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Of all the spaces that tend to get the styling shaft, closets often find themselves at the forefront of neglect. But they also have the potential to provide a sense of tranquility when given some extra attention. Plus when you know what’s in your wardrobe, you’re less likely to spend money on things you don’t need or have a meltdown when you can’t find the outfit you’ve been saving for a special occasion. How can you overhaul your closet without a fully custom build-out? Fake it till you make it. Check out these IKEA closet hacks that spark joy in the pursuit of streamlining even the most jumbled spaces.
Invest in Elevated Fronts
Fronteriors is one of our favorite brands for making basic IKEA cabinet frames look instantly bespoke. The new Curved collection was a collaboration with design studio Prime Projects and, like its name suggests, features doors with gently contoured profiles that lend an Art Deco-like feel.
Build Out a Walk-in with the Pax, Part 1
These Chicago homeowners took advantage of their 11-by-25 foot bedroom by turning their preexisting reach-in closet into a spacious walk-in with the popular Pax system for just $3,935. Their biggest learning? Add fresh trim pieces and door fronts to make the closet look custom. They also doubled up on the single, half-inch shelves to make them appear more substantial and smooshed two drawer units together to fake the look of a built-in dresser.
Go Heavy on the Drawers
The biggest helping hand Stefana Silber got in transforming her Pax wardrobes was not from a professional contractor but rather from Fast Cabinet Doors. The blogger ordered 16 fronts from the company and then, once they arrived three weeks later, she painted them in Sherwin-Williams’s Accessible Beige, installed the hinges, and added crown molding on top and baseboards on the bottom.
Give It Old World Character
Glossy modern cabinets in a historic home just didn’t make sense to homeowners Sarah and Kevin Reid-Morris. So they hacked two white Paxes to look like they belonged in the old home by adding ornate trim to each wardrobe’s four panels, as well as baseboards to cover the gap to the floor below and crown molding up top.
Take Time for Reflection
In designer Chloé Mason Gray’s experience, three-and-a-half months was a bit too long to wait for a replacement front for a mirrored Pax wardrobe in this Mexico home. She thought it would be a breeze to have the fronts custom-made elsewhere, so she purchased the unit sans mirrors and began her search for glass. “It turned out that hardly anyone makes ones with the particular thickness needed for this closet,” says Gray. But the time it took to find a fabricator was worth the wait: When her client wakes up each morning, he’s greeted by the reflection of the unique Cerami plaster walls.
Keep an Open Mind
Domino’s own Julia Stevens and her roommates finally found the perfect NYC apartment. The only problem? Not a closet in sight. They converted the hallway by the entryway into their affectionately termed “walk-in closet” with IKEA’s Mulig clothes bars at $7 each. Six in total for the project only set them back $36. The racks stretch from 23 to 35 inches, so they expanded the top row to fit longer dresses and the bottom row for shirts and pants. Each roommate has her own section, with the option to share.
Make Room for Activities
Instead of a dresser that would take up valuable real estate, Judith Achumba-Wöllenstein’s IKEA closet hack meant installing a wall-mounted Boaxel system in this pre-teen’s room. (Bonus: More room for TikTok dances!) The showstopping red frame was another practical choice. “Because the wardrobe doesn’t have doors, all we needed to do was screw the MDF wood frame to the ceiling and to the side of the walls,” she explains.
Build Out a Walk-in with the Pax, Part 2
When you have the luxury of a walk-in closet, make sure that every square inch lives up to its reputation. Erin Kestenbaum did just that with the help of IKEA’s Pax wardrobe system, which she outfitted with recessed lighting, crown molding, blue paint, and gold hardware. Sure, it’s a big to-do, but the results will be worth it.