6 min. reading
Yulii Cherevko
CEO paintit.ai
Published:
Before choosing a wardrobe, test the parts that must move and the things that must fit. A drawer can sit neatly inside a frame yet fail to pass the opening behind sliding doors. A shelf can add storage while taking away the drop needed for a long coat. Glass doors can protect a display while leaving everyday clutter fully visible.
This wardrobe planning guide turns those conflicts into three checks you can make on a proposed layout. The diagrams and numbers are illustrative teaching examples, not customer projects or construction drawings. Use the worksheet below with your own measurements before ordering a system.
Separate the wardrobe's overall width from the clear opening available when its doors are open. Sliding panels overlap and stack in front of part of the interior. A central drawer tower may therefore sit behind a panel even when there is plenty of floor space outside the wardrobe.
The Wardrobes Online reach-in design guide specifically addresses drawer placement behind sliding doors and wall returns. The opening needs to line up with the drawer so it can extend fully.
In our fictional example, the measured clear opening is 700 mm, while the drawer front that must pass through it is 800 mm wide. It exceeds the opening by 100 mm. Making the wardrobe deeper would not resolve that width conflict.
Possible changes include moving the drawer tower to an accessible bay, choosing a compatible narrower drawer, or reconsidering the door arrangement. Check the selected manufacturer's combination of frames, doors, hinges and drawers; a narrower front alone does not establish compatibility.
Then test the room outside. Mark the fully extended drawer or door swing on a floor sketch and check where you will stand. Include the bed edge, bedside table and room door. Sliding fronts avoid a hinged-door swing, but internal pull-outs still extend into the room.
Choose the rail and shelf positions around the clothes you intend to keep there. Measure a long item on its usual hanger, from the rail to its lowest point. An estimate based on a short jacket can leave a coat or dress resting on the shelf below.
Our illustrative item hangs 145 cm below the rail. A shelf positioned 130 cm below that rail interrupts the last 15 cm of its drop. The drawing makes the conflict visible before finishes or handles enter the discussion.
One option is to reserve a full-height bay for long garments and put shorter hanging or shelves beside it. Another is to use an adjustable interior, provided the chosen system supports the arrangement. Test usable internal space after accounting for the frame and fittings.
The IKEA PAX/KOMPLEMENT buying guide gives different planning examples for different garments and organizers. Treat product-guide figures as a starting point; your longest item, hanger and selected fittings determine your own check.
Do the same with a folded stack or a shoe box: place the actual item in a test space rather than assigning every shelf an identical height. Record the requirement that governs the bay, including the space needed to take the item out.
Decide this by category of belongings. You might want bags or a small collection on display while keeping laundry, spare bedding and miscellaneous boxes behind an opaque front. One open bay cannot conceal those contents simply because its shelves look orderly in a concept image.
Our editorial example separates an upper display shelf from opaque lower storage. Glass can keep the view into a bay open; it does not provide the visual concealment of a solid front. Choose the boundary deliberately, including what you will see from the bed or doorway.
Sketch both the closed-front elevation and the accessible interior. A shelf visible in an open-door illustration may disappear behind the front when you use the room normally. Judge the appearance with the doors closed and the access with them open.
Copy this sheet into your project notes or print it with the diagrams. Leave an unknown measurement marked as unknown. The last column should name a decision, such as moving a drawer tower or reserving a long-hang bay.
| Check | Your measurement or choice | Decision before ordering |
|---|---|---|
| Door opening and drawer | Clear opening: ___ mm Drawer front: ___ mm |
Does the selected system allow full extension at that position? |
| Movement outside | Extended drawer / door swing marked on room sketch: ___ | Where will you stand, and what furniture conflicts with opening? |
| Long hanging | Longest item on hanger: ___ cm Rail-to-shelf space: ___ cm |
Which bay needs an uninterrupted drop? |
| Folded items and boxes | Largest actual item or stack: ___ Required usable space: ___ |
Which shelf position fits the item and lets you remove it? |
| Display and concealment | Show: ___ Hide: ___ |
Where should open, glass or opaque fronts go? |
Check the manufacturer's installation instructions, ceiling and assembly space, wall fixing requirements and internal component compatibility before ordering. The overall cabinet size is only one part of that review. Ask the supplier or installer to resolve dimensions and fittings that remain uncertain.
Once the constraints are written down, compare how the wardrobe sits within the room. Paintit's closet and wardrobe concept tool is a relevant place to explore the visual direction. State what should stay in the room and which part of the wardrobe arrangement you are considering.
For a broader client discussion, our research on practical requirements in design briefs explains how to record the decision still open alongside retained features. This article is a practical synthesis with constructed diagrams, rather than a new customer-data study.
Before choosing the final appearance, resolve any conflict that would change the layout. A drawer that opens, space for the longest item and a deliberate display boundary give you specific conditions against which to review each proposal.
