Most wardrobes fail from the inside out. The carcass is fine; the problem is a single rail set too high, three shelves at the same spacing, and one deep drawer that swallows everything. Fixing the interior costs nothing and doubles usable space. The numbers below are the ones that fit actual clothing, not catalogue photos.
Shop the pieces in this guide
Rail heights: the one number people get wrong
A rail is only useful if the longest garment underneath it hangs free. Measure your longest item, then add 10 cm for the hanger hook and 5 cm of clearance.
| What hangs below the rail | Garment length | Rail height from wardrobe floor |
|---|---|---|
| Shirts, blouses, jackets | 75–95 cm | 100–110 cm |
| Trousers on a clamp hanger | 95–105 cm | 110–120 cm |
| Knee-length dresses, short coats | 110–130 cm | 140–145 cm |
| Long dresses, full-length coats | 150–165 cm | 175–180 cm |
In a 176 cm tall carcass you cannot have a long-hang rail and two shelves above it. Choose: either one 175 cm rail for long garments, or two rails at 175 cm and 100 cm with a single 30 cm shelf at the top. Double-hanging roughly doubles capacity in the same footprint, which is why 120 cm of double rail holds more than 180 cm of single rail.
Shelf spacing by what goes on the shelf
| Contents | Clear gap between shelves | Depth needed |
|---|---|---|
| Folded shirts, t-shirts | 30–35 cm | 35–40 cm |
| Knitwear, jumpers | 35–40 cm | 40 cm |
| Shoes, flat pairs | 18–22 cm | 30–35 cm |
| Boots, heels upright | 30–35 cm | 35 cm |
| Handbags, structured | 30–35 cm | 35–40 cm |
| Storage boxes, bedding | 35–40 cm | 45–50 cm |
Adjustable shelves beat fixed ones for one reason: your wardrobe contents change with the season. A 120 cm wide bay with adjustable shelves can go from four 30 cm shelves in summer to two 40 cm shelves plus a boot shelf in winter without buying anything.
Drawer depths that stay usable
Deep drawers are where clothes go to disappear. Keep internal drawer height at 15–20 cm for socks and underwear, 20–25 cm for folded knitwear and 25 cm for jeans. Anything over 30 cm deep should be a pull-out basket, not a drawer, because you will not reach the back.
- Two shallow drawers (15 cm each) hold more accessible items than one 30 cm drawer.
- Drawer width over 80 cm needs a centre runner or it will sag and jam within two years.
- Soft-close runners matter in a bedroom; a slammed drawer at 6 a.m. is the most common complaint about cheap wardrobes.
Depth: 50 cm or 60 cm?
Hanging clothes need 55–60 cm of internal depth: a coat hanger is 45–50 cm wide at the shoulder, plus 5 cm so the garment does not press against the door. A 50 cm deep wardrobe works only if you hang everything at a slight angle or use it for shirts and knitwear on hangers rather than coats. Folded-only storage needs 40 cm; shoes need 30–35 cm.
This is why sliding-door wardrobes need a 60–65 cm external depth: the door track eats 8–10 cm of the interior. Hinged doors take their space outside the carcass instead — see sliding vs hinged wardrobe doors for the floor-space maths.
Dividing 120 cm or 150 cm between two people
A couple sharing 150 cm should not split it 50/50 by shelf count. Split by rail length, then give the taller person the long-hang section.
| Total width | Practical split | What each side gets |
|---|---|---|
| 120 cm | 70 / 50 cm | 70 cm: double rail for shirts + trousers; 50 cm: shelves and 2 drawers |
| 150 cm | 90 / 60 cm | 90 cm: 175 cm long rail + top shelf; 60 cm: double rail + 3 drawers |
| 180 cm+ | 90 / 90 cm | Mirror split; one side long-hang, one side double-hang and shelves |
A 100 cm rail holds roughly 40 shirts or 25 coats on standard hangers. Count what you actually wear in a week and allocate from that, not from the wardrobe's total width.
Lighting and the last 10 cm
Add a battery LED strip under the top shelf, not overhead: it lights the garments instead of casting your own shadow on them. Leave 5 cm of clearance above the top shelf for airflow so the carcass does not smell of damp in winter, and keep 2 cm behind the back panel free if the wall is external.
Keep reading
Planning the whole bedroom? Start with the bedroom furniture collection, or read nightstand height and size to place the bed, tables and wardrobe without blocking the walkway.
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