15 IKEA PAX Hacks That Can Cure All Your Storage Woes
If you’re dreaming of a custom closet in your bedroom, laundry room, entryway, or anywhere else, you can get one on a less-than-custom budget with the affordable IKEA PAX wardrobe. As several ingenious IKEA PAX hacks from clever DIYers illustrate, you can customize the off-the-shelf PAX closet system into something that looks seriously luxe.
And even without a hack, when it comes to closet organization, you simply can’t beat the PAX; it offers plenty of storage and built-ins to suit just about any need.
That being said, because of its size and assembly time, the PAX can be somewhat intimidating. Ready to upgrade your IKEA PAX system? Take a look at these 15 projects that’ll have you brimming with ideas for how to your IKEA PAX, and then read DIYer tips below.
IKEA PAX Hack Project Inspiration
What can the IKEA PAX be used for? Almost anything! Here, take a look at 15 projects that put this iconic piece to work in multiple rooms.
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 multi-functional.
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 between the PAXes, or a desk, depending on where you slide the wooden worktop in.
3. Add arches on top.
Similarly, DIYer Emily Neal added closet storage and a workstation to this bedroom. She got two PAX cabinets and a countertop from IKEA’s clearance section and made doors out of plywood. (Her entire project cost less than $500.) Because the PAXes were just a little too short for the bedroom, Emily also made decorative arches out of plywood and added those on top.
4. 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.
5. 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 like Erin did? The added puck lighting and grasscloth wallpaper closet liners are nice touches, too.
6. Add arches plus caned webbing.
Elevate your PAX’s 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.
7. Go with a grid system.
DIYer Jessica Collins (@ren.hove.ation) also used a light-colored fabric to cover her IKEA PAX cabinet doors. She cut small pieces of MDF to fit in the PAX’s pre-existing door trim, wrapped the MDF in fabric, and glued it onto the PAX. And before all that, she painted the PAX in a color match for Farrow & Ball’s Stone Blue.
8. 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.
9. 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 3-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.
10. 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.
11. Let your PAX provide a pop of color.
Another great place for the PAX is an entryway. This one, from Steph (@houseonthecorner_16), fits perfectly into an alcove in the home’s entryway. A white panel placed across the top helped achieve a perfect fit, and the mustard color is a chic invitation into the home.
12. Go for a monochromatic, minimalist look.
Although PAXes look great with added trim and hardware, you can also keep things extremely simple, à la Michella Laura, who used flat-front doors, small round knobs, and a millennial pink shade that’s neutral and minimalistic without being boring for her IKEA PAX hack. White trim around the bottom of the cabinets helps them look built-in.
13. Showcase your clothing.
The IKEA PAX doesn’t necessarily need doors to look chic. Take this adorable set up seen in this tiny NYC apartment, where Maitri Mody (@honeyidressedthepug) lives with her beloved pup. She chose to leave off the closet doors in order to display her array of colorful clothing.
14. Make your PAX work with a slanted roofline.
Malcolm of Designsixtynine used two IKEA PAXes in his Victorian home’s upstairs bedroom. “Only one wardrobe really required any demolition,” he says on his blog. “In order to fit it under the eaves, the whole top left section had to be cut down at an angle and removed.” Malcolm says this required extremely precise measuring, and he also added MDF and trim to the PAXes to make them look built-in. He also painted the PAXes dark gray (Valspar’s French Pavilion) to match the walls and fireplace surround.
15. Make your PAX hack wrap around a corner.
There are a few of reasons that this IKEA PAX hack by Christina Blake (@andchristina) stands out: the angled design that wraps around the corner of the room, the open cubby storage stacked above the unit and the gold ring pulls in the center of each door.
IKEA PAX Hack FAQ
Ready to get started on your own IKEA PAX hack? Here’s what you need to know about turning this flat-pack superhero into a custom piece that looks ultra high end.
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 moulding, trim, and paint, of course.
“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, like 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.