Ikea Hack - Custom Wardrobe

My teenager’s bedroom needed a complete overhaul including a new wardrobe. Luckily her bedroom had a small office adjoining it. This meant that we could re-configure the layout and create a new wardrobe as well as a study area. I’ll write a future blog with all of the changes we made.

A big part of the renovation was installing a new wardrobe. As you know, joinery is expensive. I looked at many options but decided on an IKEA wardrobe. I created the wardrobe on-line on the IKEA website. It was super easy.

I chose the PAX system in light stained oak (see the dimensions on the diagram below). I also added some really cool features like perspex drawer fronts and special shoe pull-outs.

Before going on the website, I measured the space where I wanted the wardrobe to go. Once I had the measurements for my space, I went to the IKEA website and played around with the different wardrobe combinations until I got the right size cabinets for the space.

Ikea Wardrobe Hack

Hiding the Gaps

The dimensions of the wardrobe fitted well into the space we had available. There would be a gap at the top (around 15 cm) and the side (around 10 cm) but I knew we could hide the gaps by cutting some VJ wall panelling to fit the gap. The trick was to push the entire cabinet to the right side, then add the panelling into the space on the left side.

Ikea Wardrobe Hack - Gaps can be covered with wall panelling

The wall paneling was cut to size to hide the gap between the wardrobe and the ceiling.

The wall paneling hides the gap. The next step is to add the cornice so it matches the rest of the room. When the paneling and cornice is painted, the wardrobe will look like it fits exactly into the space. The new carpet will meet the bottom edge of the wardrobe. I’ll post more photos when it’s complete. There’s also weekly BTS photos on my instagram page too. Check them out :)