Craft
The Case for Bespoke Joinery
Why the difference between fitted and free-standing is more than visual.
There is a moment on almost every project when a client asks whether the wardrobes could be bought rather than built. It is a reasonable question. The honest answer is that in a loft, they almost never can.
Where free-standing fails
Lofts do not have square rooms. Pitched ceilings, dormer cheeks, chimney breasts and eaves storage all conspire against the assumption that a wardrobe can simply be lifted from a showroom and placed against a wall. Free-standing pieces leave dead space above, awkward gaps at the sides, and unusable volume in the eaves.
Bespoke joinery uses every cubic inch of the room, and quietly disappears into the architecture rather than sitting on top of it. It is one of the few places in a house where good money is unarguably well spent.
What to look for
Solid carcass construction, hand-fitted on site rather than assembled from flat-pack panels. Concealed hinges rated for the door weight, not just the door size. Drawer runners from Blum or equivalent. Interiors in a paler tone than the exterior, so the wardrobe reveals itself when opened.
Ironmongery is where a piece of joinery is finally judged. Solid brass, machined rather than cast, in an unlacquered finish that will age with the house.
In summary
- Loft geometry defeats free-standing wardrobes almost every time.
- Look for solid carcasses, quality runners, hand-fitted installation.
- Judge the piece by its ironmongery.