Pros and Cons of Sliding Wardrobes
Lauren JaquesWhen moving into a brand new home or revamping an old, tired bedroom, storage is always of utmost importance. In fact, a wardrobe is likely to be one of the very first things you choose for that new room. Not only does your closet need to give you maximum space for all your clothes, shoes and other must-have items, it has to look great too. And that means that, more often than not, a lot of your design scheme will be built around it.
We think that a sliding wardrobe is just about the perfect blend of high-capacity convenience and contemporary good looks. Available in a wide range of designs, these wardrobes have long been a favourite of home designers in the know. However, we also know that they’re not for everybody and aren’t without their potential issues.
With the lowdown on sliding door wardrobes, we’re here to help you make the right storage decisions for your room. So, whether you’re a big fan of interior organisation or tend to favour a shove it in and shut the door approach, read on to discover the pros and the cons of sliding wardrobes.
Pros of sliding wardrobes
Dorsten 2-Door Sliding Wardrobe
Pro: Sliding wardrobes save space in small rooms
When you think of sliding door wardrobes, you probably imagine long banks of mirrored doors, spreading the width of a huge master bedroom suite. One step away from the dream of a walk in wardrobe. But even in a smaller space, a sliding wardrobe can provide a practical solution to all your storage issues. In fact, we think they’re the perfect choice for rooms where space is at a premium.
Another great choice to consider in smaller bedrooms is sliding mirrored wardrobes. The mirrored doors will reflect the light around the room helping it to feel bigger and more airy.
Pro: sliding wardrobes make the most of awkward spaces
Available in a wide range of heights and widths, sliding door wardrobes can be found to suit almost any home. Perhaps you have a smaller bedroom where wall space is limited. A narrower two sliding door wardrobe like our own Bergen design, available in widths down to 153cm, is an ideal choice, offering both hanging and shelf space in one handy unit.
With doors that slide across, instead of out into the room, in bedrooms where there’s already very little floor space up for grabs, you’ll maintain maximum space. This means that you can still make use of a spot on the wall where those more often used swinging doors for wardrobes might hit the end of a bed or impact your ability to squeeze in a desk or dressing table.
Pro: sliding door wardrobes suit most design concepts
With a wide range of different designs available, there’s almost certainly a sliding wardrobe to suit your interior. Whether you’re into the sleek, modern white and grey look popularised by home influencers or prefer a more eclectic or period look, we’ve got a sliding door wardrobe to suit you. Most will blend seamlessly into the room around them, with wood frames in every colour, from pale white oak to deep, warm walnuts plus grey, beige or white veneers for a brighter, contemporary finish.
Ravenna Sliding Wardrobe
Mirror door wardrobes, like this Ravenna two mirror sliding wardrobe, available in a range of wood and veneer finishes, reflect their surroundings too. This not only helps a room to feel more spacious but it’s an easy way to complete an interior scheme without the need to carefully match your wardrobe doors to your wallpaper or paint.
Pro: storing your clothes in a sliding door wardrobe is easy
A favourite of fashionistas and organisation mavens alike, a sliding wardrobe makes storing your beloved togs easy. It’ll provide you with plenty of space for all those can’t live without ‘em basics as well as your long summer dresses, suits and even shoes.
Take our simple and slimline two door sliding Lorenzo wardrobe. Topping out at around 7ft, this spacious closet doesn’t just offer hanging space for shirts, it also gives you the height you’ll need for ankle length maxi dresses and playsuits. And on top of that? Shelving for those items you can afford to pack away above head height, like winter knitwear, handbags or even keepsakes that you can’t bear to part with. All in a wardrobe that’s compact enough for even your smallest spare bedroom.
Pro: a sliding wardrobe provides storage you can reach
Sick of clambering into a loft space or the back of an understairs cupboard when you need to retrieve something you didn’t think you were going to need for a while? A sliding door wardrobe isn’t just handy for your everyday clothing. Install a sleek sliding closet in your spare bedroom or in a wasted corner of a dining room or corridor and you’ve got tonnes of storage for all those things you’d rather keep out of sight - but within easy reach.
It can make life all the easier. The annual clamour for the Christmas decorations, that summertime dig through for the camping gear you swore you’d packed away neatly and the search for the boardgame your little one has to play now. It’s no longer a problem thanks to your well-organised and easy to access Sicily three door sliding wardrobe with its two handy levels of upper shelves.
Bergen 2 Door Sliding Wardrobe
Pro: sliding wardrobes aren’t just for master bedrooms
Most commonly used in the largest bedroom in the house, sliding wardrobes are often chosen to create storage for a couple’s clothing, with each partner taking over a portion of a substantial piece, like our generous Palma three door sliding wardrobe. But while, of course, we’re mainly here to help you furnish that bedroom, at Bensons for Beds, we love seeing our customers get creative too. Yep, these sliding closets are ideal for the master bed but who says they won’t work as a linens cupboard in your bathroom or make great playroom storage for games and toys?
And what about hallways where space to hang coats and hide away shoes is often problematic. Given that sliding wardrobes offer plenty of storage space within a relatively small footprint, we see no reason that they shouldn't be an ideal solution for busy households!
Sliding door wardrobes are also a fantastic choice for a guest bedroom, often carved out of a very small box room. Needing no door swing space, a sliding wardrobe helps to create much needed storage and give a room a finished look without taking away from the valuable floor space required for a bed.
We also love sliding wardrobes for home offices and gyms. All that interior space is ideal for files, books, gadgets, mats and dumbbells. Some wardrobes will even house larger items of exercise equipment, like your rowing machine.
Pro: sliding wardrobes = a more saleable home
When selling in a competitive housing market, it’s always important that your home puts its best face forward. This doesn’t just mean freshly painted white walls and clearing your mantelpiece of personal items, it also means showing what it can do in terms of storage. The largest sliding door wardrobe a bedroom can take - without looking over-furnished - is a simple way to show off the size of a room.
This is especially vital for those homes where built-in storage is at a minimum or where the loft is converted to bedroom or study space. You might know that your home has all the space you need for your bits, bobs, and knick-knacks, but if you’re loft-free, we’re willing to bet that potential buyers are worrying about where they’ll keep theirs.
Though you might not be thinking about selling right now, a sturdy well-built wardrobe will last years and have you looking good when the time comes to move on. And with a freestanding wardrobe, rather than a built-in unit, you can take it with you too.
Cons of sliding wardrobes
Con: sliding door wardrobes can be clutter magnets
Do you have trouble saying au revoir to old belongings? If you’re a borderline hoarder, a sliding wardrobe could spell trouble. Because, with all of that lovely space to play with, it can become all too easy to keep things that’d be otherwise destined for the bin.
Take it from the stuff savers and closet stuffers right here in the Bensons for Beds office. With the cavernous space offered to you by a large sliding door wardrobe, it’s only a short meander from organisational heaven to knowing that if you open that door, you could be buried under a landslide of junk. Without discipline and regularly taking stock of the contents of your wardrobe, it can become home to those shoes you know don’t really fit, that broken printer that you’ll never actually fix and those books that someone else might want to read someday…
Con: sliding door wardrobes aren’t great for low or sloped ceilings
If your bedroom is in the eaves or if you live in an older home with low ceilings, as many of us here in the UK do, you may struggle to find a sliding door wardrobe to suit your space. Built to maximise hanging rail room, these wardrobes are a must have if you’re the lucky owner of tall ceilings (and long trousers) but they can be less of an easy squeeze for homes with reduced head height.
There is, of course, the option to go bespoke, building sliding wardrobes directly into your available space with the help of a friendly local carpenter. Unfortunately, though this can be significantly more expensive than an off the shelf, high street solution, busting the budget of many interior revamps.
Con: sliding wardrobes = more time invested
We know how you feel about building furniture because most of us feel it too. We’ve all been there, arguing with our partner about an upside-down drawer front, searching for that missing Allen key and screaming at a set of instructions that are only slightly less cryptic than hieroglyphics.
Sliding wardrobes, with those precision doors, can be one of the more challenging items of furniture you’ll be required to build in your lifetime.
Lucky for you then that alongside self-build wardrobe options, we at Bensons for Beds also offer ready-built units for delivery straight to your room and even some with the option for professional on-site assembly alongside a timed delivery slot.
Sliding Wardrobes and More at Bensons for Beds
Admit it, you thought we were just about beds? Think again! We’re here to help you create the perfect bedroom. From the king size adjustable bed, mattress and pillows destined to give you your dream night’s sleep to the wardrobes that’ll keep you organised and those bedside tables for a streamlined finishing touch, we’ve got the lot.
Whether your style is charmingly rustic, simple and streamlined or uber-modern and space-age sleek, we offer styles to suit.
And not only do we have a wide range of attractive, crowd-pleasing beds and bedroom furniture to suit your home and your individual needs, we also make every aspect of shopping simple. With the option to pay in three through Klarna or spread your investment using longer term interest-free finance, we can help you to spread the cost of large purchases. Which can be a real help when you’re buying and furnishing a whole new home.
With three easy ways to shop, we make furnishing your bedroom with Bensons for Beds seamless, no matter if you’re ready to buy or need help and guidance. Just drop into your local store, browse our easy to navigate website (after all, you’re already here!) or give us a ring on 0808 144 6160.