Wardrobe storage systems: do-it-yourself wardrobe room

Recommendation points

• Variety of wardrobe systems on the market
• Tips for choosing functional elements of a dressing room
• DIY installation of a modular wardrobe system with wall mounting

A walk-in closet is a modern and convenient solution for storing clothes and other things. If your apartment allows you to allocate at least a small area for it – feel free to get down to business and equip the dressing room with your own hands.

We will help you decide on the choice of structural elements for filling the dressing room, as well as clearly demonstrate the process of installing a dressing system in a room of about 3 m².

Variety of wardrobe systems on the market

A walk-in closet is a convenient replacement for classic wardrobes, most often it is located in an isolated room or in a part of the room separated by a partition or curtain from the rest of the space. The filling of the dressing room can be very different both by the type of construction (stationary furniture or modular system-constructor), and by the material of manufacture (chipboard, metal, plastic, combinations of materials with textiles or wood). Depending on the design, the elements of the dressing room can simply stand on the floor, be attached to the wall or be installed in space between the floor and the ceiling.

It is worth considering the type of the future dressing room at the stage of repairing the room, so if there is a stretch ceiling, it will not be possible to put fasteners in the spacer, and not a reinforced plasterboard partition will not withstand any structure when hanging.

Tips for choosing functional elements of a dressing room

After choosing the type of wardrobe system, it is necessary to think over the composition of the elements that will be used to store clothes or other things.

In addition to classic bars, shelves and drawers, modern dressing rooms use trousers, shoe racks, tie-boxes, retractable mesh baskets and mesh shelves, which add lightness to the design. It is worth considering all these elements and determining which ones will be most in demand..

For example, the owner of a collection of dresses just needs a few rods for hangers, and a man who prefers suits will find a trouser and a tie very useful. For storing small items (linen, socks, belts, scarves, etc.), it is more convenient to use baskets and boxes than shelves. And if the dressing room is located in the hallway area, then it would be reasonable to place shoe racks in it. If several people use the dressing room, then it is advisable to place items for storing clothes so that they do not interfere with each other when they are together in it, for example, one side is male, the other is female.

DIY installation of a modular wardrobe system with wall mounting

Next, consider an example of installing a wardrobe system in an irregular room with a size of about 3 m².

Dressing room scheme: 1 – sliding doors; 2 – wardrobe system

The wardrobe system occupies 3 walls in the room: to the right and left of the entrance, as well as the wall opposite to the entrance. The depth of all elements is no more than 50 cm, the ceiling height is 240 cm, the wall material is concrete and drywall.

The composition of the wardrobe elements:

• rods for hangers – 3 pieces (2 of them are designed for short clothes, 1 – for long ones;)
• mesh shelves – 10 pieces;
• pull-out mesh baskets of three sizes (small, medium and deep) – 10 pieces;
• wooden shelves (pull-out and stationary) – 6 pieces;
• hooks – 5 pieces;
• trouser – 1 piece.

All of these items can be bought in shops selling furniture accessories and brought in a small car.

Such a set of elements is suitable for storing an average amount of clothes and home textiles (bed linen, towels) of a family of two.

The following tools are required for installation:

• level;
• screwdriver or screwdriver;
• impact drill or perforator for concrete walls;
• roulette.

The first step in the process of installing a wardrobe system is to install the support rail. Its fastening must be reliable, since subsequently it takes on all the load from the elements of the wardrobe system and the things placed in it. To fix the rail to the wall, it is necessary to use fasteners corresponding to the wall material: for concrete (as well as bricks and blocks) – dowel-nails, for drywall – self-tapping screws or drywall dowels, depending on the place of attachment to the drywall structure (fastening profile is installed at the attachment point or not).

The supporting profile is installed along the entire perimeter of the future wardrobe system in the horizontal direction. To ensure evenness, use a level. The installation height depends on the desired height of the future structure: all elements of the dressing room can only be placed below the carrier rail.

If the dressing room is planned for everyday use, then it is worth fixing the rail not high from the floor for easy access to all elements; if it is supposed to store rarely used things, then you can install the rail higher – on the upper shelves you can place things for long-term storage.

The second step is to install vertical hinged rails. As you can see from the name of these elements, they are simply hung on the carrier rail: there is a groove on the guide that slides onto the rail. There is no need for additional fastening.

The length of the guides depends on what elements will be placed on it, but most often it occupies the entire height from the floor to the supporting rail, this ensures optimal use of the dressing room space.

The distance between the guides is also determined by the width of the elements that will be attached to them later. For example, in the photo the distance is 80 cm.

At this stage of installation, it may seem that the lower part of the rails is very mobile and the future structure is not reliable. But this is not so: when assembled and loaded, the guides will be tightly pressed against the wall. Nevertheless, manufacturers offer elements for fixing the rails at the lowest point, this can be useful in the case of storing a small amount of items or very light items..

The third step is to attach the brackets to the vertical rail. They are simply inserted into the grooves of the vertical guides and do not require additional fastening. For each functional element of the dressing room, as a rule, 2 brackets are needed on the same level, placed on adjacent rails.

The vertical distance between the brackets is determined by the height of the baskets or the distance between the shelves that will be installed on them.

It should be noted that the brackets can be of different depths and it is necessary to use those that correspond to the depth of the selected shelf or basket..

You can also buy plastic decorative caps for brackets if they are in a conspicuous place or spoil the aesthetic appearance.

After all the supporting elements have been assembled, you can proceed with the installation of the functional elements of the system..

Mesh shelves are attached to brackets using a snap-on element. If necessary, such shelves are easily sawn to the desired length, and visible ends or sawing points can be closed with plugs.

To fasten the baskets, a retractable frame is used, which can be made of either metal or wood for decorative purposes. The basket is inserted into the frame, which in turn is attached to the brackets using a snap-on element.

The photo in the foreground shows a basket without a frame, and in the background – already inserted into a decorative frame.

In the next photo you can see the deep mesh basket installed.

Among the elements of wardrobe systems, there are also wooden shelves, while they can be installed permanently or on a sliding mechanism, in the same way with the help of brackets.

Another interesting element of the dressing room is the trouser. The mechanism is similar to a pull-out shelf.

The hanger bar can be mounted by hanging it from the mesh shelf or using the fasteners on the bracket.

Hooks can also be added to the mesh shelves, they are simply hung on them.

And to give the structure a finished look, you can use decorative strips for mesh shelves.

On this, the dressing room is assembled and ready for use. It holds a lot of things and is very comfortable.

It is worth remembering that when using such a design system, the configuration of the dressing room can always be changed, because only the supporting rail is permanently fixed, and everything else can be moved. Therefore, if over time it turns out that some elements are inconveniently located, you can always make adjustments, add new elements.