Fitted wardrobes are the job I build more than any other. Most people come to me because a freestanding wardrobe never quite fits the room. It leaves a gap above, a gap at the side, and a dusty space on top that nobody can reach.

I have been designing, building and fitting wardrobes across West Sussex and Surrey since 2010. This post covers what I talk through with clients before I draw anything, so you know what to think about and what to ask for.

Start with what goes inside

The doors get all the attention, but the inside is what you use every day. Before we talk about style, I want to know what you actually own.

• Long hanging. Dresses, coats and long trousers need a full height rail. If you don’t have many, one short section is usually enough.
• Double hanging. Two rails, one above the other, for shirts, jackets and folded trousers. This is the most efficient use of space for most people and often doubles what you can hang.
• Shelves. For jumpers, bags and anything folded. Adjustable shelves are worth having, as what you store changes over time.
• Drawers. Internal drawers behind the doors keep the front clean and tidy. They are good for underwear, socks and anything you don’t want on a shelf.
• Shoes. Angled or flat shoe shelves at the bottom, sized to your shoes rather than a standard gap.

It helps to have a quick look through what you have now and roughly measure how much rail you use. That gives me a much better starting point than a guess.

Depth and height

Standard wardrobe depth is around 600mm, which gives a coat hanger enough room without the sleeves catching on the doors. If the room can’t spare that much, a shallower wardrobe can work with pull-out or end-on hanging rails, but it is a trade off and I will be honest about it at the design stage.

I nearly always take wardrobes to the ceiling. It removes the dust trap on top, makes the room look taller, and gives you high storage for suitcases and spare bedding. Top boxes with their own doors keep that space separate from the everyday stuff.

Working with the room

Fitted wardrobes are at their best in the rooms that defeat off-the-shelf furniture.

• Alcoves. The recesses either side of a chimney breast are a natural home for wardrobes. I covered these in more detail in my post on alcove units.
• Sloping ceilings. In loft rooms the wardrobe can follow the slope, with lower sections for shoes, drawers or short hanging.
• Uneven walls and ceilings. Most of the houses I work in are not square. I build the carcasses square in the workshop and then scribe the end panels and top on site to follow the walls and ceiling, so there are no gaps.
• Radiators, sockets and windows. These are worth planning around early. A wardrobe in front of a radiator stops it heating the room, and a socket inside a wardrobe can be useful for lighting or awkward if it ends up behind a shelf.

Skirting and coving get the same thought. I can cut them back so the wardrobe sits tight, or carry the skirting line across the plinth so the wardrobe looks like part of the room.

Hinged or sliding doors

I mostly build hinged doors. They open fully, so you can see and reach the whole wardrobe at once, and they suit painted and timber finishes in both period and modern houses.

Sliding doors make sense where there isn’t room to swing a door open, for example where a bed sits close to the wardrobe. The downside is you can only ever get into part of the wardrobe at a time, and the track takes up some of the depth. If space allows, hinged doors are usually the better choice.

Once you know you want hinged doors, the door style sets the look of the whole room. I wrote a separate post on choosing a door style that covers shaker, raised and fielded, and applied moulding.

Lighting and finishing details

A few small details make a wardrobe much nicer to use.

• Internal lighting. LED strips that come on when the door opens make a real difference in a deep or dark wardrobe.
• Soft close hinges and runners. Standard on everything I build.
• Handles. A simple knob or cup handle suits a shaker door, while period houses often look best with something in brass or bronze.
• Mirrors. A mirror on the inside of a door is useful without breaking up the front.

Materials and finishes

For painted wardrobes I build from MEDITE MR, a moisture resistant MDF. It machines cleanly for door profiles and mouldings and takes a spray finish well. Everything is sprayed in my workshop, in whatever colour you choose. Most clients match the walls so the wardrobe blends into the room, but a contrast colour can look great.

If you prefer natural wood, I also build in solid oak, walnut and American tulip, or veneered boards with solid timber edges, finished in a hard wax oil. Painted fronts with oak drawer boxes or interiors are a nice middle ground.

How I work

I run the business on my own, so you deal with me from the first visit to the final fitting. There is no showroom, no salesperson and no subcontracted fitting team.

• Site visit. I measure the room, check the walls and ceiling, and talk through what needs to go inside.
• Design. I draw the wardrobe to scale so you can see the layout, doors and proportions before anything is made.
• Workshop build. Everything is made and sprayed in my workshop for a clean, even finish.
• Installation. I fit the wardrobe myself, scribe it to your walls and ceiling, and make sure every door lines up.

You can see more of my work on my fitted wardrobes page.

FAQ

How deep should a fitted wardrobe be?
Around 600mm is standard for hanging clothes. Shallower wardrobes are possible with pull-out rails, but you lose some hanging space.

Can you build fitted wardrobes in a room with sloping ceilings?
Yes. The wardrobe follows the slope, and the lower sections are used for drawers, shoes or short hanging.

Do fitted wardrobes work in old houses with uneven walls?
That is where they work best. I scribe the panels on site so the wardrobe follows the walls and ceiling with no gaps.

How long does it take from design to fitting?
It depends on the size of the job and my workshop schedule. I will give you a realistic timescale when I send the design.

Do you cover my area?
I work across West Sussex and Surrey from my workshop in Upper Beeding. If you are not sure, send me your postcode.

Thinking about fitted wardrobes?

If you are in West Sussex or Surrey and have a bedroom that needs better storage, get in touch. Send me a photo of the room and a rough idea of what you want, and I will let you know how I can help.