I recently shared on Instagram a photo of our closet transformation with the Ikea PAX system and there was interest in a blog post with details. (do you follow me there yet? If not I would love for you to click over and hit follow: https://www.instagram.com/allisonbeauchampstyling/?hl=en) I am not an expert, but I did learn several things along the way, so if this helps even one person, I would be happy.
I knew when we moved into this house over three years ago that I would need to transform the primary closet. We are blessed with space, however the builder-grade one-wire rack all the way around was not the best use of it. I took the time to plan and save up for what would be a closet I LOVE and a much better use of space.
I started with the Ikea PAX planning tool, visit it here. I used it to plan out each wall within the closet.
It can take a bit of trial and error, to get the right combination to fit your closet dimensions. To put it simply, you start with the frames, which come in three different widths, two heights and two depths, and then personalize with accessories.
We did the 92″ height and the 22″ depth for all of the frames and used varied widths to maximize each wall space. We ended up with three of the 39″, two of the 29″ and two of 19″ frames. As with many retailers right now, Ikea is experiencing inventory challenges, so it took a couple trips to the store and one home delivery. One thing to note for in store, most of these items require the Ikea team to pick in the back and you pick it up when ready. Depending on how busy they are, this can be 30-60 min from when you check out. I suggest trying to have someone on the showroom floor ring you up, so they can begin gathering your items while you finish shopping.
Once we had the majority of the pieces we needed, we prepped the closet.
Our bedroom looked chaotic, but having one or two collapsible garment racks helped! This one is under $10! We quickly patched the holes and removed the baseboards where the wardrobe frames would be. They give instructions on installing both with and without the baseboards. I wanted to make sure the frames were as secure and snug as can be against the walls so we opted to remove them.
I would say one of the biggest challenges and a true test of your marriage, haha, is building the frames upright and within the small space. Unless you have VERY tall ceilings, this is the way to go to avoid damaging the ceiling. And the challenge gets harder as you fill the small space with other frames. You NEED two people to build these upright and within the space; don’t try it alone!
Once all the frames were built and in place we secured them to the wall and each other. Included were brackets, but not screws for securing them. Therefore, you will need to purchase screws and dry wall anchors, depending on the wall you are securing them to. They provide the hardware to secure the units to each other, but make sure you are using holes you don’t think you will use for any accessories like shelves or drawers.
You can see that we have a floor vent underneath one of the frames, so my husband installed a vent extender to be sure there was proper air flow.
Another pro to using the Ikea PAX planner is that they provide a product list, pictures and assembly overview to aid in the next part of adding in the personalized accessories.
It lists which holes along the sides to add the shelf or drawer to create the configuration you desire. I did change this a bit in the middle of the installation process as I chose the storage bins we were going to use and a bit of trial and error with our actual clothing. Another pro to this system, once you have the frames in place you are able to change it as your needs change.
I chose a variety of short hang, long hang, shelves, pull-out pant hangers, and pull-out accessory shelves and drawers. I based this off of both mine and my husband’s wardrobe needs. I thought the actual building of the drawers, and installing the various components was easy, just time consuming.
There are still a few pieces we are waiting for: an upper shelf above a clothing rod and pull-out accessory drawers. They should be in stock in a couple weeks, but for now it works!
One other thing I would suggest if you are wanting a more finished look, is covering the unused holes along the sides of the frames. This takes some time, but I enlisted my kids for this part. Ikea sells them, so it’s easy to add, and they can be removed if orwhen you want to change up the configuration. I took a close up below of the covered vs. uncovered holes.
The best part was putting the clothes back into the closet! I may add a part two of this blog post and show you how we organized and made use of this new space.
Another quick lesson learned, when doing a return, you are able to go on the website and “get in line” before you reach the store, so you can get a heads start and not have to wait so long once arrived.
I love how it turned out and sometimes I just wander in there to look at it! I still plan to shop with intention and edit my wardrobe to only things I love and wear as that makes getting dressed more enjoyable for me, but it is so nice to finally be using the space wisely. We are able to store more than just clothing now, like luggage and off season items.
I hope this blog post helped for anyone planning their own closet transformation. Feel free to reach out with any questions!