Wardrobe planning checklist, internals first

The full checklist

All 35 checks below. Group one takes an hour with your existing cupboard open and is worth more than any amount of browsing.

1 · Count before you design

• Long hanging counted in garments: saris, coats, kurtas, gowns
• Short hanging counted: shirts, trousers, jackets, folded-over hangers
• Folded stacks counted in running inches of shelf
• Suitcases and bedding measured, not estimated, for the loft
• Shoes, bags and accessories given their own volume

2 · Overall dimensions

• Depth 22 to 24 in for hanging; 18 in only for shelves and sliding shoes
• Total height run to the slab, with a loft above the lintel line
• Shutter width kept between 18 and 24 in for hinged units
• Sliding wardrobes given a 3 in track depth and a minimum 4 ft run
• Floor level and wall plumb checked — Mumbai walls rarely are

3 · Internals

• Long hanging section at 60 in clear height
• Short hanging at 42 in, double-stacked where ceiling allows
• Shelf spacing of 12 to 14 in for folded clothes
• Drawer bank of 3 to 4 drawers, 6 to 10 in deep, on full-extension channels
• Pull-out trouser rack or tie rack where the count justifies it
• Locker or safe niche with its own power point if needed
• Loft split into two bays so one person can lift a suitcase down

4 · Hardware

• Hinge type chosen against shutter thickness and overlay
• Soft-close on every hinge and channel, stated on the quotation
• Sliding system brand and load rating named, with a bottom-roller check
• Handle or J-profile chosen and mocked up on a sample shutter
• Drawer channel load rating of 30 kg minimum for the deep drawers

5 · Materials and finish

• Carcass in 18 mm MR ply, back panel 6 mm minimum, not 3 mm
• Shutter finish seen as a sample in the bedroom's own light
• Edge banding of 2 mm on every exposed edge, 0.8 mm inside
• Internal laminate in a light shade so you can see what is inside
• Mirror, if any, backed and safety-filmed

6 · Lighting and services

• Wardrobe lighting on a door sensor or its own switch
• Socket inside the wardrobe for a steamer or a charging shelf
• Ventilation gap at the back and a 2 in service gap from an external wall
• Loft door clearance checked against the false ceiling drop

7 · Before you approve

• Elevation drawing signed with every internal dimension marked
• Trial fit of your longest garment against the stated hanging height
• Delivery route measured: lift size, staircase turn, door width
• Site measurement repeated after flooring is laid

Working through it

1. Empty one cupboard and count. Hangers, folded stacks in inches, shoes, bags, suitcases. Write the numbers down before you look at a single reference image.
2. Convert the count into bays. A 60 in long-hanging bay takes roughly 22 garments; a shelf bay at 12 in spacing takes roughly 6 folded stacks.
3. Test your longest garment against the stated hanging height before approving the elevation. A sari or a full-length coat settles the argument.
4. Measure the lift and the staircase turn before anything is ordered, and ask for knock-down construction if the diagonal is under 6 ft 6 in.

What the sheet prevents

• A 6 ft wardrobe that holds less than the cupboard it replaced. Counting first is the only defence.
• Sliding shutters that quietly lose you a third of the opening. Group two records the track depth as a cost, not a detail.
• A loft you cannot use alone. Splitting the loft into two bays means one person can lift a suitcase down without help.

Download the checklist (PDF) →

See indicative rates on the wardrobe cost page, or plan the bays with the wardrobe layout planner.