Flat pack furniture is incredibly common these days, so much so that it is surprising we don’t all have some special, built in carpentry skills! When it comes to wardrobes, flat pack is the main option for standalone wardrobes, though it comes with several big disadvantages that generally make built-in wardrobes a much better choice. Here we look at the pros and cons of choosing flat pack wardrobes for your home:
Benefits :
- Flat pack wardrobes are generally the cheapest option there is, costing very little.
- You can easily transport flat pack furniture back from the store in a normal car. No need to wait for delivery or installation means that you can buy and use your new wardrobe right away (after you’ve built it, of course!).
- You can order flat pack wardrobes online, because there are no custom specifications and they aren’t expensive to ship.
Inconveniences :
Flat pack wardrobes can be frustrating and difficult to put together – and even if it is easy enough, you never have quite the same confidence in the build quality of something you’ve made yourself, unless you’re a professional or DIY expert!
Because they need to be built at home, the designs for flat pack wardrobes are incredibly simple, meaning you won’t have the same options in terms of the internal fittings you would have in professionally installed built-in wardrobes.
- Because flat pack wardrobes are an off the shelf product, you can’t choose the size that will make best use of your space, unlike with custom made built-in wardrobes.
- Flat pack wardrobes are not designed or intended to last a lifetime. They will generally start to look worn out within just a couple of years, and so the money you save buying them works out as a false economy in the long run compared with built-in wardrobes that become a part of your room and never need to be replaced (unless you want to change the doors to give them a new look).
- As with most flat pack furniture, they have a tendency to be made of very cheap materials, and never look quite as good as the picture once you’ve put them together.
- Standalone wardrobes, flat pack or otherwise, don’t make full use of the wall space, including the upper portion near the ceiling, like built-in wardrobes do.
