create built-in wardrobes with magazine editor Elle Lovelock
We are thrilled to welcome Home Beautiful magazine editor-in-chief, Elle Lovelock, as a guest writer this week! Elle is a guru when it comes to interiors, so it’s safe to say we were thrilled to pick her brains about the kaboodle range and how she included the product in her own home. Elle speaks to us about how she created her dream custom-look wardrobe with the kaboodle range!
Visitors to my place are always surprised to discover that the wardrobes in my bedroom are actually kaboodle kitchen pantries. If you think about it, most joinery is the same – a collection of carcasses that come in various sizes. The real fun comes into play with the door profiles, colours and finishes. This was the starting point for my design decisions. I knew I wanted the wardrobes to be the same colour and finish as the walls and skirting boards in my bedroom, and kaboodle has a fabulous paint-your-own doors range. We’ve used them over and over on magazine photoshoots to create kitchens, laundries, study nooks… so I thought why not wardrobes? I chose the Alpine profile to echo the shaker doors in my kitchen and bathroom. I love that it complements the Victorian era of my home, but feels contemporary, too. They were painted in Porter’s Paints Woodsmoke Half, a beautiful muddy grey, and finished off with some aged-brass oval-shaped knobs.
So, that’s the design, but what about the function? Being an off-the-shelf product, you need to choose a configuration of units that works for your space. My wall was 2200mm long, so I chose a combination of one 900mm and two 600mm units with the 900mm in the middle for symmetry. The remaining 100mm was just what we needed to create an end-wall that would house the lighting electricals, and add to the look of fitted wardrobes. To make the wardrobes (pantries!) look even more custom, my builders positioned them up on a plinth so we could run the skirting board all the way around the room. They also built a frame around them to create a shadow line – another hallmark of custom joinery.
Inside, I love that all the shelves are adjustable so I can move things around as my wardrobe needs change. The simple installation of some clothes rods, which literally cost about $10 each from the hardware store, are what really transform the pantries into wardrobes. In lieu of drawers, I used wicker baskets, a look I’ve always loved. They make the internals of the wardrobe look more styled – an occupational hazard! Not to mention, they’re my favourite way to organise things in any room.
If you’re thinking about whether to go custom-made of off-the-shelf, I encourage you to have a look at the options kaboodle offers. You really can create a bespoke look, and customising your design is incredible fun.
We hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about Elle’s kaboodle wardrobe design! For more inspiration and ideas, visit our design blog or follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.