Planning My IKEA Pax Wardrobe Closet
I’ve made a couple of changes to my plan for turning the current guest bedroom into a closet. The overall plan still stands, but when I put the proposed floor plan for that room into the IKEA Pax planner to arrange my closet, I realized that my original plan wasn’t very efficient.
Here was my original plan. I was going to close up the doorway from the current guest bedroom into the hallway, and then open up a doorway from the current home gym (future master bedroom) into that room and create a big master bedroom closet with a workout area. I wanted the closet area on the hallway side, with the workout area on the window side of the room.
But the problem with that plan was that I had planned to wrap the wardrobes around two corners. And I can’t even express how much I hate corner storage. I don’t think there’s any such thing as efficient corner storage. Most corner storage is where things to go to be forgotten. But when trying to arrange PAX wardrobes around two corners, those corners just become wasted space. That’s 32 cubic feet of wasted space per corner. That’s a lot of storage space wasted!
Also, with closing one doorway and opening up another, that created another problem. The area with the proposed new doorway is right where our breaker box is, and moving a breaker box costs about $3500 minimum. I don’t love it being there, especially if this is going to be our master bedroom. It’s located on the wall just to the right of the dresser, TV, and “Sweat The Crazy Out” neon sign. I’ve had it hidden by hanging a mirror over it.
And when this is our bedroom, I can still easily cover it up with a mirror or something like that. And really, the only place I’d want to move it to is the pantry (i.e., future laundry room) which is clear across the house, so I would imagine that it could cost even more than $3500 to move it to the other side of the house. And that just seems silly when it’s perfectly fine right where it is.
Also, if I keep the breaker box there and don’t put a doorway there, that gives me a perfect corner for a comfy chair, floor lamp, and maybe even a little ottoman.
So in the end, I decided to keep the doorway right where it is. Is it unconventional to have to exit the bedroom, walk two steps into a hallway, and then have to enter a “closet” from the hallway? Yep! Do I care? Nope! I already walk from the guest bedroom (i.e., our current bedroom) two steps into the hallway, through the home gym, and into the master bathroom each day to get ready for the day. And then I walk back through the home gym, two steps into the hallway, and back into the guest bedroom to get dressed. I’m literally walking that path every day right now, and it has never felt inconvenient to me, or seemed like a trek from one room to the other. So the only difference will be that instead of this room being our bedroom, it will be a dedicated closet and workout area.
So with that decision made, this is how I decided to arrange it. I’ll have one entire wall lined with PAX wardrobes. That’s 15 feet of storage. And by the way, that’s the same amount of storage that I had planned in our original floor plan of the big addition when I had planned to use PAX wardrobes instead of having a walk-in closet. I’ve kind of come full circle on the amount of closet space I’ll have. So this is going to be the layout, with the doorway kept in its current position leading into the hallway.
So if I overlay that onto the floor plan, it looks like this…
I think it’ll be perfect! And as far as how the storage will look, this is what I’ve come up with…
This was very fun to plan and play around with on the PAX planner. I basically made a list of everything I wanted to store in here, and then beside each thing, I wrote down how I wanted to store it — on a hanging bar, or on a shelf, or in a drawer, etc. And then I made sure I had that number of drawers, shelves, and hanging bars. I still need to add some specific storage items inside some of the drawers (separators and such), and I may rearrange the sections. But overall, this is how the closet side of the room will look.
The good thing is that the amount of money I saved by not moving the breaker box and not opening a new doorway and closing another was almost enough to cover the cost of the new flooring (which I’ve already ordered) and the PAX wardrobes. So that’s a win!
I didn’t make this decision for future owners. I made it for myself. BUT, just think of how convenient this will be for a future owner now! They’ll already have the two separate bedrooms, and they’ll have five PAX wardrobes. They’ll just need to uninstall them and move them. They can leave two of them in this room, placing them where our current built-in closet are flanking the window in the guest bedroom…
The current closets are 40 inches wide, and the PAX wardrobes are a fraction of an inch narrower. So they’ll fit there perfectly! And then they can move the other three into the master bedroom and line them up on the wall where the original closets were. And viola! They’ve got two bedrooms with closets. It’ll work out perfectly!
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
I have tried using that PAX planner a couple times and I could never get past the second step after setting up a log-in. It’s just too complicated. Can you show us the steps as to how to get started?
I also found it to be very complicated at first. It’s very different from their kitchen planner, which I found to be very easy to use. And I never did figure out how to add doorways and windows to the PAX planner. But I’ll try to add some helpful tips to this post soon.
Brilliant solution.
Would it be possible to extend the wall between the primary bathroom and new bedroom to the right and the wall between the new closet and the living room/entry up to meet at a right angle? Install a new bedroom door opposite the hallway bathroom and remove the current door into the gym/new bedroom. It would create an entrance into the bedroom and you wouldn’t have your closet/gym door outside of the bedroom.
This was my initial thought as well. Add the hallway square footage to the bedroom and instantly, the closet is IN the bedroom.
Can you move the breaker box to be in the closet/exercise rm? Just flip it 180°?
That’s possible! That would be easy!
You might want to check with an electrician about breaker boxes in closets. When I had my home rewired they had to move the box to the outside because code no longer allowed them in closets because of fire hazard.
It’s not a closet, though. If I don’t close off the door to the hallway, it’s just a bedroom that I’ve chosen to use for storing things.
Our son is an electrician and he says the breaker box cannot be in a closet. It has to be where it can be seen by firemen in case of fire.
This sounds like a wonderful modification!
I also wondered about utilizing the large public hallway space in a way that gained you a little more “privacy” in moving back and forth and made it more like a true suite. I supposed the downside would be that it’s not as easy to convert to two bedrooms for a future owner. Lots to consider. I, too, hate anything with corners. I love the new closet plan.
I’ve been a reader for a while and generally “get” it, and I can go back and re-read if needed! But where are all your shoes going to go in the new closet plan? I loved your solution in the other room!
Lol, I went back and skimmed for the word “shoes” we had the same thought! I know shoes are not “big picture” but I still want to know!
The one section that’s all shelves is for my shoes. 🙂 I’m still thinking through my plan, and I may swap that out for a unit for one of the 13 3/4-inch-deep units for my shoes. But I’ll just need to add one more shelf to it to have the same amount of shoe storage that I have right now.
I love this idea and I always preach KISS (Keep It Simple, Sweetie) design practices… Will you put doors on your wardrobes or will they be open to the room? Have you thought about mounting a TV in one of them so you could watch TV while you work out?
Right now I plan to keep them open. I can always add doors later if I think they’re necessary.
Matt and I talked about a TV last night. He only ever uses that TV in our current home gym to listen to books on Audible. And he can do that using his iPad. I only ever listen to podcasts and audio books on my phone using my earbuds. I’ve never once watched that TV in our home gym while working out. Even when I use my Ladder app for kettlebell workouts, it’s on my phone.
So we talked about getting one of those rolling TV mounts and mounting a small TV to it just in case he wants to watch something while using his Theracycle. But when not in use, I can push it over to the side wall. So we’ll see!
It’s going to be like a spa, I am so jealous. It already looks amazing, can’t wait to see the final project. Love the savings also, that always makes me smile when you get two birds with one stone.
Cheers!
I’m sure you considered your shoes, are those drawers on the bottom for shoes?
No, the one entire unit that’s all shelves is for my shoes. I’ll probably end up swapping that out for a unit that’s shallower (the 13 3/4-inch-deep unit) for more convenient shoe storage. I looked at their shoe shelves, but I don’t really like them.
My two cents…I would leave the shoe shelves the same depth as the other units, for continuity’s sake. Added bonus, you can then store your shoes two deep, with lesser-worn pairs in the back. Essentially, you’ll have twice the shoe storage. Pax/Komplement also has pull out shelf drawers to make them more accessible, but I found them not to be worth the extra cost.
How difficult will it be to move Matt’s equipment into the new closet, since it’ll have to go through the short hallway and then a sharp right hand turn?
I already have to do that now. It’s not difficult. The door jambs get a little banged up, but a little retouch of the paint every now and then takes care of it. 😀
Gives you way more space without the door taking up wall space in the master bedroom. Also, it’s still part of the suite, so I don’t think it’s as odd as you think it is.
I can be wrong or off but do quick research on the availability of PAX right now. Some places have none from playing around with material sourcing. In some countries (maybe here IDK) they are changing Pax and discontinuing old versions quietly. I think one height was getting offered and they changed the back. But again I can be wrong. I’m just a lurker of some IKEA hack FB groups (to feed the algorithm non political things) there’s a mix of worry regarding pax on there.
So I’d go and see if they got what you want locally. Identify if there’s a possible update, does it affect what you want to do. And use that to determine timeline to purchase.
It shows that everything is available for delivery to my zip code. Maybe I should go ahead and order everything so I don’t run into shortages later!
Thanks for sharing your thought processes as you design your spaces! And I’m assuming that where the mock up shows purses in the closet, that’s where your shoes will go.
That’s correct. 🙂
Love the new floor plan. Envy all the storage you are going to have.
Hi Kristi, I too have taken another bedroom and made it into a closet. We had thought about opening up the wall between the master bedroom and what was once the 3rd bedroom (1974 ranch style home) but decided to leave the 3rd bedroom door where it is, which is right across the hall from the only bathroom on the main floor. So we have a ‘suite’ yet we don’t have a ‘suite’. 🙂 And even though we still have a guestroom on that floor too, as empty nesters, it is only the 2 of us, 90% of the time. It has been 4 years and I still would not move the door to the master bedroom.
Amazing! But, where will all your shoes go?
The one unit with only shelves is for my shoes. 🙂
I have a PAX for shoe and jewelry storage in my closet. I selected the pull out shelves instead of the PAX shoe storage and it works great. I line up the shoes so the left one is in front, right one is behind it. Makes it very easy to see what you have at a quick glance.
Brilliant plan! 😀
I am aware that you are a tad vertically challenged. Well, when you have a clothes rod 7-8 ft in the air, life can be a bitch. I purchased a tool from Amazon that makes life so much easier. It’s a pole that is specifically designed for getting a loaded hanger down from the sky! ” Clothes Hook Pole,Closet Hook Extends from 26 inches to 56 inches,Light Weight and Sturdy,Closet Hook Rod”
I can’t believe I didn’t find these “online” 40 yrs ago when I had 2 clothes rods (AKA 1.25 inch galvanized pipe) in my utility room with a 9.5′ ceiling. Can’t beat it for $10. I have 3 closets with rods at 8 ft so I will be buying 2 more of these. The high rod allows for a second rod under the first without getting reachable hangers caught on the clothes above.That way there will be one in each closet. May get a 4th for the garage so I can hang up freshly dyed cotton fabric. I use the pants hangers with 2 clips. That would also keep it out of the way of vehicles since it would be at about 8 ft above the floor and it would also be the chain that’s used for swings so the hangers don’t slide and bump into each other. I’m also putting shoe storage in the blind end of each closet. Got that storage idea from some lady in Waco TX!
But I digress! I don’t see where you have the climbing thingy attached to the wall. Does the trampoline have to sit on the floor 24/7 or could it be leaned against the wall on either side of the closest corner so you could mount the climber thingy on either of those walls?
I’d never make it with 15 ft of closet! Too much stuff which I guess I need to pare done some when I move.
BTW, before I got this hook for the closets, I was using a discarded ski pole to lift stuff up to the rod. Fancy balancing act!
I’ve been meaning to get one of those tools! I don’t really need it now, but I definitely will in this new “closet”.
I measured everything last night, and I do think I’ll have room for the Swedish ladder as well. But the floor plan program doesn’t let you customize the size of the equipment, so I couldn’t fit it all in on the floor plan.
I have to say I love to see all the comments worried about your shoes, made me smile. It’s amazing how you can pivot your plans for all the spaces in your home and they get better and better all the time. You are such an inspiration! Thanks for sharing with us.
Kristi,
I love your new plan. Go for it.
When we added more breakers to our old box in the primary closet, we were required to update the box so it had a main fireman shutoff and it was no longer inside the house, options were outside wall or in garage here in the Dallas area.
Part of the state and city and county electrical codes.
That must be local. I’ve had an electrician and a contractor in my house recently, and both talked specifically about our breaker box. Both of them said that it can’t be located inside a closet (and the two disagreed as to whether or not its current placement would be considered “inside a closet” since the walls are there, but there are no closet doors, and the space is clearly not being used as a closet), but neither one said that it can’t be inside. Local code does require a main shutoff on the outside of the house so that firefighters can shut off all electricity by flipping one switch.
I took our “spare” room and turned in into a closet/gym/office using the IKEA pax system. It was so fun designing but did run into an availability issues but eventually everything I needed came in stock overtime. Since ours is a gym also I used their mirrored doors for half of the doors. I actually like the bulk of our closet not being in our bedroom. I wake up at 5am to go walking so I never bother or wake up my husband by getting ready in another room. Plus I feel like it makes our bedroom more of a sanctuary not having clothes/clutter in it (who doesn’t always have a pile of laundry waiting to be put away). I think you have a genius idea!
I love hearing that! I’m so glad to hear it has worked out well for you. I think it’ll work out perfectly for us.
Kristi!
I had to laugh at all the purses on the shelves. I DON’T SEE ANY SHOES.
Haha! I wish the PAX designer let you choose what to display on the shelves. You know all those shelves would be filled with shoes! 😀
Just wondering, have you considered moving your washer/dryer into the closet & putting the exercise equipment in the laundry room area?
No. To me it makes more sense to have the laundry on the side of the house where I spend my days because that’s when I do laundry. And I’d rather have Matt’s Theracycle in a larger, more open space so that I can maneuver him around and get him lined up to the Theracycle easier.
I’m sure you’ll be pushing up daisies by the time someone else lives in your house so as you’ve said many times “I’m not remodeling for a future unknown buyer”. Smart cookie, you are. A house in our n’hood just sold with a similar floorplan we have. They added another bedroom but there’s no window! Actually they can’t on one side because it’s attached to nextdoor house but other than a door there’s no egress. Not sure how that passed code but whatever. Speaking of weird houses, did house next to you get bugs worked out? Have you met them?
I have met them! They’re very nice people. I haven’t seen the inside of the house since they moved in, but they did say that they want to do a kitchen remodel as soon as possible. They even had their architect friend draw up plans for a new kitchen. I think once they’re able to do that, the house will be great for them.
In the closet layout shown, you will only be able to reach one of the four hanging rods without using a clothing pole and hook. Will that be convenient for you?
No, but nothing is convenient for a person who’s only five feet tall. 😃 It’s something I’ve learned to deal with. I’ll have a step stool and a clothes hook.