The most useful thing you can do before a busy shopping period is not browsing: it is measuring. Know the width, height and depth available on the wall you intend to use, know how much of your clothing hangs and how much folds, and know whether a long box will make the turn at the top of your stairs. With those three answers written down, choosing a wardrobe becomes a short task instead of an open ended one.
n
What follows is a practical sequence for getting a bedroom ready, starting with the room itself and ending with the pieces that sit around the wardrobe.
nn
n
Before deciding how much storage you need, work out what you are storing. Empty the current wardrobe onto the bed and sort into four groups: worn regularly, worn seasonally, kept for occasions, and not worn at all. Most people find the last group is larger than expected.
n
Then count what hangs and what folds. Shirts, blouses, jackets, dresses and trousers usually hang. Knitwear, denim, sportswear and underwear usually fold. The ratio between those two numbers determines the internal layout you should be looking for far more than the total volume does. Someone with mostly folded clothing needs shelves and drawers, and buying a wardrobe that is entirely hanging space will leave them no better off.
n
Measure the longest item you own while you are at it. If a coat or a dress needs 1400mm of drop, that becomes a hard requirement, and it rules out designs with a bottom drawer or a double hang layout.
nn
n
Take the wall width at floor level and at shoulder height. Take the ceiling height at both ends. Note the position of every obstruction: radiator, socket, light switch, window reveal, door architrave, chimney breast, loft hatch. Mark them on a rough sketch with dimensions.
n
Then measure the clear floor in front of the wall, because that is what determines door format. Hinged doors need roughly the width of the door as swing clearance. If you have less than 600mm between the wall and the bed, hinged doors will not open properly and a sliding design is the sensible route.
n
Finally check the floor level with a long spirit level or a straight edge. Almost every UK bedroom floor slopes a little. Knowing in advance means you will not be surprised when the doors need adjusting after assembly.
nn
n
There are four formats worth considering, and the room usually picks one for you.
n
Hinged door wardrobes give the best access, because you see the whole interior at once and can fit hooks or a mirror inside the door. They need swing space.
n
Sliding door wardrobes need no clearance in front, which makes them the answer in narrow rooms and anywhere the bed sits close to the wall. You can only see half the interior at a time. Our modern sliding wardrobes UK sale range covers the widths most commonly needed in UK bedrooms.
n
Corner wardrobes use the junction of two walls, which is space almost nothing else can occupy. They suit box rooms and awkward layouts.
n
Tall narrow wardrobes trade floor area for height and fit into alcoves or gaps beside a chimney breast. They work well in pairs.
n
If you are still deciding, the full modern wardrobes UK collection lists external and internal dimensions for every design, which makes comparing formats straightforward once you have your measurements to hand.
nn
n
A wardrobe is only as good as the way its interior is divided. Aim for three zones: a long hanging section for full length items, a short hanging section with something useful underneath, and shelving for folded clothing.
n
Shelves should be shallow enough that nothing gets lost at the back. Around 300mm to 350mm of usable depth is enough for folded jumpers stacked two deep. Anything deeper becomes a place where items disappear.
n
Consider what you will store above and below the hanging. The base of a wardrobe is prime space for shoes or boxed items, but only if you keep it contained. Low boxes or a shoe rail stop it becoming a loose heap. The top shelf is best reserved for light seasonal things, since it is above comfortable reach for most people.
nn
n
Clear the wall completely. Take down pictures, unplug anything behind the intended position and move the bed away far enough to work around. Flat packed wardrobes are assembled lying down and then stood upright, and that manoeuvre needs more space than the finished footprint.
n
Check the access route from the front door to the bedroom. Measure the narrowest doorway, the width of the stairs and the turn at the top. The longest box is typically the full height of the wardrobe, so a low ceiling above a staircase can be the limiting factor rather than the width.
n
Decide where the old wardrobe goes before the new one arrives. Local authority bulky waste collections often need booking well in advance, and charities generally accept solid timber furniture but not damaged engineered board. Dismantling the old unit yourself makes disposal considerably easier.
n
If you are replacing carpet or repainting, do it while the wall is empty. It is the only realistic opportunity.
nn
n
A wardrobe rarely works alone. Once hanging space is sorted, the remaining question is where folded clothing and everyday items live. A chest gives you that without adding height: our range of modern chest of drawers UK includes narrow depth designs for rooms where floor space is limited.
n
Bedside storage does more than hold a lamp. Drawers beside the bed absorb the small items that otherwise end up on top of the wardrobe. A blanket box or ottoman at the foot of the bed takes bedding and bulky winter items that eat hanging space.
n
Lighting is the finishing consideration. Wardrobe interiors are dark, and overhead lighting is usually behind you when the doors are open. A wall light or a lamp positioned to one side solves it. Browse the wider bedroom collection at Furniture in Fashion if you are planning several pieces at once, and note that we deliver free to most UK mainland postcodes.
nn
n
Moving everything into a new wardrobe is the natural moment to change how you store it. Hang by category rather than colour if you dress in a hurry: work, casual, occasion. Keep the items you wear weekly at eye level and in the easiest section to reach.
n
Use consistent hangers. Mixed hangers waste roughly a fifth of rail length because they sit at different depths and angles. Slim velvet or matched wooden hangers make a visible difference to capacity.
n
Box anything seasonal and label the side of the box that faces outward. Then, once a year, repeat the four way sort. A wardrobe stays functional through maintenance rather than through size.
nn
n
Once the audit and the measuring are done, condense everything onto a single note in your phone. It should contain six figures and three decisions: maximum width, maximum height, minimum depth, clear floor in front, longest garment drop, ceiling height, then door format, hanging to shelving ratio, and preferred finish. Nothing else is needed.
n
The value of writing it down is that it converts a vague wish into a filter. Most bedroom storage decisions go wrong because people fall for an image before checking whether the piece fits the wall, and by then the emotional decision has already been made. A specification reverses that order: you rule out anything that cannot work, then choose on looks from what remains.
n
It also protects you from the opposite mistake, which is buying too cautiously. If your note says you have 1900mm of usable wall and a clear metre in front of it, you can dismiss the worry that a large unit will overwhelm the room, because the numbers already answer the question.
n
Keep the note updated if anything in the room changes. A new bed position or a relocated radiator alters several of those figures at once.
nn
n
n
As early as you can. Measuring takes fifteen minutes and turns a stressful decision into a quick one. Keep the dimensions in your phone so they are available whenever you are looking at options.
nn
n
Forgetting door swing. People measure the wall carefully and then discover the doors cannot open fully because the bed is too close. Always measure the clear floor in front of the intended position as well as the wall itself.
nn
n
No. Oversized storage crowds a bedroom and rarely improves how the room functions, because the extra capacity fills with things you do not use. Buy for the clothing you actually keep, with a modest allowance for growth.
nn
n
Keep it until the wardrobe is assembled and you have checked every panel and fitting. Once you are satisfied, flatten and recycle it. Returns are available up to 30 days.
nn
n
A narrow single unit, yes. Anything two doors or wider is a job for two people, since the panels are heavy and need to be held square while the fixings are tightened. Rushing this stage is the usual cause of a carcass that never sits quite right.
Solid pine wardrobes last because the material can be repaired, refinished and adapted in ways…
Pine is a real timber, which changes how you should judge an affordable wardrobe. This…
Mirrored wardrobe doors are usually discussed as a way to make a room look bigger,…
Modern rustic holds two opposites together: the texture, grain and warmth of rustic materials, and…
Grey is the most requested wardrobe colour in UK bedrooms, and almost every disappointment with…
Open wardrobes suit small rooms, alcoves and rented homes where fitted storage is not an…
This website uses cookies.