Master Dressing with Floor-to-Ceiling Wardrobes

The doors swing open because that is what lets you see the whole wardrobe at once. On a sliding wardrobe, one panel always sits in front of another, so half the rail is hidden whenever a door is shut. Hinged shutters open the full width, which suits a dressing room where you want everything in view while you pick an outfit. The one thing they ask for is clear floor in front to swing into.

That horizontal strip of narrow grooves across the middle is a fluted band, set into the shutters to break up their height. A run of doors this tall can look like a flat blank wall, and the ribbed section gives the eye a line to rest on. It also marks a natural split between the main hanging space and the drawers behind. The grooves catch a little light, which stops the greige from going lifeless.

The handles are slim vertical bars in a gold finish, running most of the door height. Long handles like these suit tall shutters because you can open the door comfortably whether you reach high or low. The gold is the single accent in a quiet greige scheme, so it does the decorating without any extra hardware. They are surface-mounted, so they are easy to change later if you want a different look.

A floor-to-ceiling run like this gives you far more than a standard-height wardrobe, mainly because it claims the loft zone most cupboards leave empty. You typically get a mix of full-height hanging, shelves and drawers in the main body, with the loft above for suitcases and off-season bedding. The exact split is set to your needs at the design stage. Planning the internals early is what decides whether the space actually works day to day.

The loft is the cabinet section above the main doors, and it is best kept for things you reach for rarely. Suitcases, spare quilts and festival boxes live there well, since you are not opening it daily. It does need a stool or a short ladder to reach, so keep the everyday clothes in the main body at arm height. Used that way, the loft adds a lot of storage without cluttering the room below.

Hinged wardrobes do need swing room, so they suit a dressing room like this where there is open floor in front. Allow for the door to open fully without hitting a bed or an island. If a room is very tight, sliding doors save that clearance, but you trade away seeing the whole wardrobe at once. Here, with space to spare, hinged was the better call for daily use.

Matte shutters like these hide fingerprints far better than a gloss finish, which is half the reason to pick them, but they need the right cleaning. Wipe them with a soft, slightly damp cloth and a mild soap, never a scrubbing pad, since abrasives leave shiny patches on a matte surface that you cannot undo. Deal with any mark quickly before it sets. Done gently and regularly, a matte laminate keeps its even, flat look for years.