When we moved into our current home, the bedroom had originally been a living space, so it came with no closet storage at all. That was a downgrade from the fancy walk-in closet we had in our previous house. We solved the problem by installing floor-to-ceiling IKEA Pax wardrobes along one wall to recreate the same amount of storage and make the cabinets look like they’d always been part of the room.
For context, our previous home’s walk-in closet was an 8′ x 6′ room. Each side had a 29″ wardrobe in the center flanked by two 19″ wardrobes, which added up to 67″ of linear closet space per wall and 134″ total. In our current bedroom we used the same Pax system across a single wall: three 39″ wardrobes plus one 19″ wardrobe, totaling 136″ of linear storage — a hair more than the old setup.
It surprised us that a former house had an entire 48-square-foot room to hold this much storage, yet in our smaller, closet-less bedroom we simply ran the wardrobes along one wall and still kept all the storage we needed. It’s a great example of how thoughtful layout and the right furniture can make downsizing feel like an upgrade.
This post explains how we fit that much storage into a smaller room while keeping a large bed, and how we made the Pax wardrobes look built-in.
Why Use IKEA Pax Closets?
IKEA Pax wardrobes are an affordable, highly customizable closet solution. We first used Pax 15 years ago to add storage and even create a sleeping nook in our first house, and since then we’ve turned to the system repeatedly. Pax offers many configurations, interior fittings, door styles, and accessories so you can adapt it to your needs. We used Pax for a major closet makeover in our previous home and again here because the system is flexible and cost-effective.
We’ve documented past Pax projects in detail, including organization tips and video tours that show drawer-by-drawer layouts. Those resources are helpful if you want ideas for interior fittings and how to maximize storage.
Why Add Another Closet Now?
When we first installed Pax in this room in 2021, we left a gap at the end of the run because we had been planning to move a doorway there eventually. That doorway plan was put on hold, leaving a blank wall that we realized could be turned into more storage. We tried a dresser and mirror temporarily, but adding another Pax wardrobe made the wall feel finished and provided valuable extra storage.
We debated using wide filler pieces to make the wardrobes flush with the adjacent door wall but decided the cleaner look without bulky end pieces suited the room better.
Making an IKEA Pax Closet Look Built-In
Pax wardrobes are among the easier IKEA pieces to modify so they read like a custom built-in. The key is trimming and molding to bridge the top gap between the wardrobe and the ceiling for a continuous floor-to-ceiling appearance.
Pax units come in 79″ or 93″ heights; with 8′ (96″) ceilings we needed to bridge about a 3″ gap. You may also need fillers at the sides to reach from wall to wall. The process we used here — adding a backer piece and then a visible trim that fastens to it — is straightforward and repeatable.
We documented the entire build—from unboxing to painting—in a timelapse that condenses about four afternoons of work into five minutes. In real time the first two afternoons were assembly-heavy while the latter two were mostly wait time for caulk and paint to dry. This is a manageable weekend project if you plan accordingly.
Tools & Materials Needed
Beyond the Pax wardrobe components (box, doors, hinges, and interior fittings), we used the following:
- Miter saw
- Nail gun
- Power drill/driver
- Clamps
- Measuring tape
- 1×3″ scrap wood (for backer pieces)
- 1×2″ or 1×3″ primed trim boards (depending on ceiling height)
- Quarter-round molding
- Caulk and a caulk gun
- Paint and painting supplies
- Stepstool or small ladder
- Table saw or circular saw (optional)
We skipped the basic wardrobe assembly steps here since IKEA’s instructions cover them well. Below we begin at the point where the Pax units are in place and secured to the wall.
Step 1: Make Your Plan
The main goal is to fill the gap from the top of the Pax to the ceiling so the units read as one continuous built-in. Because IKEA doors reach the top of the wardrobe box, there’s no surface to nail molding into directly. You need a backer piece — a narrow board attached to the top of the wardrobe — to provide something to fasten the visible molding to.
Step 2: Align & Attach Your Backer Piece
Cut the 1×3″ backer pieces to size using a miter saw. Determine placement carefully: if you want the trim flush with the closet doors, don’t align the backer flush with the front edge of the wardrobe box. Mock up the final trim by temporarily taping scrap trim to the front of the backer to confirm exact placement. Hold the backer in position, then nail it up from underneath into the top of the wardrobe box.
Step 3: Cut & Attach Your Trim
With the backer secured, cut your visible trim pieces and attach them to the backer. For exposed corners we mitered the trim for a clean, professional look. Nail the trim into the backer, and don’t worry about visible nail holes — they’ll be filled later.
Step 4: Add Quarter Round to Finish
If your chosen trim doesn’t quite fill the remaining gap to the ceiling, add quarter-round or a narrow strip of molding to close it up. Depending on your ceiling height and the profile of your trim, you may combine pieces or rip a board to size on a table or circular saw.
Step 5: Caulk & Paint
Fill nail holes and seams with paintable caulk or wood filler, paying attention to where trim meets the wall and ceiling. Once caulk is dry, paint the trim to match the room. Exact matches to IKEA whites can be elusive because different products use different whites; we used Sherwin-Williams Pure White, which closely matched our adjacent surfaces and provided a cohesive finish.
The Finished Built-In Closet
We completed the project recently and the additional Pax wardrobe has been a big win — both for storage capacity and for making the wall feel finished. We’re planning a future post that dives into how we organized the interiors of the Pax units with specific fittings, shelves, and drawers.
The biggest takeaway is that thoughtful solutions can preserve or even improve function when downsizing. We didn’t have to give up nearly as much as we thought when we moved to a smaller house: the Pax system allowed us to recreate the storage capacity of a large walk-in closet along a single bedroom wall while still enjoying a spacious bed and abundant natural light.
Other IKEA Customization Projects
If you enjoy IKEA hacks, we’ve tackled several other customizations that might inspire you, including wrapping an Expedit bookcase in wood, painting kitchen cabinets a custom color, building built-in cabinets with a window seat, converting dressers into floor-to-ceiling bookcases, and more. These projects show how relatively simple modifications can make mass-produced pieces look custom and cohesive in a home.
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