Ikea pax wardrobe system- any good?

[shelley72]

We are drowning under stuff. Especially in our room. We just dont have enough space. It isnt helped by having no useable airing cupboard space so nowhere to store towels, bedding etc. And partly me keeping things just in case - though I am getting a lot better and ebaying surplus things.

Does anyone have the ikea Pax wardrobes? We looked at them a while ago but had (and still do i suppose) other prorities money-wise. However the clutter is getting me down now and I need to organise towels, clothes, shoes, boots etc. I would also like a nice peaceful room

Would anyone recommend them? Do they work out expensive by the time you add all of the little bits like shoe racks hangars etc inside? Do you just have the wardrobes in the room or do you also have furniture / chests of drawers too? And if so, can you get them in the same design?

I am feeling a weekend trip to ikea coming on...

I love PAX. We have it in my sons room & are now buying it for my DD.
DS has a mixture of Beech & mirror doors - they really brighten up the room.
After 5 years they still look like new.
If you soom of the finishes match other ranges, such as Malm, so you can get other bits that sort of match.
My only complaint is that they have reduced the number of wooden drawers that they do. They used to do a great shallow drawer & also one with lots of wooden dividers, much better than the stuff they do now.

The pull out trouser hanger is great if you can get both doors open wide enough for it to pull out!

Not that I ever dump stuff on the floor in front of the cupboard doors or anything, as if.

Yes, if you can get a height of about five shallow narrow drawers with gaps above, it looks lovely and is so useful.

We bought Pax wardrobes earlier this year after a bedroom refurb.

Our new room is quite small, but has an alcove at the side of the chimney breast - however it is shallow. AFter deliberation we got the PAX, full height to ceiling, three doors wide, but the shallow depth. It is surprising how much we can hang in it, despite the clothes hanging from front to back (rather than side to side as in a regular wardrobe).

I also bought something similar for DS - his is also full heigh, but full depth too.

We don;t have sliding doors, just the regular opening doors.

The one in our room took a couple of hours to assemble, it was a bit awkwards as it was so high - but we managed. I did DS mostly on my own - just needed DH to hold up the main carcass until it was screwed together.

So far so good. They all have the wire baskets on runners. Also shelving in half of ours.

I think they were pretty good value really - and our gloss doors look perfect - I give them a quick whisk over with a duster when I can be bothered.

I have several, but I buy MDF or ply for doors instead, and paint them as required. Looks more 'expensive'. They are great.

I too am stupidly excited about my trip to ikea on monday. Measuring up today, I think I can just about get away with the tallest wardrobes, but can't decide whether to have 2 x 2 m wardrobes or whether to get one wardrobe and then chests of drawers for bedding, towels etc.
Wardrobe wise I want long hanging space for dresses/coats, a long enough gap though so that i can stand up my winter boots. Compartment to store scarves, shelf to keep cosmetics away from my 2 year old. I suppose hubby may want a bit of space too...
So the baskets, trouser hangers, drawers are recommended too? I am going to be hours there aren't I?!

Yes, you are :)

Fortify yourself with an ikea breakfast and Daim bars.

Had pax wardrobes in a rented property since 1999 and never even had to adjust a screw. I use the insides for custom made furniture at home. I need an ikea trip too if only for a plate of gravadlax,meatballs and a bag of bag clips!

I went crazy with fittings but but over the years have taken most out to maximize hanging space as that's what is most useful for me. I found for example the trouser hanger held 13 pairs or what have you of trousers but if I had a rail in the same position I could hand a great many more things

I love pax, I'm a bit obsessed

Can I ask what you all have in the very top? I've got a hanging rail in each as high as it can be for me to still easily reach. Then a shelf above which leaves a gap of about 30cm. I shove stuff up there and it disappears off to the back. It's the only part of the wardrobe I've not been able to
Usefully utilize, I guess because it's out of easy reach

I am about to put in a big order but not sure how many shelves/drawers I can fit in with hinged doors rather than sliding, can anyone give me some advice?
(we are having some 50cm wide units with no hanging space and need to pack in lots as we have no airing cupboard).

Also, civil, do you get your mdf cut to order? What do you paint it with?

sorry shoudl have said we are having the 236 high carcasses....

I'd get the 2 x 2 m wardrobes rather than chest of drawers. Put more drawers in the Pax, then you have choice to change later.

I get my MDF cut by a brilliant local supplier. I'd avoid B+Q as the cut is never brilliant, and it has to be be bang on. Ask around - unless you are near Crouch End, in which case go to Thomersons.

I use Satin wood and a brush, because I don't like a rolled finish. It is also possible to use emulsion and then apply a coat of briwax for a lovely soft finish. Either way, prime first. And cut your handle holes first so you don't naff up the paint work. GL

pannacotta I have one shelf at the top for suitcases and one shelf in the middle which divides two rows of hanging clothes. It would be the same for sliding as hinged doors. Make sure you choose handles that will enable the door to open fully if the cupboard is against the wall at the side.

Thanks for the tips.
Might try the mdf doors, though wonder if it gets pricey after buying primer/paint and paying a decorator (dont fancy prepping and painting 4m worth of doors!)

We've had ours for 13 years or so.

We have a one metre wide one with a high up hanging rail and twomshelves, one top, on bottom. The other one is two 50 cm wide ones pinned together - one side has a mirror door and two drawers at the bottom. Behind the mirror door, we have 4 pull out wire baskets and a shelf. The othe side we have 2 hanging rails.
Not really had a problem moving them although I do wonder how DH shifted a one metre width one from one bedroom across to another without me emptying it first and didn't hurt himself!

civil can I ask what thickness mdf you used?
Can you see your wardrobe sides (ie the Pax carcasses) and if so does the difference look odd?
Am thinking about having mdf door painted in with the wall (F&B Elephants Breath) but one side of the run will be on show as cant do the whole wall...

I would just like to say, that on part of our pax we didn't have a door at all and it looked fine. It was the jumper shelves, yes we had to keep them looking tidy all the time, like a benetton showroom, but it was great for access and it looked quite nice. Saved us the door money too.

I'd agree with not putting doors until you're sure about what you want.

Pannacotta we have just picked out ' elephants breath' as a colour for our room. Is it a blue grey, the description said it was lilac grey?

shelley I would day its very pale grey with a hint of lilac but not really blue grey. It is quite a cool colour, lovely though.
This is quite accurate (as far as you can be on a computer)
srinteriors.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/style-ideas-for-walls-2_e_12b1081677c861aba22119b0d82ed5f2.jpg

Doubt the MDF option is cheaper if you factor in paying someone to paint, but it makes the cupboards look bespoke and chic. Just about to paint them with blackboard paint in my dd's room.

We have 8 very tall 1 metre units from PAX. They are brilliant and it is easy to store anything as there are so many interior options (although quite pricey).

We were offered by IKEA that they would come and assemble them (which would have cost approx. £200 extra I think) which we declined. We really regretted that, they are a pain to put together, especially the really tall ones (you need to anchor them to the wall).

So if you can have IKEA assembling it, I would definitely recommend that.

civil sorry to keep bombarding you with questions, but did you use IKEA hinges with the mdf doors?
The blackboard paint sounds great, lucky dd!