The interior design of a built-in wardrobe and, consequently, the proper arrangement of shelves in a sliding wardrobe is a pleasurable yet time-consuming task – especially when we have a new piece of furniture at our disposal, in which we intend to place old and new items while optimizing the entire space. Sounds trivial? Nothing could be further from the truth. The way shelves are placed in a custom wardrobe should be carefully thought out in advance, so that, for example, you don’t encounter difficulties in taking out or putting in clothes stored in the wardrobe and have the most convenient access to them. Contrary to external design, this task is not the easiest.
Is it better to mount the shelves on the sides or more towards the middle of the wardrobe? Should hangers be positioned at the top or bottom? Certainly, when designing a wardrobe, you might face such dilemmas. The arrangement of shelves in a sliding wardrobe or custom closet should be designed according to your own needs, but keep in mind a few important clothing-related factors:
- Blazers, shirts, dresses, or summer blouses – it’s best to place this type of clothing on hangers or a rod. You can hang them at a height of 160-170cm. The rod should be mounted at least 5-6 cm below the shelf so that hangers can be easily placed on it and used.
- Single shelves are ideal for pants, sweaters, or summer t-shirts. To ensure maximum comfort when using them, they should be around 45-50 cm wide and mounted at eye level. Wider and larger shelves can be mounted higher in the wardrobe. Things like suitcases, backpacks, or accessories can find their place there.
- Tights, underwear, socks, or winter scarves and gloves will feel best in a drawer or a specially mounted basket. Such wardrobe items are usually hard to arrange like shirts or blouses, so it’s best to simply store them in a basket.
Shelves and Hangers
Once you’ve decided on a sliding wardrobe, found a spot for it in your space, and your room is ready, another problem arises: How to practically select the arrangement of shelves in a sliding wardrobe? You have the desired space, but how can you best utilize it? Usually, we start with shelves and hangers, as installing them first will make it easier to introduce the rest of the furniture elements. Shelves and hanging rods should be placed in the upper part of our wardrobe. This will make them more practical to access and avoid unnecessary bending. In a wardrobe, we store not only clothes or other wardrobe items but also towels, bedding, comforters, and throws. When planning the layout of shelves for a custom wardrobe, don’t focus solely on clothes because, from experience, we know that they won’t be solely intended for such items. Old child’s toys, unused gadgets, or audiovisual and home appliances can also find their place there. Also, remember to install a hanging rod in the sliding wardrobe that is not longer than 1 meter, as otherwise, it might inadvertently bend under the weight of the clothes.
Drawers and Shelves
Furniture design should also include drawers. We can appropriately adjust their width, depth, and other elements. Placing these elements in the lower part of our wardrobe is a good idea, as it will give us easy and quick access to them. It’s important that during the interior design phase of the built-in wardrobe, we can insert drawers that can be fully pulled out and extended. This will help us in searching for lost items when disorder inadvertently creeps into the wardrobe. Additionally, it will streamline the cleaning process within it. Another crucial aspect is to ensure that the wardrobe doors are mounted in a way that doesn’t restrict access to its interior.
The Bottom Shelves
As mentioned above, the bottom part of a sliding wardrobe should not be neglected use. It’s a good space to store shoe boxes or shoes that we are not currently wearing (such as boots in the summer or sandals in the winter). When designing the bottom of our new furniture piece, let’s not solely focus on arranging shelves, as they might not work well in that area and could be hard to access. Instead, let’s consider the aforementioned drawers. We should avoid placing clothes on hangers there. The lower part of the wardrobe is a good place to store shoes, underwear in a drawer, trouser holders, and other similar accessories.
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