In many homes, outdated or finicky storage is often the final frontier of frustration. You’ve likely been there before. The 7:15am hunt for a left sneaker, or that one blue sweater that seems to be eluding your grasp in the depths of your closet, all while you can feel the time ticking away.
The truth is, most “standard” wardrobes simply aren’t designed for people. They’re designed to fit into builders’ margins and architectural blueprints. In New Zealand, you’ll often see the single-rail varieties, the high shelves you can’t reach without a stool, and plenty of “dead air”.
To truly conquer that clutter, you need a custom wardrobe that understands your morning routine as well as you do. To that end, our team of custom wardrobe designers has put together a quick and easy guide to help you go from A to Z with a brand-new personalised wardrobe.
Step One: Figure out how you interact with your storage.
Call it storage DNA, call it a personalised blueprint; whatever you might term this step, it’s a vital look into how you store your clothes and interact with that storage on a daily basis. Without this step, you’ll be approaching the creation of a personalised wardrobe without vital data.
You could call this the “closet audit”. Interrogate your personal habits in relation to your existing wardrobe, and note what you find. Here are a few questions to get you started:
· Are you a hanger, a folder, or a hybrid?
· How many shoes do you have, and where do you prefer to store them?
· How tall are you?
· Do you share your wardrobe space with someone else, or are you flying solo?
Answering these questions allows your custom wardrobe designers to create a layout that suits your day-to-day habits, not a cookie-cutter image of the average homeowner. Trust us, this is as much about ergonomics as it is aesthetics!
Step Two: Maximise the ‘dead zones’ in your home.
Every home has a dead zone, often more than one. It’s that corner of the room that’s too small for a desk, or the deep reach-in closet where items go to be forgotten. Custom wardrobe designs exist to reclaim this lost territory with purpose-built fixes that account for how you interact with your storage.
Smaller apartments, in particular, struggle with these uncomfortable, unwieldy spaces. These properties benefit more than any other from a personalised wardrobe, as they can serve as a multi-functional space. Store your work-from-home setup alongside your clothing in a small room, or double down on matching wardrobes side by side in your heritage villa to make up for limited storage space.
Corner carousels, L-shaped hanging rails with dropdown bars, and deep-drawer systems are all here to turn your frustrating “dead zones” into genuinely functional storage. The key is to identify where these zones are and share them with the team, helping you to build your custom wardrobe.
Step Three: Move from functionality to aesthetics.
Once you’ve ticked the boxes in terms of functionality, it’s time to tip your hat to the look of your custom wardrobe. While a personalised wardrobe should always be functional as the first port of call, it should also be a place you genuinely enjoy looking at in your home. We’ve moved far beyond the days of the simple white wire racks populating most rentals.
Today’s options are far more expansive and allow you to take your taste into consideration as you build a custom wardrobe. Consider a few of our favourites:
· The soft-close drawers, which feel more sleek and calm when compared to the harried slam of an older drawer.
· Integrated lighting, such as LED strips, that illuminate your clothes and accessories as you search.
· Accessory functions like jewellery trays, watch mounts, tie racks, or shoe drawers to account for wardrobe items outside of your clothes. These are often the toughest to store, and the most satisfying to look at when properly organised!
By integrating these elements into your personalised wardrobe, you can transform your utility space into a real sanctuary. This is what makes all the difference between simply “storing your stuff” and creating a dedicated space that suits your home.
Step Four: When in doubt, work with the professionals.
It’s tempting to head to a big-box hardware store and try to DIY a solution. However, anyone who has tried to assemble a flat-pack closet in a room with slightly uneven floors (a common trait in older bungalows!) knows that it’s rarely as simple as the brochure suggests.
Working with custom wardrobe designers ensures that the technicalities are handled. We take precise measurements, account for skirting boards and cornices, and ensure that the weight distribution of your shelving is safe and durable. A custom wardrobe is an investment in your property, and professional installation ensures that investment lasts as long as the house itself.
In short, it’s time to retire the “floordrobe” and start treating yourself (along with your clothes) to a bit of luxury. You might prefer an out-of-the-box modular wardrobe system with a few customised touches, or a full custom wardrobe design tailored to your home; either way, it’s a worthwhile investment in your peace!
Reclaim your space and oust the clutter, with Wardrobe World.
Ready to find out what your space could become? We at Wardrobe World are here to help! Contact our team of expert custom wardrobe designers for a personalised consultation to take the first step toward a clutter-free existence.
