Measure the room and the contents.
Start with an accurate floor plan: wall lengths, ceiling height, and the location of doors, windows, vents, and switches. Note anything that eats wall space, since a window or a swing door removes a run of storage. Then take stock of the wardrobe itself, roughly how many long-hang garments, short-hang, folded items, pairs of shoes, and accessories, so the storage mix matches reality.
Standard dimensions to design around: long-hang needs about 1700mm of height, double-hang splits a section into two rods at roughly 1050mm and 1000mm, drawer banks run 600mm to 900mm wide, and a walkway needs at least 900mm clear, more if drawers open into it.
Zone the storage, then size the island.
Divide the walls into zones: long-hang, double-hang, drawer banks, open shelving, and shoe storage. Put daily items at easy reach between hip and eye level, and use the high shelves for seasonal storage. Balance hanging against folded storage to the owner's actual ratio rather than a generic split.
If the room takes an island, size it to leave 900mm to 1000mm of clearance on all sides. A typical island runs 600mm to 800mm deep with drawers from both long sides, topped in stone or wood. Below-island drawers are prime real estate for folded knitwear and accessory trays.
Plan lighting, accessories, and finish.
Light the closet in layers: ambient ceiling light, LED strips on the hanging rods and under shelves, and accent light in display niches. Good light is what makes color matching possible and what makes the room feel considered. Add accessories where they earn their place, valet rod, pull-out belt and tie racks, leather-lined jewelry drawers, and a hamper.
Finish last, matched to the bedroom and the rest of the project: lacquer in any color, real-wood veneer, or paint. Decide door fronts (hinged, sliding, glass-front, or open) and a hardware family. This is the stage where the design either reads as built-in millwork or as a kit, so it is worth specifying carefully.
Common questions.
- What are the standard dimensions for closet design?
- Design around these: long-hang sections need about 1700mm of vertical space, double-hang splits into rods near 1050mm and 1000mm, drawer banks run 600mm to 900mm wide, shelves sit 300mm to 400mm deep, and walkways need at least 900mm clear. An island wants 900mm to 1000mm of clearance on every side.
- How do I decide hanging versus drawer versus shelf?
- Match it to the actual wardrobe, not a default ratio. Count long-hang garments, short-hang, folded items, and shoes, then allocate storage to those quantities. Someone with mostly suits and dresses needs long-hang fields; someone with folded knitwear and denim needs more drawers and open shelves.
- Where should lighting go in a walk-in closet?
- Use three layers: ambient ceiling light for the whole room, LED strips on the hanging rods and under shelves so garments are lit from above, and accent light inside any glass-front or display niche. Layered light is what lets you match colors and makes the closet feel finished rather than utilitarian.
Project in motion
Ready to plan the build?
Send the room dimensions, ceiling height, and your hanging-versus-drawer direction. We return a closet layout and a quote built to the plan.