On the outside, you might already know exactly what you want. A calm color, beautiful doors, and a wardrobe that perfectly matches your bedroom.
But then comes the inside.
“Just throw in some shelves and a rail.”
Understandable. But the inside deserves just as much attention. Because that’s where you notice every day whether your wardrobe works for you—when you pick out a shirt, put away your laundry, or try to find that one pair of socks.
Fortunately, a good layout doesn't have to be complicated.
Drawers: for items that otherwise disappear
Socks, underwear, sportswear, belts. They aren't usually the biggest items, yet they cause the most clutter.
It’s the small things that end up scattered everywhere.
That is what I would use drawers for. With a few matching organizers, you can give different items their own place, without having to dig around every morning.
T-shirts can also be great in a drawer. Fold them so they stand one behind the other, for example, instead of stacking them on top of each other. That way, you see exactly what you have as soon as you open it.
And don’t automatically assume that deeper drawers are better. For small accessories, a shallow drawer can be much more convenient.
Shelves: great, as long as you don’t build towers
Shelves definitely have their place.
I find them very useful for folded sweaters, jeans, or an extra set of bed linens. But try not to fill every centimeter with one enormous pile.
If you have to lift five sweaters just to grab the one at the bottom, keeping things tidy becomes a daily exercise in patience.
Better to have a few organized stacks with enough room to easily grab what you need.
Also, pay attention to the space between the shelves. A high compartment is handy for a bag, but above a small stack of shirts, you might just be left with unused space. Adjust the layout to what you’re actually storing.
Hanging space: look at the length
Many shirts and jackets require a different layout than long dresses and coats.
Yet, on an initial sketch, hanging space is often given the same height everywhere.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
For shorter clothing, you can consider two hanging zones on top of each other, as long as the garments have enough clearance. For longer items, reserve a separate, higher section.
My tip: grab your longest garment before you start designing. That will tell you more than any estimate on paper.
One wardrobe, not the same layout
A shared wardrobe doesn’t have to consist of two identical halves on the inside.
One person may have mostly clothes on hangers, while the other has a lot of sweaters, sportswear, and accessories.
In that case, it makes sense for your sections to be different.
A calm exterior doesn’t have to mean an identical interior.
That is exactly what I love about a custom wardrobe design: the doors create a unified look, while behind them, everyone has their own layout.
Start with the laundry basket
That might sound less appealing than starting with a material sample, but give it a try.
The next time you put away clean laundry, look at where things get difficult. Which stack is already overflowing? What doesn't fit properly anywhere? Which items are you constantly moving from one spot to another?
That’s where the clues for your new wardrobe are.
Not just another shelf because there’s space left over, but a drawer because it’s what you miss every day.
Because you notice a good layout mainly in the little things. You grab what you need, and the rest simply stays in its place.
Niels from Matteo Studio
Designer
