7 Things To Consider BEFORE You Get A Walk In Wardrobe
Here are seven things to consider BEFORE getting a walk in wardrobe installed:
Space Availability: Assess the available space in your home to determine if it can accommodate a walk-in wardrobe. Consider the dimensions, layout, and any structural limitations that may affect the installation.
Storage Needs: Evaluate your storage requirements, including the number of clothes, shoes, accessories, and other items you want to store in the walk-in wardrobe. This will help determine the size and configuration of the wardrobe.
Customisation Options: Look for customisation options that suit your personal style and needs. Consider features like adjustable shelves, hanging rods, shoe racks, drawers, and accessories organisers to optimise the functionality of your walk-in wardrobe. And don’t forget colour options.
Lighting: Adequate lighting is essential for a walk-in wardrobe. Consider options such as natural light sources, windows, skylights, or artificial lighting fixtures to ensure good visibility and create an appealing ambiance.
Accessibility and Ergonomics: Pay attention to the accessibility and ease of use of your walk-in wardrobe. Consider the height of hanging rods, ease of reaching shelves, and ergonomic design to ensure maximum comfort and convenience.
Organisation and Layout: Plan the layout of your walk-in wardrobe carefully to optimise storage and organisation. Consider separate zones for different items, such as clothing, shoes, accessories, and a dressing area if desired.
Budget: Determine your budget for the walk-in wardrobe project and prioritise features accordingly. Research prices, compare quotes from different suppliers, and ensure that the cost aligns with your desired design and functionality.And the bonus point now you’re in walk in wardrobe mode is to call Leigh Robinson to get more advice and book in a free measure and quote.And the bonus point now you’re in walk in wardrobe mode is to call Leigh Robinson to get more advice and book in a free measure and quote.
Here’s why a walk-in wardrobe is such a great investment! Here are seven reasons that I think you’ll find compelling:
Increased storage: A walk-in wardrobe provides ample space for all of your clothes, shoes, and accessories. With designated shelving, hanging space, and drawers, you’ll have everything organised and within easy reach.
Improved organisation: A walk-in wardrobe provides an opportunity to create a designated space for each item, making it easier to find what you need when you need it. This will save you time and frustration in the long run.
Adds value to your home: A walk-in wardrobe is a desirable feature for many homebuyers, and it can add significant value to your property. It’s a smart investment that can pay off if you ever decide to sell your home. You will be surprise the thing that gets a home buyer over the line.
Luxury feel: A walk-in wardrobe adds a touch of luxury to your home. It’s a feature that many people dream of having and can make your space feel more high-end and sophisticated.
Enhanced privacy: With a walk-in wardrobe, you can keep your clothes and personal items out of sight, providing a level of privacy that you may not get with a traditional wardrobe or closet.
Increases lifespan of clothes: A walk-in wardrobe allows you to properly store your clothes, which can help extend their lifespan. With designated hanging space and shelving, your clothes will be protected from wrinkles, creases, and other damage.
Saves time and money: Finally, a walk-in wardrobe can save you both time and money in the long run. With everything organised and easy to find, you won’t waste time searching for items, and you’ll be less likely to buy duplicates of things you already have.
So, there you have it! Seven great reasons why a walk-in wardrobe is a smart investment. Call Leigh today to go through your options. Ph: 0412 525 137
How To Design Your Walk In Wardrobe – Where Do You Start?
The way you start working out your walk in wardrobe from the beginning is looking at the size of the room you have. In a “normal” sized home you often don’t have the luxury of a vast space to fill but rather about a quarter of a small bedroom. This means a U-shaped configuration or an L-shaped layout.
The trick here is to allow 800mm or the size of an average door to walk into the wardrobe to access the contents. Almost immediately this will determine what you can do with the space you have.
The three images below show you a U-shaped, L-shaped and a larger room enabling plenty of wardrobe choices but this is quite rare.
This is a start for you before Leigh Robinson comes to measure up. The first thing Leigh will discuss with you are your storage needs and go through examples of other walk in wardrobes.
If you choose a drawer bank with 4 or 5 drawers then this is usually the starting point for most smaller walk in wardrobes. The rest of your wardrobe choices surround the drawer bank based on functionality and storage requirements.
This depends on whether folded clothes shelves and shoes are your focus or hanging clothes options or an equal blend of both. There are plenty of choices here with three hanging options double, single and full length hanging. With folded items and shoes we also have options to allow you to choose different shelves and shelf heights. In fact all our shelving options have height adjustments.
Walk In Wardrobe Plans & Elevations
Once you have decided on your wardrobe layout plans are drawn up and sent to you showing top and front elevations. Not forgetting choosing the wardrobe finish from our colour swatches or just deciding on the popular white finish.
Leigh would have also shown you accessories such as a jewellery tray for your drawer bank, valet rod, shoe storage options and much more to help with the functionality of your new walk in wardrobe.
Once you have approved everything a 50% deposit is required and your walk in wardrobe goes into production and an installation date is secured. It normally takes a few hours to install your wardrobe but this of course will depend on the size.
It doesn’t take much to get your wardrobe organised to suit your needs and Leigh is there to guide you. Check out the accessories and other installations here – to get the ball rolling.
We have been installing custom walk in wardrobes in Geelong and greater Geelong for many years now and nothing is more exciting than dealing with a brand new property. This property was a boutique build where walk in wardrobes were included in every bedroom as part of the overall design.
This is a brilliant idea as it allows each room to have the convenience of a smaller walk in wardrobe that flows beautifully with the design of the home. The walk in wardrobes are alcoves and don’t look awkward or appear to take up any space within the bedroom allowing the bedrooms to look spacious.
Anyone designing a new home should consider this option as many boutique builders allow their plans to be altered to suit. Image moving into your new home with walk in wardrobes ready to go!
Highlights From These Walk In Wardrobe Installations
3 bedrooms included a walk in wardrobe installation.
A beautiful wood grain finish was chosen to compliment the rest of the colours in the home.
The master bedroom was a U shaped design maximising the space available so was slightly larger than the two other bedrooms which were an L-shaped design.
The master bedroom included a 5 – drawer hutch unit to the floor where as the other two bedrooms have a four drawer bank installed.
One thing to note with the drawer banks is they are fully accessible (open fully) and have a soft close feature
All shelving units are adjustable to suit across the three walk in wardrobe installations.
The master bedroom wardrobe included a pant rank, jewellery drawer insert and valet rod as requested accessories.
Generally the wardrobes are wall hung and off the floor allowing them to be easily vacuumed or used as a secondary storage space. Wall hung designs are off more cost effective than wardrobes that are designed to sit on the floor.
The interesting point to note about these installations is they accomodate smaller rooms. Having a walk in wardrobe installed doesn’t mean you need a massive place to start with. Of course the more room you have the more feature and storage options you can include but you definitely don’t need a mansion.
If you are at the building stage of your home consider allowing for a walk in wardrobe for each bedroom. You’ll appreciate it for years to come. Leigh Robinson has years of experience with walk in wardrobes so contact him today for help.
For those of you who don’t know the Bellarine Peninsular is a fast growing area just outside of Geelong that includes the Surf Coast. The areas are popular holiday destination but are now bustling towns with new sub division going up yearly.
The Bellarine Peninsular includes towns such as Leopold, Curlewis, Portarlington, Indented Heads, Point Lonsdale, St Leonards and Queenscliff it then leads on to Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads. Just around the corner and few kilometres further on is Torquay and Jan Juc. The reason why I mention these is because we have installed walk in wardrobes in nearly all of these towns.
The walk in wardrobes we install are not massive and the average size of the existing room is about 2.5metres x 1.8metres. This size room will allow one drawer bank (or two maximum), Full, double or 3/4 hanging options a couple of shoe racks/shelves and storage shelves with the average cost amounting to about $3000. This of course depends on the accessories such as pant racks, acrylic dividers, wire baskets and other accessory that you find here.
People often ask for prices or quotes over the phone but its a challenge to do this without taking into consideration the choices that need to made and the restrictions of the room size.
Ocean Grove & Torquay Installations
Most of the installs we do in Ocean Grove and Torquay for example are moderately small utilising an existing walk in wardrobe that hasn’t been looked at for 20 years or more. The kids have left home and the wife has decided that the old walk in wardrobe is not good enough. This is about 90% of the situations I see around these areas. It’s fair to say that about 80% of the walk in wardrobe is for the wife and about 20% is for the husband.
The homes are usually weatherboard and the walk in existing wardrobes are usually a top shelf with complimentary dead corners. It’s a good opportunity for the home owner to take out the old wardrobe and paint the room. With the newly painted room and flash new walk in wardrobe its life changing both visually and as a functioning utility.
The most common finish is white as the colourful clothes cover the wardrobe hanging areas and shelving and is the cheaper option although we have installed many woodgrain finished walk in wardrobes.
It’s easy for us to measure, quote, deliver and install on the Bellarine Peninsular and along the Surf Coast as we have done over the past. 9 months – yes it’s been busy.
Call Leigh Robinson today for a free measure , quote and drawings so you can see how your new walk in wardrobe will be laid out.
Occasionally we come across an old wardrobe design that needs dismantling and a new one installed. In most cases there are some design mistakes that could have been avoided. Here are seven mistakes you DON’T want with your new walk in wardrobe installation.
MISTAKE No#1 – Watch Out For The Drawers
We have seen walk in wardrobe installations where the drawers can’t open properly because not enough room has been allowed in a cramped space. Most interior designers (including us) will tell you to make the drawers front and centre of your design with shelving and hanging options to the side. This will allow full access to the drawers.
Mistake #2 – Looking Out For Your Shoes
Most walk in wardrobes have shoes piled at the bottom of the wardrobe underneath the hanging areas making it almost impossible to casually and easily choose a pair of shoes at a glance. Bring the shoes up to your eye line with appropriate shelving so they aren’t buried. Another design trick is having your shoe shelving choices closer to the door way as your shoes are normally the first thing you take off when entering your walk in wardrobe.
Mistake #3 – Not Designing At All
How you choose your clothing and where its stored in your wardrobe is important. It’s not just a storage space. Work out a flow or design that suits the way you choose your clothes making it look orderly but also having a practical side to it. If you wear a uniform to work then have them easily on hand so you can pick them out without a second thought and maybe in a hurry. The same goes for your shoes, the most popular shoes are easily sort without hesitation. Remember your walk in wardrobe will be around for a long time so its a good idea to take the time to design the layout for your needs rather than treat it like a storage cupboard.
Mistake No#4 – Not Culling – No Hoarding Please.
Before you engage a walk in wardrobe expert try and cull the collection. Get rid of clothes you no longer wear, donate unwanted shoes and make sure your partner does the same. A new walk in wardrobe is a fresh start and what better time to get rid of clothing that hasn’t see the light of day in years. You could make rules for yourself such as: “If you haven’t worn an item of clothing in a year it goes to the charity bin!” This will help with a leaner, less cluttered result. Tidy wardrobe, tidy mind!
Mistake No#5 – In With The New, Out With The Old
It’s a good idea for you to organise a carpenter or handyman to come in and remove old shelving and previous outdated wardrobe components. You don’t need to spend too much on this and could possibly do it yourself. Our installers are fully qualified and would charge way too much for this kind of work as it’s not really their focus. High end wardrobe installation is our specialty so prepare the wardrobe space with a local supplier and allow for this with regards to booking in an installation. Stuff has to be remove, plaster and paint has to dry!
If you don’t select us as your supplier that’s fine but be selective and discerning with your choices. Ask these type questions:
– What is the quality of the shelving and are they adjustable?
– How will corners be treated?
– We have an air vent and powerpoint – what happens with these?
– I have hand bags and boots and other clothing items – how will they be managed?
– I struggling to reach things – what are my options?
– Tell me how to maximise my hanging options?
A successful wardrobe install requires knowledge and our man on the ground is Leigh Robinson who has helped installed hundreds of walk in wardrobes over the years. Call him today to avoid the classic wardrobe mistakes mentioned here. Ph: 0412 525 137
7 Frustrating Signs You Need A New Walk In Wardrobe
We all know that a walk in wardrobe is a great way of storing and choosing clothes to wear but if you have the space but no organisation it can get a bit frustrating.
Here is a list taken from various client interviews that detail their frustrations with their old walk in wardrobe.
Wardrobe Problem #1: Under utilised space above and below your hanging rod.
Most walk in wardrobes have a top shelf and a hanging rod so there is a ton of wasted space above the shelf and below the clothes. This is a quick solution provided by home builders but very annoying for the home owner. The top shelf means storing items on top of each other and not using the space between the stored items and ceiling – wasted space. Everyone has shirts, jackets or blouses (medium hanging) and evening wear (full hanging) but normally you only have full hanging so again underutilising the space from the floor to the hanging items.
Wardrobe Solution #1: Eliminating the dead space surrounding your single hanging rod
The solution here is to have a variety of hanging option, medium, double and full length. Also eliminate the idea of a top shelf altogether. The ultimate solution is to have a wardrobe plan treating the blank space as a canvas to choose the layout that will suit your needs with the restrictions of the available surface area.
Wardrobe Problem #2: The dreaded dear corners
Dead corners are an issue in most of the wardrobe layouts we come across and are simply a wasted storage opportunity. You already have limited space so its best to have a few solutions to combat this common wardrobe problem.
Wardrobe Solution #2: No more dead corners in your wardrobe with clever designs elements.
The answer is clever hanging options, shoe carousels or corner shelves as you can see in the examples below:
Wardrobe Problem #3: Shoe Clutter – can’t find a pair.
Shoes as well as hand bags are difficult to store without having a wardrobe design specifically for these items. Whether you’re male or female its frustrating having a pile of shoes and complete disaster if you lose a one of a pair. Plus if they are piled up or boxed its difficult to make a quick choice to match your chosen outfit.
Wardrobe Solution #3: Efficiently organising your shoes with a wardrobe shoe storage system.
We have a number of storage options for shoes and handbags. These could be acrylic divider shelves perfect for hand bags and boots or angled shelving with rails so your shoes are fully displayed or shoe carousels storing your shoes with easy access.
Wardrobe Problem #4: Your partner is messy and doesn’t care.
Without being sexist most males are not that fussy when it comes to storing clothes – the corner floor of a wardrobe is an easy option. To counter a messy partner or to “train” them with clothe storage its best to make it obvious and simple.
Wardrobe Solution #4: Taming your sloppy partner with a real walk in wardrobe.
If there is a place for everything and everything in its place then your messy partner will most likely bend towards being less sloppy with their clothes. If they see in an instance how it works and how easy it is to find or store clothes they your battle has been one.
Wardrobe Problem #5: Limited adjustment to suit your wardrobe needs
Most wardrobes offer you little choice with changing the layout around and this is understandable as its structurally limited and fixed most of the time.
Wardrobe Solution #5: Adjustable shelves
The magic of our walk in wardrobe system is shelves that you can adjust. If you have plenty of shelving in your design then this can give you plenty of options.
Wardrobe Problem #6: Your walk in wardrobe is an awkward shape and other issues.
Our walk in wardrobes are custom designed and we have come across the most challenging situations with either odd shaped rooms, small hallway type scenarios or even filling a large room.
Wardrobe Solution #6: Flexible wardrobe items custom designed to suit your situation.
The beauty of our wall hung system is it allows plenty of design and storage flexibility that can suit most areas available. We can discuss your needs and draw up plans to show you how your new wardrobe layout will work within your home. You may think the space you have is limited but with our experience will surprise you with how much useful storage can be achieved.
Wardrobe Problem #7: An ugly disorganised mess
How long have you put up with mess or piles of clothes or lost shoes. This would be an everyday thing driving you mad. A poorly designed wardrobes makes it difficult to select an outfit but more importantly the inability to easily store fresh washing or fold clothes neatly that stay that way. How many times have you lost a shoe?
A tidy, well laid out wardrobe, no matter what the size, is good for your sanity. It doesn’t matter whether you’re picky about what you wear or you are looking for ease and convenience. You want your daily routine and the start of your day to be unencumbered and a breeze.
Don’t be put up with a top shelf and rail any longer. You deserve a great walk in wardrobe and we can help you go through the process from a free quote and design through to installation.
Talk to our resident walk in wardrobe expert Leigh Robinson today: Ph: 0412 525 137
In this video Leigh goes through a recent “L-Shaped” installation including some of the more popular walk in wardrobe accessories.
Transcript
Walk In Wardrobe Installation (White)
Hi I’m Leigh Robinson from Wardrobe Systems and Accessories today we’re going to be talking about a walk-in wardrobe that we’ve just installed and completed.
This particular one here is in white. We’re 300mm off the floor with our system. It’s a wall hung system and if you’d like to you can put the shoe boxes to make full utilisation of the floor space.
We have complete 100% storage off the top shelf.
Some of the great features here are the pants racks: they’re a telescopic pants rack that come all the way out and this particular unit is a piggyback unit which can be used for his and hers.
One of the great benefits with all our draw systems is you don’t see the draw runner on the side we’re an underneath runner with a soft close on the runner.
We do have a lovely jewellery tray inside this particular one and the others are nice deep drawers.
Over here we have our Lazy Susan shoe carousel takes up to about 30 odd pairs of shoes and these are available for either men or ladies. And the ladies can put their purses or scarves on the top and rotate around and get their shoe selection out for their day.
Of course there are plenty of shelves for open storage and so forth. Behind we have a unit here, that’s what we call our medium hang, that gives you a little bit more of a drop for your three-quarter jackets. Over here we have our full hang still another top shelf on top and this gives you a nice drop for your long clothes.
White is still our most popular colour but you can get colours of the rainbow from wood grains to other plain solid colors.
In this particular room here we’ve got a full utilisation of the room. Everything is made to measure so we purely custom your wardrobe to suit the size of your room space. We present you with full drawings of layouts and front elevations and measurements beforehand and everything’s made to exactly what you want, utilising our wonderful accessories.
So if you’re in the market today for a walk-in wardrobe or any type of wardrobe accessories call me today for a free consultation. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.
What Is The Differences Between Our Walk In Wardrobes Compared To Bunnings & Ikea
Often we get asked how our walk in wardrobes are different to say a wardrobe solution from Bunnings or another local supplier.
Here Are The 7 Main Differences Between Our Walk In Wardrobes And Others
Bunnings and Ikea provide component parts to a wardrobe that suit a reach in wardrobe better than a walk in wardrobe. These are a cheap solution and work ok if you are on a tight budget. (Great for the kids reach in wardrobe for example). The laminated wood is lower quality and thinner than our 18 mm hardy melamine. We aren’t “dissing” their products as there is a market for what they provide its just not the highest quality of wood panels and hardware.
Our wardrobes are designed exclusively to accommodate the space you have where as Bunnings and Ikea wardrobes are pre built that you need to assemble into the space you have without any real choices or options. Every shelf or hanging space is your choice with our flexible wardrobe system. This means we can install a wardrobe that suits your space and your storage needs. It’s customised rather than trying to fit a preexisting design into the space you have. This is important if you’re serious about storing and selecting your clothes the way you prefer to on a daily basis.
We provided experienced walk in wardrobe installers. Qualified trades people that can handle most tricky installation situations. This means if your wardrobe area is awkward or an unusual shape then we will have allowed for this in the installation plan. (You don’t get CAD drawings of your wardrobe layout when buying from Bunnings or Ikea). Also Bunnings and Ikea wardrobe products are mostly flat pack items that you will need to assemble yourself. This could get tricky if you haven’t measured the space correctly. You could never get optimised use of your wardrobe space with preexisting flat pack wardrobes unless you’re really lucky.
Most people can appreciate quality and effort. Our walk in wardrobes are fixed meaning they won’t wobble, warp or degrade over time through use. The hardware and accessories are world class and look amazing aesthetically. This adds to the value of your home. Our walk in wardrobes are not a temporary fix or something to quickly solve a storage issue. They are a functional piece of furniture that layout your clothes in a manner that suits you and your clothing choices on a daily basis.
Our service is real service. We measure, advise and direct you to the perfect solution, deliver and install. At Bunnings and Ikea in most cases you need to load flat packs or arrange a limited delivery service.
Most of the Bunnings and Ikea wardrobe ranges are white. White is a popular colour but our colour choices can fit in with your existing decor. It may cost a bit extra from coloured melamine but you do have choices if the colour is important to you.
We are also experts with wardrobe doors with a number of different systems to suit. Again the wardrobe door panels can be divided up with different inserts and colours This includes the wardrobe door frames).
If you’re serious about a “proper” walk in wardrobe then call Leigh Robinson today for more clarification, indicative pricing and answer all your walk in wardrobe queries.
Top 7# Critical Walk In Wardrobe Questions Answered
Your clothes are in disarray and disorganised and as its the beginning of a new year! Time to act and get a walk in wardrobe that will suit your needs and your partners. (Maybe just you and he will just do as he’s told!)
Where do you start? Do you know what is best for the space you have? What are your hanging, drawer and shelf options? How will it all work?
Ah the mind boggles. Well pour another chardonnay we have a few questions to ask you…
Question #1 – How Much Do You Have To Spend?
The first question has stopped you dead in your tracks. I understand But if your budget will cover a Mazda but your tastes are Ferrari there may be some conflict here.
Can you afford $3000 or $15,000? Get clear on a reasonable budget limit so you don’t get any nasty financial surprises.
Question #2 – Have You Done A Clear Out?
Have you pruned your collections. Donated last years fashion. Culled the clothes you n longer wish to wear. This is a great idea to do as most people have about a quarter of their wardrobe that they can clear.
This is so you can see what you have that you like and your new walk in wardrobe wont be over flowing from the start.
Question #3 – Are You Looking At Your Needs Pragmatically?
How many drawers, hanging areas and shelves do you need? Hanging areas are cost effective whereas drawers are more expensive but hold more.
Work out what is best to hang, shelve or store in a drawer. Maybe this is a good time to quietly consult your partner and what they might need.
This wardrobe malarky requires a substantial amount of organisation to get your needs fulfilled so its done right first time.
Question #5 – What Are Space Saving tricks We Can Use?
Our best space saving tricks are double hanging and using the dead corners. Most wardrobes have single, full length hanging only but that does suits, pants and blouses.
Many existing wardrobes also have dead space but we have a range of design solutions to eliminate that with either extra shelves or hanging.
Question #6 – Do I Get A Wall Hung Or Floor Based?
A wall hung wardrobe will be cheaper than a floor based wardrobe as a wall hung closet uses less material.
The jury is out as to which is the best and really comes down to design preferences.
We recommend a wall hung system as it retains your existing carpet, its easy to vacuum and as I mentioned it cost less in materials and installation.
Question #7 Are Accessories A Waste Or A Gift?
We are very conscious of price so we only recommend accessories that are really useful and help you best utilise the space and clothes you have. Things like shoe racks are great because selecting shoes is so easy.
Pant ranks are another example where your trousers take up little room but are easy to select.
At the end of the day a well layout walk in wardrobe can only make your life easier and your partner will benefit as well. There we go we just added to your amazing relationship.
Call Leigh Robinson today, he’s the guy that measures and quotes and has been in and out of wardrobes for over 50 years!
