This is a revolutionary time in our country where the demand for factory-built closets, cupboards, almirahs, laminate and plywood wardrobes, walk-in closets, aluminum profiles, drawers, doors, shutters, etc. are on the rise. While there is a great deal of resistance from the traditional professionals and contractors. Let me take you’ll back the to late ‘90s and early 2000 when modular kitchens were rebuked and shouted out, today we have 95% of people only asking for it.
If you look around almost all international brands from Europe are here in multi-city showrooms and a huge number of local manufacturers working to make it a success and convenient to end-users. It’s also a natural shift due to artisan shortage, availability, spiraling labour costs, and pressure on timelines, time is money!
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How do we define a closet? Is it a closed area or a structure meant for storing things, especially clothes? When it comes to keeping things, should we say a combination of beauty and function?
Whatever name we use to describe a closet, all definitions agree on one thing: it helps you tidy and organizes your belongings.
A walk-in closet is an architectural marvel with a variety of storage options that will leave you wanting more. The large storage area is frequently referred to as a room within a room. The closet might be as small as a few square feet or as large as a room, with windows to keep the temperature consistent. The closet remains tailored to the user’s specific requirements.
| Also see: Wardrobes: How to customize by picking the right elements? |
A closet is often built into the wall of the room instead of being a free-standing piece of furniture.
A wardrobe, on the other hand, is usually put in a bedroom as a free-standing furniture item to store clothes.
Moreover, a cupboard is generally found in kitchens to store tools, utensils, and other items such as plates, porcelain, etc.
The client looks for machine finished, efficient handling, contemporary looks, and finishes. The right balance of proportions and sizing that brands offer is the demand. Upon opening the door one wants the feel, organized storage, and comfort of operation.
Therefore the shift towards factory-made contemporary designs is happening. The discerning clients who travel and experience the comfort of well-organized closets to wear and the store are on the rise.
The world is now one large country, people are traveling to different time zones and seasons. One has to be ready with all types of clothing year-round. Given this situation, organized storage is required within the closets, and ease of retrieval comes on top. The extent of organizing is wide and many companies specialize in assisting with great ideas which attract the end-user.
Customization is a major attraction when it comes to local manufacture, which is a well-accepted norm in our conditions. People come looking for solutions and our job is to give them the needed help within reason of the asking and the suitability of the hardware being used.
It is in the bespoke category when customization is asked. The skill here is to design and manufacture and install flawlessly as opposed to creating a site by carpenters.
Input product companies like the surface material innovators aren’t lagging behind either. They are bringing out newer finishes and methods to apply. Hardware and accessorizing options are racing too. Also, closets are not limited to just storage cupboards. So, designing them requires well thought and planning for designers. That’s where focused people like me come in.
| Also see: The art of classical interior design (incl. wardrobe door designs) |
The challenge, when one opts for a factory-made product, the civil work at the site has to be to the T. Geometry hits you hard, and handling the same subsequently is very difficult. So, good site supervision can lick this problem. Timelines will be controlled and favorable. The end product is superior in the finish, feel and longevity isn’t compromised.
All factory-made closets whether free-standing or walk-in are placed and we don’t anchor them to the wall. So, when the same is placed, the sides if in a niche, the top will have a clearance margin. This is a matter of detailing, you can address it. Or a groove too can be shown, there are solutions.
Also, with sliding systems, for the top hung mechanism, one has to leave a service gap of 60mm plus above it and the bottom guide requires space. You can fix a filler behind the slider to avoid dust accumulation.
Basically, when a carpenter builds a closet on-site the errors of the civil work get hidden, camouflaged and on spot, decisions are made. So, once fixed, the carpentered closets can be only broken and taken out and have zero salvage value.
The raw material needs a sense of confidence that the product has quality. This is just a myth, manufacturers will specify everything and put it on paper and use the same and also offer a warranty with service for a period, 7 to 10yrs.
But, to fuse and merge a factory-made closet with the rest of the furniture, wall paneling, beds, study, and dresser requires a keen eye and prior understanding, that’s where our role comes in. All it requires is a discussion prior to closing the job.
| Also see: 9 trendy sliding wardrobe door designs for all decor schemes |
1.Openable doors with soft-closing hinges
2.Sliding, with two-three and four doors
3.Walk-in concepts
4.Full glass in aluminum profiles on hinges
5.L shaped wardrobes with a corner
| Also see: Are walk-in wardrobes really worth it? |
When one opts for 4 options out of 5, the structure of the wardrobe is plywood of requisite thickness, 18 mm or 25mm duly finished with a laminate of your choice on both sides and edge band on the sides. Levelers too ensure it remains placed at the water level. Also, all partitions, shelves too will have one of the two thicknesses fixed with hardware, one can remove it and move it up or down.
The back panel is 6/8mm ply. Also, the wardrobe drawer will have under-mounted rail soft-closing, bottom, back and sides, and front in plywood. The 5th option is all sides glass closets with structural side profile Tetrix and Glix doors and glass back panel.
The core material of the wardrobe will be plywood and the surface of one’s choice, such as laminate, acrylic, veneer with high gloss, veneer with matt finish, ceramic, lacquer in high gloss, matt. They will be lockable.
Aluminum profile with glass, back painted, tinted, rimless, or with edge duly anodized in a standard range. Moreover, the aluminum profile is duly anodized in a few options doors with glass.
Heights- up to 2700mm
Depth – 600mm
Width 450-600mm
Hinges – Clip Top soft closing
Sliding doors of plywood wardrobe, the surface can be laminate, acrylic, veneer with high gloss, veneer with matt finish, ceramic, lacquer in high gloss, matt.
Moreover, sliding on aluminum profile, the surface can be laminate, acrylic, veneer with high gloss, veneer with matt finish, ceramic, lacquer in high gloss, matt.
Heights – up to 2700mm
Depth – 600mm
Width – depends on the number of doors and the sliding system selected.
Hardware – we use only European sliders
Walk-in closet concepts work on broadly three options, a full carcass of wardrobe in plywood and movable shelves, drawers, hanging rods.
Moreover, walk-in closet with aluminum profile and structures (Tetrix Structural side profile) by few brands and you build your configuration of shelves, drawers, hanging, shoe racks, open baskets. The structure uses floor, wall, or ceiling fixtures.
Also, walk-in closet concepts (Boiserie ) with back panel fixed on a wall with a profile which has slots to hang shelves, units, hanging rods, and make organized storage.
Height – up to 2700mm
Depth – since it opens the shelves can be 450 to 550mm
Glass closets with structural side profile Tetrix and Glix doors and glass back panel. Also, glass on all four sides or three depending on where you place them. Many a time they serve as room dividers.
It comes with accessories, a hanging rod, glass shelves, a shoe rack, a set of drawers, trouser holders, raster module.
Height – 2649mm max
Depth – 578mm
Width – 468/660/960mm modules
Hinges – Soft closing
When you need to utilize a corner, you can do the hinged door, hinged combined with sliding. Also, all other features will be as per the above-described options except the full glass closets. Long hanging or just two levels of hanging or even to park a trolley bag in the corner. So, a lot can happen in the corner, it’s sheer space.
You can either purchase closet hardware and material separately. A fabricator will; thereafter, assemble the fittings together and design a bespoke wardrobe. Or, you can purchase designer wardrobes from some premium brands.
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With the above, we can additionally make beds, TV Units, dressers, chest of drawers, shoe storage units to maintain the language of wardrobe design, colour, door style, feel and finish & material such as plywood, wood, etc. We can also make bathroom vanities with them.
You can shorten the timeline and achieve a given targeted date. So, no more stress for the client, designers, or architects with a factory-made range of furniture. I am sure we are all moving in that direction, finally!
The author – Mr. Balbir Singh (www.balbirsingh.in) has over 20 years of experience in designing for multiple international brands in India. He is based out of Mumbai and can be reached at info@balbirsingh.in
If you want to buy top-quality wardrobes from the best brands, click on the link given below to check your options and submit your inquiries:
For more details, contact below: WhatsApp Number: +91-9967632127 (Only message; no calls) Email: support@buildingandinteriors.com |
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