Ask any homeowner what they would change about their house and storage usually comes up within the first few minutes. New Zealand homes are getting smaller, households are juggling more belongings than ever, and the humble bedroom wardrobe is being asked to do a lot of heavy lifting. Whether you are browsing ideas from Boston designer wardrobes or sketching your first floor plan, it helps to start with the numbers. Looking at bedroom sizes, standard wardrobe dimensions and real household needs shows why well-planned designer wardrobe systems have become a priority for people building or renovating.
New Zealand Homes Are Shrinking
For decades, Kiwi homes grew steadily. According to Infometrics analysis of building consent data, the average new standalone house peaked at about 216 square metres in 2010. More recently, that figure has dropped to around 183 square metres, a decline of roughly 15 percent, with further shrinkage forecast.
At the same time, the type of home being built has changed dramatically. Standalone houses made up 84 percent of new dwellings in 2010, but they now account for well under half. Townhouses, units and other attached dwellings have taken over, and these average only around 107 square metres.
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What does this mean for the bedroom? Less overall floor area usually means smaller bedrooms, fewer spare rooms and less room for freestanding furniture. Storage has to be smarter because there is simply less space to throw at the problem.
What Experts Say About Minimum Space
University of Auckland architecture academic Anthony Hoete has suggested that a comfortable minimum is around 50 square metres for a one-bedroom home, 60 square metres for two bedrooms and 70 square metres for three. Those are tight figures, and they highlight a simple truth. In a compact home, every bedroom needs to work efficiently, and a wardrobe that wastes even half a metre of wall space is a real cost.
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