Double Wardrobes Explained: Which Design Suits Your Lifestyle?

A double wardrobe is a two door unit, usually between 100cm and 150cm wide, and it remains the most commonly bought wardrobe size in the UK. The reason is simple: it fits the average bedroom wall, holds enough for one person comfortably, and can be shared at a push. The question worth asking is not whether a double is big enough, but which internal layout and door type matches the way you actually use your clothes.

Two people with identical bedrooms can need entirely different wardrobes. Someone who wears suits daily needs long hanging space and very little shelving. Someone who works from home in knitwear and jeans needs drawers and short hanging. This guide works through the main double wardrobe designs and who each one suits.

The Standard Double: Full Hanging Rail

A single full width rail with a shelf above is the traditional arrangement and still the most flexible for anyone with a lot of hanging clothes.

It suits people who own coats, dresses, suits and long garments, and who prefer to hang rather than fold. A 120cm rail holds roughly 30 to 35 items on slim hangers, fewer if they include heavy winter coats.

The weakness is vertical waste. If your clothes are mostly shirts and tops, the lower half of the wardrobe sits empty apart from shoes. A simple fix is a hanging fabric organiser or a second rail suspended from the first, which converts the dead space into usable storage.

This layout also relies on having a chest of drawers elsewhere in the room, since there is nowhere to put folded clothing. Pairing one with a piece from our modern chest of drawers UK sale range is the usual approach.

The Double With Integrated Drawers

Here, one or two drawers sit at the base of the unit, either behind the doors or exposed below them. This is the layout for anyone short on floor space, since it removes the need for a separate chest.

It suits smaller bedrooms, single occupancy rooms and spare rooms. The compromise is hanging height: drawers take roughly 40cm to 60cm from the bottom, so the rail sits higher and long dresses or full length coats may not clear the drawer tops.

Before buying, measure your longest garment on its hanger from the hook to the hem. If it exceeds the stated internal hanging height, that garment will need to go elsewhere.

Exposed drawers below the doors are more convenient day to day, since you do not need to open a door first, but they make the unit taller for the same amount of hanging space.

The Mirrored Double

One or both doors carry a mirror panel. This is one of the most practical variations available, particularly in rooms where there is no spare wall for a separate full length mirror.

It suits small bedrooms, rooms with limited natural light and anyone who dresses in the bedroom rather than a separate dressing area. The reflection adds depth to the room and bounces daylight into darker corners.

Position matters. A mirror facing a window reflects light usefully. A mirror facing the bed can feel uncomfortable for some people, and a mirror facing a cluttered corner simply doubles the clutter.

Check that the mirror is backed with safety film. If you would rather keep the mirror separate, our wall mirrors UK sale range includes full length designs that can be fixed to a wall or leaned.

The Sliding Door Double

Sliding doors on a double unit remove the need for swing clearance, which typically saves around 50cm to 60cm of floor space in front of the wardrobe.

This design suits narrow rooms, rooms where the bed sits close to the wardrobe, and loft conversions with restricted walking routes. The trade off is that only half the interior is accessible at any moment, and the track takes up internal depth.

On a narrow double of around 100cm to 120cm, the opening on each side can feel tight. Below roughly 120cm, hinged doors usually work better. Above that, sliding becomes increasingly practical, and our sliding wardrobes UK sale category covers the wider formats.

The Double With Shelving on One Side

Splitting the interior, with hanging on one side and a stack of shelves on the other, suits anyone who folds most of their clothing.

Knitwear, jeans, t shirts and sportswear all store better folded than hung. Shelves also work well for bags, boxes and anything that does not sit neatly on a hanger.

The consideration is rail length. Splitting a 120cm unit leaves you with around 60cm of hanging space, which is enough for perhaps 15 to 18 items. If you own more hanging clothes than that, this layout will frustrate you within a month.

Check whether the shelves are adjustable. Fixed shelves at the wrong spacing waste as much room as a badly placed rail.

Matching the Design to Your Lifestyle

A few common situations and the layout that tends to suit them:

Office based work with formal clothing. Full hanging rail, ideally with a second short rail for shirts. Long hanging matters, drawers less so.

Casual or home based work. Shelves and drawers carry more weight than rail length. A split interior or an integrated drawer model works well.

Sharing a room with a partner. One double wardrobe is rarely enough for two. Two separate doubles, or a double plus a tall single, gives each person a defined space and avoids the daily negotiation. Our single wardrobes UK sale listings and double units share several matching finishes.

Guest or spare bedroom. A simple double with a rail and one shelf is enough. Guests need hanging space for a few items and somewhere to put a suitcase.

Teenagers. Shelving and drawers usually outweigh hanging needs, and a mirrored door earns its place.

Measuring for a Double Wardrobe

Three measurements decide whether a unit will work.

Wall width, measured at floor level and at the height of the wardrobe top. Walls are rarely parallel in older UK homes, and a unit that fits at the skirting can catch higher up.

Swing clearance, for hinged doors. Allow 50cm to 60cm of clear floor in front. Lay a tape measure on the floor to see it in context rather than relying on the number alone.

Access route, from the front door to the bedroom. Check the narrowest doorway, the stair turn and any ceiling slope. Flatpack units are far easier here than assembled ones, and most double wardrobes arrive flatpacked.

Also check the ceiling height against the diagonal measurement of the assembled unit, since you need clearance to tilt it upright.

Getting More From a Double Wardrobe

Small adjustments substantially increase capacity.

Slim velvet hangers hold around 25 per cent more per metre than bulky plastic ones. A second rail hung beneath the first doubles capacity for shirts and folded trousers. Fabric boxes on the top shelf keep seasonal items contained and stop the shelf becoming a dumping ground. Shoe racks at the base prevent footwear spreading across the floor of the unit.

Internal lighting makes a surprising difference in a double, where the interior sits in shadow whenever the room light is behind you.

At Furniture in Fashion we list internal dimensions alongside external ones for exactly this kind of planning, and free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes applies across the wardrobe range.

Placement in a Standard UK Bedroom

Where the wardrobe sits affects how big the room feels. In most UK bedrooms, the best position is on the wall containing the door, or on the wall running along the side of the bed, rather than directly facing the doorway. Walking into a room and meeting a flat two door front makes the space read as shorter than it is.

Avoid placing a double wardrobe in front of a window, even partially. Losing daylight in a room that already has one source of it is rarely worth the storage gained, and the doors will block the view when open.

Where a chimney breast divides the wall, an alcove will often take a narrow double almost exactly. Measure at three heights before assuming it fits, since plaster is rarely straight in older properties, and check whether the skirting board reduces the usable width at the base.

If the bedroom has a sloped ceiling, measure the height at the point where the back of the wardrobe will stand rather than at the centre of the room. A unit that clears the ceiling in the middle of the room may not clear it against the wall.

Frequently Asked Questions

How wide is a double wardrobe?
Most sit between 100cm and 150cm wide, with 120cm being the most common. Depth is usually 50cm to 60cm.

Is a double wardrobe big enough for two people?
For most couples, no. It works if one person has very few clothes, but two separate units generally prove more practical.

Should I choose hinged or sliding doors on a double?
Hinged doors suit units under about 120cm wide and rooms with clear floor space. Sliding doors suit wider units and rooms where the bed sits close.

How many clothes fit in a double wardrobe?
Roughly 30 to 35 hanging items on a full width rail using slim hangers, plus shelf and base storage depending on the layout.

Do double wardrobes need fixing to the wall?
Yes. Tall units can tip when a loaded drawer is extended, and wall fixing also keeps the frame square over time.