Do you think that just because you’re a renter you cannot have a custom closet booming with storage??? WRONG! Enter IKEA Pax Wardrobe. This wardrobe packs a HUGE punch in a small bedroom. It allows you to pick out the exact layout and features you need! If you’re a renter or in the market for a custom built closet you NEED to read this post!
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I am recommending the IKEA Pax Wardrobe for renters or homeowners as this can be built in. That said, these wardrobes are very large and detailed to put together. Therefore, if you plan to move within a short period of time, you may consider waiting to get the wardrobe until you’re in a place you’ll be in for a while. We have moved an IKEA Pax Wardrobe twice when we lived in Istanbul and it moved decently. But it is a bear to take apart and put back together. If you’ll be moving, be sure to keep all of the instructions! My husband files ours away because we move a lot.
We have found that the less expensive wardrobes at IKEA last for about two moves and they have had enough. They do offer storage when you really need it though. But I would not recommend them for long term renters who will be moving a lot. Once you find an apartment you plan to be in for a while, just go for the IKEA Pax Wardrobe. This way you can fully customize your wardrobe to your needs. If you move down the line, it will move to your new apartment or home and still offer you the customization you want!
In this post I will tell you the 3 boxes the IKEA Pax Wardrobe checks in our small bedroom. I will share how we set up our IKEA Pax Wardrobe. And finally, I will give you the tips we used to help us decide on the perfect features to choose. This allowed us to maximize the functionality of this wardrobe making it just what we needed in our space.
This post is all about the IKEA Pax Wardrobe.
A Must Have in a Small Space
- Storage: There is no secret this thing packs a punch as far as storage. It can serve as a clothes closet, coat closet, linen closet, cleaning closet or all of the above if you choose to do so. It is totally customizable, which is a treat for a renter being that we never get to customize our space! We use our wardrobe to house our luggage, dress clothes, off season clothing, handbags and shoes. It can hold so much that it substantially decreases the clutter in the rest of the space. It can even omit the need for a dresser if you opt for drawers in the setup. It’s all up to you!
- Mirror: I always struggle getting a full length mirror in my bedroom. I move so often that the few times I have purchased one it always ends up not making a move somewhere along the way. This time, I knew we’d be in this apartment until our circumstances change, so I really wanted to bring a full length mirror in. That said, my room is very small and I didn’t really have a good place for one. By choosing the mirrored doors I was able to get a mirror in without using up any additional space.
- Made my small room actually feel bigger! How can such a ginormous piece of furniture make a small room feel bigger you may ask? Well, as I mentioned earlier decreasing the clutter in any room helps the room to appear bigger. This wardrobe can be designed to fit whatever you need it to, therefore decreasing the clutter in your room. Also, if you plan to have all of your clothing in here, you could scrap the dresser if you wanted to. I LOVE my dresser so we opted to keep it. We have a lot of dress clothes and preferred to get our luggage in the wardrobe. Our dresser is at least aesthetically pleasing to have in our room, not so much our luggage, LOL! Another way it made the room feel bigger is we chose mirrored doors. This is not my favorite choice, and if I had a bigger room I would have opted for the white doors. But I am a renter and checking like 3 boxes per item is how I live. The mirror doors take any light we can grab from a north facing window and reflect it into the space. It made a HUGE difference! Trust me on this.
A Tour Of Our IKEA Pax Wardrobe
My husband and I opted for the double wide frames. We each got one of them and then customized the inside. In our room it is all one piece together. I’m just going to link to each item and not type out the measurements as that will be confusing and I want to make sure it is correct.
On both sides on the top we opted to put a suitcase as we don’t grab for them often. We used these shelves to create the space. On the bottom of my husband’s side there is another spot for the third suitcase. We each have two of these shelves. My husband’s second shelf is under his hanging clothes. On my side, the second one is to make another shelf that fits two Skubb boxes perfectly. I have seasonal clothing in one and handbags/backpacks in the other.
Under my second shelf I have a rod to hang some of my dressier shirts that wrinkle in drawers and my dress clothes. Once we realized I only needed about half of the width for long items we were able to add some more storage to the right side. We got the Komplement Divider to frame out the area. I really wanted one drawer for my dress sweaters, tights and leggings. I like having all my dress items together so I can get ready without opening a million different drawers and things. So this allowed me to store all my dressy things together.
Then I was also able to put two shoe shelves in the bottom to really maximize the space. Lastly, I popped a basket under my dresses with some things that don’t hang well but are still dressy. It has worked out really well for me. Here’s a look at my full side.
Now my husband’s side. I am a bit jealous of his side, but that’s okay, I’m not bitter… Under his suitcase shelf is a rod with his dress clothes. Under that is the shelf I mentioned earlier. Then he has a flat tray like pull out that we LOVE! In Istanbul he had a plastic grid you could buy that fit in this tray. He used it for his dress socks and I used half for my socks and jewelry. It was so nice, but it is not sold here or it’s discontinued. If they come back with it, we want one. But for now he has some ties and socks there.
Under his pull out he opted for a drawer for his dressier t-shirts and sweaters. Underneath his drawer is his shoe shelf.
As I mentioned earlier, under his shoe cabinet we have our last suitcase. So this really worked out perfectly!! In the next section you will learn how you too can come up with the perfect setup for your IKEA Pax Wardrobe!
Tips To Customize Your IKEA Pax Wardrobe
- MEASURE, MEASURE, MEASURE!!! This one is for my husband, HAHA! He gets on me for never measuring before I buy, I digress… Know exactly the measurements of the space you’re working with. Take into account heating vents, etc. Although, we have a vent on the wall behind our wardrobe. My husband got around it by using this vent extender. But our vent is toward the end of the wardrobe. I wouldn’t recommend placing the wardrobe with a heating vent in the middle of it. He also says you need to allot for 3-4 inches of clearance at the top in order to stand it up after construction. Keep in mind they come in different heights. This is great because you can take full advantage of your space!
TIP: At the time of writing this post, if you opt to ship the wardrobe, IKEA has $50 flat rate shipping and $10 flat rate shipping for all the items that are considered small. That said, I have ordered in the past and I worried the mirrors would be cracked. But for non fragile items, the online ordering is great for those of us who live far.
- List the items you hands down need to get in the wardrobe and their measurements if they’re taking up a shelf or are tall. This will allow you to plan perfectly so you can maximize each cabinet of the wardrobe. So for example, we knew we had to get three large suitcases in the wardrobe. So my husband measured their width and knew exactly how much space he’d need on the shelf. This made it so he knew how much space was left so we could fill it. If you need to get folded clothing in, make sure you can fit the larger drawers in. The same if you know you need tall items like for a cleaning closet or long dresses. Know your tallest item’s measurement (ironing board, broom, mop, long dress etc). This way you can leave one cabinet (I’d recommend the narrower cabinet for this as opposed to the wider ones we got) of the wardrobe with a tall empty space for these items. But instead of leaving it totally open, you would know you have so many inches/feet to play with once they’re in. You could add shelving or drawers or a shoe pull out to use up the rest of the space in that cabinet. This avoids you getting home and realizing that you could have purchased more customizing parts. This is a bummer if like us, you live hours from IKEA.
- Go to IKEA’s website to check the stock of the exact items you know you want. They are at times out of certain items. So at the very least you want to be sure you get the pieces you really want. They can ship you some things if they’re out of them. But you wouldn’t want to wait for frame pieces if you can help it. Also, it gives you a chance to see all the different options they have for the wardrobe. You can get some good ideas. You can also see the measurements of the different pieces as well.
To Sum Things Up
This wardrobe has been a life saver for us! We had one in Istanbul because they don’t have built in closets in flats. People always buy wardrobes for storage. Closets are just not a thing. We actually really preferred that. Then you can always make your space custom for you.
As I said in the beginning, to move such a massive piece would be a lot of work. So I recommend this for someone who is going to be in their rental for a few years at least. It can be moved, but like anything, it takes a beating if the movers aren’t careful. And remember to keep the instructions in case you move! Then it’s not so hard to disassemble and reassemble it. If you aren’t ready to invest this much stick to a smaller wardrobe. They don’t have the customization but they can be a great option for extra storage in hallways and bedrooms. Just remember that if you move them too much they won’t hold up over time.
I hope these tips and the tour of our IKEA Pax Wardrobe inspires you to customize your closet space in your apartment/rental. It really helps to make your rental feel like your own. Thanks for reading!
This post was all about the IKEA Pax Wardrobe
Thanks for helping me out with this. I have limited closet space, so I see how I can arrange my cloths.
I’m so glad you like this. I can’t wait to see how your closet turns out. Small can still pack a punch!