So you need a wardrobe?

By Promise Twinamukye

“The last thing I wanted was a wardrobe that would stack up my studio because I needed all the space I could get to fit my other stuff,” Sauda Murungi says as she recounts the time she was starting life as an independent person.
She was looking for something that would give her space to fix most of her clothes.

She opted for a wooden free standing wardrobe, customised in a way that she could hang her clothes and get space to fold more. This wardrobe, she says, also has a firm upper base to help her keep big bags thus creating more space in her house.

“I like it. It is not too big, but keeps all my clothes and on top of it, there is space for the big bags. All this was for a paltry Shs150, 000,” she says.
As they built her two storeyed house, Rose, a mother of three in Seguku thought it wise to have inbuilt wardrobes to do away with the circus of having a movable one.

“And it paid off. I did not have to incur more costs for a wardrobe after the house was done. The two drawers on each compartment help in stacking books and files that do not fit in the library, or playthings for my kids in their rooms,” she said.

With a storage compartment above the main wardrobe, suitcases and big bags can be seen arranged there when the door to the compartment opens. She said she can even keep the hand bags she rarely uses in the upper compartments.
There are, however, other types like customised installed or free standing wardrobes which you get to change in whichever position you want, whenever the creative side of you awakens.

Important detail
According to Leo Felix, interior designer Danube Homes, to create effortless tidiness, it is important for your wardrobe to match the bed set in your room.
“Someone will buy a white bed set, with the hope of buying a matching wardrobe later. At times, they go back when the desired choice is out of stock and thus settle for whatever is available,” he says adding that it is wise to buy a wardrobe and bed set at the same time.

The number of doors and shelves also matter.
Some wardrobes will come with a hanging rod, while others will miss that detail, though it is important to have one especially for women with dresses that need to be hung for maintenance.

Others have lighting options so you do not have to turn on the bedroom light while choosing what to wear.
For security purposes, advanced wardrobes come with drawers whose locking system will ensure only authorised people access the valuables within.
Talking about material, Leo says that lacquer finished wood would be a preferable material because it is easy to maintain.

Pricing
In Najjanankumbi, Wakiso District, customised wardrobes are priced according to type, material and style.
Free standing wardrobes can be custom made starting from Shs650, 000.

Fixed or installed wardrobes cost about Shs1.3m depending on the size of the bedroom.
A walk in wardrobe (closet) goes for Shs2.5m depending on the size of the room and the material with which you want it built.
On Namugongo road, Kireka, customised wardrobes are also a trend.

Installing one will range from Shs1.8m to Shs2m depending on the house size.
A walk in wardrobe also depends on the materials, style and size anticipated of your closet. The regular price starts from Shs2.5m.
On Namuwongo road, a free standing wardrobe starts from Shs700, 000 depending on the material and type of wardrobe needed.

For online vendors, a free standing wardrobe ranges from £800 (about Shs3.9m) to £1200 (about Shs5.9m).
The foldable (fabric) wardrobes, which are mainly used by people with lighter things, and always on the move, are available at prices ranging from Shs100, 000 to Shs200, 000 depending on the size downtown Kampala. Upscale market on Burton Street starts from Shs170, 000.

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