Fitted Wardrobes: A Complete Guide to Planning, Designing and Choosing Them

Fitted wardrobes are built for one room: its walls, its ceiling height, its alcoves and the way you use it. That is what makes them worth having, and it is also why there are more decisions to make than with a wardrobe you buy off the shelf. This guide walks through those decisions in the order they usually come up, and points to a more detailed guide for each one.

Is a fitted wardrobe right for your room?

Fitted wardrobes earn their place where a room does not suit standard furniture: an alcove beside a chimney breast, a sloping ceiling, an awkward corner, or a wall you want to use from floor to ceiling. Because they are built to the space, they can use height and corners that freestanding furniture leaves empty, and they look like part of the room rather than something placed in it.

They are not automatically the better choice. In a simple rectangular room with a clear wall, a good freestanding wardrobe can be perfectly sensible, and it moves with you. A fitted wardrobe is a permanent part of the room, so it makes most sense when you plan to stay, or when the space genuinely needs it.

The main decisions, in order

1. What you need to store. Long and short hanging, folded clothes, shoes, bags, bedding and anything else. This shapes everything that follows.
2. The layout of the wall or room. One straight run, alcoves, wall to wall and floor to ceiling, under the eaves, or a walk-in wardrobe or dressing room.
3. The doors. Hinged or sliding, and then the style: shaker, flat, handleless, glazed or panelled. See hinged or sliding doors for fitted wardrobes.
4. The interior. How hanging space, shelves, drawers and lighting are divided. See planning a wardrobe interior.
5. Materials and finishes. Painted, veneered, textured or woodgrain, mirrored or glazed, chosen to suit the room and the budget.
6. Budget. What drives the cost, including the large difference between simple fitted fronts and a fully carcassed wardrobe, and where your money makes the biggest difference. See what fitted wardrobes cost and what drives the price.

You do not need every answer before you speak to anyone. Knowing roughly what you want to store and how you would like the room to look is enough to start.

Types of fitted wardrobe

• Hinged-door wardrobes, which open fully so you can see the whole interior at once.
• Sliding-door wardrobes, useful where there is little floor space in front of the wardrobe.
• Alcove and chimney-breast wardrobes, which turn recesses into storage.
• Under-eaves and sloping-ceiling wardrobes, shaped to the roofline.
• Wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling wardrobes, which use the full height and width of a wall.
• Walk-in wardrobes and dressing rooms, planned as a room in their own right.

Materials, finishes and hardware

A fitted wardrobe is usually built from engineered boards such as MDF, MFC or veneered board, with painted finishes for many door styles. The right specification depends on the design, the finish you want and the budget, so it is chosen for each project rather than taken from one standard range. Veneered and high-quality painted finishes tend to suit more premium bespoke work.

The parts you touch every day matter too. Hinges, runners and sliding gear vary in quality, and good soft-close hardware makes a wardrobe feel solid for years. Ask what hardware is specified, not just what the doors look like.

Lighting

Lighting inside a wardrobe makes a real difference to how easily you find things. It can switch on automatically as a door opens, respond to movement, or be switched by hand, and drawers can be lit so the inside lights up as you open them. If you would like lighting, it is worth deciding early, because the power and wiring routes are planned into the build.

How a fitted wardrobe project usually runs

Most projects start with photos of the space, rough measurements and a few pictures of styles you like. A survey follows, to measure accurately and talk through the design. A written quotation is then based on the agreed design and specification, and the wardrobe is made or ordered before installation. Removing old furniture and finishing work such as filling, skirting and decorating can be part of the same project. See what happens at a fitted wardrobe survey for the first visit in detail.

Fitted wardrobes from Carvalho Renovations

We design and install fitted and bespoke wardrobes, from alcove units to floor-to-ceiling runs and walk-in wardrobes, planned around what you need to store and how you want the room to look. Our work includes a floor-to-ceiling fitted wardrobe in Harrow, London, which we designed, assembled and installed using panels cut to our specification by a specialist supplier. It has a tailored interior, soft-close drawers and hinges, and lighting that switches on as the doors open.

The initial survey is free. If you are thinking about fitted wardrobes, arrange a free survey and we will measure the space and talk through the options with you.