The Montpelier Residence
Built-In PAX Wardrobe, Regency Home
(Brighton, East Sussex)
A shallow alcove in a Montpelier Regency house. The client's concern was straightforward: would a PAX system, at 60cm deep, look right in a space that tight? The answer is in the result. Floor-to-ceiling shaker doors in Farrow & Ball Pink Ground, raised on matching skirting, disappearing into the room as if they'd always been there.
The Project
Montpelier is one of Brighton's most distinctive Regency neighbourhoods. Elegant proportions, period detailing, and alcove spaces that rarely conform to standard dimensions. This installation presented a specific challenge: the alcove was shallower than a standard wardrobe space, and the client wasn't sure the depth of a PAX system would work without looking forced.
It does work. The key is the finish. When a floor-to-ceiling wardrobe is raised on matching skirting, scribed precisely to the walls and painted in a considered colour, the depth becomes irrelevant. The eye reads it as part of the room, not an imposition on it.
The client chose to paint the doors herself in Farrow & Ball Pink Ground No. 202 and did a superb job. The warm, dusty tone sits beautifully against the period proportions of the room and the sash window light.
Rather than leaving a visible clash where the two profiles met the wardrobe base, Josh customised one profile to transition into the other. From the front, the skirting reads as a single, continuous detail running around the base of the wardrobe.
Wardrobe raised and wrapped in matching skirting. The PAX frames were raised on a custom plinth and wrapped in skirting board to match the room's existing profile. This grounds the wardrobe to the room. The eye reads it as furniture that belongs to the space rather than storage that was added to it.
Custom shaker doors. The doors are custom-made shaker style, replacing the standard IKEA door option. At 2.7 metres tall, the proportion of a full-height shaker door is particularly striking. The vertical lines emphasise the height of the room rather than interrupting it.
Farrow & Ball Pink Ground No. 202, painted by the client. The colour choice was entirely the client's, and it's exactly right. Farrow & Ball Pink Ground is a warm, chalky dusty rose that picks up the period tone of the room without being period-pastiche. The client painted the doors herself and achieved a finish that looks professionally applied.
What Made This Installation Distinctive
A shallow alcove that the client thought wouldn't work. The alcove depth was tight for a standard PAX configuration. The concern that the wardrobe would feel too deep and intrusive is a common one in period homes where alcove dimensions were never designed with modern storage in mind. The solution was precise fitting with a custom end panel scribing the unit cleanly to the alcove wall. The result proves that depth is rarely the issue. The finish is.
2.7-metre floor-to-ceiling height. At 2.7 metres, the wardrobe height required a custom ceiling infill panel to bridge the gap between the top of the PAX frame and the ceiling. This infill was scribed to follow the ceiling profile, as is standard in Regency properties where ceilings are rarely perfectly level, for a seamless junction at the top.
Two different skirting board profiles unified seamlessly. This is the detail that could have been ignored but wasn't. The alcove space had two separate skirting board profiles on either side, a common quirk in period homes where original and replacement skirting meet.
Projects Specs
Property: Regency home, Montpelier, Brighton
Installation: Floor-to-ceiling built-in PAX wardrobe
Height: 2.7 metres
Depth: 60cm PAX system with custom end panel
Doors: Custom shaker doors
Paint: Farrow & Ball Pink Ground No. 202, painted by client Handles: Antique Brass Knob Handles from Plank Hardware Base: Wardrobe raised and wrapped in matching skirting Skirting detail: Two different profiles unified with a custom transition
Finish: Full built-in finish, scribed to walls, ceiling infill, end panel
Interested in a similar project?
Whether you're in a period home or a modern house, every Finition installation is built to the exact dimensions of your space with the same precision finish throughout