It may seem like a bold move to take a fully functional room of your home and turn it into a wardrobe, but when you look at it, there are many valid reasons a homeowner would take this step.
Maybe your children have left home, and you have lots of extra bedroom space, but a lack of decent wardrobes in your home. Or, your current master wardrobe is simply too small, and you or your partner have belongings stashed in cupboards in other rooms anyway?
Do you have a guest room, office, or home gym that never gets used, but your bedroom wardrobes are overflowing, badly constructed or poorly organised?
If you are fortunate to have a spare room in your home that you are either not using or is not being utilised to its full potential, converting it into the walk-in wardrobe of your dreams could solve all your storage problems.
By taking the plunge and converting a room into a large, spacious, well-designed, and functional walk-in wardrobe, not only will you provide yourself with much-needed storage, but you can also create a versatile space that will add value to your home.
Work with the room
Almost any room can be turned into a wardrobe, although it makes the most sense to focus on a home study, bedroom, or bathroom, and obviously, proximity to the master is essential if you want to be able to add an entry from your bedroom easily.
Starting with a standard square or rectangular space will be easier in terms of layout, although it is possible to work with different angles with careful design and planning.
One of the primary considerations when converting a room will be dealing with any existing windows. We recommend that you try and work with them rather than remove them all, which can be costly and disruptive. Add a bench seat, desk, or makeup vanity underneath to make the most natural light provided.
You will need to be wary that too much sun will fade clothing, and windows will reduce the wall space for cabinetry. If you need to reduce windows, utilise a good tradesperson who can provide options to cover the window from the window inside without total removal and replacement.
If the room has existing built-in elements such as small wardrobes or built-in shelving, consider repurposing them for things like alcoves for desks or vanity tables, especially if removing them will have a structural impact on the room.
Select smart storage & consider multi function
Once you’ve selected the room and figured out the basics like windows, doors, and fixed elements, you will need to choose your cabinetry and other main items.
Generally, there are two main types of cabinetry. Wall-mounted, which attaches to the wall or hangs from rails mounted on the wall and combines baskets, racks and hanging shelves for a contemporary and functional look, or floor-mounted, where cabinets affix to the wall but get most of their support from the floor, and tend to look more like built-in cabinetry such as cupboards, drawers, islands, and solid pieces.
To create your system, you will need to choose elements such as hanging rods for short, long, and medium length items, shallow drawers for underwear, socks, and belts, deeper drawers for folded garments like jumpers and t-shirts, and open shelving for shoes and other items you wish to display.
By taking up a whole room, you might have added space that you wouldn’t have in a traditional wardrobe, considering building in specialised storage space for hard-to-store items like suitcases, linen, and other things that are sometimes difficult to find practical storage for.
Make your walk-in wardrobe a fully functioning dressing room by adding dressers, a makeup table, seating, a small desk or bookshelf. Once you have your core items selected, further customise by adding things like jewellery racks, belt and tie storage, safes, laundry hampers, and mirrors.
Depending on the size of the room available, you may decide to increase the versatility of the room by covering the hanging and storage spaces with cabinet doors and adding an armchair, couch, or pull-out bed. This gives you the walk-in wardrobe and storage space you require and allows you to use the room as a breakaway space or accommodation if absolutely necessary.
If you are adding an island bench to your closet, considering putting it on casters so it can be moved around the space, again adding versatility
Style it
Treat your walk-in closet with as much love and style as you would the other rooms in your home. Your walk-in wardrobe can become a relaxing and beautiful retreat that you can personalise to suit your style.
Lighting can be added in various ways, including LED strip lighting to illuminate deep shelves and recesses, overhead lights to brighten the whole space, and spotlights around makeup mirrors. Large rooms can benefit from feature lighting like chandeliers and pendant lights.
Select your core colour scheme for cabinetry, paint, and carpet, then add special touches like rugs, plants, books, ornaments, and other pieces to inspire and delight you.
There are many benefits to converting an underutilised room into a closet, especially if you own a large home. A spacious, well designed, multifunctional walk-in wardrobe will not only provide you with wonderfully usable space but also add value to your home.
The designers at Innovative Interiors work closely with our customers and our team of architects and builders to come up with creative, beautiful, and practical storage solutions to suit your space and budget. Please have a chat with our team about converting any room in your home into a functional, beautiful, and unique walk-in wardrobe.