The short answer
If your bed sits closer to the wardrobe than one door is wide, choose sliding doors: nothing swings, so the walkway stays clear. If there is room for a door to open fully, hinged doors let you see the whole wardrobe at once and cost less to fit.
In this guide
Hinged doors don’t open fully here
How much room does a hinged door need?
A hinged door swings out as far as it is wide. We never hang a wardrobe door wider than 2ft, because a wider one starts to sag on its hinges, so plan for about that much clear floor in front of the wardrobe, plus room to stand while it is open.
In the bedroom above, the wardrobe's widest door is 2ft 1in and the space between the wardrobe and the foot of the bed is 1ft 5in. The doors over the bed cannot open fully. That is the most common way a hinged wardrobe fights a bedroom, and it is only noticed once both are in.
Sliding and hinged, side by side
| Hinged | Sliding | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor space in front | One door’s width | None |
| Depth | 2ft | 2ft |
| What you see at once | The whole wardrobe | Half, or two-thirds |
| Narrowest we build | Any wardrobe we make | 5 ft wide and more |
| Loft above | Hinged doors | Hinged doors |
| Price | Costs less to fit | Costs more: the track and rollers |
| Upkeep | Hinges may need adjusting | Keep the bottom track free of dust |
A loft above a sliding wardrobe still has hinged doors: a track that high is hard to reach and harder to keep running. The hardware for both is named on every quote. Hinges and channels explains the brands and what soft-close means.
Try both on our wardrobe
Sliding panels are wide, so two or three cover the whole wardrobe, and one always sits in front of another. Hinged doors line up with the wardrobe’s sections inside, so every door opens onto one section.
Is a sliding wardrobe deeper?
Not ours. We build every wardrobe 2ft deep, sliding or hinged, because clothes on a hanger need at least 1ft 10in inside. A shallower wardrobe hangs clothes at an angle. How deep and tall a wardrobe should be goes through the other sizes.
From our designer
The first thing I check is where the bed goes, not the wardrobe. Once the bed is placed, the answer usually picks itself. The second is the room’s own door: a hinged wardrobe door and the room door opening into the same corner is the clash people notice only after it is built.
— An Ekatan designer
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How to choose
- Measure from the wardrobe wall to where the bed will stand. If it is less than one door’s width, choose sliding.
- Check which way the room door opens. Keep a hinged wardrobe door out of its swing.
- Think about what you reach for every day. If you want to see everything at once, hinged wins where it fits.
- Check the width. Sliding doors need a wardrobe of 5 ft or more.
- Mix them if the room asks for it. Hinged doors on a short wall and sliding doors on the long one work well in one room.
Common questions
Do sliding wardrobe doors last as long as hinged ones?
Yes, with a good track and rollers. Your quote names the brand of both.
Can a sliding wardrobe have a loft?
Yes. The loft has its own hinged doors, because a track that high is hard to reach.
Which costs more?
Sliding doors cost more to fit because of the track and rollers. Plan both on your own floor plan and the price updates as you go.
Can I change my mind later?
Yes. Switch the doors while you plan and the price updates as you go. Once you submit, your designer can still change it before your final quote is sent.
Related guides
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