Planning a walk-in wardrobe: everything you need to know

A walk-in wardrobe isn’t just a storage space for your clothes and accessories. It’s a fun, luxurious addition to your home that can turn a daily routine into a stress-free experience. Even if you don’t have racks of expensive clothes, you can still bring a little bit of Hollywood glamour to your life with a walk-in wardrobe, giving you a calm, stylish space to get ready for the day ahead.

If you have the space, a walk-in wardrobe is a perfect way to keep your favourite outfits and accessories visible, organised, and easy to access. Keep reading to find out how to start planning your new walk-in wardrobe, and create a stylish and functional space you’ll love.

Walk-in wardrobe ideas

The first stage of creating and planning a walk-in wardrobe is finding the right space. If you’re lucky enough to have a spare room, that’s a great place to turn into a dedicated walk-in wardrobe – make sure you consult our guide on the best flooring for bedrooms before you get started. But even if you have a smaller space, a walk-in wardrobe is still an option, and there are plenty of ways to create some extra storage.

Here are some spaces you might not have considered that would make a great space for a walk-in wardrobe:

• Make the most of awkward attic alcove space with fitted wardrobes and a folding screen to create a more private feel.
• Got a corner of your bedroom that’s not really used for much? Add shelving or fitted wardrobe shelves to create the feeling of a walk-in space and maximise storage without needing a separate room (alternatively, you can have a read of our guide on maximising your wardrobe space, for more tips).
• Convert large cupboards or closet space by removing the door and any deep shelving, then using shallow open shelves and rails.
• If you’ve got a large bedroom and you’re happy to take on a project, consider adding a partial partition to create a dressing room. Instead of splitting the space into two rooms, subdivide the room with a partial partition wall – this will create a little nook with plenty of room for storage that allows you to maximise the space you have.

Once you’ve picked your space, the next step to planning a walk-in wardrobe is thinking about your storage needs. Knowing what you need most will help you to plan out the room and your storage to make the space more practical and useful. It might also be the perfect time for a clear-out, so you're only keeping the clothes you want. Have a read of our guide on our tips for a spring clean, to help get you started.

What do you need to store?

Take a good look at your clothes before you start planning a walk-in wardrobe, and make sure your plans are suitable for what you need. For example, if you have lots of T-shirts, you might want deep drawers to store them flat, but if you wear a suit and tie most days, you’ll want hanging storage with plenty of space, to minimise the risk of creases and wrinkles to your favourite outfits.

How do you want your wardrobe to look and feel?

A walk-in wardrobe is a personal space that’s just for you, so you can really put your personal stamp on the décor and design. For example, if your style is more sleek and simple, you could create a minimalist space, with all of your clothes neatly hidden away behind smart white cabinets, which we think would be perfect to pair with some glossy laminate flooring.

On the other hand, if you really wanted to add some Hollywood glamour, you could add a velvet pouffe – the perfect complement to a dressing table framed with lights and some classic accessories like vintage perfume bottles, giving it the perfect Art Deco feel.

Do you want open or closed shelving?

Depending on how many clothes you have, and what you want to have on display, you’ll need to choose if you want full wardrobes in your walk-in space or if you’d rather have open shelving.

The benefit of open shelving is that you can instantly see what you’ve got hanging up, making it easier and quicker to pick an outfit, but you’ll need to consider ways of looking after your clothes to protect them from dust or even moths. You might want to invest in plastic boxes for jumpers, or dust bags for bags, shoes, and hats.

On the other hand, traditional closed shelving, like built-in wardrobes or closets, can help make the space feel calmer since everything is tucked away out of sight – but it’s also easy to forget exactly what you have if it’s right at the back of your closet!

If you’ve got a tight space to play with, there are still plenty of great small walk-in wardrobe ideas that will help you maximise your closet space.   

Sliding doors

In a tight space, you don’t always have a lot of clearance room for doors to swing open – so for your small walk-in wardrobe you might want to consider using sliding doors on closet doors or storage panels.

Use the back of the door

Even the back of your door can be useful in a small walk-in wardrobe. You could hang a shoe rack or a jewellery organiser, or add hooks on the back of the door to maximise your storage space. You can also maximise the space by using hanging organisers to store shoes, belts, scarves, and other small accessories without taking up much space.

Use tension rods

If you’re using a small space and don’t want a custom-made solution, a tension rod is a low-cost and low-effort way to add hanging space. You can add extra hanging space anywhere in your walk-in wardrobe for clothes and accessories, and move or rearrange as needed.

Adopt a seasonal wardrobe

Assuming you don’t have a lot of room to play with, you might not be able to hang everything up all of the time. That’s where a seasonal wardrobe comes in handy! After all, you’re not likely to need your summer shorts in the middle of winter. Swap your most-used items out of the wardrobe each season and store them safely away until you need them again. Stackable storage boxes can help you organize and store items in a compact way – make sure you label the boxes for easy access and identification.

Use all of the space you have

If you’ve got a tall space, like a converted closet or a spare room, make sure you use all of the space effectively. Above any hanging space, add shelving to store things you use less often, like hats, bags, or winter coats. Alternatively, if your shelves or hangers don’t extend all the way to the floor, use storage boxes in the space to keep your jumpers or less-used clothing items.

Storage ideas for a walk-in wardrobe

The joy of a walk-in wardrobe is being able to house all of your clothing and accessories in a stylish, well-organised space. If you’re working with a small space for your wardrobe, then storage will be important to help you make the most of the square footage.

Depending on what you need to store, there are a few different options for prioritising your wardrobe. We’ve pulled together some handy walk-in wardrobe ideas for you based on some common clothing storage needs!

Shoe storage

Love a stylish trainer or a high-fashion high heel? Chances are, you’ll want plenty of shoe storage space. In that case, you’ll want your wardrobe space to have lots of shelving so that you can see your collection, while keeping everything neat and tidy.

You might also want to consider adding carpet into your walk-in wardrobe instead of a wood, laminate or vinyl flooring. We’d recommend something that’s soft underfoot but durable, like twist carpet. That way, you don’t risk marking or damaging your shoes on hard flooring, but you can rest easy knowing that your carpet is hard-wearing.

Space for skirts and dresses

If you’ve got lots of sweeping maxi dresses or long skirts, then you’ll need to think about installing your clothing rails a little higher up so that your clothes aren’t dragging on the floor or getting creased. You might also want to consider engineered wood flooring, which makes it easy to sweep and keep clean even around longer trailing items.

Use a rolling cart

A small rolling cart or trolley can provide extra storage space for folded clothes, shoes, or accessories like jewellery or headwear that you need a bit more often. Most importantly, it’s versatile and it can be easily moved around as needed – ideal when space is at a premium.

Best flooring for a walk-in wardrobe

Looking for some walk in wardrobe flooring inspiration? We’d recommend engineered wood or vinyl. Either option will be comfortable on your bare feet, as well as hard-wearing and easy to keep clean – which is important in a walk-in wardrobe with lots of little nooks and crannies! Choosing something like our luxury vinyl flooring will look stylish, sleek, and pristine for years to come.

The only exception is if you’ll be putting on high heels - as mentioned above, in this case, you might want to opt for carpet instead to avoid your shoes making a mark. Alternatively, if you want a comfy carpet underfoot in one part of your walk-in wardrobe, consider using our bespoke carpet whipping service to create a rug to your exact specifications – perfect for awkwardly-shaped spaces like a walk-in wardrobe. Alternatively, you can now buy ready-made rugs in some of our stores, if you’d like to take a look.

We hope this has given you plenty of fun walk-in wardobe ideas. If you’re still wanting some more inspiration, make sure you check out our Ideas Hub or our Visualiser so you can picture what your new carpet or laminate will look like in your own room. And if you think you’ve found the perfect flooring for your new walk-in wardrobe, head down to your local Tapi store and speak to one of our friendly floorologists today.