When we first moved into our new home, one of the major DIY projects I took on was transforming my walk-in closet. Using the IKEA PAX I was able to create the closet of my dreams. Now that my closet is built, I need to organize it! Come along and tour my IKEA PAX closet
My Walk-in Closet Before the IKEA PAX:
When I started out, this was just a basic walk-in closet. It’s a small walk-in closet, measuring almost 6×7 ft. I removed everything in closet clost and started from scratch. Take a look at the in-depth tutorial for how I built this beautiful IKEA PAX hack here.
Let’s Dive into Organizing my Closet:
Once everything was assembled, painted and ready, it was time to move onto the fun and final part: organizing my closet. When I planned my closet, I made note of all my clothing items and which needed to hung, or needed a drawer. This was crucial to make sure I had the right amount of space allocated in my closet.
I spent a quiet afternoon by myself organizing my dream closet. It was a serene way to spend the day. Here’s how I made the most of my newly transformed closet.
Felt Hangers Prevent Clothes from Sliding off
I hung my clothes on felt hangers. This is a small way to add luxury to your closet. The felt hangers are better for your clothes. They ensure no tugging. And the hangers are non-slip so your clothes will never fall off the hangers and end up on the ground. Plus, you can hang more so it maximizes the space in your closet.
Because I am a nerd, I also organized my clothes by color, in the order of the rainbow. It seems silly, but it makes clothing easier to find, and put away.
Built-in Pant Hanger
One of the most unique features of this IKEA PAX is the pull out pant hanger. It is a large drawer like space with wooden dowels along the top to hang your pants in. I made sure to measure the length of my pants to ensure accuracy and are hung neatly.
When hanging the pants, make sure to remove the belts so that the pants hang flat and neatly.
A small section for my Pakistani Clothes
The corner cabinets I created were the perfect place to store my ethnic clothes. I got a lot of feedback on my Instagram that it seems silly to have this designated space since it is so small. But, I don’t get to wear my ethnic clothes too often. So, I still wanted them to have their own designated space in my closet. They are stored away to the side but are still accessible and visible to me.
Jewelry Organization so Everything is Visible!
One of my favourite parts of the closet is that I can see all my jewelry. I have A LOT of earrings, necklaces, and rings. I like being able to see them in a drawer. I find that when they are in a box, it’s hard to find what you’re looking for, earrings get mismatched and necklaces get tangled together.
I created a designated space for my jewelry. The top of the jewelry organizer has a display case, so I can better accessorize for the day. The display drawer houses my everyday jewelry and my statement necklaces and cuff bracelets. And yes, like a true Millennial I still have all my statement jewelry.
The felt jewelry tray fits perfectly in this space. I like it because it prevents the jewelry from sliding around when I open and close the drawers.
The second drawer houses my larger earrings. I opted to use a yoga mat cut to size for this drawer. I like this being flat so I can maximize the space in this drawer.
Purse Organizer Prevents Purses from Falling Over
I bought a dedicated organizer for my purses. Ensuring the organizer allowed for function and display. The organizer is spacious and allows for easy access to grab the purses and be on my way. Before I had this, sometimes I would leave my purse in my coat closet, it was always such a challenge to find the purse I was looking for.
A Belt Organizer to Prevent a Tangled Mess
A belt organizer was an essential part of my closet. Belts are a staple of my everyday outfits, so I needed them accessible. This belt organizer ensures no more tangled messes and allows me to display my belts in an aesthetic way.
Custom Bangles Holder in a Drawer
As a Pakistani woman, my bangles are a huge part of my ethnic wear. If you own bangles, then you know how beautifully intricate they are, and such detail deserves to be displayed. So I took one of the drawers in the PAX, and dedicated a space to hold them. I added wooden dowels inside the drawer to keep my bangles neatly organized. See the full tutorial for my bangle holder here
Storage Boxes to Organize my Drawers
I used old boxes and felt storage containers to create custom drawer organizers for my undergarments, sweaters, pants, etc ensuring everything is folded neatly and easy to find. For example, my workout drawer has a box for sports bras, tops, leggings, etc. It’s a lot easier to find items when they are separated.
I bought some boxes from IKEA but they got costly. So I also used some boxes we had saved (isn’t it so hard to throw away a good box?). I even separated my sport socks vs dress socks.
I also love having all my sweaters folded. My husband likes his hung, but I find they always stretch out at the shoulders. I dedicated a drawer to my sweaters.
Easy Custom Lighting with Wireless Lights
This closet doesn’t have any power outlets. It does have an over head light, but I wanted to set the mood in this dark closet. I added LED battery powered lights above the hanger rods. The lights are wireless motion sensor lights that charge with a USB wire and have a long battery life. These provide extra lighting for when I have to pick out my outfit for the day.
To attach them, they have a sticker on one side (that attaches to the wardrobes) and a magnet on the other side (that attaches to the lights). Simply pull them off, recharge and reattach the lights with the magnet.
Walking Through my Dream Closet
This closet turned out way beyond my expectations! The moody green paint color, the brass hardware and the careful attention to detail came together to create my dream functional and stylish closet.
This closet is definitely my happy place and my dream closet. I feel such an immense sense of pride every time I walk in. Closet organization made possible with the IKEA PAX and customized with my own built-ins.
Picking out an outfit or packing for travelling is SO simple. I know exactly where everything is.
If you want to transform and organize your closet, I highly recommend the IKEA PAX closet system. This PAX hack will allow your dream closet come to life.
Follow along on my DIY journey as I continue on my home improvement and transform basic spaces into my dream vision. Happy organizing! And if you found this useful, make sure to pin it.
Leave a Reply