Sort it: Walk-in wardrobes can lead to a world of difference

A walk-in wardrobe is probably on 95 per cent of clients’ wish lists. It might be every girl’s dream but will it actually be the best solution for storing your clothes?

Unless you have a good amount of space to devote to your walk-in closet it’s not always advisable. Small walk-in wardrobes offer no advantage over traditional wardrobes and mean that you often have to sacrifice space that would be better used elsewhere.

They generally lack windows meaning that unless you plan your lighting well it can be difficult to find things. This an issue particularly on winter mornings – you might find that you arrive in work in mismatched clothes. It can be almost impossible to decipher black from navy without good light.

In a recent project we took out a small existing walk-in wardrobe and then extended the en suite, making it far more functional. In its place a full wall of wardrobes in the bedroom gave almost double the clothes storage space the walk-in had offered.

Realistic

In theory the idea of a separate room to hold all of your clothes, shoes, bags and accessories is a good idea, but you need to be realistic about the space that you have. Carefully measure how much wardrobe space you could get and then measure what you could get along one wall in your bedroom. You might be surprised at the difference between the two.

For a dressing room to work well you ideally want to have some source of natural light. If you don’t have a window then a roof light is a good second option. Plan your lighting very well so you have good overhead lighting and some internal closet lights also.

Opinions vary on the question of whether to go for closed or open shelving. This really is a personal decision and has a lot to do with how neat and tidy you are. But practically I would advise a mix of the two.

Things that you don’t use frequently will tend to get dusty unless they are covered so having cupboards with doors for items such as winter coats, which are stored over the summer, or clothes that you only wear occasionally, is a very good idea.

Shoes storage

Shoe storage is another important consideration. Shallow open shelves work well for shoes that you wear regularly but those that only get worn once in a while will tend to gather dust. My favourite solution for storing shoes is a larder-style pull-out cupboard with racks to hold the shoes. It operates in a similar way to a pull-out larder press in a kitchen: you can see everything at once and because the cupboard only has to be just over a foot in width it doesn’t take up much space.

Be sure to include plenty of drawers as they are ideal for storing anything that can be folded and work far better than open shelving. And don’t forget to incorporate a full-length mirror in the room, whether it’s on one of the wardrobe doors or on a wall. Not only is it practical to have this in a dressing room but it will also reflect light, making the space seem brighter and larger.

Denise O’Connor is an architect and design consultant