We have decided to ask a set of questions as a questionnaire to design a custom closet. The goal is to make think and define as far as possible the characteristics that best fit our needs.
Although it seems easy to design a custom closet it is not so much. And the difficulty is precisely in taking the measure. With this we do not refer to the external measurements of the furniture, that can be relatively easy, but to the extent of the content, its ease of access, the type of content that will fill the shelves, drawers, and hangers. Obviously, it is also important the finishes, the dimensions and therefore its location in the whole space.
How many people will the closet be for?
Designing a closet for one or two people is not the same thing, since certain aspects have to be duplicated such as hanging bars or drawers. We will also have to take into account if the closet is going to be used to store only the seasonal clothes with which we usually dress.
What kind of clothes will fill the closet? dress clothes, household clothes?
Enjoying a wardrobe for seasonal clothing and have extra storage to make the dreaded “changing closet” when necessary is ideal. In this way, we have enough breadth to easily access all garments.
Despite this, we must often make room for other types of garments. The upper part of the closet, which we cannot access without a stool, is ideal for storing bedding or clothes out of season. What is clear, is that we must know from the beginning if we have another type of space, such as under the bed or in a loft or otherwise, that provide us extra space for this type of storage and thus be able to guarantee comfortable access for daily garments.
How many clothes of each type do you need to store?
This is a crucial question and an exact number is not necessary but a range. If we visit our closet, we can easily count the clothes that usually occupy our wardrobe of the moment. Of course, it would be good to take advantage of the moment of a move to get rid of garments that we keep for their sentimental value or just in case but that we never wear, not even on special occasions.
Taking into account the type of clothing is very important since each one requires a different mode of storage.
How many clothes to hang and how many to fold?
In this sense, we must decide how we want to arrange clothes in the closet. It is evident that we are not going to hang underwear or socks and that these are used to lodge in some drawer or inner basket. But the dilemma is not so clear for garments such as pants, t-shirts or jerseys. In any case, always hung shirts.
Pant hangers, yes or no?
It is usual to hang the pants on normal hangers on the same bar next to the shirts when we only have a single bar to hang the garments. Although there is the option of having a pant at the bottom. The advantage is that it needs a little less space than shirts and it is easier to access them, as well as hang them. The issue is that it is not an option that saves space in the set although it does provide comfort.
Do we reserve any space for accessories?
The accessories are used to put in any place and we do not have a specific space for them. If we plan from the beginning, before making the interior design of the closet, watches, hats, scarves, belts, ties and bow ties can be stored in a specific space, such as a shallow drawer or a specific shelf.
We can do without it, but if we can include a space for accessories in the design from the outset it is not usually a problem to place the rest of the garments. Adding it later is always more problematic since the measures are usually very tight.
Open or closed?
Open closets have made their way into our homes, largely copying the layout we see every day in clothing stores. Despite this, we must consider some aspects before deciding on an open closet.
The first aspect is that being able to maintain order will require great discipline on our part when folding, especially when we doubt what we are wearing and we are in a hurry. The second is to provide for the chromatic diversity of our clothes and their impact on the whole. Since we have shirts with stripes, plaid, red, black that they do not combine with each other, nor will they do so on the shelf or hanger. So we must provide a color order that visually matches the curtains, bedding and other materials in the room. In an open closet, our clothes act as another home textile in the interior design of the bedroom or room.
Swinging or sliding doors?
In this case, regardless of our preference, the choice depends on the space available in the room.
To our knowledge, swinging doors are more useful since you can easily access all closet spaces at the same time. They are also usually cheaper than sliding doors.
On the other hand, sliding doors are a fantastic solution when the distance between the closet and the bed or other elements is very limited. If we do not have enough space to open the doors comfortably, sliding doors will be a must.
In some cases, even if space is available, the visual effect of two large slides is preferred, not the swing door divisions. In any case, whenever we can, we recommend the swinging doors before the sliding ones for practicality and durability.
Would you like to have a light inside the closet?
A light inside the closet is very useful when the schedules of those who share a bedroom are not the same. In this way, the interior light illuminates the garments without turning on another light and altering the couple’s rest. Accessory expendable in most cases, but to consider depending on our vital rhythm.
Do we place any mirror on the doors or beside?
Mirrors live near closets. On some occasions, we can usually resort to including a mirror in the doors or the side if we do not have space in the rest of the room or because we want to give breadth and light to the whole with the reflection of a window.
The closet to the ceiling or leaving a space-flown?
The decision will depend largely on whether we have enough storage space in other parts of the house or not. If we are in a hurry, taking advantage of the entire possible height for the closet is a good option to look for two heights for seasonal garments or reserve the upper space for boxes and bags for clothes that we do not use so regularly or other storage.
Materials and finishes. Natural wood, lacquered, melanin?
We have left for the last place the materials with which we are going to build the closet and its finishes.
Plywood and iron structure are our most common materials. We always look for materials and finishes that are consistent with the rest of the elements of the house and seek continuity for the whole so that each room is not a separate universe but rather we can draw a common aesthetic line with its small variations.
We hope that this set of questions will help you think about the needs and preferences in order to establish the appropriate premises to make a good design for the cabinets of any interior design project.
