It feels like a small miracle: we went from having zero closet space in our bedroom—just dressers when we moved in—to a wall of storage that matches the capacity of our previous home’s large walk-in closet. We’ve already shared how we installed Ikea PAX wardrobes and how we made them look built-in, so today we’re opening every door and drawer to show how we organized the whole system. If you want practical tips to maximize storage and ideas for products that make the space feel custom, this post will help.
Quick note: neither of us owns an enormous wardrobe collection. I do have a soft spot for shoes and jewelry, so there’s still a fair amount of those, but my clothing is fairly curated. I’ve written about building a minimal closet before, and the extra bedroom storage we’ve added over the past few years has actually given me room to expand my closet slightly—mostly by collecting secondhand finds instead of spending on home projects for a while. You’ll see a mix of thrifted and newer pieces in this tour, and there’s a video walkthrough included below if you prefer that format.
Why We Love Ikea PAX Wardrobes
The Ikea PAX system remains popular for good reasons: it’s highly customizable, offers a wide range of interior fittings, and is easy to personalize with paint, hardware, and hacks. This is actually the third house where we’ve used PAX, so when we decided to add a whole wall of built-ins to our bedroom, PAX felt like an obvious choice.
We fit three 39” wardrobe frames with double doors and one 19” single-door frame along this wall. The three larger units are our everyday closets; the smaller 19” unit at the far right stores seasonal decor and is rarely accessed—John’s nightstand moves when we need to reach it a couple times a year.
We used many of Ikea’s interior fittings but also combined other storage solutions and pieces we already owned to make each section work efficiently. At the end of this post I list all the organizing essentials we used so you can recreate what works for us.
Closet Organization Video Tour
Want to see the closets in action? Watch the video tour to see every door and drawer open. It’s a great way to get a feel for how the systems function and to see where everything lives.
Note: the video is also available on YouTube.
The Left Closet: Shoes, Everyday Accessories & Long Hanging Storage
The left wardrobe, which we added earlier this year, has been a game changer. It provides long-hanging space for boots, full-length dresses (including my dyed wedding dress), and tall items that didn’t fit well in our previous setup.
Instead of drawers, we used a PAX divider to split the bottom into two 19” sections. That allowed us to install fixed shelves for shoe storage rather than slide-out trays that require more vertical clearance. Lining shoes toe-to-heel lets me see most pairs at a glance—the matching shoe sits behind the front one—so this section holds about 25 pairs of shoes and boots. A few frequently-worn pairs remain in an outdoor porch cabinet, but this closet houses most of my collection.
The top of the divider creates a convenient landing zone for daily accessories: belts, sunglasses, clutches, and the jewelry I wear most. I use a mix of older organizers and a recent acrylic purse divider that keeps small clutches upright and easy to slide out.
For larger purses and scarves we installed a pull-out multi-use hanger above the shelf. Some bags are also hung on hangers—watch the video to see why and how we arranged them. A lightweight mirror attached to the inside of the door makes grabbing sunglasses or putting on a necklace quick and convenient.
The Middle Closet: Shorter Hanging Clothes, Folded Items & a Pullout Tray
The middle wardrobe is mine as well. It stores shorter hanging items, folded clothes, and a shallow pullout tray for small getting-ready items. The top shelf holds travel gear like sleeping bags, while the hanging bar and six drawers below handle most daily clothing needs.
We use slim velvet hangers because they’re compact, non-slip, and come in attractive colors—mine are rose gold. I also added velvet hanger clips to hang skirts using the same slim hangers. The shallow pullout tray contains felt organizers for jewelry, makeup, sunscreen, and other small items I reach for while getting ready.
Below that tray are drawers organized by category: the top drawer holds socks, underwear, and pajamas; the next contains denim (jeans and jean shorts); another drawer holds tops sorted in soft fabric bins so bodysuits don’t get mistaken for tanks; the following drawer stores cold-weather tops and sweaters; and the bottom pull-out wire basket houses swimsuits and beach cover-ups—perfect for living where warm weather is common.
The Right Closet: John’s Clothes, Hats & Seasonal Storage Hacks
The third large wardrobe is John’s. He doesn’t need much hanging space, so his area comfortably stores his shirts, pants, and seasonal coats. During winter, we hang heavier coats here; in the rest of the year they’re vacuum-packed into space-saving bags and stashed in suitcases under our son’s bed.
John also added a cube organizer shelf on one side to use the unused vertical space. It’s secured to the wardrobe wall and holds fabric bins for sweatshirts and rarely-used winter hats and gloves. His drawers are arranged with fabric bins and boxes for shirts, pants, exercise clothes, and miscellaneous items—he even hides discounted candy in the top drawer.
Both of us keep some toiletries in our closets (deodorant, hair products) so the bathroom isn’t monopolized—especially helpful since our family shares a single bathroom. We each have a lightweight mirror on our closet door so quick grooming can happen in the bedroom instead.
The Bonus Closet: Seasonal Decor
The 19” wardrobe tucked into the right corner stores all of our holiday decor. It houses ornaments and lights on the upper shelves, odds and ends in the middle, and our full-length artificial Christmas tree (which breaks down into smaller sections) on the bottom. We only move John’s nightstand and open this cabinet twice a year—once when decorating and again when packing everything away—so it’s a perfect use of otherwise dead space.
Our Closet Organizing Essentials
Here are the main products and accessories we used to keep these closets functional and tidy:
- Slim no-slip velvet hangers
- Velvet hanger clips for skirts
- Stacking jewelry box
- Acrylic purse divider
- Small jewelry dishes and display trays
- Boot shaper inserts
- Charcoal odor bags
- Velvet ring display or PAX jewelry inserts
- Pull-out multi-use hanger for scarves and bags
- Cube organizer shelf with fabric storage bins
- Lightweight mirrors for inside doors
- Vacuum shrink storage bags for seasonal coats
- Felt drawer organizers and expandable drawer dividers
Whether you have a custom closet or a small nook, taking time to think through how you use the space and grouping items by function can make daily life easier. Place items where you use them—mirrors and toiletries near where you get ready, frequently-used accessories at eye level, and less-used items up high or tucked away. Small additions like a mirror or a dedicated jewelry tray often remove unnecessary steps and save time. And yes—keep a little candy in a top drawer if it brings you joy. No judgment.
More Closet and Organization Posts
If you want more closet inspiration or organization ideas, check out our other posts that dive into PAX makeovers, minimal wardrobes, and organization tours from different rooms in our home.
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