A chic alternative to traditional door styles
There’s something undeniably sophisticated about sliding wardrobe doors. The way they sweep aside to reveal your beautifully organised clothing, and then effortlessly glide back into place with the softest touch. It brings a little added theatre to your everyday life.
And if there wasn’t enough to love about them already, the best thing about sliding wardrobe doors is that they can be styled in so many ways to create a commanding focal point in your interior. There are lots of ways to incorporate them into your home, too - sometimes in places other than your bedroom!
From the dramatically bold to the delicately subtle, we’ve got plenty of sliding wardrobe ideas to inspire your interior design. Let’s take a look…
1. Bring in harmonious wood finishes
Textures add variety and interest to your interior design, especially when they draw inspiration from the natural world. Adding a wood finish to your sliding wardrobe doors brings in a calming atmosphere ideal for bedrooms and is a fantastic look to choose if you’re wanting something Scandi inspired.
Dark or light wood finishes both look good. A deep, rich walnut finish is amazing for bringing a sophisticated, mature feel to a bedroom. Whereas lighter tones can evoke a fresh and invigorating mountain cabin feel.
This sliding wardrobe idea works in virtually any bedroom design, giving it a timeless quality that looks chic even if your room style changes further down the line.
2. Full-length mirrors for convenience
Sophisticated. Practical. Space-saving. We love how full-length mirrors look on sliding wardrobe doors.
They’re the perfect combination of form and function, making it simple to get ready in the morning, while also reflecting plenty of light into your space.
As an extra teeny-tiny benefit, they also won’t take up any extra room on your wall, either.
So if you’re working with a smaller room and you need to make smarter design choices, this is one sliding wardrobe idea that will get you big results.
3. Glass adds a subtle lustre
Want to elevate your design to one that’s ultra stylish?
Coloured glass is where it’s at. If you’re going for a specific colourway in your space, these panels are great for tying your whole scheme together and making a cohesive aesthetic.
Glossy surfaces also help to catch the light, reflecting it into your space to make it feel more open and airy.
And with a variety of hues to choose from, it’s easy to find a colour that matches your preferences.
4. Blush tones for a soft aesthetic
A sliding wardrobe idea that’s ideal for creating a soothing and calm ambience is adding blush tones into your design.
Soft blossom colours like pinks, peaches and creams all combine to make a wonderfully understated yet luxurious design.
To really bring out the best of this design scheme, drop in little touches of warm metallics, like rose-gold light fittings or furniture with bronze accents. You’ll be amazed at what a difference it can make!
5. Create drama with single panels
Sometimes simplicity can create the most dramatic effect.
The sleek, linear appeal of single panel sliding wardrobe doors looks absolutely stunning in contemporary bedrooms - especially when they’re paired up with a statement finish.
While woods can look fantastic in a single panel design, so can plain colour finishes.
If you’re working with a room with a lower ceiling, the clean lines of a single panel sliding wardrobe can also help to give the impression of extra height.
6. Add them onto landing storage
For those lucky enough to have room for landing storage, it’s well worth taking a look at sliding wardrobe doors to finish off your design. They’re a fantastic space-saving option because their doors don’t open out into the corridor, and when you’re fighting for room, this can be a huge benefit!
No more blocking the thoroughfare as you rummage to find decorations. With the glide of a door, you can easily access everything you need from your landing storage. And with so many styles of door to choose from, it’s an absolute doddle to find a look that will blend into the background.
7. Great even for sloping ceilings
Sloping ceilings? No problem - sliding doors can fit beautifully into these spaces, too.
They’re a superb way to maximise your space in rooms with awkward geometry because they’re designed to be completely customised and made to measure.
Sliding doors can also be super handy at hiding tricky geometry as well…
By bringing the door fronts forward to where the slope begins, you can effectively conceal any dropped ceiling spaces to even out the look of your room. How’s that for clever design?
8. Dark tones for a brooding look
One sliding wardrobe idea that never fails to create a dramatic atmosphere is to use panels with dark, rich shades. Statement colours like Midnight Blue and Graphite are perfect for creating that brooding ambience.
Mature and striking, these colours look superb as they are but can also be paired up with darker wood finishes to create a subtle contrast.
They’re also very handy if you find it easier to drift off to sleep by cocooning yourself in darkness. These deep tones are super restful and a great alternative to brighter neutrals.
9. Mix up finishes for a high-end feel
The beauty of sliding wardrobe doors is that they let you discover your own style with a variety of different configurations.
Our own range gives you 11 different door styles with 24 finishes so you can discover a look that suits your home and personality to a tee.
Combining different textures like wood and glass together can create a wonderful luxe aesthetic, and with so many panel designs to choose from, you’ll find yourself spoilt for choice when it comes to creating your own stylish bedroom visuals.
10. Use neutrals and go pure minimalist
The reason neutrals are so popular is because they blend into just about anywhere. But they’re also fresh and revitalising, bringing a lightness to your room that enhances your morning routine.
With the pared back look of a plain neutral finish, you can create a sleek minimalist aesthetic for your bedroom where your sliding wardrobe doors complement the scheme, rather than dominate it.
So in this way, you can let your ornaments do the talking, while the rest of your design blends harmoniously into the background.
11. Vary up your panel sizes for added interest
If you’re wondering what style of sliding wardrobe door to choose, there’s a lot to be said for selecting ones with varied panel sizes.
Styles like a Triple Wide use larger panels at the top and smaller panels at the bottom to almost create a cascading effect. Whereas a Penta Mid uses three smaller panels in the middle to make a vivid focal point at the centre.
Combined with different finishes, these door styles can create a magnificent high-end aesthetic. A real show-stopper for master bedrooms.
12. Use equal sized panels for Japanese style chic
Equal-sized panels can look fantastic as well, though. A Penta Equal - where all five panels are the same size - can bring to mind the visuals of a Japanese shoji screen.
And when used with wood finishes or neutrals, it’s the ideal complement to interior styles like japandi, zen and minimalism.
Mixing and matching finishes can still create a wonderful visual effect, however, don’t be shy about using the same finish throughout.
13. Make them maximise smaller bedrooms
Sliding wardrobe doors are the saviour of narrow or small bedrooms because they let you easily access all your storage despite the restricted space.
You don’t have to worry about banging doors on your furniture or struggling to reach things right at the back - everything is ready to hand with just a sweep of the doors.
14. Add more depth with all mirrors
We’ve already looked at the benefits of a full-length mirror on your sliding wardrobe doors. But what about all full-length mirrors?
This fabulous sliding wardrobe idea is amazing at adding extra depth to your room by reflecting it fully, creating the illusion of an interior twice as large.
It also acts as a suntrap to bring plenty of light into your space. So even in rooms that are quite shaded, they can still feel bright and airy.
15. Bring sliding doors into dressing rooms
Mirrors are a cornerstone of interior design. They’re practical, they reflect more light into the room, and they add that much-needed sense of depth to smaller spaces.
A good rule of thumb is to choose the largest mirror you can accommodate for maximum impact.
But if all you can fit in is a small statement wall mirror, that will look fantastic too. Gloss finishes can have a similar effect and bring a sophisticated feel to bedrooms with their gentle lustre.
16. Use different styles for each door
If you can’t decide which style you like best for your doors, don’t worry. You don’t have to stick with just one type.
Go for a single panel on one, double on another, or even a 4 panel on the next.
Staggered panels and finishes can create a bold, eclectic look that’s all your own. Or you could use single panel doors to separate multi-panel styles to break up your visuals.
Whichever you prefer, sliding wardrobes really give you the chance to get creative.
Discover all the inspiration you need at Sharps
Our designers have plenty of sliding wardrobe ideas, so if you want to explore the possibilities with an expert, just book a free no-obligation design visit today.
Everything we make is completely bespoke and created with you in mind. No matter your style, we’ll help you create storage that captures your home’s personality.
