Fitted wardrobes: what to decide before ordering

What should be measured and listed first?

Begin with the contents, not the cabinet. Count what has to go in and measure it in running metres of rail: long hanging for dresses, abayas, kanduras and coats, short hanging for shirts and jackets. Add the folded clothes, the pairs of shoes, the bags, the suitcases and the spare bedding. Measure the longest garment on its hanger, because that single figure fixes the height of the long hanging section.

Then the wall. A fitted wardrobe has to follow a room that is never perfectly square, so the maker measures on site.

• Width at the floor, at mid height and at the ceiling.
• Ceiling height at both ends and in the middle.
• How far the floor is out of level and the wall out of plumb.
• Skirtings, sockets, switches, the thermostat and any access hatch.
• AC grilles in the ceiling above, and the swing of the room door.
• The space left between the wardrobe front and the bed.

Hinged or sliding doors?

Hinged doors give the best access. Both doors of a section open and the whole interior is in view, drawers pull out without obstruction, and the doors close onto the carcass and keep dust out. They need clear floor in front, about the width of the door.

Sliding doors need no swing, which makes them the answer where the bed stands close. In exchange, only part of the wardrobe is open at any time, internal drawers must be placed so that a door can clear them, and the bottom track collects fine dust and needs vacuuming. Sliding doors also depend on a level floor and a rigid top track. A dressing room with open shelving and no doors is the third route. It works when the room has its own door and air conditioning, since clothes on open rails gather dust.

Which materials suit Dubai conditions?

Inside the room the climate is controlled, but only while the AC runs. A home closed for the summer can become humid enough to swell board, so the materials should tolerate it.

• Carcass: moisture resistant MDF or plywood holds screws and resists swelling better than plain chipboard.
• Edges: every edge is banded, the hidden ones included. A raw edge is where moisture enters.
• Interior faces: melamine or laminate wipes clean and does not need painting.
• Doors: lacquered MDF gives a smooth painted look and can be repaired. Laminate and acrylic resist knocks. Veneer is natural timber and fades beside a sunny window.
• Tall doors: a door close to full room height needs a thicker panel or a straightening bar, and four or five hinges.
• Hardware: soft close hinges and full extension runners rated for the weight of a loaded drawer.

A wardrobe against an outside wall or a bathroom wall deserves a check for damp before it is fitted. Mould behind a back panel goes unseen until the clothes smell of it.

How should the inside be laid out?

• Double hanging, one rail above another, for shirts, jackets and folded trousers. It doubles the capacity of that section.
• A full height section sized to the longest garment.
• Shelves about 30 centimetres apart for folded clothes. Deeper gaps turn into unstable piles.
• Drawers between knee and chest height, where the contents can be seen from above.
• Shoes low down, on flat or angled shelves.
• High compartments above the rails for suitcases and bedding.
• A lockable drawer or a space for a safe, if one is wanted.

An internal depth of about 60 centimetres lets clothes hang square without the shoulders catching the doors. Shelf supports on a row of holes allow the spacing to be changed later.

What about lighting, power and the AC?

Lighting is far easier to build in than to add. LED strips set into the sides or under the shelves, switched by a sensor on the door, light the clothes without glare. The driver must sit where it can be reached. A socket inside is useful for a steamer or for charging.

The air conditioning sets hard limits. A thermostat, a return grille or an access hatch to the AC unit must never be boxed in, and a supply grille should not blow straight onto the top of the cabinet. Where the wardrobe runs up to the ceiling, the gap is closed with a filler panel scribed to the ceiling line or finished as a neat shadow gap. Moving a socket or a switch is electrical work. In an apartment the building may also have rules about anything fixed near sprinkler heads and detectors. What is needed is identified at the site visit, and The MELLS prepares the paperwork the building asks for.

What happens between ordering and installation?

• Site measure and a discussion of the contents.
• Shop drawings showing each elevation and the internal layout, for signature.
• A physical sample of the door finish and the interior board.
• Manufacture, commonly three to six weeks depending on the finish.
• Installation, usually one to three days for a bedroom wall.
• Adjustment of doors and drawers, sealing, cleaning and handover.

Painting and flooring in the room should be finished before the wardrobe arrives. In a tower, the longest panels have to fit the service lift, which is measured in advance. The MELLS builds and installs fitted joinery with its own carpenters. Book a site visit, and the written quotation that follows includes the drawings and a defined scope. Lead times for your own wardrobe are confirmed after that visit.