Wardrobes. Design, tips and photo examples

Sliding wardrobes are used in both classic and modern living rooms and bedrooms as a convenient storage space for clothes, bed linen, personal items, books, dishes and so on. The main advantage of this type of furniture is practicality, the absence of swing elements and the possibility of stylistic self-expression by decorating with mirror, wood, plastic and glass inserts, milling, sandblasting, and so on (in accordance with the decoration of the room). In addition, correctly selected fittings contribute to stylistic completeness..

Sliding wardrobe in the interior of the room

Large wardrobe with a mirror in the interior of the room

Practicality and spaciousness

First of all, cabinets are chosen according to their capacity, overall dimensions, type of construction, internal filling, and so on. Otherwise, it will not fit in the room and will be inconvenient. Technical characteristics are even more important than the appearance of furniture, since ease of use depends on them, and not on design..

Manufacturing materials

In the overwhelming majority of cases, wardrobes for rooms in an apartment are made of MDF, and for industrial and technical premises – of glass and metal. Expensive wardrobes can be made of solid natural wood. The furniture is heavy, requires constant care, needs periodic drying and processing.

Sliding wardrobe with a mirror in the interior

Mirrored wardrobe

Doors and wardrobes are covered with solid wood, plastic, PVC, veneer and enamel facades. The material affects the level of protection against moisture, sunlight, scratches (important for rooms on the sunny side or children’s rooms). Good protection is provided by plastic, glass and enamel, but PVC film, veneer and solid wood require care when choosing, especially for the living room. The use of an anti-vandal coating contributes to an increase in the level of protection, which saves both from cat scratches, and from children’s drawings, and from accidental chips..

Door hanging mechanisms

There are two mechanisms for hanging the doors of the sliding wardrobe – when they are attached to two guides or to one upper one. The first option is safer, but will require frequent cleaning of the bottom rail chute. The second is simpler and cheaper, but it can become loose over time and stop closing properly, but it will work for the living room. The reliability of the mechanism depends on the strength of the guides, the number and quality of the rollers and fasteners. It is recommended to entrust the installation of the wardrobe to specialists or take the furniture in the assembly.

Doors in wardrobes open with a shift relative to each other, while each can have its own guide, or both can be attached to the same rail. It is much easier to mount one rail, so modern models for living rooms are most often just such.

Small wardrobe in the interior

Sliding wardrobe in the interior

Sliding wardrobe with patterns and mirror

Types of sliding wardrobes by purpose

Wardrobes in the hallway

Cabinets with sliding doors are available in various depths. Narrow ones are suitable for installation in hallways, medium depths are most often placed in the living room, and deep ones are intended for other rooms. This division is due to what kind of things and objects are supposed to be put in the closet. In the hallways, in wardrobes, outerwear and, in some cases, hats, mittens and shoes are stored. For shoes, however, it is recommended to purchase a special shoe rack. Accordingly, great depth and abundant internal filling is not needed. The exception is complex wardrobes, which can be located both in the hallway and in a special dressing room or in the living room..
Wardrobes

Those sliding wardrobes that are designed to store a large amount of clothes have a complex internal filling, which includes not only shelves and niches, but also drawers for underwear, jewelry, cosmetics and everything that should be stored in the room. They are placed in the living room or bedroom. The upper part of the wardrobe is reserved for hats and things that are rarely used, but take up a lot of space in the room, as well as clothes that are not used in the season. If the wardrobe is in the bedroom, then pillows and similar items are stacked upstairs. The middle part of the wardrobe is designed for hanging and unfolding clothes that are relevant for the season, it is equipped with niches with a bar, hooks, shelves and drawers. When calculating the internal content, you need to take into account the amount of clothes that need to be hung on a hanger, especially if there is a large number of shirts, dresses, business suits. The lower niches are used to put other necessary things there (shoes, bedding, children’s toys, and so on).

Large built-in wardrobe

Sliding wardrobe in the interior of the hallway
Bookcases

This is a rather rare variety, since it is more convenient to store books in the living room on the shelves of glazed shelves. Much more often, such furniture is placed in a room in order to put objects in them that are not needed very often and that you want to hide from prying eyes. Manufacturers love to complete the walls and shelves for living rooms with such small cabinets..
Built-in wardrobes

Built-in wardrobes differ from the rest by the absence of a back wall and the impossibility of installation outside the niche specially designated for it. Dimensions, internal filling and finishing of the built-in wardrobe are the same as for non-built models.

Subtle stylistic moment

Since any sliding wardrobes, due to their size and placement in a room, are considered a large form, when choosing an apartment interior design, you must pay no less close attention to their design than to the wall in the living room, kitchen set and sofas. In terms of its stylistic function, a wardrobe can be similar to wallpaper or walls for a living room (that is, make up a background), or it can be an accent that attracts attention. In any case, the design of the wardrobe should not stand out from the general style..

Small wardrobe in the interior

Design of a room with a wardrobe

Mirrored wardrobe

Provence

The Provence style in furniture belongs to the rustic category and is characterized primarily by an abundance of white. Characteristic features of Provence:

lattice facades;
carved legs;
floral motifs for carving, stained glass or sandblasting.

Cabinets in the interior of Provence should be perceived as light, despite their size. This is facilitated by the abundance of voids (the same lattices), mirror inserts, carved design of the upper part, reminiscent of a drop-down flower. Neo Provence is a kind of offshoot of minimalism and hi-tech, when a white cabinet made of modern materials is decorated with flowers or vines. It is permissible to use not only solid wood, but also veneer and even enamel.

Sliding wardrobe in the interior of the room

Sliding wardrobe in the interior

Scandinavian

Usually, the Scandinavian style of furniture is associated with a hospital room or European-style renovation in the spirit of the nineties, and not with a beautiful living room, but initially it was based on the use of natural colors – natural wood, white, gray. A feature of a wardrobe in a Scandinavian interior is its simplicity, even rudeness. This is not Provence, where grace and lightness are needed, massiveness is permissible here. It is better to choose the facade for a wardrobe in the Scandinavian style either from solid wood or veneered. A good option that emphasizes respect for the environment (and the Scandinavians love it) would be an eco-veneer facade.

Large mirrored wardrobe

Sliding wardrobe with a mirror in the interior of the room

Classic

The classic style is one of the most difficult. Wardrobes in a classic interior play a very noticeable role, so in no case should they be mismatched, especially in the living room. And there should be a lot of them. Moreover, not every apartment is suitable for the classics, because in order to live in this room later and not “suffocate”, the room needs to be large, with high ceilings, wide windows.

Sliding wardrobes in a classic interior are installed along the entire or almost the entire wall and make up a single ensemble of furniture. Mirror inserts are unacceptable here, only solid wood, stained glass windows and carving or milling. The outline and type of lines of the wardrobe depend on the specific furniture design (classic, neoclassic, empire, baroque, rococo, and so on). It is the classics that presupposes adherence to the principle of the golden section in space and forms, a rather modest design, the absence of monograms and even somewhat less massiveness than all other options.

Sliding wardrobe made of solid wood in the interior of the room

Sliding wardrobe with patterns in the interior of the room

The most “massive” of the classics is the Empire style in the spirit of the Roman emperors with its heavy folds, pomp, warlike motives, gold and crimson.

Sliding wardrobes in the interior will take up a lot of space in the apartment. You can decorate a wardrobe in the spirit of the Empire style with carvings depicting chariots, laurels, swords, spears, items of military glory. Colors – black, red, gold, dark wood. The living room can look gloomy, but effective..

The most elaborate is the baroque. You can afford absolutely any vignettes, stained-glass windows, “fintiflyushki”, ribbons, a variety of colors (it is better to take pastel colors) on the body and doors of the wardrobe. However, it is impractical (cleaning in such a living room will take a long time) and requires a fair amount of taste so as not to overdo it (although, it would seem, this is impossible).

Rococo is also a fanciful design option, but it is a little simpler and differs in smooth lines and marine themes (waves, rocaille shells, Aphrodite born from foam), as well as the frequent use of cherubs as decorations.

White wardrobe in the interior of the room

Small wardrobe in the design of the room

Modern

Contemporary styles are also quite varied. The main thing that distinguishes them from the classic ones is their simplicity, even somewhat defiant, a minimum of occupied space, the ability to use any colors in the design of wardrobes and accessories. Room accessories should be relatively simple and made of metal, glass or plastic, but it is better to leave wood for the classics. This also applies to the walls..

A sliding wardrobe in a modern interior can be made of any material, including plastic. Manufacturers offer quite a few variations of minimalist milling for such furniture, ranging from snakes to abstractions. Any colors. Generally. An exception is a wardrobe in a high-tech interior. This style is picky about colors and allows only white, black, steel colors, glass, metal, sometimes pure red or crimson.

Sliding wardrobe in the interior

Large wardrobe

Accessories and fittings

The choice of fittings for sliding wardrobes is often accompanied by serious problems, because it must match externally with the desired one. This applies mainly to pens. The type of compartment doors does not imply the use of lever handles, only staples, or even their complete absence (to open just with the palm of your hand), and this option is not very suitable for the classics, where the handle is the accent that determines the belonging of the wardrobe to one or another stylistic direction … But if there is a choice to take the option with a bad handle or no handles at all, then it is better to stop at the latter.

Design of a sliding wardrobe with a mirror

Large wardrobe in the interior of the room

Sliding wardrobe in the interior

Mirrored doors are literally a visiting card of high-tech wardrobes, but they can also be used in other design directions. The sandblasting pattern is applied directly at the factory according to the sketch provided. Without a picture, they simply visually increase the space in the living room or bedroom and help to improve the illumination of the room..