If you want to design your own wardrobe, our design tool can enable you to create something that looks great and meets all your practical needs. But it is also essential to consider the importance of high-quality materials in a fitted wardrobe.

There are, of course, many issues you might want to consider when you set out to design your fitted, bespoke wardrobe. In many cases, they will be just about universal concerns, while others will certainly be common:

• Maximising space
• Having a configuration that helps to organise your clothes and other valuables
• Designing it to fit with other furniture
• Tweaking the design to deal with the shape of the room, including any odd angles
• Establishing something that is not just practical, but stylish

What Help Does To Measure Offer You When Designing A Wardrobe?

These considerations can match up your practical needs with aesthetic ideals, all of which will be important considerations when you start off with our design tool. You can also contact our designers and experts for help and advice during the process.

It is important to take your time with the tool and only send the final version to us when you are completely satisfied with it and have tapped into all the knowledge you want.

The reason for this is that this will be a high-quality wardrobe, made from excellent materials and designed to last. It won’t just look great the day you assemble it and start using the space within, but for many, many years beyond.

Why Should A Fitted Wardrobe Last Much Longer Than A Free-Standing Wardrobe?

This is a key point when you consider what the alternative is. You may have relied on free-standing wardrobes and could, were you so to choose, carry on doing so.

Freestanding wardrobes may vary in how long they last and what state they stay in, for they can be made of materials of varying quality. 

When it comes to understanding how long freestanding wardrobes last, many factors are in play:

• The ‘average’ is 10-20 years
• The material can make a big difference, with solid wood lasting longest and particle board being relatively flimsy
• Much will depend on how well they are looked after

Of course, when talking about averages, one may recall the joke (or was it?) that the definition of a statistician is someone who tells you that if your head is in an oven and your feet in a freezer, you are, on “average”, comfortable.

A particular determinant may be that if you have moved house a few times, any freestanding wardrobes are more likely to be damaged, getting bumped and bashed in the process. This is something that, by definition, cannot happen to a built-in wardrobe.

What Makes A Fitted Wardrobe Stand The Test Of Time?

Of course, this doesn’t matter so much because you can always change a freestanding wardrobe if it is no longer fit for purpose, either because it does not suit your needs or has become worn and damaged.

By contrast, a fixed wardrobe is an investment for the long term. On one level, it is a statement to say: This is our home. You won’t be taking any wardrobes with you on a move because it will be a very long time, if at all, before you move again.

This means it is essential that your built-in wardrobe stands the test of time. It means:

• It must be robust to stand the test of time
• The material must be of high quality and not look ‘tacky’ or dated years from now
• The design should suit your needs in terms of the type of clothes you have, while having some flexibility for possible change

The first of these should be self-explanatory. It may not be hauled up stairs in a move like a freestanding wardrobe, but it may have to deal with issues like exposure to bright sunlight, the wear and tear of doors and drawers being opened, or spills and splodges involving food.

In the second instance, there are many examples that can be pointed to where home décor has suffered thanks to elements looking out of date.

A prime case in point is older PVC conservatories, which surveyors and estate agents have revealed can lower the value of a home because they look tacky and have poor energy performance.

However, homes can gain in value if they have an attractive conservatory, so it is worth considering the value you may add with a high-quality fitted wardrobe if and when you do move.

The third issue requires a lot of thought, because there are circumstances in which your clothing needs may alter significantly. Such as:

• A sudden need to add maternity clothing when starting a family
• Space for uniforms or work clothes if starting a particular type of job
• The opportunities offered by extra space when you no longer need certain clothes, for example, if you retire and need fewer smart shirts and ties

All of these variations in need can be met by ensuring there is ample space and flexibility. In the same way, lots of drawers can allow for many different kinds of small items to be stored.

The last of these will be all about the design you choose, with the help and advice we can offer steering you in the right direction.

Why Do High Quality Materials Matter In Fitted Wardrobes?

Above all, our commitment to quality materials ensures that the bespoke wardrobe you end up with will be of a very high standard. To see this, you just have to look at our site and the range of doors, accessories and colour choices we offer.

This means you have lots of great choices from some superb designs of doors, patterns, colours, small features such as handles, extras such as cornices and much, much more.

Nor is this a case of merely selecting from a menu. Our choice is almost as wide as it can be without us offering low-quality material options, simply because we know that a wardrobe like this must be built to last for many, many years.

By starting today with our design tool, you can start crafting the wardrobe of your dreams in the knowledge that it can soon become a reality, with a level of quality that ensures you will love it, not just when it is installed, but many years hence.