Hinged, sliding or walk-in
This is decided by the room, not by taste. The test is the clear circulation in front of the wardrobe: a hinged shutter needs roughly 600 mm of swing plus standing room, so under about 900 mm of clear floor you are in sliding territory.
| Type | Clear space needed in front | Internal access | Cost vs hinged | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinged, 450–600 mm shutters | 900 mm+ | 100% — full opening | Baseline | Most bedrooms; the default |
| Sliding, 2 or 3 panel | 600 mm | 50–66% at a time | +15 – 25% | Tight rooms, passage-facing runs |
| Bi-fold | 500 mm | ~85% | +20 – 30% | Narrow corners, utility |
| Open walk-in | 1,000 mm aisle | 100% | −10 – 20% (no shutters) | Dedicated dressing rooms only |
| Walk-in with glass fronts | 1,000 mm aisle | 100% | +35 – 60% | Master suites; dust control |
Sliding wardrobes never give full access — with two panels you can only ever open half the run at once. Plan the internals so nothing critical sits behind a permanently overlapped edge.
Internal planning: the dimensions that decide everything
These numbers come from clothes, not from catalogues, and they are the difference between a wardrobe that swallows a family's things and one that looks full on day two.
| Zone | Clear height | Depth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long hanging — sarees, coats, gowns | 1,500 – 1,700 mm | 600 mm | One full-height bay is usually enough |
| Short hanging — shirts, trousers | 950 – 1,100 mm | 600 mm | Double-stack two of these in one bay |
| Folded shelves | 300 – 350 mm | 500 – 600 mm | Deeper than 600 mm and the back is unreachable |
| Drawers | 150 / 200 / 300 mm | 500 mm | Three heights covers everything; full-extension runners only |
| Loft above | 450 – 600 mm | 600 mm | Suitcases and seasonal; needs a pull-down or a stool |
| Shoe pull-out | 180 – 220 mm per tier | 350 mm | Angled tiers hold 40% more pairs |
Overall carcass depth 600 mm, height to ceiling, and shutters no wider than 600 mm for hinged or the panel will sag on its hinges over time.
Design and build under one accountable roof
Materials and hardware
A wardrobe is opened several times a day for fifteen years. Two components decide whether that stays pleasant: the carcass board and the hinges and runners.
| Component | Options | Indicative rate | What we specify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carcass | MR ply, BWP 710 ply, HDHMR, particle board | BWP ₹125 – 180 per sq ft; HDHMR ₹95 – 125 | BWP 710 against external walls, HDHMR elsewhere |
| Shutters | Laminate, acrylic, PU, veneer, membrane, lacquered glass | Laminate ₹1,900 – 2,600 per sheet; acrylic ₹6,200 – 9,500 | 1 mm laminate for value; veneer where it will be seen up close |
| Edge banding | 0.45 mm, 0.8 mm, 2 mm PVC | Included in rate | 2 mm on every exposed edge, no exceptions |
| Hinges | Ebco, Hettich Sensys, Hafele, Blum Clip-top | ₹180 – 650 per hinge | Soft-close, three per shutter above 1,200 mm |
| Sliding gear | Bottom-roller vs top-hung | ₹4,500 – 22,000 per set | Top-hung — the floor track is what fails and collects dust |
| Internal fittings | Pull-out trays, tie racks, mirror units, lift-up rods | ₹2,500 – 18,000 each | Chosen against what the family actually owns |
Excluding 18% GST. Hardware totals 12–18% of wardrobe cost and is the single worst place in the joinery budget to economise.
Nobody has ever regretted paying for the hinges. Plenty of people regret the acrylic.
Greenbox principal designer
What a wardrobe actually costs
| Configuration | Shutter area | Laminate finish | Veneer or acrylic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-door hinged, 4 ft wide, floor to ceiling | ~36 sq ft | ₹52,000 – 78,000 | ₹88,000 – 1,25,000 |
| 3-door hinged, 6 ft wide, with loft | ~62 sq ft | ₹88,000 – 1,32,000 | ₹1,45,000 – 2,05,000 |
| 2-panel sliding, 6 ft wide | ~56 sq ft | ₹95,000 – 1,40,000 | ₹1,55,000 – 2,20,000 |
| Full-wall 8 ft run with loft and dresser | ~84 sq ft | ₹1,25,000 – 1,85,000 | ₹2,05,000 – 2,95,000 |
| Walk-in closet, 7 x 9 ft, open modules | ~110 sq ft carcass | ₹1,80,000 – 2,60,000 | ₹2,90,000 – 4,20,000 |
Excluding 18% GST. Includes BWP or HDHMR carcass, branded soft-close hardware, 2 mm edge banding and standard internals. Mirrors, lighting and specialist pull-outs are additional.
Designing a walk-in that earns its floor area
A walk-in closet costs a bedroom's worth of floor space, so it has to pay for it in volume. The workable minimum is a 1,000 mm aisle with 600 mm modules on one side, which needs a 1,600 mm wide room; two-sided needs 2,200 mm. Below that you have built a corridor with shelves.
- Decide single-sided, L or U from the room width before anything else.
- Keep hanging at eye level and push folded storage high and low, not the reverse.
- Light it properly. 4000K at 300 lux minimum inside the modules, plus a mirror light at face height. Colour-matching clothes under a single warm ceiling lamp does not work.
- Ventilate. A closed dressing room with no air movement is where humidity damage starts; a louvred door or a small extract solves it.
- Dust control decides open versus glass. Open modules look better and need weekly attention. Glass fronts cost 35–60% more and stay clean.
Lighting and mirrors
Two details separate a wardrobe you tolerate from one you enjoy, and both are cheap if designed in and awkward if retrofitted.
- Internal lighting on a door switch. A 4000K LED profile along the front edge of each bay, triggered by a magnetic door switch. Roughly ₹1,800–₹4,200 per bay, and it makes the back of a 600 mm deep wardrobe usable for the first time.
- Never light a wardrobe from the room. A ceiling downlight in front of an open shutter puts your own shadow exactly where you are looking.
- Mirror at face height, lit from the sides. Front and side light at 3000K and CRI 90 or better. A single overhead light on a mirror is the reason people get dressed in the bathroom instead.
- A full-length mirror needs 1,200 mm of standing room to be useful. Inside a shutter is the space-efficient answer in a small bedroom.
- Keep the driver reachable. Mounted inside the loft with an access point, not sealed into the carcass.
Where we work
We build wardrobes across India as part of full home projects and as standalone joinery. For coastal specification, compact-flat planning and society installation logistics, see wardrobe designers in Mumbai.
Selected work by Greenbox Design Studio. Tap any image to enlarge.
Frequently asked questions
Is a sliding wardrobe better than a hinged one?+
Only when floor space forces it. Sliding costs 15–25% more, gives access to just half or two-thirds of the run at a time, and the gear is the part that eventually fails. Choose it when there is under about 900 mm of clear floor in front, and specify top-hung rather than bottom-roller when you do.
What is the standard depth of a wardrobe?+
600 mm externally, which leaves roughly 550 mm inside — the minimum for a hanger to sit square across the rod. At 500 mm depth clothes press against the shutter and crease; anything over 650 mm makes the back of a shelf unreachable.
How much does a wardrobe cost per square foot?+
₹1,400–₹2,900 per sq ft of shutter area in India, excluding GST. A 6 ft three-door hinged wardrobe with a loft is roughly 62 sq ft, so ₹88,000–₹1,32,000 in laminate and ₹1,45,000–₹2,05,000 in veneer or acrylic, including branded soft-close hardware.
Is a loft above the wardrobe worth building?+
Usually yes. A 450–600 mm loft adds around 30% more storage volume for about 12% more cost, and it takes the suitcases and seasonal bedding that otherwise occupy prime hanging space. The one caveat is access — it needs either a pull-down mechanism or a stool you are willing to keep.
Which is better for shutters, laminate or acrylic?+
Laminate at ₹1,900–₹2,600 per sheet is the sensible default: durable, repairable, and available in matte and textured finishes that hide fingerprints. Acrylic at ₹6,200–₹9,500 gives a seamless high gloss that looks superb and shows every mark. In a bedroom, most people are happier with a good matte laminate or a veneer.