How to Choose the Perfect Wardrobes

A well organised, clutter-free bedroom is literally life-enhancing. Knowing where everything is and keeping your clothes clean and easily accessible helps make your bedroom a place to unwind and sleep, helping you get up for the next day with minimal stress.

So how do you choose the perfect wardrobe for your bedroom?

A wardrobe is a large piece of furniture and it’s important to give some thought to both the practicalities of how much it needs to hold and also the aesthetics, how it will look and feel in your bedroom. At Cookes you can purchase the two main types of wardrobes - freestanding and fitted look wardrobes, with pros and cons to both.

Fitted Look Wardrobes

Fitted look wardrobes can maximise your storage space by scaling the furniture to fit your walls and room. It will appear streamlined and create a fitted furniture look for your bedroom. With this style wardobe, you have many options for the interior fittings, you can specify the rail heights and position, drawer units, and shelves that you need, to make your wardrobe work best for your belongings.

Another big pro is how LED lighting can be easily incorporated within and outside your fitted look furniture, helping you see those less popular items at the back of the wardrobe! You can also create ambient or mood lighting in your bedroom, in a similar way to your kitchen, with plinth or pelmet lighting.

Freestanding Wardrobes

Freestanding Wardrobes

Freestanding furniture can easily be moved and relocated to a different position within your room or other rooms of the house. Unlike fitted look furniture, which can be moved but would need to be dissembled and reassembled. A freestanding wardrobe gives you much more scope to create a characterful room and positioned to co-ordinate with other bedroom furniture. You can also mix and match with freestanding bedroom furniture, there are so many styles and finishes that would complement each other to create a perfect sanctuary. 

Classic Freestanding Two or Three Door Wardrobes

Sliding Wardrobes 

These can provide a Fitted Look style wardrobe but can be beneficial in certain room sizes and be a cost effective option to this style wardrobe. Sliding doors also maximise on the internal and external space and can offer the same flexibility on internal fixtures. These are also available in many sizes.

So, take a look at your current clothes storage and evaluate how much needs to be hung, how much in drawers, and how much on racks or shelves (ie shoes, bags, hats, suitcases, storage boxes).

If one of you is particularly tall, or you wear long coats or full length gowns or dresses you will want to ensure those items can be hung without creasing, so a full length rail drop will be needed.

Generally though for separates, you can make much better use of the space with a telescopic rail which pulls down for access. This is a relatively new option, so if you’ve not shopped for a wardrobe for some time it’s worth looking into this.

Do you have some items you’d love to have on show?

You could opt for transparent doors or open sections, but generally we like to create more of a peaceful feel with everything hidden away.

Mirror Front

You’ll find mirrors on the front of both traditional style freestanding wardrobes and contemporary sliding, and both options will have a similar effect, helping you check your chosen outfit, and throwing light around the room to make it feel more spacious. This is a good option if you can’t decide on a particular colour or theme.

Painted Wood

Painted wardrobes in lighter shades are timeless and won’t generally date, especially in a Shaker style.

Wood Veneer or Solid Wood

Ranging from industrial style oak chevron to high end gloss veneers, woods are a popular finish for wardrobes and can soften other patterns and colour in the room.

Coloured Finishes

Many of the more contemporary ranges come in a large range of colour options and you can again mix and match colours within the same range, so creating a harmonious flow, or go for a single statement piece in a contrasting colour to the rest of the room.

These finishes can be in either a soft matt or a highly reflective gloss, one creating a soft look, which will blend into the walls and gloss being a bolder, more dramatic look.

Final Tip

One final tip, if you’re purchasing a freestanding wardrobe - make sure it will fit into your house and up the stairs. Speak to your Sales Specialist to check the dimensions and delivery options.

Once you have chosen your perfect wardrobes, it is important to make sure you have years on enjoyment from it. We recommend the 5 Year Unique Protection Plan which is applicable to all cabinet, leather and fabrics, which will offer you peace of mind. Unfortunately, anything can mark but most things can be repaired, so give yourself some peace of mind and allow yourself the opportunity to truly enjoy your new purchase.

More information on our Furniture Protection. 

We hope our Wardrobe Buying Guide has given you lots of information but we do understand, you might still want to discuss this further with one of our Sales Specialists.

Please visit one of our showrooms or alternatively, please get in touch using our Contact Us form, by emailing info@cookesfurniture.co.uk or calling 0121 250 5050