Ikea Build Your Own Closet – When I started envisioning what I wanted my closet to look like, I got stuck on this picture of Jenny Wolf’s closet. I absolutely adored the blue custom furniture and decided I was going to figure out a way to get a similar look in my own house on a non-custom budget.
I originally assumed we would be making all the cabinets from scratch, but Cory brought me back to reality with the truths that 1) we had never built a cabinet in our lives, let alone lots of drawers, shelves, and drawers, and 2) the cabinet would take
Ikea Build Your Own Closet
So I was looking for a cabinet system that I could customize and paint to my vision. And in this search, IKEA Pax consistently emerged as the most common, most valued and most affordable cabinet system. I’m not new to the idea of hacking IKEA products, although we’d never actually done it ourselves. In my research, I found that many people have hacked the IKEA Pax or IKEA Billy systems to create a built-in look. But there were some updates that I couldn’t find examples of in the draft, including recessed in-cabinet lighting and adding drawer fronts for recessed, fully custom cabinetry. The drawer fronts were critical to my vision: IKEA Pax drawers look very modular and modern to me, so they stick out like a sore thumb in our 1940s home. Most people would hide the drawers by adding doors to the wardrobe, but we didn’t have the space or desire to add so many unnecessary wardrobe doors to the space.
Kids Closet Organization With Ikea Pax
To achieve the high-end custom look I was going for, we added baseboards, crown molding, shoe molding, recessed disc lights for cabinet lighting, paneled the fronts and sides of the wardrobes with wood strips, added wooden drawer fronts, added plugs to cover unused shelf holes, wallpapered the back of the units, primed and painted everything, then replaced the metal hanging rods to the stained wooden bars and finally added the accessories for the box.
We tried to be as detailed as possible in the steps below, so I’m going to give a disclaimer that this post is huge. Let me know in the comments if anything needs further clarification and I can update the answer to these questions.
Here’s how we did it 1. We planned the size of the wardrobe units and the placement of organizational supplies
This is where the Pax Planning tool on the IKEA website comes in handy. We listed how much space we each needed for our clothes (tall, medium, low) and storage type by clothing category on a spreadsheet, and then I referenced that when creating each side of the closet to make sure we had enough space for our existing closets and storage desires. For example, I fold my jeans, while Cory prefers to hang his, and he wears casual business attire, which means there are a lot of shirts to hang. When choosing accessories, I left out IKEA accessories that are a bit gimmicky, such as trouser hangers, shoe trees, etc., instead of clean, classic cabinet models. That’s not to say they don’t help maximize storage, but it’s very challenging to make them look seamless in a high-end custom closet. This limited our options to hanging rods, drawers and shelves.
Easy Hack To Build In An Ikea Pax Wardrobe
The room is 14.6 inches long and 6.5 inches wide, and we chose deeper IKEA Pax units on one side (23 inches deep) and shallower units on the other wall (13 inches deep), allowing for a wide hallway. between two units.
We only have standard 8″ ceilings so we had to build the units into the room and we also couldn’t build a platform for the wardrobe units to sit on. If we had higher ceilings we would have raised the units on a wooden base to make sure we didn’t lose any storage space when we added the baseboards. We polished under the units to make sure they were perfectly level and we made sure the units were level with each other so when we ran the baseboards to the front of them everything looked level.
We ordered these disc lights from Amazon and plugged them into the electrical box so we can turn them on and off when we enter the room. In order to get to all six of our cabinet units, we had to order extra extension cords. We fed these wires in a chain where for each unit one light branched off and fed into the unit from the very top back. Since we knew we had rattan boxes on the top shelf, we knew the wires would be invisible.
To give the lights a very custom look, we recessed them into the front of each unit’s top shelf. To embed the lights we used a router to trace a pattern we made from scrap wood. If we had more time, we would have used a Kreg Concealed Jig with a Forstner drill bit to get a more perfect round circle, but they look pretty cool. We set a routing depth equal to the thickness of the puck light so that it would be perfectly flush with the bottom surface of the shelf.
Diy Walk In Closet Makeover Reveal! {with Ikea Pax Units}
When we routed the holes for the lights, we drilled the hole straight through to accommodate the puck light wire itself. Then we installed a shelf and put a puck light through it in each unit. We used a small bead of construction glue behind the puck light to attach it to the countersunk hole in the shelf. Once all the lights were installed, we moved on to the next step.
Next, skirting boards were installed on the front of the units. We ran skirting boards around the entire room for a fully built-in look. We used these skirting boards from Metrie, which are part of their Fashion Forward collection and go really well with the applied wood. Since the top of the baseboard profile is flat horizontally, it allows the wood we later applied to the front of the cabinet to flow seamlessly.
We attached the baseboards to the front of the wardrobe units with construction adhesive and added nails where the baseboards lined up with the vertical edges of each individual wardrobe unit. If your floors are not level (problems in an old house), always start from the lowest part of the room and simulate where the top edge of the baseboard falls, so you don’t get into trouble when moving around the room. We installed a laser level (we’ve named it our tool of the year because it’s made our lives SO much easier) to keep our baseboards level. It is important that the baseboards are even on all units as you will need to create square openings for the drawer fronts later.
We installed some additional Pax/Komplement shelves on top of the inner base of the units to bring it up to the base level as we had to attach them to the front of the Pax units themselves. To do this, we used some scrap strips of 1/8 inch hardened hardboard to raise the shelf to a flat level and attached it with screws. This step only applied to wardrobe units without drawers at the bottom.
Diy Closet Makeover With Ikea Trofast Hack
This is where things really start to look custom. We used 1/2 inch poplar boards that we cut with a table saw to form strips to cover where the wardrobe pieces met and filler boards for the sides where the wardrobe pieces didn’t quite extend to the wall. Poplar had to be ordered for home delivery because it was not available in stores. We attached the vertical strips of wood to the Pax units using a nail gun and finishing nails.
We then added horizontal strips of poplar that aligned with the bottom of the crown molding to make the bottom edge of the crown appear properly built into the units and not recessed into it (the photo above shows that there is wood molding behind the crown). We found it was easiest to sand the exposed edges of the poplar strip before installation. We also used an orbital sander to sand all visible surfaces, as this has a huge impact on the final result.
We added some poplar strips to the outer sides of the Pax units to give the sides a more finished look after painting. We attached them with construction glue and held them in place with clamps. We couldn’t use nails here because they didn’t have a solid surface to stick to or they might have been visible inside the units.
Finally, we added smaller horizontal strips. This was something I was very concerned about as the shelves on the Pax units are not flush
Before And After: Ikea Closet Installation
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Young House Love
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Author by : Sherry Petersik
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2015-07-14
Publisher by : Artisan
ISBN :
Description : This New York Times bestselling book is filled with hundreds of fun, deceptively simple, budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up your home. With two home renovations under their (tool) belts and millions of hits per month on their blog YoungHouseLove.com, Sherry and John Petersik are home-improvement enthusiasts primed to pass on a slew of projects, tricks, and techniques to do-it-yourselfers of all levels. Packed with 243 tips and ideas—both classic and unexpected—and more than 400 photographs and illustrations, this is a book that readers will return to again and again for the creative projects and easy-to-follow instructions in the relatable voice the Petersiks are known for. Learn to trick out a thrift-store mirror, spice up plain old roller shades, "hack" your Ikea table to create three distinct looks, and so much more....
Black Decker Build Your Own Custom Closet
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Author by : Gillett Cole
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2007-08-15
Publisher by : Cool Springs Press
ISBN :
Description : There's almost nothing in the modern home that can delight us more than an intelligently organized, nicely featured closet-a place where things are organized in pleasing geometry, here we can find and retrieve that perfect tie or that just-right sweater, instantly. And there's nothing more disheartening and irritating than that murky closet from the netherworld, where boxes tumble down on our heads whenever the door opens, where the sheer clutter makes it impossible to identify what's inside, much less retrieve the item you need. Consumer desperation is why entire companies have sprung up devoted to closet organizing-it's the reason homeowners sometimes spend literally thousands of dollars to have a custom closet organizer designed and installed. Or, they can buy this book and do it themselves for a fraction of the cost. Today, virtually all the materials and hardware used by custom closet fabricators is available to consumers on the racks of home centers and hardware stores. Build Your Own Custom Closet is the first book to show consumers all the inside tips on designing a custom closet, and how to install it using materials they can buy themselves. This is the book that will lift readers from closet purgatory into the heaven of the well-organized closet-without selling their souls....
Style Therapy
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Author by : Lauren Messiah
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2021-04-27
Publisher by : Abrams
ISBN :
Description : Get ready to be the best-dressed in the room! Personal styling and life coaching come together in this action-filled guide to curating a closet that supports your goals and takes the stress out of getting dressed. Hollywood stylist-turned-entrepreneur Lauren Messiah helps you identify and clear the roadblocks that hold you back from putting the best (and best-dressed) version of yourself out into the world. Style Therapy is your thirty-day action plan to define and build your style week by week. You'll learn how to: Shop like a stylist and make your shopping trips quick, easy, and efficient. Find clothes that actually fit you, and end dressing room frustration forever. Choose the perfect outfit from your closet in five minutes flat. Keep your look fresh and your style up-to-date from season to season, without having to reinvent the wheel every few months. Slipping back into bad habits is no longer an option. This guide breaks down the process into manageable, helpful, and encouraging steps to help you redefine your personal style!...
The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir Who Got Trapped In An Ikea Wardrobe
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Author by : Romain Puertolas
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2015-01-27
Publisher by : Vintage
ISBN :
Description : The basis for the major motion picture The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir A charmingly exuberant comic debut, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe is the globetrotting story of a trickster from rural India and his adventure of a lifetime. When the fakir—a professional con artist—arrives in Paris, he has just one goal: to get to Ikea. Armed with only a counterfeit hundred-euro note in the pocket of his silk trousers, he is confident that he has all he needs to thrive. But his plan goes horribly awry when he hides inside a wardrobe at the iconic Swedish retailer—the first in a series of accidents that will send him on a whirlwind tour across Europe. Pursued across the continent by a swindled taxi driver dead set on revenge, our fakir soon finds unlikely friends—from movie stars to illegal immigrants—in even unlikelier places. And, much to his own surprise, his heart begins to open to those around him as he comes to understand the universal desire to seek a better life in an often dangerous world. Channeling the manic energy of the Marx Brothers and the biting social commentary of Candide,Romain Puértolas has crafted an unforgettable comic romp around Europe that is propelled by laughter, love, and, ultimately, redemption. (Meatballs not included but highly recommended.)...
Ikeahackers Net
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Author by : Jules Yap
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2017-08-10
Publisher by : Century
ISBN :
Description : THINK OUTSIDE THE FLAT-PACK BOX: The ingenious team at IkeaHackers.net show you how to transform affordable IKEA products into creative new furniture and more... Step 1. Buy it at IKEA. Step 2. Open the box. Step 3. Throw away the instructions. Step 4. Have fun building your exciting new hack! By thinking outside the flat-pack box, author Jules Yap and the contributors to her wildly popular website IkeaHackers.net have come up with clever ways to repurpose IKEA's great products into even more useful and stylish furnishings for your home. Packed with ideas for every room, IKEA Hacks shows you how to mix-and-match, cut-and-paste, and saw-and-screw IKEA items in ways they never imagined. The inventive projects include a cat condo created using LACK tables, a children's playhouse constructed from KURA bed and TROFAST toy storage, and a Murphy bed made from PAX wardrobe, BALLSTAD doors and LUROY bed base. Each project comes complete with step-by-step instructions as well as full-colour illustrations and photos....
Design Mom
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Author by : Gabrielle Stanley Blair
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2015-04-07
Publisher by : Artisan Books
ISBN :
Description : New York Times best seller Ever since Gabrielle Stanley Blair became a parent, she’s believed that a thoughtfully designed home is one of the greatest gifts we can give our families, and that the objects and decor we choose to surround ourselves with tell our family’s story. In this, her first book, Blair offers a room-by-room guide to keeping things sane, organized, creative, and stylish. She provides advice on getting the most out of even the smallest spaces; simple fixes that make it easy for little ones to help out around the house; ingenious storage solutions for the never-ending stream of kid stuff; rainy-day DIY projects; and much, much more....
Sew Your Own Wardrobe
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Author by : Alison Smith
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2021-02-09
Publisher by : Penguin
ISBN :
Description : This is your complete guide to dressmaking, from designing, creating, and customizing your clothes. Master every dressmaking technique in the book! Fully illustrated and easy to use, this dressmaking book covers all the essential skills and techniques you need to make timeless wardrobe staples. It's a must-have for beginners and expert stitchers alike. Fed up with fast fashion and keen to make your own clothes? This is the ultimate dressmaking guide for absolute beginners. Comprehensive, step-by-step guides and dressmaking patterns cover everything from choosing the perfect fabric for any project to trying your hand at a range of machine-sewing techniques. Inside the pages of this sewing book you’ll discover: • Step-by-step instructions and techniques, accompanied by clear, full-color photography • Thorough sections on tools and equipment, to help the reader choose the right items for each project • 13 downloadable patterns for skirts, dresses, trousers, tops, and jackets that can be used to create 31 different garments • Over 80 techniques, including how to cut out a pattern, machine stitch, and hand stitch Accompanied by close-up photographs, clear instructions, and a glossary of dressmaking terminology to demystify even the trickiest technique. This book will help you advance from a sewing learner to a seasoned stitcher in no time. Zoomed-in photographs of hand and machine tools show you the best dressmaking equipment for the job and teach you exactly how to use it. All the techniques and projects are graded by difficulty level, from the simple and straightforward to the more complex and challenging ones. Put your new-found knowledge to the test with 13 downloadable patterns that can be easily adapted to create more than 30 stylish garments. Learn how to make classic dresses, skirts, tops, trousers, and jackets, alongside creative ideas for giving your old clothes new life! The Essential Guide to Dressmaking Sew Your Own Wardrobe guides you through every hand stitch, machine stitch, and sewing technique you'll ever need. We've included the best way to stitch, alter, put in linings, seam and hem, so you can make your favorite bespoke outfits to suit your unique style....
