Wardrobes

Choosing a wardrobe for your space

Start with the room. Measure the width you can give up, and remember to leave clearance for the doors to swing or the drawers to pull out. Single wardrobes suit box rooms and children's bedrooms, double designs work for most main bedrooms, and wider combinations with drawers built in save you buying a separate chest. Internal depth matters too: around 60cm lets clothes hang square on the rail without the doors catching.

Single, two-door and three-door wardrobes

Door count is the quickest way to size a wardrobe. A single robe is usually 50 to 80cm wide and holds a season of hanging clothes for one person, which makes it the sensible choice for a box room, a child's room or a spare bedroom that doubles as an office. Two doors is the standard for a main bedroom at roughly 90 to 120cm, giving a full-width rail with room for a shelf above. Three-door designs run wider again and usually split the inside, with hanging on one side and shelves or drawers on the other, so one piece can do the work of a wardrobe and a chest together. Count the doors against the wall you have, then check the swing: a two-door front wants about 60cm of clear floor to open properly.

Sliding doors or hinged doors

Hinged doors open the full width of the opening at once, so you see everything in one go and the inside is easier to lay out. They need swing clearance, which is the usual reason they do not work in a narrow room or at the foot of a bed. Sliding doors need none: the panels pass in front of each other, so the front stays flush and you can put a bed or a chair right up to it. The trade-off is that only half the opening is reachable at a time, and the runners want an occasional vacuum to stay smooth. In a tight room the sliding front is usually the deciding factor; in a larger one, hinged doors give easier access.

Finishes and materials

Our range covers solid wood and wood-effect boards in warm oak tones, painted finishes in soft neutrals, and mirrored fronts that bounce light around a smaller room. Handles range from recessed grips for a plain front to turned knobs and long bar pulls, so the piece can sit with modern or more traditional bedroom furniture.

Storage layout inside

Think about what you hang versus what you fold. A full-height hanging rail suits dresses and coats, while a half-hang over shelves or drawers makes better use of the space for jumpers and folded items. Combination designs give you both.

Caring for a wooden wardrobe

Dust with a dry or barely damp cloth and wipe up spills quickly rather than letting moisture sit. Keep the piece away from radiators and damp walls, which can warp doors over time, and check the hinges every so often, tightening the screws if a door starts to drop.