Over the last few years, fitted wardrobes have become increasingly popular, and thanks in no small part to our focus on creating an easy-to-use design tool, bespoke fitted wardrobes are more accessible than ever before.
Rather than spend time working with a designer, you can use a simple tool, customise it to your exact needs and have a bespoke flatpack kit delivered directly to your door.
Fitted wardrobes are often more highly desirable than their freestanding counterparts, but why is this the case? What can fitted wardrobes offer that freestanding ones cannot?
To work out which wardrobe is best for your needs, it is important to have a quick look at the two main types of wardrobes available to people.
A freestanding wardrobe is the type of wardrobe most people are familiar with. It is a self-contained, self-standing piece of furniture that can be built, moved around and put into place.
Freestanding wardrobes tend to be either pre-made or constructed using a straightforward, uniform flatpack kit.
Meanwhile, a fitted wardrobe is a fixed, custom-designed storage unit that fits around your existing space and integrates with your interior, getting its structural integrity by being directly attached to the walls surrounding it.
As a general rule, fitted wardrobes not only provide more storage area, but also often can be customised to make the most of the storage space and meet your exacting storage needs.
Whether you need full-sized racks for suits and dresses, wire racks for ties, extra drawers or deep shelving, a fitted wardrobe provides a way to make the most of your bedroom space and keep all of your clothes out of the way.
Freestanding wardrobes are inherently limited by the additional framing material they need, which means that they often take up more space to have the same amount of storage as a fitted wardrobe.
What is worse is that the standardised sizes do not suit every bedroom, meaning that space around and especially above the wardrobe can often be wasted. There are a lot of cases of freestanding wardrobes not providing enough space to store any items above them.
By design, fitted wardrobes perfectly slot into the space they were designed for.
Whilst most wardrobes tend to be stable unless they are exceptionally cheap and made from flimsy materials, fitted wardrobes have the advantage of being secured to the wall, giving them a greater level of support than a freestanding wardrobe simply moved into place.
As well as this, some fitted wardrobes can become less stable if they are regularly moved, particularly if they are a lower-quality example. There is a chance that a poorly-made example could fall apart if relocated enough times.
If you are considering a fitted wardrobe, the biggest question to ask yourself is: “Are you planning to stay in your home in the long term?”
Fitted wardrobes, once installed, cannot be removed easily, and they will typically not fit in a new bedroom if you need to move. This means that making sure the design, shape and features are perfect for your needs now and in the future is vital.
Freestanding wardrobes can be moved from one home to another, which makes them better for people who plan to relocate or are in rented accommodation (which often would stop them from having fitted furniture as part of their tenancy agreement), but exactly how mobile they are depends on the type, quality and cost of the wardrobe.
Ultimately, we have designed our bespoke wardrobe designer to feature door styles, colours and handles that are evocative of the many different eras of wardrobes, from Queen Anne Style in bright pastel colours to more minimalist slabs that take advantage of the natural woodgrain.
Because they have seamless designs with no gaps, they are more ideally suited for bedroom styles with a more cautious approach to ornamentation and a desire to ensure that every element coheres.
By contrast, freestanding wardrobes can sometimes feel mismatched with other furniture pieces, and whilst this can be worked into a room’s style, this is not always desirable.
Amongst many other potential adjustments made easy using our DIY wardrobe planner:
