Design Buy Build Issue 30 2018 | Page 10

Walk In Wonderland 6 Secrets To Creating The Perfect Custom Wardrobes Wyndham design director and founder Richard Thomas explains what to consider when creating your dream wardrobe space. 1 Styling And Colour Although white may be considered by some as bland and unimaginative it does make the perfect blank canvas for setting off the main feature of the wardrobe, namely the clothes. In fact not only will it set off the garments it will also create the illusion of space in a room where space is often limited. If you use this in combination with mirrors then you are really opening things up. If on the other hand you have the luxury of a larger space then dark woods or dark lacquer colours can inject mood and ac- cents to the room, and coupled with clever lighting can also produce beautiful results. Of course doors can be removed com- pletely in a walk in wardrobe situation, but this can be challenging in terms of keeping things visually clean on the eye. 6 Detailing 4 Accessories Small accents such as handles and the application of mirror can be often all you need to create your masterpiece. Re- member too many materials and textures will start to conflict and as a general rule simplicity is king. At Wyndham we try to keep it simple with only 2 to 3 different materials and finishes to produce a stun- ning design. Shoes, belts and jewellery can be set and displayed in a variety of ways including bespoke shoe racks, drawers, or shelving. Consider these items as signature display items using particular shoes and jewellery as pieces of ‘art’ in their own right. Look at ways to enhance presentation us- ing bespoke drawer linings, custom made compartments and lighting panels. 5 Lighting And Ambience 2 Use Your Space The most common error comes with trying to get too much into a defined space. Less can be more and in the case of walk in wardrobes it is often best to have a cor- ridor run of wardrobes rather than return sections that may give dead spaces to the corners. The key to creating the overall mood of any walk in wardrobe or fitted wardrobe is lighting. Consider ways to implement mood light- ing on the interior as well as the exterior and use the same level of coloured light- ing be it warm or cool white to maintain a consistency with the overall ambience. 3 Doors If you have wardrobes running in paral- lel right and left of you it’s important to consider the room required to open them fully on both sides. If the corridor has a limited width then a sliding door option is often a more useful application. 10 Think of you wardrobe as a blank canvas and like any great painting don’t overwork it. www.wyndhamdesign.com O208 8996609