Specifications
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Brand & Collection: Rauch Elara, part of the Rauch Orange range
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Made In: 100% Made in Germany, awarded the Blue Angel and the Golden M
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Available Colours/Finishes: Choice of Alpine White, Metallic Grey or Champagne
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Door or Product Configuration: Sliding doors with a full-height grey tinted mirror – on the right-hand door at 181cm, on the centre door at 271cm
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Exterior Drawers: 2 drawers at 181cm, beneath the left-hand door | 4 drawers at 271cm, in two banks of two beneath the outer doors
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Handles: Handle bars finished in white on Alpine White, matched on Metallic Grey, and slate on Champagne
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Dimensions: Choice of 181cm or 271cm width | Height 210cm | Depth 62cm
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Internal Layout: 90cm compartments, each fitted with 1 shelf and 1 hanging rail as standard
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Optional Extras: Passepartout frame available with or without integrated lighting
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Dispatch Time: 8 to 10 weeks
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Delivery: Free delivery
About the Grey Tinted Mirror
A grey mirror is a smoked mirror — the glass carries a grey tint, so the reflection comes back slightly darker and softer than a standard mirror gives. It is the same principle as tinted glass in a car window, and the effect in a bedroom is quite different from a clear mirror.
Two things follow from it. Visually, a grey mirror is calmer: it reflects without brightening, so you get the depth a mirror adds to a room without the sharp light-bouncing that a standard mirror produces. If you have ever found a mirrored wardrobe too dazzling opposite a window, this is the version that solves it.
Aesthetically, it reads as considerably more expensive. A clear mirror is a functional surface; a smoked one is a deliberate finish, closer to the tinted glass used in high-end interiors and bar fit-outs. On a wardrobe front it looks specified rather than supplied.
The trade-off is honest: a grey mirror is a slightly poorer dressing mirror. The reflection is accurate but dimmer, so for checking an outfit in a darker room a standard mirror serves better. If the mirror is primarily there for the look and the sense of space, grey is the better choice. If you will use it every morning to get dressed, the standard mirror version is the more practical one.
It works particularly well on Metallic Grey, where the tinted glass and the deep graphite door sit close in tone — the front reads as one continuous dark plane with a reflective section rather than two contrasting materials. On Alpine White the contrast is sharper and more graphic. On Champagne the grey tint cools a warm front slightly, which some people prefer to a clear mirror's brightness.
Exterior Drawers on a Sliding Wardrobe
This is the only sliding wardrobe in our range with drawers on the outside, and it solves a problem that has no other solution.
Sliding wardrobes have a structural disadvantage over hinged ones: you can never see the whole interior at once. Whichever door you open, half the wardrobe is behind the other door. That makes interior drawers genuinely awkward — you slide a door, reach past hanging clothes, pull a drawer, then slide the door back to reach anything else.
Elara puts the drawers on the front, below the sliding doors, where they open directly into the room. No door to move, nothing to reach past. It is the convenience of a chest of drawers built into the footprint of a wardrobe — and on a 62cm-deep carcase those drawers are considerably deeper than a standalone chest would give you.
The drawer count follows the width. At 181cm there are two drawers beneath the left-hand door. At 271cm there are four, in two banks of two beneath the outer doors, with the grey mirror centre door running full height between them — the more balanced of the two arrangements, since the drawers frame the mirror symmetrically rather than sitting to one side.
The drawer fronts continue the horizontal panel lines of the doors above, so they read as part of the composition rather than as a cabinet bolted underneath.
Interior and Options
Internally the wardrobe divides into 90cm compartments, each with a shelf and a hanging rail as standard — the interior Rauch fits across their 210cm wardrobes. On the 181cm model the compartment above the drawers has correspondingly less hanging depth than the full-height one beside it.
At 210cm high and 62cm deep it fits a standard modern bedroom without needing a specialist ceiling height, and the depth means garments hang square on the rail rather than pressing against the sliding doors.
A Passepartout frame is available as an optional extra, with or without integrated lighting. This is a surround fitted across the top and both sides of the wardrobe, closing the gap to the ceiling and walls to give a built-in, fitted appearance. With the lighting option it is particularly effective on the grey mirror version, since a tinted surface benefits from light thrown across it.
Elara sits in the Rauch Orange range and is 100% Made in Germany, carrying both the Blue Angel and the Golden M — Blue Angel being an independently verified low-emission certification, which is worth having on a large piece of furniture in a room you sleep in.
The same wardrobe is also produced with a standard mirror door, and with a glass door in place of the mirror.
Made To Order
This item is categorised as 'Made To Order.' Kindly be aware that this item is crafted according to your specifications by Rauch, including your selected options. Once the order is processed, cancellations or modifications cannot be accommodated. We cannot accept responsibility for additional costs resulting from incorrect information supplied when the order was placed.
FAQs
What is a grey mirror?
A smoked mirror — the glass carries a grey tint, so the reflection comes back slightly darker and softer than a standard mirror. It reflects without brightening, so you get the depth a mirror adds to a room without the sharp light-bouncing of clear glass.
Should I choose grey or standard mirror?
Grey if the mirror is there for the look and the sense of space, or if a clear mirror opposite a window would be too dazzling — it also reads as considerably more expensive. Standard mirror if you will use it every morning to get dressed, since the reflection is brighter and easier to see in a darker room.
Which colour suits the grey mirror best?
Metallic Grey, where the tinted glass and the deep graphite door sit close in tone and the front reads as one continuous dark plane. On Alpine White the contrast is sharper and more graphic; on Champagne the tint cools a warm front slightly.
Where are the drawers?
On the outside of the wardrobe, below the sliding doors, opening directly into the room. At 181cm there are two beneath the left-hand door; at 271cm there are four, in two banks of two beneath the outer doors.
Why does that matter on a sliding wardrobe?
Because you can never see the whole interior of a sliding wardrobe at once — whichever door you open, half is behind the other. Interior drawers mean sliding a door, reaching past hanging clothes and sliding it back. Exterior drawers open straight into the room with no door to move. Elara is the only sliding wardrobe in our range that does this.
Which width should I choose?
181cm gives two drawers and one grey mirror door. 271cm gives four drawers in two banks either side of a grey mirror centre door, which is the more symmetrical arrangement and considerably more storage. Both are 210cm high and 62cm deep.
What is inside the wardrobe?
90cm compartments, each with one shelf and one hanging rail as standard. On the 181cm model the compartment above the drawer bank has less hanging depth than the full-height compartment beside it.
Is Metallic Grey actually grey?
It is a deep graphite — considerably darker than the name suggests, and in most rooms it reads as a near-black. Metallic Grey is Rauch's own name for the finish.
What is a Passepartout frame?
An optional surround fitted across the top and both sides of the wardrobe, closing the gap to the ceiling and walls to give a built-in appearance. It is available with or without integrated lighting, and the lit version suits a tinted mirror particularly well.
How long will it take to arrive?
Dispatch is 8 to 10 weeks. This is a dispatch timeframe rather than a delivery date: the wardrobe is built to your specification in Germany and then shipped to the UK.
Can I cancel or change my order?
No. This wardrobe is made to order by Rauch to your selected specification, so once the order has been processed it cannot be cancelled or amended. Please check your measurements and selected options carefully before ordering.
How do I look after the surfaces?
The surfaces are easy to maintain and should be cleaned with a dry cloth only.
