Difference between armoire and wardrobe

Armoire vs wardrobe

A wardrobe and an armoire are similar pieces of furniture, and differentiating them can be difficult. Choosing one is a matter of character or feature. Look at affordability, space, design, and accessibility as you take your best pick. The article tells you more about each storage unit. 

Armoire

An armoire is a type of wardrobe, which is a bit bigger and has shelves and hanging rails. Armoires are a bit more flexible for usage. The armoire doors make your items accessible, but they can then be closed away for a formal look to the room or living space. 

Armoires are clothing storage named after the French term armoire because this is where weapons were stored. However, it remains under the wardrobe category. 

It can be easily added to a room if you do not have closet space and need a little extra storage to prevent some of your items from being crammed into a closet. An armoire is similar to a closet when it comes to space management. A closet has rods for hanging clothing and one top shelf above the rod for any items you wish to lay flat (Organizedinteriors.com). An armoire has rods for hanging clothing only behind the front doors. 

An Armoire is designed as a tall, narrow closet-like piece of furniture with lockable doors for the storage of firearms, creating an armoury. It is freestanding, built from wood, and has one or two doors and a hanging bar. It sits in space as a piece of furniture.

Armoire is also a French word with French origins, referring to a place to store your tools or arms. You may build an armoire to store your woodworking tools, but if you are waiting on your closet space, you may use the armoire. The first storage armoires were chests, but they did not fit into anything. That is why they became taller, freestanding closets.

armoire-white-and-brown

Pros

  • Spacious
  • Versatile 
  • Smooth
  • Secure

Cons

  • Not affordable

Wardrobe

Wardrobes are often designed more with hanging clothes in mind, though there can be exceptions. Wardrobes are for storing clothing and accessories, and they serve as external closets. They are ideal for rooms without closets or with insufficient closet space. They offer flexibility. 

A wardrobe is simple. The wood may be panelled, but the piece is plain. You can hardly use wardrobes for anything other than clothing or linen storage. Wardrobes are not big enough to hold much equipment.

Some wardrobes have shoe shelves. Metal shoe fences are added, so each pair has a space. They can be side-by-side or front-to-back on deeper shelves. For accessories and upgrades, you may have tie racks, belt racks, valet rods, drawer dividers, backing, cubbies, handles, and rods.

Baskets are for toys, laundry, or anything else you wish to store. You may go for drawers or pull-out shelves and trays. Pull-out trays help you access items even in deep spaces (Kitchencabinetkings.com). Make a design consultation for a design with various sections or combinations of them with others.

Brown grey Bedroom Wardrobes

Pros

  • Customizable
  • Clean 
  • Tidy
  • Time-saving

Cons

  • Not for tight spaces

Favourite Features

Armoire

Door

It has a large, two-door cupboard.

Shelves

It comes with movable and contains shelves, hanging space, and sometimes drawers. An armoire has storage space to hang clothes, but some also have shelves or drawers in addition to that space. It features adjustable shelving behind doors, hanging rods; drawers that sit on metal glides; metal pulls.

Painting

A new coat of paint on an old armoire changes the whole look. Choose a shade you love. Since armoires are traditionally-styled, the best kind of paint for an armoire might be distressed. Soft and neutral colours, slightly textured with patina, will match the antique theme an armoire stands for.

Storage

It features a two-door cabinet and two drawers that offer storage and organisation space. You are allowed to add shelves, or drawers, to your armoire. If you create drawers next to your hanging space, that will turn your armoire into a chifforobe. Since there is no standard length for your skirts, you should be the only one to figure it out. When making your wardrobe,  it is up to you to figure out what you would want to store in a wardrobe. That is how you can determine which kind would be the best fit.

Wardrobe

Hanging

A wardrobe has hanging rods at various heights for short, medium, and long clothes. Each hanging section can accommodate all of your clothing.

Shelves

Shelves are for your clothing items, from purses to folded clothing. Some items optimise space or preserve types of clothing best when stored in piles on shelves instead of hanging on a rod.

Drawers

The drawers can be designed in any size to fit specific items.

Doors

Doors can be used to either display or hide what is behind them while offering added protection for specialty items.

What could be better

Armoire

  • It could have been more affordable. 

Wardrobe

  • It should have been ideal for tiny spaces.

Similar Features

  • Both are large and bulky.
  • They have two doors that open outwards. 
  • Sometimes they have a rail crossing half of the unit to facilitate hanging of clothes.
  • Both usually have some shelves or drawers.

Key Differences

  • An armoire is a bigger piece of furniture than a wardrobe.
  • An armoire is more ornate than a wardrobe. 
  • Armoires have shelves and hanging rails, whereas wardrobes are for more hanging space.
  • Armoires feature exquisite designs that make them more of a style component, while wardrobes have more basic detailing.
  • An armoire is a type of wardrobe that can serve several purposes, whereas a wardrobe is used as an external closet to store clothes.

The verdict

Both armoires and wardrobes are bulk storage solutions for any space. They have a similar structure made of wood and feature closed doors. They are used to store clothes, but they have differences that help you decide to pick one over the other. For bigger furniture, you might go for the armoire but if you want more hanging space, try the wardrobe. I guess you already have your best pick between the two.

Elissa Smith
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