Babies might be tiny, but they come with a lot of stuff, so you need great storage.
Having an organized nursery often makes all the difference between calm and chaos once little ones arrive.
The basic closet with a single clothes rod wasn’t going to cut it for this determined (and expecting) IKEA hacker.
The mom-to-be (smilesactivated) crafted a custom built-in nursery closet for about $1,000 using PAX units. The final piece looks like it was always part of the room.
The one thing more impressive than this amazing DIY transformation?
The hacker pulled it off at 36.5 weeks pregnant! Her husband assembled the PAX frames, and she did the rest.
Want to replicate this PAX nursery wardrobe hack? Here’s what you need to know!
What You’ll Need
- 1 PAX frame (39 ⅜” x 22 ⅞” x 92 ⅞”)
- 1 PAX frame (19 ⅝” x 22 ⅞” x 92 ⅞”)
- 4 KOMPLEMENT drawers (39 ⅜” x 22 ⅞”)
- 4 KOMPLEMENT drawers (19 ⅝” x 22 ⅞”)
- 1 KOMPLEMENT shelf (39 ⅜” x 22 ⅞”)
- 2 KOMPLEMENT shelves (39 ⅜” x 22 ⅞”)
- 2 KOMPLEMENT clothes rails (39 ⅜” x 22 ⅞”)
- 1 KOMPLEMENT clothes rail (19 ⅝” x 22 ⅞”)
- 3 10-ft (1 x 6) pine boards for framing
- 2 10-ft (1 x 8) pine boards for drawer fronts
- ¾” plywood for base frame (optional, depending on baseboards)
- White hole caps
- ⅛” tile spacers
- Wood filler
- Caulk
- Primer
- White paint
- Drawer pulls
- Sander
- Nail gun
- Basics — screw gun, drill, tape measure, pencil, saw
A Built-in Wardrobe That’s Perfect for Baby (and Parents, Too!)
1. Assemble the PAX
Put together the PAX frames according to IKEA instructions. You can assemble the drawers at this time, too, but don’t install them yet.
This particular hack utilizes two units, the 39 ⅜” and the 19 ⅝” ones. However, since this is a custom DIY, you may prefer different sizes depending on the closet you’re using or if you want a different configuration.
2. Decide on Your Base and Position the PAX
The creator made a base out of ¾” plywood to raise the PAX units so the bottoms were level with her baseboards. That way, there was a seamless transition across the bottom of the units and side walls.
You may or may not need a base, depending on your preferences or baseboard situation, or your base may need to be larger or smaller. Place the PAX units into position atop the base, making sure the spacing is how you want it, then attach them to the wall and each other.
3. Check the Gaps
Assess the gaps on the sides of the PAX frames and the side walls. If the gap is overly large, you may want to add some wood to the outside of each unit to bring it closer to the wall.
You’ll need this to have something to attach the trim to. For the hacker, the piece fit well enough, so she didn’t have to do this step.
4. Add Shelves, Drawers, and Accessories
After getting your PAX into position, install the drawers, shelves, clothes rails, etc. This how-to lays out what the hacker used, but you could use more or fewer drawers, clothes rods, add doors instead of drawers, etc. (IKEA’s PAX planning tool makes this super easy!)
Decide what you need and what types of storage work best for you. Also, the hacker mentioned using pine boards to make the shelves; however, you can simply purchase KOMPLEMENT shelves that fit perfectly into the PAX.
5. Create the Front Frame and Attach
Measure all of the areas you plan to add trim to and cut the 1×6 pine boards to fit. Sand, prime, and paint the frame pieces, then attach using the nail gun. For the bottom, the hacker used some of her existing baseboard, but you could also use the same pine as the rest of the frame.
6. Add New Drawer Fronts
One of the things that really makes a difference is the new drawer fronts that sit flush with the frame. Cut the fronts to size out of the 1×8 pine boards. Use the ⅛” spacers to help create the gaps and make them even.
The hacker said this was the most tedious step, measuring and subtracting gaps to get the right dimensions for the drawers.
Sand, prime, and paint the drawer fronts, then attach temporarily using screws through the hardware holes. Then, screw from the inside at each corner and remove the screws from the front.
7. The Finishing Touches
Fill any holes and joints with the wood filler, let dry, then sand. Finally, caulk, prime, and paint as needed using a white paint similar to the IKEA white.
Or paint the entire unit if you prefer a different look. Install the drawer pulls and hole caps, and organize the cutest custom infant closet ever!
What do you think? Have a PAX hack or any other DIY to share? We’d love to see it!