Sparking joy: the importance of smart wardrobe solutions

Maximising storage space in the home starts in the bedroom, according to Melanie Jones of Wardrobes Plus. We spoke to her about decluttering, organisation and simply smart storage. The Marie Kondo effect is widespread, her vision inspiring people worldwide to declutter their homes and live with less. It’s a phenomenon that’s caught on, perhaps because so many of us live with so much. “So many times I’ll go into someone’s home and see that they don’t even know what they own, let alone use it, simply because they can’t see it,” Wardrobes Plus’ Melanie Jones says.

The first step to a more organised home? An organised wardrobe, Melanie says. “Wardrobes are a great place to start if you’re looking to declutter and organise your home, both in children’s and adults’ rooms.

“There are a lot of spaces in the home that can be made more efficient with custom organisers. We create wardrobes and storage solutions to fit your space. They are not pre-made as we don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all solution suitable for every home.

“The more things that have a place and can be seen, the more organised a home can become, and the easier it is to keep it that way,” Melanie says. “When a space is well organised and everything has its place and can be easily seen and accessed, the more functional and easy to maintain the home is.”

In terms of wardrobes, that means maximising space and incorporating various elements. “Having short hang options that stack on top of one another is one really effective way to maximise space as you are effectively creating twice as much hanging space in the same area which then allows more room in the wardrobe to incorporate other things like open shelving, for example,” Melanie says. “Open shelving in wardrobes is a cost effective option and great for reach in wardrobes where everything is behind doors.”

Doors themselves often create some of the most frequent problems in terms of effective storage. “In fact, the most common problem people have with existing wardrobes is a lack of accessibility. Small doors mean less access to the space. An ‘open out’ is the term we use for removing existing doors and creating a much larger opening with new sliding doors (which we custom make to fit the exact opening created). This can have a huge impact on how the wardrobe space can now be used.”

Once the access to a wardrobe is designed efficiently, the next step is considering who will use it and how and, based on this information, designing versatile multi-use storage areas.

“A combination of drawers, hanging options, open shelving and pull-out features is often the best way to go to create the most useable wardrobes.

According to Melanie though, clever space-saving options are endless and incorporate everything from concealed jewellery drawers to pull-out full-length mirrors that slide away between two verticals when not in use. “These mirrors can be pulled out and angled anywhere depending on where the person is. They’re a really clever way to include a full length mirror that could otherwise take up a lot of space. We often use this concept for belt and tie racks too - when they can be neatly slotted away when not in use, they save significant space.”

In children’s rooms, clever wardrobe solutions are also important. Arguably more so, Melanie says, in terms of the ability to easily tidy a child’s room. “Kids’ wardrobes can be designed for everything - not just clothes. In fact, they are often used to keep books, toys and other display items a child collects. Like an adult’s wardrobe, when everything has a place, it’s easy to stay organised, and in a child’s room there’s nothing better than being able to simply shut the wardrobe door and have a tidy room.”

Wardrobes Plus has been designing and manufacturing bespoke wardrobe solutions for more than 17 years. Based in Auckland, the Wardrobes Plus team works closely with clients, architects and designers to deliver the best custom wardrobe and storage designs.

Whether you’re building a new home or renovating an existing one, make sure you talk to Wardrobes Plus about the options.

Visit Wardrobes Plus on ArchiPro here or stop by their showroom in Wiri, Auckland.