We’ve done it again. We created a truly breathtaking piece of fitted furniture. This time around we worked in a very highly specified new build home. The clients had left an opening in the master bedroom for bespoke wardrobes. They wanted to go for a very comptemporary look with Sandstone Gloss Doors with a Dark Walnut trim and interior.

The space in the master bedroom lent itself very well to truly fitted wardrobes. This is to say that we manufactured the wardrobes to be 640mm deep to maximise the available space. All rails were positioned exactly based on the garments that the clients own. The storage solution consisted of a very good mix of hanging space, internal drawer storage, and shelving.

As per usual, we worked closely with the clients right through the project cycle – from inception to completion. That is why we can confidently say that we make wardrobes to fit your lifestyle.

That’s right. You read correctly, we are going to be doing (fitted) sliding door wardrobes very soon.

When I started the business, I decided to focus solely on hinged doors. The reason for this was because I didn’t want to try and do too many things too quickly. The aim was to establish the business with high quality hinged door wardrobes backed up with excellent customer service. The long list of customers would testify that we have certainly lived up to this aim.

So, what’s changed? Well, in recent months I have had to turn away a number of new enquiries purely because we couldn’t supply sliding door wardrobes. Now in anyone’s eyes that is not good business practice. However, I was honest with the clients and said that I would rather so “no” upfront than take on potential orders and then let them down.

So, in light of the obvious demand for fitted sliding door wardrobes, I started making some enquiries within the fitted bedroom sector. I found there were quite a few manufacturers in the marketplace. As with most things in life, I also found that you get what you pay for. As our company reputation is built on high quality products backed up by excellent customer service, I immediately ruled out about half of the companies I had come across.

In the end I managed to shortlist down to 3 potential suppliers. Each supplier has their own respective strengths and weaknesses. But, one thing is for sure – they all produce an excellent range of products which fit our company slogan: wardrobes to fit your lifestyle. As I type this, I have scheduled meetings with all 3 suppliers and have also requested guided tours of their manufacturing facilities.

I am hoping to have appointed a sole supplier by the end of August 2011.

Watch this space…

Last week was quite a week for The Fitted Wardrobe Company.

On Thursday 16th June we made our television debut. I have to say it was brilliant show. Very informative and thought-provoking. Andrea and Steven Murphy looked like natural television stars alongside Sarah Beeny. And, how can I forget how fabulous our wardrobes looked in their master bedroom. Just for your information, we supplied them in a raw MDF finish. The door style was Shaker. They weren’t quite floor-to-ceiling as Andrea had requested that we stop them before the ceiling and give them the framed look so that they are more in-keeping with their country cottage. If you missed the show on Thursday then you can always watch it here

On Friday 17th June we very proud to sponsor the St Luke’s Ladies’ Midnight Walk 2011. St Luke’s Hospice is our nominated local charity. We greatly admire the work that the hospice do in looking after people whose illnesses are no longer curable. Although we sponsored that particular event, we do try and support the Hospice Shops wherever possible by donating unwanted furniture from clients’ homes.

Well done to all the ladies who took part in the walk. It wasn’t the best of weather for the walk, but from what I hear that didn’t dampen your spirits in the slightest. You should all be very proud of yourselves!

You have probably noticed that I make a lot of references to “truly” fitted wardrobes. That is because I am very passionate about my company and extremely proud to say that we supply genuinely fitted wardrobes.

Let me explain what I mean by “truly” fitted. When it comes to furniture for the bedroom there are usually three options, in terms of sizing:

1. freestanding;
2. fitted furniture;
3. truly fitted furniture

Let’s look at each option.

Freestanding furniture is made to standard sizes and mass-produced. The obvious economies of scale mean that this type of furniture is usually cheaper. However, this type of furniture is very inflexible as it offers limited customisation options. Furthermore, unless you are very lucky, it doesn’t utilise all available storage space. See figure 1.

For the purpose of this example, I have assumed that the total available space is 1,478mm wide by 2,563mm height. As you can see, by using freestanding furniture a lot of space is wasted. From an aesthetic point of view, the wasted space would be completely open. This is to say not enclosed by “filler” trim.

I know of several companies that claim to sell fitted wardrobes. What they actually do is supply ready made components and the fitter “makes” them fit. This is to say that the wardrobe would be supplied from stock at 1,200mm wide by 2,250mm high. See figure 2.

Admittedly, there is less wasted space with this option. But, it is still note making the most of the available space. With this option, the wasted space would usually be concealed with filler trim.

Figure 3 shows the space utilisation that is offered by truly fitted furniture. Here you can see that the wardrobe would be supplied as 1,408mm wide by 2,513mm high. You can clearly see that the wasted space is minimal. In fact, only enough space is left around the wardrobe to allow for the trim panels to be scribed to the contour of the walls and ceiling.

I hope this article has helped to explain what I mean by truly fitted wardrobes.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any queries.

Mark Assani
mark@thefittedwardrobe.com

Another spectacular installation by The Fitted Wardrobe Company of London. The clients were looking for a company to design, supply and install a high quality, modern storage solution. A two tone combination was favoured. The wardrobe space had to provide adequate storage as well as a suitable area to house a television.

We worked closely with the clients to develop the initial ideas that they had. We decided to keep the central area open fronted. This provided a convenient space to house the television. On either side were double and single wardrobes.

The wardrobes were supplied with a full oak carcass. The exterior doors and drawer fronts were supplied in a gloss white finish. All external trim was supplied in oak. This gave a truly stunning two-tone finish to the wardrobes.

The clients were delighted with the finished product.

If you want us to work with you to create a truly unique storage solution, please get in touch.

I have an update on our television debut…

Andrea kindly emailed me to say that Channel 4 had confirmed the episode featuring their beautiful home (and our beautiful wardrobes) will be broadcast on 16th June at 8pm.

Andrea also mentioned that the interior designer that had worked with them really loved the wardrobes. To make things even better, the interior designer is based in London. Being the lovely person that Andrea is, she passed on my contact details.

I had promised that I would be posting a video soon. I like to think of this as a behind-the-scenes look. Check it out:

Another superb installation by The Fitted Wardrobe Company of London. We had already installed fitted wardrobes for this client (see part 1). Being very happy with our company, they invited us back in their home to design, supply and install a bespoke dressing area within an alcove in the master bedroom. As usual, we worked closely with the client to design the area to their exact requirement. The dressing area, free-standing chest and triple mirror we supplied matches their wardrobes perfectly. The interior and exterior are in a Dark Walnut finish.