The plan for overhauling this disorganized master closet with the IKEA pax system will have you wanting to plan your own closet intervention. Using a hybrid method of combining IKEA Pax and a custom build I will turn this nightmare into the dream closet we have been wanting in our home.
We have been in this house for 2.5 years and ever since we moved in our closet has been an organizational nightmare. Raise your hand if you can relate!
Our last closet was also a nightmare but for a different reason. The whole entire closet collapsed! So I built an entirely new closet from scratch. And it took forever!
At least the closet in our new home isn’t wire shelving. But what is wrong is that it has no storage, and the rods run into each other so you can’t really use them to their fullest potential, there are no drawers, and the10′ ceilings create SO much wasted vertical space. Since there are no drawers we moved a random dresser we have into the closet, but when we open the drawers we have to back into another wall of hanging clothes. So we kind of get a hug from my dresses every time we need socks or underwear.
No matter what I do to help organize this space, it is never enough and nearly impossible to keep up with. We have piles and piles of things on the top shelf, which is slightly taller than my 5’2″ frame. Piles of sweaters and pants spill into one another and fall onto my head. Stacking things and removing them is like playing a game of Tetris.
Shoes are either in baskets on the shelves (not convenient) or shoved under all of the clothes and I have to get on my knees to find the one missing shoe that I need under all of the low-hanging items.
The door swings open from our bathroom and into the somewhat narrow closet, and I have to close it to get to my things on my side (because my hubby and I share the space). But then my husband opens the door and it runs into me and I am kind of stuck in the corner.
Hmmmm…maybe we should have done rock-paper-scissors to see whose side of the closet that would be.
This space is so stressful to be in. Whenever I do laundry I have a hard time finding the motivation to put it all away because of the mess and disorganization. Part of it is that I need to get rid of items that I no longer wear or use, which will help. But most of it is just that it isn’t functional for me or my husband.
So what am I going to do about it? If you can imagine the acrobatics that happen while getting dressed, you will understand why I decided that I am going to completely tear apart the closet down to the drywall and DIY a beautiful closet for us that will be much more functional than the closet we have now!! And that won’t be hard given the current situation of our space.
Why DIY and not hire it all out?
Because to have someone come into my house and do what I envision will (a) cost a fortune, (b) take forever and (c) be a sad thing because I have the skills, tools, and confidence to do it!
Why not just organize the closet? Why waste/spend the money and time to build it?
Because I could buy all of the bins and organizers on the market to make it better, but that won’t erase the fact that it just isn’t functional and there is so much wasted vertical space going unutilized.
The details for this closet makeover:
Our closet is 14′ long x 6′ wide. It is just a little wider than I am tall. It is big for a closet but, in my opinion, it isn’t a large master closet for a home that was built in 2020 (not 1920) and that is shared by two people so I need to design it in a way that maximizes the space available to me.
It has two doors that enter into the space so I only have one full-length wall. One door enters from the master bath and the other enters from the laundry room (which is such a huge convenience and love it). I will have to get creative on how to maximize the space. It also isn’t that wide so the cabinets on the opposing wall can only be up to 15″ deep in order for me to have enough space to open the drawers of the 29″ deep IKEA Pax units. While the closet sounds big, the available space is limited.
The Plan for this closet makeover:
I will build a hybrid closet. What does that even mean? It means I am using part IKEA Pax units and part custom build for the closet makeover.
Why not build it all from scratch?
Because the Pax units are affordable, customizable, and cut and painted perfectly and I can build 12 of their drawers in an afternoon vs. building them all myself and painting them which would probably take a couple of weeks at least.
I am buying 4 IKEA Pax units that are 22″ deep and 39″ wide to go on the long 14′ wall. Then I will use the leftover space to custom build a place for all of my dresses (I have a love of dresses) and then a shoe cabinet that goes from floor to ceiling. That is a 10′ tall shoe cabinet! It may seem excessive, but I don’t care. My husband wears size 14 shoes and they take up a lot of space!
I am a little extra so I will be wallpapering the backs of the Pax units and the exposed walls, taking the existing door that swings into the closet and turning it into a barn door to free up valuable space and end frustration. I have an idea of how I can turn it into a barn door without buying a whole new door so I can’t wait to share it and see if it works!
How long will this project take me? I don’t know but I can’t wait to share this closet journey with you! I am SO excited to build the closet of my dreams for this house and take you along every step of the way!
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