8 Mistakes in Wardrobe Design That Will Ruin Convenient Storage

To plan a wardrobe, meticulous designers often ask clients to count the number of suits and pairs of shoes.

Perhaps in a standard apartment such careful approach is not necessary, but it's definitely worth considering the mistakes most people make when planning a wardrobe on their own. What are these mistakes and how to avoid them?

Assign Only One Zone for the Wardrobe

If you have a large house—please do. But in a small apartment, it's better to spread storage zones across several areas.

For example, part can be located in the bedroom, another in the foyer, and yet another in a dedicated niche. This way, the apartment space will be used more efficiently.

Design: Olga Smirnova

Fail to Provide Ventilation

If there is no window in the wardrobe, plan for slatted doors: air circulation is mandatory.

Design: TaupeHome

Estimate the Size of the Utility Block by Eye

A proper approach is to plan a separate shelf for each item such as an ironing board, clothes dryer, vacuum cleaner, and iron, taking into account the dimensions of each device.

Yes, and plan ahead for their storage orientation—vertically or horizontally.

Design: Nina Shubert

Make Knitwear Shelves Too Tall

The ideal height is 35-40 cm: this allows for 3-4 items in one stack. The taller the shelves, the harder it becomes to retrieve clothes from the bottom—and the higher the chance of collapsing the stack.

Design: Olga Lavrova

And Make the Top Shelf Too Low

The optimal height for the top shelf is 40–50 cm. If you planned to make it the same height as other shelves, finding the right item on it will be difficult while standing on a stool or ladder.

Design: Anna Nikitina

Ignore Extra Space for Long Items on Hangers

Do coats and dresses touch the floor of the wardrobe? Often people forget to add a 5 cm buffer to the dimensions that determine the height of the hanging section (this is the distance from the top of the wardrobe to the hanger, the diameter of the hanger, and the length of the garment on the hanger).

By the way, the issue may also be in another: check whether the hanger is not too low. The optimal distance from the top of the wardrobe to the hanger is 5 cm.

Design: Anna Rims

Ignore the Thickness of the Closet Door Mechanism

This is about 8-10 cm. If you don’t add this to the overall depth of the wardrobe, its usable area will decrease. Result: wrinkled shoulders on coats, jackets, and dresses.

Design: Dinamika ArchitectsDesign: Marion Studio

Forget About Lighting

Plan several lighting scenarios: general lighting, shelf illumination, accent lighting to make your wardrobe special. Use neutral white light. Warm yellowish light is not suitable for wardrobes. If multiple lighting scenarios are planned inside, choose the same color temperature.

Design: Olga Semasheva

On the Cover: BALCON Project.