This Brilliant IKEA PAX Hack Screams Luxury But Only Cost $500

In my five years at Apartment Therapy, I’ve seen a lot of amazing IKEA hacks in every size — everything from small decor hacks to bigger furniture redos that take some serious dedication and hard work. And even though I love IKEA, the very best hacks end up looking nothing like IKEA at all.

That’s certainly the case for this redo, which turns a cluttered bedroom wall into the most brilliant concealed storage space. If you’ve ever lived in a bedroom without a closet (me!), the before might look familiar to you. While you can store a good amount of stuff in dressers, they’re just not suitable for everything — and they can be kind of space inefficient, too, since you’re not able to take advantage of as much vertical space.

Spaces like this are where IKEA hacks can be real heroes. To create the storage of her dreams, the DIYer behind this bedroom redo used a mix of IKEA PAX elements modified with plywood to create the open arch feature at the top of each cabinet. Painting the modified cabinets and the wall between them the same color makes this whole assembly look completely built-in, even though it’s completely renter-friendly — yes, this can be fully disassembled on move-out!

As with most IKEA hacks, the beauty in this DIY is that it’s completely custom. That means that in addition to lots of storage, the DIYer was also able to squeeze in a work-from-home desk space to make this whole project even more practical. Plug-in sconces attached to either side of the desk bring a little hint of luxury, even though the entire project cost under $500 total.

To learn more about this project, check out the full bedroom before and after here. Want even more IKEA hacks? Get inspired by these ingenious IKEA PAX hacks for almost any room of your home.