Thursday 29 November 2012

How to Make the Most of Wardrobe Space


If you are about to purchase new sliding wardrobes, then this task will certainly be easier. If you are trying make the most out of the space in an existing wardrobe, then it’s the perfect time to have a good clear out. All those things that don’t fit any more, you don’t like any more or have been eaten by something lurking in the depths of the wardrobe can all go as you start to create space!

So, are you ready? The wardrobes are empty? Good, we can start! If you have wardrobes with doors that open outwards then you can cleverly place a hook on each door and these hooks can be the new home for all of your belts. You can even get a tie holder to hang on one of the hooks and that’s your ties sorted as well. This makes accessories such as ties and belts, easily accessible in your new sensible storage solution.

Categorise your clothing

How you categorise is entirely up to you, but being organised will certainly help you make the most out of available wardrobe space. For example, sort tops, skirts, trousers and dresses in order of length and if done correctly you should still have plenty of space left at the “shorter” end. Alternatively, you could sort clothes into occasion categories. So, smart, dressy clothes can go at one end of the wardrobe and casuals at the other. Not only does this help to organise the space but it will also make things much quicker when you are looking for clothes in the morning, provided you know what day it is of course!

Jumpers and sweaters are by nature thick, heavy and clumsy to store, so during the summer why not put them into air tight storage bags and put them under your bed, which will free up much more space in the wardrobes for the appropriate items in the current season. For those damp, cold British summers, the jumpers are best folded neatly onto wardrobe shelving.

If you don’t have an alternative cupboard or storage place for your shoes, then shoe racks are absolutely essential and can be placed one on top of another at that “shorter” end of the wardrobe.

Handbags can be particularly tricky to store tidily and if care isn't taken, they can quickly lose their shape. Try placing them in baskets at the top of your wardrobe, they will be out the way and won’t have anything falling down on them and damaging them.

If your wardrobe is big enough (built in wardrobes often provide more storage space), you could put a small chest of drawers in one of the corners. This could be perfect for underwear, socks and other smaller items.
So, as you can see there are lots of ways to optimise your wardrobe space, so good luck!

For more information about sliding wardrobe doors, please visit our main website at Slide Wardrobes Direct.

Monday 26 November 2012

5 Of the Most Creative Bedroom Storage Solutions


It doesn't seem to matter what size your bedroom is, space is always at a premium! Whether it’s a single, a double, a guest room or a room for the children, finding places to store things soon becomes an issue. So, we have put together some creative but simple ways in which you might be able to improve the storage situation in your bedroom. (Don’t panic; hanging clothes from curtain poles didn't make the list!)

Wardrobe Sliding DoorsBuilt in wardrobes can make such a massive difference to bedroom storage that we simply had to have it as our number one tip! Floor to ceiling hanging space can seem like a revelation if you have been used to cramming clothes into a free standing wardrobe. Shelves and drawers can also be contained within this space, which of course frees up other areas around the room. The addition of sliding doors ensures that you don’t need that vital opening space that so many other wardrobes require.

Built in Bed – This is especially useful for smaller bedrooms or “box rooms”. With a little careful planning, a single or double bed can be built on top of a storage space, which can either have drawers built in or for more permanent storage, a hardboard lid can be placed on top (doubling up as a base for the mattress)  and contents placed inside, effectively turning the bed into a giant storage box.

A Cupboard over the Bed – The space above your bed is often completely wasted, especially if you are in dire need of extra storage. Storage units or cupboards can be purpose built at the sides of the bed and continue over the top, effectively giving you bedside and overhead storage in one package.

Under the Bed – Most of us have probably stuffed things hastily under the bed, when we don’t know where else to put them and often they are simply left to gather dust. However, there are all kinds of storage solutions for under the bed, including drawers, small mobile storage units or even air filled bags. Nobody really gets to see under the bed, so it’s a great chance to utilise some valuable space.

Customising drawers and wardrobes – If you need to get more into your storage spaces without them overflowing, customising them can bring a little order and organisation. Simple drawer dividers can be a great way of fitting in more items and make them easier to find! In wardrobes too, things like specialised hanging shoe storage can make a massive difference and also help you to avoid rummaging around for odd shoes! Perhaps if you have some corner space left inside your wardrobe, you can put in a small chest of drawers that may have been taking up space on the bedroom floor.

To find out more about how made to measure wardrobes can help with your bedroom storage solution, please visit our main website at Slide Wardrobes Direct.

Thursday 22 November 2012

Wooden vs. Glass Wardrobes - Made to Measure


Choosing a wardrobe that is finished in either wood or glass is really only a matter of personal preference or perhaps what works better for your interior design. Both are extremely popular choices and you can have a modern and stylish appearance whichever way you go.

Traditionalists may prefer to opt for classic wooden wardrobes and those who prefer something with a more contemporary feel may choose wardrobes that are glass fronted. Let’s take a brief look at the benefits of both options.

Wooden Wardrobes – In general, a wooden finish will help to create a warmer feel in a room, especially if the grain is exposed or enhanced. If you have a loft bedroom with sloping ceilings and chunky beams, then wooden wardrobes will complement this look nicely.

Another advantage for a wooden finish is that it tends to be relatively easy to match it up with existing wooden furniture. For example, a walnut coloured bed frame and dresser will obviously blend really well with wardrobes with a walnut finish. So, if you are intending your room to have a natural feel, with lots of earthy tones, then wooden wardrobes will be absolutely perfect.

From a safety point of view, a child’s room might be more suited to wooden wardrobes rather than glass ones.

Glass Wardrobes – Glass furniture, by its very nature seems to exude that contemporary and stylish theme and it is often thought to have a calming effect, so it certainly helps to promote a feeling of peacefulness, which is ideally what you want in a bedroom.

If your room is small, then furniture with a glass finish can help to create the illusion of space and if you have a mirrored effect you also get the benefit of light being reflected around the room, again enhancing the notion of a larger space.

Frosted glass can also make the room feel mellow and relaxed as well as looking really stylish, perhaps with frosted panels on wardrobe doors creating an interesting feature that you could build the rest of your decor around.

Longevity is also a great benefit of glass wardrobe doors and if looked after properly, they are likely to outlast the rest of your bedroom furniture!

So, wooden vs. Glass, is there a winner? Not really, I think we would call it an entertaining, high quality draw and your choice should be based on the plans you have for each of the rooms in question.

For lots more information about made to measure wardrobes in various stylish finishes, please visit the website at Slide Wardrobes Direct.

Friday 16 November 2012

How to Design a Minimalist Bedroom


It’s amazing how quickly things can become cluttered around the home and our bedrooms, in particular, seem to be a clutter magnet. Clothes, trinkets, precious items and other bits and pieces all seem to congregate and suffocate any ideas we had of an effective design scheme in the room. So in order to design a minimalist bedroom, de-cluttering is the first step.

Strip the room bare – As part of ridding the room of clutter, it is a good idea to start with a blank canvas, so begin by taking down anything adorning the walls, including shelving and any fussy window dressings. Take up the rugs and throws and cast an eye over your furniture. You will need to be ruthless and unsentimental here.

Perhaps, all you should be left with is your bed, bedside stands, a dressing table and if you don’t already have them fitted, this might be a good opportunity to install some wardrobes with sliding doors, which will give you far more space than any old free standing ones. If your room is particularly small, then opting for mirrored wardrobe doors well help to reflect light around the room and make it feel bigger.

Furniture – You don’t want too many items (especially after all that hard work de-cluttering) but essential pieces would be ideal in either clear plastic or glass. Again, this creates an illusion of space whilst remaining modern.

Walls – White is probably the best colour when the aim is “minimalist”. Illusions of space and light are the main benefits. If you have exposed floorboards, then these could be painted white as well to maximise the effect.

Windows – Curtains can be heavy and bulky, so blinds are a good option here, with perhaps a drape either side to soften it up a bit.

Lighting – Keep bedside lamps and ceiling lights as simple and stylish as possible. A chrome effect can look modern and simple.

Bedding – Again, white is a good base to work from, although you can help modernise the look with some primary coloured diagonal stripes. Pick these colours up again with your lampshades, blinds, rugs and a couple of cushions.

Seating – If you want to sit without adding bulky chairs, then bright coloured bean bags can help with the modern, minimalist theme and if you need extra space, you can store them in your wardrobes.
Artwork – Putting up lots of pictures will destroy the feel you have worked so hard to create but a well positioned piece of modern art, will add weight to the project.

To find out how sliding wardrobes can help you in your quest for a minimalist bedroom, please visit the website at Slide Wardrobes Direct.

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Advantages of Fitted Wardrobes over Free Standing Wardrobes


Regardless of why you are in the market for new wardrobes, there are certain things to consider before you actually make your purchase. Here are just a few ways in which fitted wardrobes hold an advantage over the free standing variety.

Adding value – If you are a home owner then you will know how important it is to make improvements and upgrades to the property, so that if you ever need to sell, the upgrades you have made will actually increase the value of your home. Along with up to date kitchens and modern bathrooms, fitted wardrobes are one of the main attractions for potential buyers.

Size does matter – It cannot be underestimated just how important it is to get the size of the wardrobes just right for each room. Space is already at a premium in a bedroom and wardrobes are required to fit into a certain area, which, unless you plan some restructuring, will be of limited space. Fitted wardrobes do what they say on the tin, they are tailored specifically to “fit” into your available space, so size really does matter.

Saving Space – Fitted wardrobes are suitable for most, if not all bedrooms and regardless of the size of the room, will always help to maximise the available space. Shelves and drawers can be built into the wardrobe, which in turn can free up other areas around the room. Sliding door wardrobes are better still because you can effectively put furniture right next to them and still open them easily (left/right).

Flexibility – No two rooms are exactly the same and have their own quirks and curiosities, such as sloping ceilings or walls that have strange angles. Fitted wardrobes can overcome challenges such as these and can even help to disguise the problem area once installed.

Storage, Storage, Storage – Already hinted at in “saving space”, perhaps the biggest benefit of having fitted wardrobes is the complete storage solution they create. Racks, rails, drawers and shoe holders can all be built in and you could still have left over space for boxes or other items.

Style and Substance – We’ve already seen how practical in design they are but they can also add great elements of style to your bedroom. Just as the size can be specifically tailored, so too, can pretty much every other aspect of the wardrobe such as colours and finishes. You can literally design your wardrobes to complement the rest of your decor.

Spick and Span –Most fitted wardrobes are built from floor to ceiling and often span the length of an entire wall. This means that there are very few nooks and crannies for dust to accumulate. They are very easy to clean so keeping the bedroom constantly fresh is also much easier.

To see our full range of sliding wardrobe doors, please feel free to visit the website at Slide Wardrobes Direct.