DESIGN FEATURE OF THE MOMENT
IS IT STORAGE? IS IT A STYLE STATEMENT? CAN IT BE BOTH? THE NEXT GEN OF FIXED WARDROBES ARE EVERYTHING – DECOR, ROOM DIVIDERS AND MORE
FEATURE Keith Flanagan
Walk-in closets may always be the more aspirational storage goals for homeow ners, but some of the latest built-in wardrobe designs are making a case for pulling closets out into the open. Often fitted directly across a wall (unlike moveable armoires, an age-old precursor to closets), built-in wardrobes can be made to measure, designed as custom storage solutions for awkward and unusable wall space, or bedrooms that lack proper closets. Upping the ante, architects have even started to pull them away from the wall entirely, creating wardrobes akin to floating closets anywhere throughout the home.
‘Built-in wardrobes have many advantages: They help to store many things in a space-saving way, and help to create a tidy and reduced feeling of space – the architecture comes into its own better,’ says Mark Neuner, architect at Vienna’s Mostlikely. ‘But it is also possible to create special solutions: wardrobes as room dividers or even asadesign piece with great shapes and materials.’
Similar to planting a tall bookshelf or partition wall, built-in wardrobes can behave like room dividers, demarcating different zones within open f loor plans while bridging the gap bet ween architecture and f loating furniture. Installed this way (often perpendicular to existing walls), they go beyond simple storage, fundamentally altering the f low of your space –an architectural feature with form and function.
And any standout architectural feature has an opportunity to add flair to your interiors – fixed wardrobes can be fabricated with a variety of materials, finishes and trims that bring character to your space, while the wardrobe’s cavity can be personalised with endless variations of shelving, drawers and racks.
1 CUT CORNERS
Creating a custom wardrobe from scratch is a costly endeavour that requires skilled carpenters, but there are ways to cut corners. While this design is tailor-fit through and through (it divides the room while also creating a hallway to the door), you can get a similar look with savvy furniture hacking. ‘A tip to do it yourself would be to customise existing products,’ says Mark Neuner. ‘You can order only the carcass and design the fronts yourself – this would be a financial and time-efficient approach.’
PROJECT BY Mostlikely
2 TRICK OF THE EYE
Building wardrobes directly into the wall can save space compared with floating furniture –and in doing so, you might just create a seamless storage solution like this custom design. ‘Initially, this bedroom had no closets, so we built them in and added architectural trims around the room,’ explains interior designer Ghislaine Viñas. ‘We wanted the room
