Short answer: a linen press works when the shelves are close together (250 to 300mm), not too deep (400 to 450mm), adjustable, and run floor to ceiling. Add a pull-out basket or two for the odd shapes, and label the shelves by bed. The usual hallway linen cupboard has two shelves a metre apart and 600mm deep, which is why everything is in a heap.
Why the standard linen cupboard fails
The hallway linen press in a 1960s to 1980s home in Blacktown, Seven Hills or Baulkham Hills is a tall cupboard with two or three fixed shelves, each about 500mm apart and 600mm deep. Towels are stacked a metre high and topple. Sheets go two rows deep and the back row is never seen again. The top 600mm of the cupboard holds a sleeping bag.
The fix is more shelves, shallower shelves and adjustable shelves.
The numbers
| Item | Shelf gap | Shelf depth |
|---|---|---|
| Bath towels, folded | 250 to 300mm | 400mm |
| Sheets and pillowcases | 250mm | 400mm |
| Spare pillows | 350mm | 450mm |
| Doonas and blankets | 400mm plus | 450mm |
| Toiletries, medicines | 200mm | 300mm |
| Vacuum, ironing board | Full height, no shelf | 450mm plus |
Layout for a standard hallway press
For a cupboard about 900mm wide and 2,400mm tall:
- Top (2,000mm up): one deep gap for doonas and spare pillows.
- Eye level to waist: five or six shelves at 250 to 300mm for towels and sheets, one shelf per bed or per bathroom.
- Waist to knee: two pull-out wire baskets for the odd shapes: beach towels, picnic rugs, hot-water bottles.
- Floor: a tall gap or a divided bay for the vacuum cleaner, mop and ironing board, if they live here.
Where the cupboard is deeper than 450mm, a shallower shelf set forward with a gap behind is better than a deep shelf. Things at the back of a deep shelf are lost.
Doors
Most linen presses have hinged doors, which are right for a narrow cupboard: full access to every shelf at once. Where the press is wide, sliding doors work. If the existing doors are sound, keep them and re-fit the inside; if they are the problem, new hinged doors in a matching polytec colour are straightforward.
Walk-in linen or utility room
In newer homes a walk-in linen cupboard or a utility room off the laundry is common. Line it with shelving on two or three walls, at the spacing above, and give the floor to the vacuum and the ironing board. Our pantry guide covers the walk-in layout, which is the same thinking.
Small details
- A shelf per bed, labelled on the shelf edge, so the queen sheets and the single sheets are never mixed.
- Towels folded in thirds then halves stand upright on a 400mm shelf, like books.
- A slim toiletries shelf at eye level with a low lip, for the spare toothpaste and the first-aid kit.
- Lighting: a hallway press is dark. An LED strip on a door sensor costs little.
Re-fit or replace
If the cupboard carcass and doors are fine, a re-fit of the shelving is a short job and the most cost-effective option. If the cupboard is a plasterboard recess with a couple of shelves on battens, a cabinet built into the recess, floor to ceiling, with adjustable shelving and doors, turns it into proper storage.
At the consult
The designer measures the press, asks how many beds and bathrooms it serves, and lays out the shelves to suit. Linen presses are often done in the same visit as a wardrobe or a pantry, made in our Blacktown factory and fitted by the licensed installer who designed them.
