Get Organised – Sorting Out Your Wardrobe
As a fashion lover I know all to well the misery of encountering those nothing-to-wear days, but I have come to learn that the solution isn’t retail therapy – the secret lies in your wardrobe. The best wardrobes are places of inspiration and often its not what you own but how you display it. Just think of the feeling you get when you venture into a beautiful well considered fashion boutique. It’s the lighting, the way the pieces of clothing are all laid out where each piece has room to breath and be showcased. A well thought out storage can keep blouses beautiful and dresses divine. Follow these tips for a fail proof solution when you are next considering tackling storage for your clothing.
Plan for perfection. Consider what you have by way of clothes and accessories, what you intend to accumulate, and what else the robe will be used to store. Plan for both single and double hanging rails for dresses as well as shirts and skirts and ensure the rail is positioned high enough to avoid longer items puddling on the floor: the optimal height is 1500 – 1600mm. Think depth too: the standard is 650mm – any shallower, and you risk squashing wider items when you close the wardrobe doors. If you’re starved for space, choose sliding or bi-fold doors over hinged, or look for doors that retract into the cupboard when opened; these are available when you work with a custom cabinet maker. Also consider how high you want your robes to go. The answer to limited storage is often taking shelves to the ceiling, and top racks can be used to store rarely used items such as travel cases and sleeping bags. You can invest in set of fold out library steps to access these hard to reach places.
Shelf life. Opting for shelves rather than drawers in your wardrobe will not only save you money – shelves allow you to see stored items instantly and if you go for built ins, you can close the doors on less-than tidy stacks of clothes. Choose adjustable shelves to cater to your changing storage needs, and make sure they’re shallow so that items don’t get lost up the back. If your wardrobe has deep shelves, maintain order with baskets or fabric covered boxes for hats and knitwear. If you’re starting from scratch, be sure to include purpose-built compartments for different sized items.
Drawer and order. Planning early allows you to accommodate specialist items such as jewellery in ‘secret’ drawers, or shallow trays for items like underwear, ties and socks. However, the adage ‘out of sight, out of mind’ is never more true than when it comes to the wardrobe. It is a good idea to allocate two drawers per person – anymore and items get forgotten. If you don’t want everything on display, keeps drawers tidy by installing internal dividers to separate small items. Check out all of the wonderful Howard Storage World drawer organisers available.
Off the rack. Whether you have a wardrobe custom-fitted to your needs, or opt for pre-fabricated model depends largely on your budget. With PAX fitted wardrobe systems, available from Ikea, you simply pick a door material, choose hinge or sliding, then buy as many wardrobe compartments, drawers and shelves as you need and assemble at home; for a unit measuring 250omm wide with hinged doors containing a mix of hanging, shelves and drawers is priced from $1300. If you have built-ins already in place, but lack the system to make it work efficiently for your needs, you can buy ready-made kits with adjustable hangers and racks, these can be found at Howard Storage World, their elfa Custom Wardrobe Solution is great product to explore, the shelving is engineered to hang from a single fixed top rack. It can therefore be reconfigured at any time – quickly and simply. For a system measuring 1510mm you’ll be looking at $1269.
Walk right in. If you have the budget and the space. a custom-designed walk-in wardrobe will forever eliminate the stress of having nothing to wear. Try re-creating your favourite boutique with open shelving and ample hanging space, wide drawers, full length mirrors, LED lighting and central island. Expect to pay $15,000 plus for a wardrobe with the works, depending the design and materials used.
If you’re a shoe gazer.
- Store shoes in an easily accessible stack with pull out pantry style shelves the width of your shoe box. Store shoes in their original boxes, or transparent ones, which you can stack.
- A length of dowelling glued along tilted shoe shelves will help prevent heels slipping.
- Invest in shoe trees for your most precious pairs; or stuff the toes with tissue paper. And save these usually come packaged with your shoes on purchase.
If you share with a partner.
- I suggest a two-thirds to one-third woman-to-man ratio. Women always need more space!
- A second rail installed below a full height one will double your hanging space for shirts, skirts and pants.
- Install tie hangers, belt racks and gliding pants racks to keep his belongings tidy.
- Solve space issues by packing out-of-season clothing and storing it in a handsome trunk or ottoman.
- Think about installing LED lighting in the wardrobe do you don’t have to turn on the bedroom light to get dressed – great for for couples who rise at different times. You’ll even find LEDS that can be installed within the hanging rail, on the side of the carcass or as an illuminated back panel.
I’ve included some wonderful ideas that should help you with designing a beautiful, fully functional wardrobe that you will love “shopping in” every morning. But if you still need assistance with designing custom storage solutions tailored to your needs, get in touch here.