The single wardrobe that returns the most is a tall unit, roughly 50cm wide and 200cm or more in height, with a full length hanging rail, at least one internal shelf above and a drawer in the base. That combination handles hanging, folded and small item storage in a footprint smaller than a bedside table. Almost every other configuration gives up one of those three functions, and it is the loss of that third function that usually forces people to buy a second piece of furniture.
Single wardrobes are often treated as a compromise for rooms that cannot take anything larger. Used well, they are one of the most efficient pieces of bedroom furniture available. Here is how to identify the version that earns its place.
Two single wardrobes can have identical footprints and differ by half in capacity, purely because of height. A 180cm unit typically gives you one hanging section and a small shelf. A 210cm unit gives you the same hanging section plus around 50cm of usable shelving above it.
Since the floor area is the expensive part in a small bedroom, paying a little more for the taller version is generally the better value decision. You are buying storage that costs you nothing in floor space.
Before committing, check the diagonal against your ceiling height, since a tall unit assembled flat needs room to tilt upright. The modern 1 door wardrobes UK sale range includes a spread of heights, and the taller options are worth comparing directly.
A single wardrobe without a drawer stores hanging clothes and little else. The base ends up holding shoes in a heap, and folded items go elsewhere.
A base drawer solves two problems at once. It gives you a place for the items that would otherwise need a separate chest, and it lifts the bottom of the wardrobe off the floor, which makes the room easier to clean.
Check the drawer depth rather than just its presence. A shallow drawer of 12cm to 15cm suits underwear, socks and accessories. A deeper drawer of 20cm or more takes jumpers and jeans, which is a meaningful addition to capacity. On a single wardrobe, the deeper option is usually the more useful.
The most common disappointment with single wardrobes is discovering that a winter coat drags on the base. A full length hanging section needs around 150cm of clear drop.
Where a unit divides the interior with a fixed shelf partway down, that drop is reduced to around 100cm, which suits shirts and jackets but nothing longer. If you own long coats or dresses, insist on the full drop and add shelving above rather than through the middle.
An adjustable or removable shelf is the ideal arrangement, because it lets the wardrobe change as your clothing does. Fixed internal divisions lock you into someone else’s assumptions.
This is worth considering seriously. Two single wardrobes placed side by side give roughly the same capacity as one two door unit, at a similar total width, but with several practical advantages.
They are far easier to carry up stairs and through narrow doorways, which matters in Victorian terraces and upper floor flats. They can be separated if you move to a home with a different layout, or split between two rooms. And they allow you to place a gap between them for a chair, a laundry basket or a narrow shelving unit.
The disadvantage is a visible join down the middle and two sets of handles rather than one. In practice, aligning them carefully and fitting matching handles makes the pair read as a deliberate arrangement rather than an improvisation.
In a box room, it is often the only wardrobe that fits without blocking the door or the window. Paired with under bed storage, it covers a full wardrobe of clothing.
In a spare bedroom, it provides enough hanging space for guests without committing a large piece of furniture to a room used occasionally.
In a shared double bedroom, two singles let each person have their own storage, which works better in practice than dividing one wardrobe down the middle.
Beside a chimney breast, a single unit fits the alcove where a wider wardrobe cannot, and two units either side of the breast create a symmetrical arrangement that looks considered.
In a child’s room, a single wardrobe is proportionate to the clothing actually stored, and leaves floor space for play. The modern childrens wardrobes UK sale range covers sizes suited to smaller rooms.
Because a single wardrobe is compact, most bedrooms need one complementary storage piece alongside it. Choosing that piece well is what completes the arrangement.
A narrow chest of drawers takes folded clothing and gives you a surface for a lamp. Options in the modern chest of drawers UK sale range include profiles under 50cm wide, which sit neatly beside a single wardrobe.
An ottoman or blanket box at the end of the bed handles bedding and out of season clothing while providing a place to sit. The modern ottomans UK sale range covers both upholstered and timber styles.
Under bed drawers use space that is otherwise entirely wasted, and for shoes and bulky items they are more practical than trying to squeeze more into the wardrobe.
With limited volume, discipline matters more than in a large wardrobe.
Hang only what genuinely needs hanging. Knitwear stretches on hangers and stores better folded, so moving jumpers to a shelf or drawer frees rail space immediately.
Use slim hangers throughout. Switching from bulky plastic to thin velvet or wooden hangers can increase rail capacity by a third, which is the cheapest capacity gain available.
Store seasonally. Keep the current season in the wardrobe and the other under the bed. A single wardrobe that holds half your clothing well is more useful than one that holds all of it badly.
Add a hook or two on the inside of the door for a dressing gown or a bag, since that is space doing nothing at present.
Confirm the internal hanging drop rather than the external height. Check the drawer depth. Check whether the shelf is adjustable. Check the panel thickness, since a tall narrow unit relies on rigidity to stay square. And check the door swing clearance, because although the unit is narrow, the door still needs room to open.
A single wardrobe standing alone on a wide wall can look undersized, as though it were chosen reluctantly. A few adjustments make it read as a considered choice instead.
Give it a job to anchor. Place it in an alcove, beside a chimney breast or in a corner where its proportions match the space it occupies. A narrow piece in a narrow space looks correct. The same piece in the middle of an open wall looks stranded.
Build height around it. A tall mirror, a picture hung at wardrobe height or a wall light at the same level extends the vertical line and stops the unit appearing isolated.
Pair it with a low piece rather than another tall one. A single wardrobe beside a low chest creates a stepped profile that looks deliberate, whereas two tall narrow units of different heights side by side rarely do.
Finally, keep the floor beside it clear. A narrow wardrobe with a laundry basket, a bag and a pair of boots crowded around its base looks like overflow. The same wardrobe with clear floor either side looks like storage that is sufficient.
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Most single wardrobes measure around 50cm wide, with depth of 50cm to 60cm and height ranging from 180cm to 210cm. Some models run slightly wider at around 60cm, which gives noticeably more rail space.
For a current season wardrobe, yes, particularly if the unit is tall and includes a base drawer. Anyone with a large collection of clothing will need a complementary chest of drawers or under bed storage alongside it.
They offer similar capacity with easier delivery and assembly, and they can be separated later. The trade off is a visible join between them, which careful alignment and matching handles largely resolves.
Only if the hanging section offers around 150cm of clear drop. Units with a fixed shelf partway down reduce the drop to around 100cm, which is not enough for full length coats or dresses.
An alcove beside a chimney breast is usually the most efficient position, since that space is difficult to use for anything else. The wall behind the bedroom door is the next best, because the door swing already limits what can go there.
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