This post is all about the IKEA Pax Closet system – the pros, cons, and how it saved us THOUSANDS when building our dream closet.
When we moved into our new house, our closet was BARE. Like, I’m talking about not-even-any-closet-rods bare. We knew we wanted to build out a new closet system but when looking into closet organizer companies, prices ranged anywhere from $5000-$9000! Y’all, our clothes aren’t even worth that much.
We started looking into closet systems at IKEA & decided to go with the PAX Closet system.
When you first go into IKEA to look at the different types of closets, it can get SO OVERWHELMING. Just their names are confusing – PAX, ELVARLI, etc. But wait, it doesn’t stop there. General storage systems tie into the mix and then your head starts spinning – BESTA, EKET, SMASTAD. Our advice is to figure out what aesthetic you are going for & what your space looks like. Our closet was roughly 13×10, & we knew we wanted the traditional look of custom-built shelves (without the luxury price), so that’s why we went with PAX.
One of the main reasons why we went with PAX was because of how much it resembled a custom closet. All of the drawers are soft-close, they have that luxe built-in look, & they cost a fraction of the price of going through a closet organizer company.
If you look on Ikea’s website, they actually have a closet builder where you can input the dimensions of your closet and play around with the different pieces to figure out what kind of shelving you want, how deep you want the closets, the style of drawers, etc. The options are endless. See our rough design of our closet below using their closet building tool.
The problem we faced when using the closet builder was not knowing clearly what all your options are. We will try to give you an overview of your options in the SIMPLEST way possible.
The first thing to decide is how big you want the frames. We broke down the PAX frame sizes below:
- DEPTH (2 options): 13 3/4″ or 22 7/8″ (these are without any doors). If you are planning on adding doors, the measurements are 15″ or 23 5/8″, respectively.
- HEIGHT (2 options): 79 1/8″ or 93 1/8″. We have 9-foot ceilings and went with 93 1/8″.
- WIDTH (3 options): 19 5/8″, 29 1/2″, or 39 3/8″.
At the same time, you should decide on what color you want to go with. PAX colors come in either white, black-brown, and most recently stained gray.
CORNER PIECES: Ikea sells an add-on frame unit that attaches perpendicularly to one of your frames. It’s basically a 19 5/8″ frame with end attachment pieces to connect with your perpendicular frame.
Once you’ve decided on how many frames you need, what the sizes are gonna be, and the color, that’s all you pretty much need to know in order to simplify the design process of your Ikea Pax closet system!
The fun part now is figuring out what kind of drawers (framed front, framed front with glass, solid, solid with glass) and interiors (pull-out shoe shelf, pull-out tie holder, etc) you want. Just make sure when looking into the shelves and drawers (Ikea calls these the KOMPLEMENT line), purchase the corresponding size with your frames. For example, if one of your frames is 39 3/8 x 22 7/8 x 93 1/8, I would buy this specific drawer size. They have the same matching colors as the PAX frames as well.
We spent just under $2000 & we are SO HAPPY with the result. One thing to note is that you will need to remove your baseboards in your closet if you want them flush against the wall. This process is easier than it sounds, so don’t let that discourage you. We’ll update a final picture of our closet below, but for now, you can see how it looks halfway done! If you are looking into the PAX system, and still have questions, drop us a comment or message, and we’ll be happy to help you out!
