How Are Wardrobe, Dressing Room and Storage Planned?
What decides the wardrobe and dressing area in a villa and in an apartment?
The wardrobe and dressing area decision starts with three questions in a villa and in an apartment alike: how much clothing, open or closed, and where the light comes from. In a high-end home these answers set the same program in a villa and in an apartment: bedroom, dressing room and bathroom planned together as a master suite.
- Clothing ratio: the share of hanging rail, drawers and shelving is set by the type of clothing; the table below shows the ratio.
- Open or closed: the dressing area can be shut behind a door, or left visible from the bedroom through a glass partition or fluted glass wardrobe doors.
- Light: concealed LED and track spots light the inside and the front of the wardrobe together; both apartment examples in this article use this solution.
- Size: the room or the wardrobe line is drawn at survey, after the clothing has been counted.
The sections below show how these decisions work first in a villa, then in an apartment, with examples.
How is the dressing room connected to the bedroom in a villa?
In a villa, the dressing room connects to the bedroom in one of two ways: as a separate room behind a closed door, or left visible from the bedroom through a glass partition. Both are valid; the choice depends on the size of the bedroom and how much privacy someone wants while getting dressed in the morning.
In a villa we completed in Gölbaşı, the second route was chosen: the villa dressing room was left visible from the bedroom through a glass partition behind the headboard wall; the shelving and rail unit work almost like a display case together with the lighting. In another villa in Ümitköy, the dressing room was closed off behind its own door; inside, the mirror, drawers and rail section were built as a room independent from the bedroom.
What determines how a wardrobe is divided inside?
The inside of a wardrobe is divided by the ratio of hanging rail, drawers and shelving; this ratio changes with the type of clothing, and the same logic applies in both an apartment and a villa.
| Section | What it is used for | Typical height |
|---|---|---|
| Long hanging rail | Coats, dresses | Close to the ceiling |
| Short hanging rail | Shirts, jackets | Mid-level |
| Drawers | Underwear, accessories | Lower level, waist height |
| Open shelving | Bags, folded sweaters | Eye level |
In the Ümitköy example, the long rail was placed behind the door, the short rail and drawers in the middle block, and open shelving on the top row at eye level; this layout gave a separate section for both coats and shirts.
Is storage in a villa planned only in the bedroom?
No; storage in a villa is spread across the kitchen, basement, pantry and sometimes the space under the stairs. The wardrobe in the bedroom only holds everyday clothing; seasonal items and extra storage move to another space.
We covered the kitchen storage decision in our Kitchen, Living Room and Garden Transition in a Villa article; this one completes the subject from the bedroom and dressing room side. The villa storage decision is made at survey stage together with the question of where each category of belongings will be kept.
How are a dressing room and a master suite built in an apartment?
In 4+1 apartments the dressing room is connected to the master bedroom: the bathroom is entered through the dressing room, and you dress in the same place when you leave it. We call this layout, with bedroom, dressing room and master bathroom planned together, a master suite; the same program is built in a villa and in an apartment.
Within what the building allows, we break through the walls between rooms to open a new room. In 3+1 apartments we turn the bedroom next to the master bedroom into a dressing room and join it to the master bedroom. Work such as demolishing walls or replacing the floor covering is first reported to the building management; we explained these steps in our Does an Apartment Renovation Require a Building Permit? article.
In the Beysu Konakları - Flat project (Beysukent, 230 m², 2025) the dressing area was built inside the bedroom as an L-shaped layout against two walls. The wardrobes close with fluted glass doors; the rails and shelves stay visible behind the glass, with drawers below. There are concealed ceiling LEDs and track spots, and an illuminated oval full-length mirror beside the wardrobe line. In this apartment dressing room solution the bedroom and the dressing area remain within the same volume.
In the Park Oran Flat project we designed in Oran (280 m², 2026), the dressing area is conceived as a separate volume: glass-fronted hanging sections on both sides, a central island with drawers, and a ceiling lit by concealed LED strips.
The two examples show the same thing: the volume the plan allows decides the form of the dressing area, while the inside of the wardrobe is divided by the same ratio as in a villa.
An example project from Beysukent
Beysu Konakları - Flat
How does the dressing area differ between a villa and an apartment?
The difference lies not in the logic of the contents but in how the volume is obtained: in a villa the master suite is set out when the plan is drawn, in an apartment the same suite is built within what the building allows, by joining rooms or breaking through walls. The rail, drawer and shelf logic inside is the same in both.
| Topic | Villa | Apartment |
|---|---|---|
| Place | A separate room, or a volume behind the bedroom with a glass partition (Gölbaşı, Ümitköy) | A dressing room and bathroom connected to the bedroom (master suite); a separate volume (Oran); an L-shaped layout inside the bedroom (Beysukent) |
| How the volume is obtained | The plan is drawn from the start; the room grows to fit the clothing ratio | Walls are broken through within what the building allows; in a 3+1 the neighbouring bedroom can be joined to the master bedroom |
| Storage | Spread across the kitchen, basement, pantry and under the stairs | Most apartments have no basement or under-stair space; storage is written into wardrobes and rooms |
| Inside the wardrobe | Long rail, short rail, drawers, open shelving | The same ratio |
How are the dressing room and wardrobe measured at survey?
At survey, the number and type of clothing (coats, dresses, shirts, shoes) is discussed first, then the rail-drawer-shelf ratio is set according to that count; the size of the room or partition is drawn last, based on this ratio.
The same ratio logic is applied tighter in a small apartment; we explained how storage is distributed at a 60-100 m² scale in our How to Use Space in a 60-100 m² Apartment? article.
Umut GÜRLER is an interior architect and a graduate of Çankaya University Interior Architecture; he has worked since 2009 (more than 17 years) on villa, office and clinic interiors in Ankara, and his office is in Cepa Ofis Kule. The examples in this article come from his own villa and apartment projects.
Frequently asked questions about wardrobe, dressing room and storage in a villa and in an apartment
Should the dressing room be visible from the bedroom?
Not necessarily; it can be left visible through a glass partition or closed off behind a door. The choice depends on room size and the desire for privacy.
How is the inside of a wardrobe divided?
A long rail for coats and dresses is placed close to the ceiling, a short rail for shirts at mid-level, drawers at the lower level, and open shelving at eye level.
Is storage in a villa only in the bedroom?
No; it is also spread across the kitchen, basement, pantry and under-stair space. The bedroom wardrobe only holds everyday clothing.
How is the dressing room size determined?
First the number and type of clothing is discussed, then the rail-drawer-shelf ratio is calculated from that; the room size is drawn last, based on this ratio.
Does a glass-partitioned dressing room suit every villa?
No; it suits a bedroom with enough combined floor area where the owner wants the dressing area to stay visible, otherwise a closed room is preferred.
How are a master suite and dressing room built in an apartment?
In a 4+1 apartment the dressing room connects to the master bedroom and bathroom; we call this a master suite. Within what the building allows, walls between rooms are broken through; in a 3+1 the bedroom next to the master can be turned into a dressing room and joined to the master bedroom.
How does the dressing area decision differ between a villa and an apartment?
The program is the same: a master suite. In a villa the volume is set out from the start; in an apartment it is built by joining rooms within what the building allows. The rail, drawer and shelf logic inside the wardrobe is the same in both.
