Build a personalised IKEA Pax wardrobe
How to hijack the IKEA system for a bespoke effect
IKEA's Pax system has become the £600 reference point when bespoke costs £4,000. Three customisations that change everything.
IKEA's Pax system is the backbone of the affordable wardrobe. But left raw, it looks like IKEA. Three customisations radically transform the result.
Customisation 1, change the handles
The basic Pax handles are basic black plastic. Replacing them with brushed brass, leather, or matt black metal handles immediately changes the look.
Budget. £8-15 per handle at Maisons du Monde Maisons du Monde, Castorama Castorama, or Etsy for more unique models.
Customisation 2, paint the fronts
IKEA's white or ash fronts are neutral. Painting them in a deep shade (forest green, midnight blue, terracotta, matt black) turns the wardrobe into an architectural element.
What you'll need. Universal undercoat plus acrylic matt paint, or a matt finish from Farrow & Ball Farrow & Ball or Tollens Tollens. Two coats required.
Customisation 3, add mouldings
On full doors (the Forsand model, for example), add fine wood moulding strips glued in a frame pattern. Instant "Haussmann cabinet door" effect.
What you'll need. Fine wood mouldings Leroy Merlin plus wood glue and a mitre saw.
The winning combination
Fronts painted in deep matt plus brushed brass handles plus glued mouldings. Total cost for a 2-door wardrobe, roughly £400 (Pax) plus £80 (handles) plus £60 (paint) plus £30 (mouldings) = £570 for a bespoke effect.
Pro-level tip
Go to IKEA for the carcasses (the structure), and have the fronts made bespoke by a joiner or via Plum Living, Reform, Superfront (specialist brands). Higher cost (£1,000-1,800), but an impeccable finish.
## Key takeaways
Pax is not a wardrobe, it is a chassis. What you see (fronts, handles) accounts for 30% of the cost but 100% of the visual impression. Invest there.