How to design your wardrobe in the principles of art?
A new wardrobe: its at the top of your post-lockdown wish list, right behind sipping a cocktail from a coconut with your feet in the sand... Need a little help getting the ball rolling? We've compiled some tips + tricks from architects and self-made renovators alike to help you design your wardrobe (and avoid the Ikea traps). Follow the guide!
Came up short
You would've sworn that everything would fit into these two cabinets. After folding, unfolding and refolding your jumpers and trousers three times, you have to admit: calculation is not your forte. It's all a question of optimisation... Don't throw anything away yet, a well-designed PAX wardrobe can hold a substantial amount of clothes, provided you follow a few rules. For example, each shelf should be about 30 cm apart. Trouser racks should be placed approx 60 cm above a shelf, and allow 90 cm for the space dedicated to shirts and jackets. Longer dresses and coats will require 140 to 150 cm of height.
Top, bottom
Where to put your wardrobe? Should you add more drawers? Do you really need so many shelves? Most of the answers lie in how you use your clothes and accessories. However, there are a few key points dictated by the ergonomics of the wardrobe. For example, hinged doors mean that drawers at the bottom of a cabinet can be switched out in favour of a basket or pull-out shoe rack. As a general rule, Ikea specialists recommend sliding arrangements (e.g. drawers, basket racks) at the bottom of the wardrobe and shelves at the top.
Door to door
Blue 05 - Bleu paon or Blue 04 - Ciel voilé? Framed or cane? Matte lacquered or painted oak? Choosing your wardrobe doors is not easy! Whatever you choose, keep in mind this basic principle: large doors do not mix well with push-to-open systems. Brass handles are the way to go! Corner wardrobes with two hinged doors can only be fitted with one handle.
And then there was light
At first, you didn't think it was necessary. Perhaps because your shelves were empty, or maybe because it was midday. In any case, this morning at 6.30am with your eyes still glued shut and your mobile phone torch in your hand, you're having a hard time finding that second sock lost at the bottom of the drawer. It seems that these LEDs (ref. NORRFLY) that light up automatically when the doors are opened were not a bad idea after all...
You will be fixed
Yes, you'll have to dig your drill out of the attic and find the right size screws. No, it's not negotiable: to avoid any risk of falling, your wardrobe drawers must be fixed to the wall. Safety first: Ikea salesmen advise against using PAX modules to create a room divider.
The great diversion
We admit, this is our guilty pleasure. At Plum Living, we enjoy diverting Ikea furniture from its original purpose to make practical and cosy benches, picture-perfect kitchens, and wardrobes that frame doors and windows. But before you let your creativity run wild imagining a wardrobe that mixes clothes, accessories and shoes with books and decorative pieces: make note that the shelves are designed for clothes, and do not support the same weight as a bookcase.
