A fitted wardrobe is the largest single surface in most bedrooms, so its colour does more to the room than the walls do. This guide sets out how our designers approach colour at a home visit: the room first, then the finish, then the accent. With more than a hundred finishes and 33 paint colours to choose from, the aim is to narrow the field quickly.
Colour rules our designers use
- Judge every sample in the room, at the time of day you use it. Screens lie.
- Match the walls to make the wardrobe disappear; contrast them to make it the feature.
- Light rooms take colour; dark rooms want light, matt surfaces or mirror.
- One accent is enough: a handle finish, a lit niche or a contrasting interior.
- Neutrals, greens and blues date slowest. Fashion tones belong on the walls, which are cheap to repaint.
Start with the light
A north-facing London bedroom gets cool, even light all day; a south-facing one gets warm light that shifts through the afternoon. Cool light flattens warm whites to grey and makes cool greys look blue, which is why a sample that glowed in a showroom can look wrong at home. Your designer brings full-size door samples to the visit so you can stand them against the wall and look at them at breakfast and again at dusk.
Match or contrast
There are two honest strategies. Match the wardrobe to the wall colour and the run recedes; the room reads as bigger and calmer, and it is the safest choice for a small bedroom. Contrast the wardrobe with the walls and it becomes the piece of furniture the room is about: navy against white, sage against warm plaster, oak against a pale grey. Contrast works best when the wardrobe is a single clean run with good proportions, because you are asking people to look at it.
The colours London clients choose
- Warm white and soft cream remain the most requested, especially in period homes with shaker doors, because they sit with any wall colour and photograph well when a house is sold.
- Sage and olive green have replaced grey as the colour people ask for by name. They are warm enough for north light and pair naturally with brass handles and oak interiors.
- Navy and ink blue suit larger rooms and handleless slabs; they read as tailored rather than dark when the doors are super-matt.
- Taupe, greige and cashmere are the modern neutrals: warmer than grey, softer than white, and forgiving of fingerprints.
- Oak and walnut woodgrains bring warmth without colour and work as a full run or as the interior behind painted doors.
- Black is the statement choice, best on fluted or arched doors with brass, and best in a room with plenty of daylight.
Two-tone runs and interiors
A wardrobe does not have to be one colour. Painted doors over a woodgrain interior, a mirror door between two painted doors, or a lit oak niche in a run of sage are all ways to add depth without noise. Interiors come in ten décors, from white through greys to oak and walnut effects; a warm interior behind a cool exterior is the combination designers reach for most.
Finish changes colour
The same green reads differently in matt, super-matt and gloss. Matt is soft and forgiving. Super-matt goes deeper and velvety, hides fingerprints and is the finish most of our darker colours are chosen in. Gloss bounces light and suits pale colours in small rooms, but shows marks around handles, which is why gloss runs are often specified handleless. The materials guide explains how each finish is made.
Handles and accents
Pick the handle after the colour. Brass warms greens, creams and navy; black sharpens whites and greys; polished chrome suits gloss. Keep to one metal in the room where you can, and let one element carry the accent: the handles, a lit niche or the interior. See the handle guide.
Cost
Standard painted-effect and woodgrain finishes are included from Level 3 of our price guide at £900 per metre. Super-matt and textured boards and the wider palette sit at Level 4, £1,020 per metre. Painted MDF and timber doors can be matched to any colour from our 33 or 34 standard shades. All prices include VAT and installation; see the price guide.
Frequently asked questions
What colour fitted wardrobe is best for a small bedroom?
A colour close to the walls, in a matt or super-matt finish, with a mirror panel if the room is dark. Matching the walls makes the run recede and the room read as larger.
Should fitted wardrobes match the walls?
Either works. Matching makes the wardrobe disappear and the room feel calm; contrasting makes it the feature. Choose based on whether you want to look at the wardrobe or past it.
What is the most popular fitted wardrobe colour?
Warm whites and creams remain the most requested, with sage green, taupe and navy the fastest-growing choices in London homes. Oak and walnut woodgrains are popular as interiors behind painted doors.
Can I match my fitted wardrobe to a paint colour I already have?
Yes. Our painted MDF and timber doors come in 33 or 34 standard colours and can be matched to a sample at the design visit. Vinyl-wrapped and edged doors come in fixed finishes from over a hundred options.
Explore Metro
Ready to see what your room could hold?
Book a free home design visit. A Metro designer measures the room, brings full-size door and finish samples, and returns a 3D design with an itemised, fixed price within two to three days. No deposit is taken at the visit and there is no obligation. Or see every door style at our Wembley showroom, next to the workshop that makes them.
