Reach-in closet modules or wardrobe cabinets?
The short answer
If the cabinets go inside a closet that has its own door, choose reach-in modules: 16″ deep and open at the front. If they stand on an open wall, in a bedroom or a roomy walk-in, choose wardrobe cabinets: 22″ deep and shut with doors. Both come in the same 21 interiors.
- Depth and doors are one choice: 16″ and open, or 22″ with doors. There’s no 16″ with doors and no open 22″.
- The wardrobe cabinet’s extra depth goes inside: 20-1/2″ deep inside against 14-1/2″, with deeper shelves and drawers.
- Doors keep dust off and make a bedroom wall look built in. Behind a closet door they’re a second set of doors to open.
- A wardrobe’s door swings out as far as it is wide, so it needs clear floor in front of it.
Two cabinets, one decision
We build closet cabinets at two depths, and the depth comes with its front:
- Reach-in closet modules are 16″ deep and open at the front. They are made to go inside a closet that already has a door.
- Wardrobe cabinets are 22″ deep and shut with slab doors on soft-close hinges. They are made to stand on a wall with no closet door in front of them.
Both come in the same 21 interiors, 18″ to 33″ wide and 84″ or 92-5/8″ tall, built from the same board with the same hardware. In the Closet Builder a closet is one depth throughout.
What the extra 6″ buys
The wardrobe cabinet is 6″ deeper, and all of it is inside: the doors sit on the front.
| On a 24″ wide cabinet | Reach-in module, 16″ | Wardrobe cabinet, 22″ |
|---|---|---|
| Depth inside | 14-1/2″ | 20-1/2″ |
| Each shelf | 15-1/8″ deep | 21-1/8″ deep |
| Each drawer, inside | 12-3/8″ deep | 18-1/4″ deep |
| Front | Open | Slab doors, soft-close |
A clothes hanger is a little wider than 16″, so in a reach-in module your shirts stand about an inch proud of the front, which is fine inside a closet. Behind a wardrobe cabinet’s doors there is room for them with the doors shut.
The doors
Every door is a slab, one flat panel with square edges, cut from the same board as the cabinet so it can’t drift in color. It covers the whole front of the cabinet (full overlay), closes itself softly, and opens to 86°, wide enough to reach everything without hitting the door or wall beside it.
- A cabinet under 24″ wide takes one door, hinged on the side you choose. From 24″ it takes a pair.
- On a cabinet with drawers, the doors cover the top section and the drawers keep their own fronts.
- A cabinet with doors that ends against a wall stands 1″ off it, so its door can open without binding.
Which goes where
Inside a reach-in closet: reach-in modules. The closet door is already the door. Wardrobe cabinets there would mean opening two doors to get a shirt, and in a closet about 24″ deep, a 22″ cabinet leaves no room for the closet door to close in front of its pulls.
On a bedroom wall, with no closet: wardrobe cabinets. The doors keep the dust off and the clothes out of sight, and a row of them reads as a built-in wall of storage.
In a walk-in: it depends on the floor. Open modules take less of the room and have nothing to swing; wardrobe cabinets hold deeper drawers and shelves and keep a walk-in tidy to look at. A door swings out as far as it is wide, so keep wardrobe cabinets for a walk-in with room in front of every wall. Reach-in or walk-in has the arithmetic. In a walk-in’s corners the back wall’s corner stretch never takes doors or drawers, because the side run stands in front of it.
What’s the same
Everything else: 3/4″ thermally fused laminate with matching edges, a 3″ integral kick with the sides running to the floor, an open back with two rails that carry the cabinet on the wall, steel connectors at every joint, soft-close drawers that pull all the way out, chrome T-bar pulls, and a lifetime limited warranty. Both come flat-packed, with delivery included, and both have their own step-by-step assembly guide.
Questions we get
Can I get a reach-in module with doors?
No. Depth and doors go together: the 16″ module is open and the 22″ wardrobe cabinet has doors. If you want doors, choose wardrobe cabinets.
Do the drawers on a wardrobe cabinet sit behind the doors?
No. On a wardrobe cabinet with drawers, the doors cover the top section and the drawers keep their own fronts below them.
Can I mix 16″ and 22″ cabinets in one closet?
In the Closet Builder a closet is one depth throughout. If your space needs both, call us and we’ll go through it with you.
Which way does a single door open?
A cabinet under 24″ wide has one door, and you choose which side it’s hinged on. Swing it away from whatever stands beside it. From 24″ wide the cabinet takes a pair.
Ready to plan yours?
Lay out your closet cabinet by cabinet and see it priced live, built to the measurements you give us.
