Everyone needs a space to organise their garments to sort out clothing or hang them up; what better piece of furniture to do so than Ikea Pax Wardrobes? With a huge range of colours, shapes, sizes and even materials, you can choose the one that suits you the best. You could opt for an essential freestanding wardrobe or one customised to your liking. However, as much as we would all love our wardrobes to be measured and styled perfectly to fit our rooms and tastes, they tend to sit on the more expensive side and are only suitable for some’s budget.
So, you’re looking for a budget-friendly wardrobe designed around your needs? Then you have to try out IKEA’S PAX wardrobe system.
What is Ikea's Pax Wardrobes System?
The IKEA PAX wardrobe combination system provides you with the chance to create wardrobes adjusted to your needs, affordably! You could opt for IKEA’s suggested combinations or design your own. That’s right, you decide it all; Too big? Too small? With IKEA PAX, you can remove or add parts such as shelves and drawers to your liking, even adding on extra parts later.
The exciting part is – without a doubt – choosing how you want your wardrobe to look. What size? Which colour? What material? Once it arrives, you may find yourself overwhelmed with the amount of parts and instructions. But do not worry, that’s where Dr Flatpack comes in.
The PAX system comprises three simple parts: The frames, the doors and the internal fittings.
Tailored Frames
You can’t have a wardrobe without a frame. IKEA’s PAX frames are made up of seven parts which include; two side panels, one top panel, a bottom panel, front and back plinth and a backboard. You can fit them together with cams, nails and dowels.
Depending on the width you desire, you can screw the frames in different combinations of the 50cm, 75 cm and 100 cm models. You’ll also receive wall mounting brackets for securing them to your wall. Each frame has two brackets, but no screws for mounting to the wall are included. The frames are usually available in white or black/brown.
The veneer/vinyl covering the units is quite durable, and we find it is one of the best at preventing marks without buying more expensive alternatives. The wood is a lightweight chipboard-engineered panel. The larger side panels have been known to be hollow in the central area. This can cause issues for cutting or modifications beyond the manufacturer’s recommended installation. Consider obstructions behind the wardrobe that will not allow flush-to-wall/skirting fitting. These include sockets, switches, radiators and pipework.
Heights
Ikea Pax Wardrobes frames are available in two heights: 201 cm and 236 cm. When selecting the right closet size, consider your ceiling height. It’s advisable to leave a small gap between the top of the frame and the ceiling for easier installation and to prevent door interference with the ceiling when opened. If you prefer sliding doors, ensure a minimum 4cm clearance.
Depths
You can select frames with a depth of either 35cm or 58cm. The deeper option is the standard choice for most wardrobes. When choosing the frame depth, ensure the doors can open fully and account for the positioning of other furniture items like your desk or bed. Opting for the thicker depth is advisable, as it offers greater storage capacity due to the nature of the hangers and drawers in these units.
Widths
Once you’ve determined the height and depth of your frames, it’s time to consider the wardrobe’s width. The frames are offered in three sizes: 50cm, 75cm, and 100cm. If you desire a wider wardrobe, you can combine multiple frames. When measuring, account for the thickness of skirting boards, window seals, radiators, and other elements on adjacent walls. Round down your measurement to the nearest 25cm.
Corners
You want your wardrobe to have an ‘L’ shape, and fit into a corner? Well, that’s also a possibility with the PAX system. The PAX add-on corner unit is compatible with both 75cm and 100cm PAX frames and both depth frames. The add-on corner unit, on the other hand, is only available in one width (50cm) and one depth (58cm). It may be installed on the left or right side, whichever you prefer most.
Colours
PAX frames are available in three colours: white, black-brown, and white stained wood from IKEA. The latter is more challenging to get but can infuse your wardrobe with a charming, rustic ambience. This option is perfect for those seeking a more unique and natural look in their wardrobe design.
Door Options
As it’s the first thing you see when looking at a Ikea Pax Wardrobe, the doors are one of the most prominent and important features when it comes to customising your IKEA PAX wardrobe. IKEA provides you with a variety of colours and patterns in order for your wardrobe to match the style and colours of your room. The doors are also available in two opening styles: hinged or sliding with a choice of panelling too.
Hinged Doors
These are doors that open out into the room on one side and are hinged on the other; Pretty self-explanatory, right? They come in two widths (25 cm and 50 cm), allowing you to pair them with a variety of frame widths. To fit the height of your chosen frame, there are two height possibilities. Different options including shaker, contemporary and wood effect hinged doors are available.
While both sizes are available in mirrored options, the 25cm is only available as a mirror. Whether you prefer a sleek modern look or a classic wooden finish, these hinged doors provide versatile options to complement your interior design and they are easy to fit with simple to follow, step by step instructions. Find out more by getting in touch now!
Sliding Doors
Sliding doors are fantastic. Unlike hinged doors, which open outwardly, these doors glide past one another, allowing you to take advantage of the space, ideal for smaller rooms. Solid and panelled sliding doors are available in the PAX system. Both varieties are supplied in pairs and come in 150cm and 200cm widths. Multiple sliding doors can be used, however, they must be used in pairs.
Solid doors, such as the Hasvik, are sold in pairs and include all of the rails and bolts you’ll need to install in your wardrobe frames. These doors are less expensive and easier to build than panelled doors since they require the installation of the running wheels and brackets that allow them to hang on the rails.
Panelled Doors
Panelled doors, such as the Auli, are more costly, but they allow the customer the opportunity to customise the door’s design by replacing the panels. Each door is made up of four separate panels plus the frame that holds them together. The frame is made of aluminium and comes in three colours: aluminium, white, and black, allowing you to match the wardrobe frames and panels for the finest possible look.
The panels are available in a variety of plain colours, including white, light grey, and an oak look. You can also choose mirrored or frosted glass as an alternative. The Auli doors must be assembled, which may be rather tricky and time-consuming due to the fact that there are over twenty pieces to put together. But don’t worry Dr Flatpack are well versed at the installation of these; once they’re on, they look fantastic.
IKEA can also provide you with a gentle soft close mechanism to complement your sliding doors. The Komplement soft closing gadget performs precisely what it claims. It slows down the door’s closing pace so it doesn’t smash shut… It’s genius!
Internal Components
IKEA Pax Wardrobes’ Komplement collection features a plethora of inside accessories, so once you’ve completed all of your measurements and selected your frames and doors, the real fun can begin. Allow your creativity to run wild while designing the interior of your new closet. Are you looking for a way to hang your clothes? You are welcome to them. Of course, there are shelves. Yes, there are built-in drawers. You can have whatever you want and more. Your imagination is the only limit.
- Hanging Rails
- Shelves
- Drawers and Pull-Out Trays
- Baskets
- Trouser Hanger
- Dividers
- Pull-Out Storage Bags
- Shoe Shelves
- Pull-Out Mirror
- Pull-Out Multi-Use Hanger
- Valet Hanger
- Lighting
Hanging rails aren’t exactly thrilling, but they are quite useful. They enable you to hang your shirts, pants, and skirts to keep your Ikea Pax Wardrobes organised, as well as to avoid creases. Depending on the depth of the closet, the Komplement clothing racks are available in two distinct forms: The most frequent is to hang your clothing side-on on a rail that goes from one side of your closet to the other. This style is suitable for frames with a depth of 58cm. A pull-out rail, on the other hand, is meant for frames that are shallower (35cm deep). Because the wardrobe is not deep enough to hang your garments side-by-side, you must hang them front-on. This rail slides out, allowing you to reach the back-hanging garments. These rails are available in white or dark grey.
Would you like a whole section of your wardrobe to be dedicated to shelves? Or would you rather have just one? With the PAX system you can have as many shelves as you like. The Komplement shelves are available in three sizes to fit your wardrobe’s breadth. They also come in a variety of colours to complement your wardrobe frame, such as white, black-brown, and stained oak. You can even personalise it for the shelves to be glass if you’d like to add the touch of sophistication, or to be able to see your jewellery.
Drawers are a tremendous tool and a fantastic method to keep everything organised. The Komplement drawers, like the shelves, come in a variety of sizes and colours to meet your needs. If you’re neat enough, you can even have drawers with glass fronts!
Most individuals with internal drawers pick three or four drawers at the bottom of their closet and top them off with a shelf to keep things tidy, leaving room for hanging space in the upper half.
IKEA also sells a Komplement pull-out tray that is shallower than a conventional drawer and can be used to store smaller goods that don’t take up a lot of room in your closet. If you want to get even more organised, IKEA has inserts that fit into the tray and help you arrange smaller items like jewellery. Pairing the pull-out tray with a glass shelf is a terrific idea.
When picking your drawers, keep in mind that they will not fit where there is a door hinge. This means they won’t fit in the bottom of a hinged-door wardrobe. IKEA, on the other hand, has solutions such as the pull-out basket and the pull-out shoe rack.
Baskets, like drawers, are a great method to keep your things organised. The baskets are composed of metal mesh in white or grey and have pull-out runners that make them easy to reach.
With the pull-out trouser hanger, hanging your trousers is now easier than ever. It is made up of many rails that allow you to hang your trousers neatly and conveniently. They contain 5–12 arms, allowing you to hang anywhere from 10 to 24 pairs of pants. They come with runners, so you can easily pull them out and slip them back in.
What if you want to organise certain items in drawers at the bottom of your closet while also having room to hang long dresses? The Komplement divider could be exactly what you’re looking for. It enables you to divide the bottom half of your clothing into two sections. On one side, you may have four drawers or baskets, and on the other, you can have full-length hanging space.
If you wish to employ accessories that are thinner than your wardrobe frame, such as pull-out storage bags, you’ll need a divider. The same colour options are available for the dividers as they are for the frames and drawers.
Pull-out storage bags are made up of two material bags stacked one on top of the other. They slide out on tracks, allowing simple access to the one at the back. They’re ideal for keeping bulky items like gloves and scarves and your laundry. They can be removed from their frames and feature handy handles for simple transport. They’re also machine washable, which is a nice addition.
However, because they are only available in 50cm widths, a Komplement divider will be necessary if your frame is bigger.
You know how it is when all of your shoes are heaped in the bottom of your closet, making it difficult to find a pair that matches. Ikea has two options for dealing with this issue. The conventional Komplement shoe shelf, which is a metal shelf with a lip on the bottom edge, is one example. It rests at a small slant in your closet, allowing you to effortlessly select a pair of shoes.
The pull-out shoe shelf is another option. These staggered shelves not only allow you to store more shoes in the same amount of space as the fixed shelf, but they also allow you to access the hard-to-reach shoes at the rear.
If you require a mirror that can be hidden, the Komplement pull-out mirror is a wonderful option. It takes up very little space in the hanging area of your closet when folded. When you need it, simply take it out and rotate it to the proper angle; when you’re finished, simply slip it back into place. It also has a convenient storage compartment for your jewellery on the back of it. It comes in two colours: white or grey, much like the rest of the Komplement line.
This mirror easily screws into one of the numerous fixing holes on the interior of the PAX wardrobe frame, enabling you to adjust the height to your liking.
This little gadget is perfect for ties, scarves and belts. The pull-out hanger mounts to the inside of the wardrobe frame and has a number of hanging knobs along its length. Simply pull it out to access your accessories and push it back in when you’re done. Again, this is available in either white or grey.
This modest but useful hanger rests outside your closet and has three large hanging holes. It’s ideal for drying damp clothing or deciding on the right attire. It is securely fastened to the inside of the wardrobe with two screws and can be adjusted to the perfect height for you using the pre-drilled holes in the frame. The valet hangers come in two colours: white and grey.
Because your wardrobe is dark, it might be difficult to select the correct clothing at times, especially if you have black-brown frames. To address this, IKEA offers a few lighting options.
The first is a set of spotlights that are mounted on the top of the closet and shine down on the front. When your doors are closed, these may really make a difference. These kinds of lights, on the other hand, don’t provide a lot of light within the closet to assist you choose the right attire.
The other option is strip lighting, which is attached to the bottom of either the top of the frame or a shelf inside the wardrobe. On, off, and auto are the three options. The first two settings are self-explanatory, while the auto mode allows the light to turn on and off as soon as the wardrobe doors are opened or closed, exactly like your refrigerator light. The inside of the closet is significantly brighter with these strip lights than with spotlights.
Each of these lighting options require only that you plug them into a wall outlet.
PAX Planner
It may appear difficult to create your ideal wardrobe from all of the alternatives you’ve just learned about. IKEA has an online software called the PAX planner that might assist you. It lets you select and choose from all of the goods listed above, then visualises them so you can see how your wardrobe will look and perform. This tool allows you to quickly and simply modify colours, door types, and internal layouts so that you may purchase a wardrobe that is just right for you.
If you need assistance putting together your new IKEA PAX wardrobe, call Dr Flatpack, who will gladly assist you.
Good luck, and enjoy!
About the author Mike Kular, the Managing Director of Dr Flatpack, brings over twenty years of experience in construction to the forefront of furniture assembly and interior fit-outs. Knowledgeable in furniture building and construction techniques, Mike’s passion for craftsmanship is the cornerstone of his career. His dedication to enhancing the customer experience is evident in his commitment to elevating service quality. Mike’s expertise and consultation have not only shaped his professional journey but have also contributed to redefining industry standards in furniture assembly. Aside from running Dr Flatpack, he also consults for property developers, manufacturers and importers.
