How To Plan The Wardrobes And Other Storage Furniture Keeping House Help In Mind?
Indian homes rely on house-hold help for home maintenance and daily chores. The key concerns are security of things and care in maintenance of furniture surfaces while cleaning, to avoid scratches. Hence wardrobes are usually locked. The house-hold helper is usually not allowed to open and access storage spaces for clothes.
However with a fast paced life, both couples are usually working, hence more help is expected from the household helpers.
Can we redesign the furniture and arrange it differently to safely allow the access to house-hold helpers, where necessary?
3 Ideas To Design Storage Furniture To Safely Give Selective Access To The House-hold Help
Categorize items requiring different types of storage & security access needs
Design furniture with features identified to manage each category of item
Plan furniture layout to include the different type’s furniture with feature required to store different item types
1) Categorize Items Requiring Different Types Of Storage & Security Access Needs Items At Homes Usually Can Be Classified Into 4 Types:
- Valuables like Jewelry,
- Personal items like expensive & exclusive clothing.
- Non-personal items like towels, bed sheets, pillow covers, night wear, under-garments and Gym clothes
- Seldom used seasonal items like travel items, suitcases, back packs, winter wear, & quilts.
Storage requirements and security access for each of these categories is quite different and it offers a good opportunity for design thinking.
For example valuables require less space, features to organize small items like jewelry and watches, Also these need higher security to limit access. Security locks are a must.
Personal items require an organized storage space. Items like party wear, office wear, formal & informal wear. Long dresses, folded dresses, sarees, and accessories etc. need to be considered.
Wardrobes with locks are an ideal solution for such items. In a wardrobe these occupy the most space.
Also the wardrobe can be divided into SHE section for women which requires space for long garments, scarfs etc. The HE section requires mostly space for folded clothes and hanging space for formal coats & jackets.
Non-personal items include items like towels, night wear, gym clothes and undergarments. These can be stored in drawers without locks & security.
A Chest of drawers is best suited for non-personal items. After the daily laundry is done the household help can put them away in drawers even while the main wardrobes are locked. Hence if the home member are busy at work the clothes can be efficiently put away by anyone without any concern about security.
Seldom used items like travel
Goods like suitcases, backpacks, and seasonal clothes don’t need a secure storage space. But they need a good volume and can be kept in lofts above the wardrobes. The depth of the loft can be more than the wardrobe depth and it can project outside the wardrobe depth to accommodate suitcases in standing position. The depth of the loft should be more than the width of the suitcases.
2) Design Furniture With Features Identified To Manage Each Category Of Item.
| Item type | Access to house-hold helper | Security Lock required | Type of furniture best suited |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valuables | No | Yes | Wardrobe with lockable drawers with specialized accessories to organize jewelry, watches etc |
| Personal | No | Yes | Wardrobes with lockable doors |
| Non-Personal | Yes | No | Chest of drawers |
| Seldom Used | Yes | No | Loft with depth more than suitcase width, so that suitcases can be stored in standing position |
SLIDO provides secure locks for made-to-measure, customized wardrobe sliding doors.
3) Plan Furniture Layout To Include The Different Type’s Furniture With Feature Required To Store Different Item Types
It will be best to consider different types of furniture to suit the storage & security requirements of each category of item. These could include the following:
Sliding Door Wardrobes
Floor to ceiling, wide doors for better access, does not require much space in front of the wardrobe, hence suitable even for small rooms, contemporary interior design possibilities with glass/ mirror panels.
Hinge Door Wardrobes
Most suitable when wardrobe width is small requiring less wide doors.
Wardrobes With Overhanging (Projected) Loft
It will be very convenient to store the seldom used items like travel suitcases. We suggest that you consider having at least one wardrobe with loft
Chest of Drawers
The large & deep drawers are very useful for non personal items. Do consider having a chest of drawer in every room if possible.
Furniture surfaces must satisfy 2 important criteria.
They must be easy to maintain to avoid scratches. Also the surface must look contemporary, rich and elegant.
We recommend the you consider Colored glass, Mirrors, Scratch resistant Acrylic boards with glossy or matt finish. For this we suggest that you review the SLIDO Design Collection.
The SLIDO Design Collection
In this we give you the choice to select from a wide range of materials, colors & finishes. You will have the opportunity implement your creative ideas and make your interiors unique.
Our showroom team will guide you through our unique Design Collection, and our Design Catalog and a vast library of design samples. Rest assured that the SLIDO team will help you find the perfect wardrobe sliding door design solution for your home.
