Before ordering a wardrobe, it is important to obtain at least basic information about it. This article is devoted to this and more. It will be interesting!
A wardrobe is not a luxury at all, but rather a thoughtful way to put things in order in a room and a convenient option for storing things and clothes
Pros and cons of a wardrobe
The only alternative to a wardrobe is a separate room for storing clothes. When discussing the advantages and disadvantages, we will compare it with it.
Not everyone has the opportunity to place a dressing room in a separate room or allocate space for it in a spacious room
But a wardrobe can be placed in most rooms found in our apartments and houses
Advantages of a wardrobe for a dressing room:
- Arranging a dressing room is much more complicated than buying and installing a wardrobe, it takes more time and is not always justified.
- Suitable for premises of any size, be it a private house or an apartment in a Khrushchev-era building.
- The closet occupies 100% of the usable space and volume. You can pack all your things very tightly.
- Wide variety of sizes, designs, etc.
- Possibility of installation in almost any part of the living space. Most often they are installed in bedrooms and hallways.
Disadvantages: most things in the closet are not visible. In an effort to fit the maximum into it, we put some in such a way that you can hardly get it out. Everything is at hand in the dressing room.
Add points with pros and cons for your situation. Here are only the most general arguments for most cases. Perhaps a factor specific to your home has not been taken into account.
Dressing room: advantages and disadvantages
The dressing room also has its pros and cons. First, let's look at the main advantages of this option for storing things in the house:
1. In the dressing room, everything is always visible. There is no need to waste time searching for this or that thing. Moreover, if desired, you can install lighting inside, which will make using the dressing room even more comfortable and easier.
2. Sliding doors, which can be installed at the entrance to the dressing room, will help save space in the apartment. You can choose their design according to your preferences. They can be either a bright accent in the room or neutral, completely merging with the color of the walls.
3. For lovers of open spaces, a dressing room without doors is suitable. This way the room will not shrink optically.
4. In the dressing room you can not only store clothes, shoes and other things, but also change clothes without worrying about privacy.
Among the disadvantages of this storage option are:
1. Inability to move the dressing room to another room or to a new place of residence.
2. A dressing room takes up more space compared to a wardrobe, because in addition to numerous shelves and rods, one must not forget about preserving space for a passage in which one can change clothes.
Interior designers recommend giving preference to a wardrobe if the living space is small. Typically, such a piece of furniture is used in bedrooms, hallways or living rooms, the size of which is less than 13 square meters.
A dressing room will be an ideal option for storing things in a spacious apartment or private house. The length of such a structure can be absolutely any, but the minimum width must be at least 150 centimeters.
Types of wardrobes
Although there are countless designs, styles, models and sizes of such furniture, wardrobes designed for clothing can be divided into two types: sliding wardrobes and built-in wardrobes.
The wardrobe is a large, spacious design equipped with a convenient storage system.
Sliding wardrobes dressing room
The main thing that distinguishes them from their other counterparts is sliding doors. Their canvas moves along the upper and lower tracks. The width of the cabinet (but not its doors) can reach 3 m. The height varies from 60 cm to the ceiling.
Sliding wardrobes are divided into cabinet and built-in. The latter is not the same as a regular built-in wardrobe. Cabinet cabinets have a full-fledged design of doors and walls. If necessary, you can disassemble and rearrange. Built-in wardrobes are similar in appearance to dressing rooms, but retain certain distinctive features of furniture.
Cabinet wardrobe with wide sliding doors
Built-in L-shaped wardrobe
Advantages of a wardrobe-compartment:
- Sliding doors do not eat up space. Custom-made sliding wardrobes can be placed anywhere in the apartment (house).
- High capacity in all directions. The entire space is used.
- Suitable for any architectural direction and design style. They look good both in a rich apartment and in a not luxuriously furnished one.
- It’s easy to organize any content inside and make compartments to accommodate a variety of things.
- Wide price range, without sacrificing quality. It is not difficult to choose a reliable and at the same time stylish wardrobe for owners with average incomes. This may be due to the fact that their own models have been produced for housing of different prices.
Minuses:
- People with incomes significantly below average will not be able to afford high-quality sliding wardrobes. There are very few cheap, yet reliable, suitable for long-term use models.
- Limited door width. It should be such that the wardrobe can open freely.
The rollers along which the wardrobe door moves are its weakest point. They break down most often. Pay close attention to the door movement mechanism not only during purchase, but also during operation.
If you don’t trust compartment systems, you can choose the option with hinged doors
Built-in wardrobes
Built-in cabinets are those that fit structurally into a room. They may lack a top, bottom, or back wall. In principle, built-in wardrobes can also be classified as built-in wardrobes, but the latter have so many distinctive features that it would be more correct to describe them not here, but above.
The dimensions of the built-in wardrobe are selected individually based on personal needs
The depth of such a wardrobe depends only on the availability of free space in the room
You can also choose the shape of the cabinet in accordance with the configuration of the room.
Advantages:
- Built-in wardrobes are always more spacious and capacious than their other counterparts, and are good for storing bulky items.
- They allow you to easily adjust the size of a room and make even its serious shortcomings invisible to the eye.
- They make it possible to use any, even the smallest or not beautifully located niche.
- Fits perfectly into any apartment. They provide more space for imagination and original ideas.
- Due to the absence of some elements, for example, a ceiling, they are cheaper than conventional cabinets of similar capacity.
Flaws:
- You won't be able to rearrange or even move it. You can't take it with you when you move.
- Not suitable for temporary housing, such as rental apartments.
If there is very little space in the room, then you can make a corner built-in wardrobe, there are a lot of photo designs on the Internet. It all depends on your skill, imagination and means.
The corner cabinet does not take up much space and has good capacity
Sliding wardrobe: pros and cons
First, let's highlight the main advantages of the wardrobe:
1. Today in stores you can find a wardrobe for absolutely every taste, because most mass-produced manufacturers produce at least ten product options that will suit even the most non-standard interior style. Moreover, it should be noted that the contents of such a cabinet can be selected according to your needs.
2. The wardrobe can be made to order. The best option is a built-in wardrobe, which occupies the entire space from floor to ceiling. This piece of furniture will look good in a bedroom or hallway.
3. Sliding wardrobe doors not only save space in the apartment, but also protect the things stored in it from dust. The design of the facade can also be chosen in accordance with preferences and needs. For example, it could be photo printing, eco-leather or mirrors.
4. The wardrobe does not take up much space.
5. If necessary, a free-standing cabinet can be easily disassembled and moved to another room or to a new place of residence.
Of course, we should not forget about the disadvantages of such a piece of furniture. Read more about them below:
1. The wardrobe can only accommodate clothes, shoes and large items. The closet is not intended for changing clothes in.
2. Custom-made furniture costs much more than standard furniture sold in stores.
3. The capacity of the wardrobe is significantly less than that of the dressing room.
Filling options
It is difficult to give advice on this topic. In general, you should do this:
- Conduct an audit of what you want to put in the closet, it is better to make a list.
- Clearly understand what prevails in it, what things are intended for long-term storage, whether a child will use the closet.
- Estimate how much space you will need for clothes. Add another 15-20% to it.
Shelves
Seasonal items are stored on the upper shelves. On average, something you have to use constantly. The lower part is for shoes. You can use shelves to occupy space that otherwise remains unused. The height of the shelves, with the exception of shoe shelves, should be at least 40 cm.
Simple open shelves are the most inexpensive components, but you shouldn’t get too carried away with their quantity, as dust accumulates on them
Hangers
This is the most important part of the wardrobe. The height of the bar should be such that the hems of even the longest dresses do not touch the floor. In cases where it is difficult to reach the crossbar, you can use a pantograph. Sometimes it is convenient to make two rods, one above the other.
One rod spans the entire width of the closet - the minimum equipment for the smallest wardrobe
If we talk about the horizontal arrangement of hangers, then it would be more correct to make its own thematic compartment behind each open door.
A pantograph is used to place hangers with clothes in the upper part of the closet.
Be sure to make sure that the child and elderly family members are also comfortable. You can make a children's compartment in the closet.
Boxes
By such we mean any shelf with sides that can be extended to its full depth. Typically, drawers are placed on the middle and lower tier. Make sure they slide out easily. There should be an acceptable distance between the drawers and the nearest obstacle in the way of removal. It is advisable that the width of the box be no more than 1 m, otherwise it will “slip”.
For ease of use and a complete overview of the contents, the drawers should be pulled out completely
If there is little space, then choose drawers not with handles, but with recesses on the front panel.
No less useful are pull-out baskets in which you can store many things and objects.
Pros and cons of a dressing room
The phrase “dressing room” sounds pompous. A picture from the screen immediately comes to mind: a TV star, opening the treasured door, boasts of its rich contents. It’s not for nothing that many people want to “acquire” this luxurious space. A separate room for dresses, shoes, fur coats and accessories is the dream of almost every second lady.
In fact, a wardrobe room has many advantages:
- placement of a large volume of things and accessories;
- freeing the remaining rooms from cabinets and chests of drawers;
- storing things in one place;
- ease of sorting clothes and shoes by season, style, name;
- ease of cleaning and maintaining order;
- availability of an overview of each item;
- possibility of changing clothes in the area itself.
Basically, such a storage system is made to order. Therefore, you can adjust the filling of this zone to your needs and sizes. It is possible to select racks without individual ordering. Manufacturers provide a wide range of layouts of various shelves and drawers designed to organize wardrobe space.
An important advantage is that you can put an ironing board with an iron, a vacuum cleaner and other household items in the dressing room. It is also possible to place little-used blankets and pillows there. All this will be hidden from view, but compactly located and easily accessible.
There is only one significant disadvantage of a dressing room - you need enough free space in the living space or a separate room. If the scale allows, it is difficult to resist the temptation. The placement of a personal dressing room to match a movie star is dictated by the conditions themselves.
Important! The minimum area suitable for planning a wardrobe must be at least 3 square meters and more than 2 meters wide.
Photos of wardrobe design examples
Cabinets with glass doors. The light from them allows you to visually enlarge the space. While trying on, you can immediately examine yourself without leaving the closet. Sandblasted patterns are acceptable on the edges of mirrors as decorations.
Glass doors can be frosted, tinted, decorated with photo printing or sandblasted pattern
Cabinets with photo printing. Technologies for its application have now advanced so much that they allow any photo or image downloaded from the Internet to be displayed on the surface. It is very helpful if the cabinet doors look bulky and create the effect of visually reducing space.
The pattern for photo printing must be selected taking into account the stylistic direction of the room’s interior
Cabinets with stained glass designs. They combine sophistication and beauty, testifying to the delicate taste of the owners. The composition can be made both on glass and on a mirror. There is a so-called pseudo-stained glass window. It is made from a film, which is then glued to the surface.
Doors with beautiful stained glass windows will fit perfectly into the interior of a classic-style bedroom
Less common are cabinets made from combinations of various inserts. However, it takes a very experienced designer to make them look good.
There are many options for inserts on cabinet doors
You can combine glass and mirror surfaces, openwork patterns and photo printing
You can also choose the material from which the cabinet doors will be made. Popular options are glass, MDF, wood or combinations thereof
In conclusion of the article, I would like to note that it is not the amount of free space that is important, but the rational use of what is available. This is exactly what you need to strive for when choosing and arranging a wardrobe.
Which is better: a closet or a dressing room?
A dressing room is the dream of many women. This is the room in which almost all clothes and shoes are placed. A positive aspect is the opportunity to change clothes and shoes right in the dressing room. The volume of the dressing room exceeds the capacity of most types of cabinet furniture. Only a multi-door wardrobe can compete with a dressing room in this indicator.
In the dressing room, all clothes are hung in front of your eyes, so it is easier to create new combinations. But at the same time, the disadvantages of the dressing room are highlighted:
- This room just attracts dust. Closed cabinets protect clothes better from this type of contamination. You can store things in covers in the dressing room, but then it is more difficult to navigate the contents of this room.
- The need to allocate a separate room or part of the room for a dressing room. Not everyone can afford it.
Photos of wardrobe cabinets in the interior of rooms
Why is a dressing room better than a sliding wardrobe
All things are in sight
In a properly made dressing room, all things are within sight, on open shelves, hangers, and cabinets. To open one part of the wardrobe, you will have to close the other. You can put all your things in the dressing room so that they do not clutter the apartment and take up space.
Saving finances
A separate dressing room in the popular consciousness is considered a luxury item, but in fact its creation is quite inexpensive: it is cheaper to equip than to order a wardrobe. And it’s easier to assemble a storage system than a cabinet; you can do it yourself and use the services of assemblers. No need to bother with adjusting walls and installing retractable doors.
Storing bulky items
Thanks to the rational use of corners in the room, it is convenient to store large items: suitcases, sports equipment, an ironing board and even equipment. You don’t have to suffer getting a huge suitcase or box out of the closet.
Which is better - a dressing room or a wardrobe?
REFERENCE! Buying a wardrobe is much more economical than setting up a separate room for clothes. But if the family is large and there are many children, you will have to take several designs. However, for a small family it is more convenient to allocate a small room for a dressing room, where all things can fit, including household appliances.
Dressing room or wardrobe - which is better? When choosing between a dressing room and a wardrobe, you need to take into account the square footage of the apartment. You need to think about how much space you can use and base it on that. Designers advise creating a dressing room if you have 4.5 or 5 square meters available. In a smaller area there is no point in thinking about it. Indeed, in this case, the clothing room will not fulfill its functions and will be uncomfortable. It should be so spacious that a person can calmly enter it and try on the desired item, or stand in front of the mirror. There is no right advice for choosing. The ideal option is to take into account the square footage of space in an apartment, cottage or private house and rely on your desires, as well as your imagination.
