Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Oct 22, 2013 4:39 pm Hi Peoples I have a question that is all about built-in wardrobes & whether to go to the ceiling or not. Many people have said I am crazy for not planning on going to the ceiling however since I have art deco decorative panels in my house that are in the centre of each rooms ceiling I don't want to make these off centre with a wardrobe built to the ceiling or installing a bulkhead & having the wardrobe stop short. Seriously the to do & not to do is driving me insane - I'm dreaming about it at night! My house is around the 1930's I suspect & has good bones & mainly original features although clearly many people have tried fixing windows & doors over the years resulting in a mismatch of the all. I want to stop this right now & start getting some tasteful life back into my humble little abode. The house currently has zero storage & I want to install a couple of built-in wardrobes. I have picked out the style of door I want but am struggling with whether to stop short of the 9ft ceilings at 2300mm (just below the vents) & put a small decorative cornice around the top (in the same style as the ceiling / wall) to give it a finished look or whether to go to the roof. I'm convinced going to the roof with look silly as it will uncentre the decorative diamond panels. Has anybody had a similar situation or got advice / pictures? Thanks in advance Your first time home buyer & renovator! Re: Built-In Wardrobes - To the Ceiling or Stop Short! 2Oct 22, 2013 7:10 pm Assuming you have high ceilings (you said circa 1930s), and you're short on storage, I think you'd be crazy not going to the ceiling. But I'd go as two sections - main lower section and a top section for storage. See below pic of what I mean. I think it'd be odd not going to the ceiling, and so much dust and dirt to end up on top! As for off center features on the ceiling, you probably wouldn't notice. People don't naturally look above eye height. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 4 Re: Built-In Wardrobes - To the Ceiling or Stop Short! 3Oct 22, 2013 7:33 pm I'd be inclined to save the ceilings and make sure they remain centred and intact. We had a federation semi and kept built ins to below the picture rail which was about 2.7m anyway so heaps of space. Once you start mucking around with any of the original character you are going to feel it when you eventually sell. Admittedly there will be slightly less space in the robe and a lot of dust will build up on top of the cupboard if not cleaned regularly but these are small compromises in my book compared to the alternative. Best of luck with whatever you choose to do though. http://camdenbuild.blogspot.com.au/ by invite only please pm me Re: Built-In Wardrobes - To the Ceiling or Stop Short! 4Oct 23, 2013 11:14 am robbie55 I'd be inclined to save the ceilings and make sure they remain centred and intact. We had a federation semi and kept built ins to below the picture rail which was about 2.7m anyway so heaps of space. Once you start mucking around with any of the original character you are going to feel it when you eventually sell. Admittedly there will be slightly less space in the robe and a lot of dust will build up on top of the cupboard if not cleaned regularly but these are small compromises in my book compared to the alternative. Best of luck with whatever you choose to do though. I agree. We too had a Federation house with deco ceilings, and with the light fixtures right in the middle of big rosette thingys. We had built ins that went to the ceiling and it did not look good at all. We then removed the top row of the builtins (they were wood framed, constructed like that) and put a sort of matching decorative strip along the top front edge. It was now a dust catcher on top, and less storage, but was the character of the house. In the end it is a value judgement for you - a bit more storage and no dust, or maintain the Federation era. No rights or wrongs here. Cheers Re: Built-In Wardrobes - To the Ceiling or Stop Short! 6Oct 23, 2013 4:43 pm Hey Mate, Sounds great. Really appreciable. 1800 SHADE MASTER Re: Built-In Wardrobes - To the Ceiling or Stop Short! 7Oct 23, 2013 5:50 pm Thanks for all the replies Yes I think I will stay with my original idea of having it stop short to maintain the heritage look of the place. The doors I love will actually be timber & glass & perhaps be a bit Japanese style but I'm hoping by adding a decorative top it should tie in alright. I think laying some newspaper across the top should help catch the dust & make it easy to clean up from. Now to find somebody to make them & not blow the budget! http://www.deanedirect.co.uk/wardrobe-s ... l-wood-oak DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair We purchased a 1960s property that is on timber stumps mostly, and a newer section is on concrete stumps. We had a building inspection initially and they reported some… 0 12742 Strong enough for what? For linen, absolutely. To climb on, no. I've got similar shelving in my garage and it holds a decent amount of weight. 900 wide shelves will carry… 1 4193 |