be very happy you spent a little extra time on it once it’s built - trust me :)

I hope some of these tips have been helpful! If you’ve got other tips then comment below - I would love to hear them!

Design your wardrobe/closet cabinetry in SketchUp

If you are about to start renovating or remodeling then you will love SketchUp. With this software you can mock up your entire home in 2D (floor plans, joinery/millwork elevations, lighting and electrical plans and more) and 3D (renderings and perspective drawings of your home) so you can picture exactly what it will look like when it is finished plus prepare your technical drawings for use with your designer, trades and contractors.

Learning SketchUp will save you time, money, mistakes, fees with a designer and so much more!

I teach an online course for beginners that is focused specifically on using SketchUp for renovating and interior design purposes. We have had nearly 4000 students come through the course with so many fantastic homes designed and built!

To find out more about the courses we have on offer click the link below. And reach out if you have any questions I can help with :)

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Clare x

Dr Clare Le Roy

How to properly plan a dressing room. Planning and zoning rules

dressing room dressing room equipment cabinet interior

At first glance, it may seem that a dressing room is a luxury that is unacceptable by the standards of standard Russian apartments. In fact, losing precious meters by separating a relatively large part of the living space for "hot needs" is a rather bold decision. However, this "product" of Western civilization is appearing in an increasing number of Russian apartments (increasingly penetrating into Russian homes) - and no wonder. No matter how paradoxical it may sound, but a separate dressing room, even a small one, not only does not take away, but, on the contrary, saves space, allowing you to free up more space for living in other rooms.

However, simply allocating space for storing clothes is not at all enough. In this article, we will talk about how to properly plan a dressing room, what nuances and details to take into account in order not only to rationally use the space, but also to use it as comfortably as possible.

Part one. Planning

Like all great things, a walk-in closet needs to start with planning and analysis.

Step 1. One person or several? We determine the users of the dressing room - one person, spouses, the whole family or children. Ideally, each family member should have their own separate room (even a small one), but, unfortunately, this is unrealistic in most Russian apartments. If 2-3 people use the dressing room, everyone should have their own “zone of influence”.

Step 2. Determine what exactly will be stored in the dressing room, what things.
In the dressing room you can store both basic things, shoes, and blankets, pillows, suitcases, large bags, sports equipment, and jewelry. It all depends on the size of the room or the size of the space allotted for the dressing room.

Step 3. Sort things for storage: we divide into those that are stored in a suspended state, and those that require shelves for storage. As a result, we get a) how many hangers you need, b) how many shelves you need.

Important! Leave a stock! After all, the wardrobe is replenished, and with throwing away, given the traditional Russian "frugality" and ingenuity in using unnecessary things, sometimes big problems arise :))

Step 4. We measure the longest dresses in order to understand which sections to plan for long lengths. Again, a nuance - if your wardrobe has one super-long evening dress, you should not adjust the height of the bar just for it. It is quite possible to store such an outfit thrown over the crossbar of a hanger (of course, in a dress case).

Step 5. Having the dimensions available (both the room and what needs to be placed there) and knowing exactly the number of shelves, you can start drawing a sketch of the dressing room. Alternatively, you can simply draw on paper what needs to be placed, on a scale, say 1:10, cut it out, and already visually move it back and forth, thinking through the optimal combination.

Ease of use must also be taken into account. The tables below show how much space a person occupies in what positions and how high he can reach.

When planning a dressing room, also consider the zoning rules (located at the end of the article).

"At the end" you will get a clear, well-thought-out scheme, on the basis of which you can order cabinets and racks, and it will also become clear what storage cases, hangers and additional accessories are needed.

Drawer for shoes (transparent)

70996731x20x11 cm

out of stock 299 q

Small shelving box LAVANDE Valiant (30x28x16 cm)

LV-BOX-LS30x28x16 cm

available 956 q

Drawer for shoes (transparent)

Art. 709967

out of stock

299 q

Small shelving box LAVANDE Valiant (30x28x16 cm)

Art. LV-BOX-LS

available

956 q

Part two. "CENTIMETER"

Cabinet width

As for the width of the compartments for things stored on hangers: according to experts, the normal distance between the hangers can be considered 5 centimeters, dense placement - 2 cm. When planning, please keep in mind that optimality is optimality, and no one has yet canceled ventilation. Even if you can be proud that you didn’t “waste” a single centimeter, the price for such rationality will be an unpleasant musty smell in the dressing room (do you still remember the smells in grandmother’s pantries and chests?). In addition, clothes that are poorly ventilated do not last as well.

The width of the coat hangers is 34-51 centimeters. They are selected based on the size of your clothes. Given the wide selection of this accessory (at least even in our online store), this is quite simple to ensure (we have already told you how to choose the right coat hanger in size)

The depth of the cabinet is from 50 to 60 centimeters. European standard - 56 centimeters.

There are two types of clothes stored on coat hangers: long and short . For the first, a compartment from 1.5 meters is provided, for the second - about 1 meter.

Trouser compartment - 120-130 cm

A few tips:

✔ The distance between the clothes rail and the top shelf should be at least 4-5 centimeters so that it is convenient to take off clothes.

✔ Short things are best stored on two bars one above the other, the optimal distance between them is 80-100 cm. (The height of one short bar is about 100 cm)

✔ Shelves. The height of the shelves is 35-40 cm. According to furniture makers, it should be at least 32 cm.

✔ "Time-tested" depth of shelves - 40 cm+

✔ If you make shelves 50-60 cm wide, 2 stacks of things will fit exactly and neatly on them. In our opinion, this is a very convenient size. Long shelves (80 cm) must be “supported” from below so that they do not bend under the weight of the contents (provide a partition from below).

✔ Storage boxes. The optimal width of drawers for storage is 40-70 cm, height is about 40. Such dimensions provide optimal load on the sliding mechanism.

✔ Drawers and baskets should be made at a distance of no more than 110 cm, otherwise it will be inconvenient to use them. In extreme cases - no higher than 140 cm (consider height! The average height of a Russian is 160-180 cm.)

As for the length of the stored clothing, it is individual in each case. Before planning a dressing room, of course, it is better to measure the available jackets, skirts, trousers, blouses...

Approximate clothing size chart

Part three.

WARDROBE ROOM EQUIPMENT

1. Rods and pantographs

The fundamental, so to speak, element of the dressing room. As mentioned above, the planning of this useful room always begins with choosing a place for long things, and a high bar (165+) is used for these purposes. For shirts, jackets, blouses, shorter rods are needed, about 100 cm, and there are usually several of them.

Pantograph is a barbell with a special mechanism that allows it to be lowered to a comfortable height. The pantograph is very convenient if you decide to use the entire wall for storing short things.

2. Pull-out trouser hangers

They should be about 60 cm high.

3. Drawers

Used to store underwear and bed linen, accessories and jewelry.
By equipping them with dividers and arranging the small things inside, you can avoid chaos and buy some of the time usually spent searching and cleaning. In addition, the contemplation of even rows of linen every morning will give a feeling of order for the whole day.

4. Shelves

They can be both stationary and retractable.

5. Boxes and baskets

In such an irreplaceable thing as cardboard boxes, you can store anything you want. Magazines, albums, photographs, various trifles, art and sewing supplies... Previously, the entire range of such packaging was limited to used shoe boxes made of bad cardboard. Now the boxes are produced in a variety of sizes, colors and excellent quality; thanks to the correct shape, you can fill any space with them so that not a single centimeter is lost.

Baskets , especially retractable honeycombs, are very convenient for storing bed linen and small things.

6. Shoe storage

Shoes, as you know, come with and without heels, open and closed, soft and molded, summer and winter (boots and boots), as well as less common "special cases" in the form of ski boots, etc. And if there are no questions with the placement of rarely used or seasonal shoes (it will go to the mezzanine, soft - in shoe cases, the rest - in boxes), then with everything else options are possible.

To place the shoes that you decide to store without boxes, you can do the following in the dressing room:

open shelves both regular and sloping (suitable for flat shoes),
special supports (to keep shoes on heels),
special hooks for hanging boots (avoiding leg creases).

Before starting the design, each pair is measured. The approximate dimensions of a pair of boots are 25 cm wide and 30-40 cm long, but everything, of course, is individual and depends on the size of the shoe.

7. Hangers for ties, scarves, belts and umbrellas

They are retractable, circular (installed in a corner), hanging (in this case, accessories are stored on a bar, like ordinary clothes; hangers for accessories come in a variety of shapes, sometimes quite interesting). Belts, scarves and umbrellas can also be placed on ordinary wall hooks.

8. Compartments for ironing board and dryer

Ironing boards come in different sizes, so measuring is essential. Allocate at least 20 centimeters wide for storage of this item.

If the parameters of ironing boards are somehow limited, then vacuum cleaner manufacturers try their best and their creations are individual. If you are going to store a vacuum cleaner in the dressing room, measurements are required.

9. Mirrors

If the dressing room is spacious and allows you to dress there, then a mirror in which you can see yourself in full growth is a must. It is good to have an additional one, small, so that you can evaluate your view from behind.

An important sub-point follows from this: LIGHTING. Good lighting where you dress is just as essential as a large mirror. If the lighting is only artificial, install several spotlights.

10. If possible, it is good to complete the dressing room with ottoman , cabinet or at least console .

Part four. Zoning

When planning a dressing room, there are rules. Some are recommended by experts, and some (such as, for example, the width of the passage between cabinets) are dictated by reality and it’s simply impossible not to comply with them.

Zoning regulations

1. First, we distribute long clothes. And then everything else. It is much easier to vary combinations of small components than large ones.

2. The principle of distribution of things: "as we wear, so we store", i.e. shoes are placed at the bottom, and hats at the top.

3. What you wear should be visible: on the bars or in the most accessible drawers (+/- 40 cm)

4. In the upper part (40-50 cm to the ceiling), mezzanines are usually arranged (where suitcases, seasonal items, blankets, etc. “go to live”)

5. For sliding elements (shelves, drawers, baskets), it is necessary to provide additional space (so that they have where to move out). As a rule, it is about 50 cm.

6. To make it convenient to move between cabinets and racks, the minimum recommended passage width is 60 centimeters. When planning this "aspect" must be taken into account.

7. If more than one person will use the dressing room, then for everyone it is necessary to foresee and plan their own “zone of influence” in advance, where they can place their things.

The text provides examples of storage system planning diagrams so that you can get a general idea of the sizes of various sections. Each case is individual and you can get something completely different from the samples, but exactly right for you - which means the perfect dressing room.

We hope these recommendations will help you plan your dressing room correctly, making it as comfortable as possible, and using space as efficiently as possible.

Materials used in the article:

"Helpful Tips" from furniture brand Komandor

"Wardrobe room: filling, location, organization of space", site "Your designer"

A quick guide to planning your closet - INMYROOM

Tips

We talk about the ergonomics of the dressing room and share proven tips on how to get the most out of a few square meters.

The dressing room is a smart storage system. But how to organize it correctly, what needs to be considered for this? We decided to put everything on the shelves - and now we are sharing a ready-made instruction for arranging a really comfortable dressing room.

Mr.Doors has been creating bespoke built-in and cabinet furniture since 1996

About the dimensions of the dressing room

The ideal shape for a dressing room is a rectangle. The minimum area is 3 square meters. In this case, the length of one wall should not be less than 2 meters.

Calculating the area of your dressing room is simple: count the number of compartments horizontally along a long wall, multiply by their width (usually the width of one compartment is 50, 75 or 100 centimeters) - that's the length. If there are drawers in the cabinets, then multiply the depth of the cabinets by two and add a minimum passage of 50 centimeters (optimal - 80-100 centimeters) - this is the width of the dressing room, where the cabinets are located along one of the walls.

What areas should be in the dressing room?

The upper zone of is at the level of 200-250 centimeters from the floor. There are mezzanines designed for storing off-season or rarely used items. Takes about 50 centimeters.

The middle area (located at a height of 60 to 170 centimeters from the floor) is the main storage space. It is here that things will hang on hangers, towels will lie on the shelves and various accessories in drawers will wait in the wings.

The lower zone occupies the space within 70 centimeters from the floor level. It is convenient to build systems for storing shoes here or to put things that are not used so often.

Everything about storing things on hangers

Blouses, shirts, jackets on hangers take about 1 meter in height , and about 5–7 centimeters in width on the bar ; in terms of storage depth - up to 50 centimeters .
Fur coats, raincoats, long dresses, trousers differ from the above standards only in length - it is 175 centimeters .
Compartment for trousers and skirts is usually made in height 120–130 centimeters .
Hangers with trousers, outerwear should be located no higher than 120 centimeters from the floor level , but also no lower than 50 centimeters .
InMyRoom tip: sometimes getting the item you need becomes a problem. There is a very simple solution to this tricky question - a pantograph. This is an “elevator” for things, which allows you to get the kit you need using a special holder. Thanks to this device, there is no need to build in ladders or constantly substitute chairs and stools.

Shoe storage

Shoes can be stored compactly using special racks or drawers.
The distance between the shelves in height should be maintained within 20 centimeters for summer shoes and 45 centimeters for boots and boots. In width, one pair of shoes occupies approximately 25 centimeters , the recommended width of the shoe shelf in the closet is 75–100 centimeters .
If you decide to store shoes in boxes, choose special ones - transparent, with windows or a place for notes.
InMyRoom Tip: If you have a lot of expensive, "whimsical" things made from natural materials, consider internal, forced ventilation. Or make louvered doors: this way air will also enter the dressing room.

Accessory storage

Store tights, socks and underwear in shallow drawers ( 12–17 cm ), after dividing them into sections 10–15 cm wide .
Learn more