10 IKEA PAX Hacks That Can Cure All Your Storage Woes

1. Create a custom closet with the PAX.

After being quoted $5,000 for a custom closet, homeowners Chelsea Young (@chelseattlemma) and Jordan turned to the IKEA PAX to add extra drawer and shelf storage to their closet — a major upgrade from the wire shelving they had before. They painted the PAX closet system deep teal (PPG TIMELESS’ Night Watch) and added white marble pulls and metal knobs for an extra-luxe look.

2. Make your PAX hack multifunctional.

This IKEA PAX setup, with two tall wardrobes flanking the windows and a window in between, is shape-shifting. In her daughter’s room, DIYer Sophia Nikolaides (@1894home) created a PAX hack where there can be a bench or a desk between the PAXes, depending on where you slide the wooden worktop in.

3. Create a closet out of thin air with the PAX.

This bedroom started out as a “white box,” and homeowner Rebecca Rajs’ (@rebs_home) main priority was to add storage. She nestled PAX storage into the corner of her bedroom and painted the whole thing in a soothing sage, perfect for a bedroom: Benjamin Moore’s “Sea Haze.”

4. Add oversized hardware.

This IKEA PAX closet system in Erin Kestenbaum’s home was plenty functional before, but after painting the PAX system a dark blue-gray (Farrow & Ball’s “Inchyra Blue”) and adding brass drawer pulls, this vintage-glam closet looks downright regal. Because the PAX is such a tall piece that tends to draw the eye upward, why not finish your PAX hack with a statement wallpaper on the ceiling, as Erin did? The added puck lighting and grasscloth wallpaper closet liners are nice touches, too.

5. Add arches plus caned webbing.

Elevate your PAX doors with a little bit of silhouette shifting. In this IKEA PAX hack by Yvonne Langen (@tasteandtipple) and her husband Michael, Michael created custom doors for the PAX wardrobe out of MDF, hardboard, cane webbing, paint (Benjamin Moore’s “Willow Grove”), and brass hardware. Michael created the doors after the couple found a pair of closet doors they loved but couldn’t ship them internationally. He’s “never one to shy away from a DIY project,” Yvonne says.

6. Use a PAX for additional pantry storage.

You could add a PAX cabinet to your kitchen if your space doesn’t already include a pantry, like in Trisha Sprouse’s kitchen. The benefit of adding this slim cabinet is that you don’t have to have a ton of space, yet there’s plenty of room to store often-used items and free up valuable countertop real estate.

7. Use PAX as nightstands and extra storage in a small bedroom.

Maggie Beckett‘s bedroom was less than 81 square feet, forcing her to be creative about storage — especially when her husband moved in. She added two IKEA PAX wardrobes on either side of the bed, a plank of wood to connect the two units, and a curtain to help create the illusion that it was all one piece. The PAX doubled as the couple’s nightstands and offered even more storage and function than the bedroom had before.

8. Create a getting-ready station.

Having a dedicated space to store everyday items and to do your makeup every morning is a bedroom upgrade you’ll never regret. DIYer Lily Zacharias chose a three-cabinet PAX for her bedroom, and she left the middle slot open and added a desktop to serve as a vanity and shelves overhead for her shoes. “One weekend of installation and organization and $950 later, my room has never looked so polished, chic, and, most importantly, clutter-free!” Lily writes.

9. Use the PAX in a home office.

Think a PAX closet system only belongs in the bedroom? Think again! This handsome home office space by Lauren Carlotto (@l.a.ct) turns what was formerly a useless stair landing into a full-fledged office. The tall storage on the right is a PAX closet, painted a beautiful burnt orange hue (Sherwin-Williams’ “Fireweed”), and there’s a butcher-block desk and even more IKEA storage on the left.

10. Use PAX to organize your garage and have a place for everything.

Jackie Fagan’s (@morningkawa) garage is another example of how adaptable the IKEA PAX is. Jackie had an unorganized and “gross” garage that needed a functional refresh. Because it was her family’s drop station and the go-to main entrance to the home, Jackie added a PAX system to create a practical and organized mudroom area that still felt homey and stylish.

How can I make the IKEA PAX look built-in?

The key to making any IKEA product look built-in to your home is to make it blend in with the walls, and this is often done with crown molding, trim, and, of course, paint.

“I started with building a few IKEA PAX wardrobes along one wall,” Rebecca Rajs explains of her sage green PAX hack. “After I built them, I secured them to the wall and then added some filler to make the wardrobe go all the way to the ceiling. I used IKEA doors but added some trim detail to make them look custom.” 

How can I elevate the style of the IKEA PAX?

Consider adding box molding (like Rebecca did) or fancy hardware to make your IKEA PAX look a little fancier than a big-box item. The marble pulls and knobs from CB2 (now sold out) elevate Chelsea Young’s PAX closet hack.

Can I customize my IKEA PAX wardrobe to fit small spaces?

Yes, you can cut down your PAX to make it fit your size requirements, as several of the DIYers did above. Just note that trimming the PAX may defeat the purpose of the hack, which is supposed to save you a step and help you skip the woodworking. As such, DIYer Lily Zacharias outsourced the shortening of her IKEA PAX vanity setup to a pro.

Sophia Nikolaides (@1894home) went with the slimmest PAX option (about 29 inches) to fit between the window and the wall above, and she still had to trim it a bit to make it fit.

What are the best accessories to add to a PAX wardrobe?

When influencer Jane Ko was outfitting her closet with an IKEA PAX system, some of her organizational heroes were the KOMPLEMENT drawers with glass fronts (helpful for seeing all of her sweaters), the IKEA drawer liners, and, of course, rods and hangers. She also added LED lighting to make everything easier to see.