Fitted Wardrobes Help! IKEA pax?!

[NewWardrobeHelp]

Hello there!

I'm looking to get some fitted wardrobes from IKEA, but feel I need some guidance. I love that I can go in and completely create my own, but does anyone have any downsides to these wardrobes?

Has anyone paid to have them fitted by IKEA, or is it worth getting a local 'handyman' in to do it? I know they can be built by myself, but I've seen they take hours / a whole day and I'm planning on having them delivered the day I move into my new house so they are up and running asap. I'm moving in alone, so all building and unpacking is down to me.

Or can anyone else advise another company for fitted wardrobes? I'm moving into a new build and will only get in once for a measure before actually moving in, so can't have companies coming into measure before quoting.

Thanks in advance!

I’ve bookmarked Vestium for when we fit out our loft conversion later this year. They build your Pax wardrobes, make them look fully fitted, and add any extras (eg lighting, custom doors). Prices seem very reasonable!

Absolutely love our PAX wardrobes, I've got x2 1 meter units and x1 75cm unit, both 210cm high.

They've easily survived 2 house moves over 6 years and still look good as new. DH assembled them himself, I could have done it but it would have taken me ages. If you want them assembled quickly then definitely hire someone!

We have pax - definitely get a task rabbit if you can. Ours just did ikea so was incredibly quick at putting up!

Brilliant tips and suggestions. I'm so glad I asked, lots of things I didn't think of!

I will get someone to build them for me. Will just need to look around for the best price

We have one for DD and she's about 5 foot. Don't dismiss the top shelf. DD and I are both short and we can't actually easily reach the rails with clothes hangers if the pole is put too high. I have the shorter PAX and have made one shelf at the top so the pole is slightly lower. Test out the height with a measuring tape at home if you are ordering online. We use the top shelf to store stuff that are less used (for example spare school tights, her ice skating competition dress, hiking waterproofs). I get a step ladder to reach stuff at that level.

I really rate ikea furniture if put together well. DH does all of ours and they last. We have chest of drawers lasting over 10 years and a house move.

Of course you can't compare to expensive fitted wardrobes like Hammonds. But I have seen the stuff in B&Q and Wickes and ikea looks better.

I mentioned the height because I see you say you are short too. Taller people don't understand the problem of being a shortie.

They certainly can be fitted. We paid a joiner to build a frame around them fit them like any other fitted wardrobes. Despite all the literature most fitted wardrobes companies use standard size units and lots of filler pieces. There are companies that make nice wooden doors for them too.

We’ve found them great quality for the price and get lots of compliments. We paid £1,500 all in, including the wardrobes and joiner for 3m of wardrobe. Sharp’s quoted me £6k.

I've had some in my house for coming up to 15 years and still in perfect condition. I have the really tall ones so the top shelf is used for stuff I hardly use (perfect for vacuum sealing winter clothes and stashing out the way etc. I would ask a local handy person to put them up.

We’ve got IKEA Pax. Ours is over 20 years old, I think, and in perfect condition. We have three, but I now wish we’d gone for four, along one wall. The double has two hanging rails, one high, one in the middle, so we get two sets of hanging space, and I can reach both. The single has shelves -they are deep, but I use pull-out storage boxes on them, which act a bit like drawers. The top shelf is for rarely used items -I need to stand on a chair to reach.

I have full lenght so top shelf used for rarely used stuff, then rails and drawers. No shelves, drawers much more practical, especially if you folf everything in MarieKondo way, so you can see every item. Handyman fitted, as IKEA recommended fitter said you need 2m45 ceiling to install sliding doors, even though instructions say you need 2.40 and that's what I had. 2.40 worked.

We have pax in our master bedroom. Love them. We installed them in the alcove either side of the chimney breast. I put them together, I'm 5ft 3in tall. We have the tall ones 232cm I think. They are easy to put together. You do need to know your ceiling height though to work out whether you can assemble them on the floor and then lift the carcass into place or if you need to assemble them upright. Very good you tube videos of both methods. I was lucky I had 1cm to spare to be able to assemble them on the floor. I needed help from DH to move them from the dining room where I assembled into the alcoves in the bedroom(bungalow). That's the other thing, you do need a bit of room to assemble them.

My mum has them too but we paid for task rabbit to assemble them for her. This run very smoothly and he did it very quickly too. I probably would have been quicker but with a toddler and 5 year old, it can be a dangerous space when carcass is still in pieces with fixings sticking out before you put it together.

I find them sturdy enough. after 1 year I haven't had to adjust anything.

I could build them quickly. I worked there and was doing it day in day out.

Always pay for the IKEA service, as you say a 3rd party. They're building them all the time. They will be like me, I didn't even need the instructions.

If you just get a handyman, they'll be no better or faster than you would be doing it yourself!

Great wardrobes.

I use the top shelf for the rarely used items. DH has his precious trainers in boxes up there. I have hair extensions and spare makeup up there. Also occasional hand bags and clutches. The rest is hanging space and shelves (very deep) and the mesh drawer at the bottom which at the moment has toddlers nappies and wipes.

The main thing you have to consider is the height of your ceiling as you need clearance to get them from lying flat to standing. The newest design allows you to assemble them vertically but it's trickier, so measure your floor to ceiling height.

This is very important.

Bargain Corner is always full of pax that people have bought and then they can't stand them up!

You could always just redesign the interiors to suit you - all the internal bits come out and can be replaced or rearranged, that's why I love mine. I thought I had them sorted, but then some bits just didn't work, so I rejigged things and now they're great.

We have the ILVA (danish co. Didn't last long in U.K.) version of the IKEA pax wardrobes and although I'm only 4'11 I find the top shelf useful for storing stuff we use less or rotate (winter coats/ blankets/ bags) and just access with step stool (I have lots of these in my house)

We put ours together ourselves but there are 2 of us & DH is quite strong (good because I was heavily pregnant when I got ours)
Ours have moved house with us and recently also been dismantled and put up again to decorate the room & get a new carpet. If done carefully they can move but you have to be careful and keep all instructions.

🤣🤣🤣 quite.
I do have a stepladder I could use

OK, thanks both. Have highlighted this on my list!!

We bought the same thing from Homebase. It was cheaper and they had the names of local fitters.

Interesting... I'll look into that, thank you

I have a double and a single pax, standard height. I wanted the taller ones but wouldn't have been able to stand them up. The top shelf would have been perfect for storing winter stuff (eg blankets) over the summer.

I recommend the online design tool to see what internal options you have. I rejigged mine quite a few times until I got what I wanted. In the end I chose the single wardrobe to just have one pole so I could hang really long things, and the double wardrobe has one pole at the top, and then 3 small drawers to the right, plus a second pole. Loads of hanging space, but drawers for underwear, pjs, gym gear.

We’ve got our dressing room done out in Ikea Pax which we inherited when we bought the house. We‘ve got a lot of accessories in them, but they’re not necessarily the ones that I would have had if i’d bought them.

When we moved in we intended to move the whole lot to a different bedroom because I wouldn’t have used the bedroom they chose, but when DH looked at it he thought they were best left.

I really do like them. DS2 is going to get them for his dressing room but he’s very handy so is going to fit them himself.

We were a few cm short of being able to fit the larger ones, so simply removed the bottom ledge that they stand on. This means they're now just a couple of inches below the ceiling. I wouldn't want the shorter one as there would've been a huge gap from the ceiling and didn't want messy boxes or suitcases or anything on top. By sawing off the strip at the bottom it means you can add some coving and they look like built-ins.

They've been great, the glass shelf is a nice touch and the drawers hold a great volume. The versatility is so useful. I fitted so much clothing in one with a shelf at the top, 2 hanging rails and space at the bottom for shoe boxes. I did one with 4 drawers and a hanging rail, one with 2 baskets and a rail for full length items, and one with 2 drawers, 2 baskets and 3 shelves. The glass drawers are good for holding skin care, makeup, supplements and medicines so everything is organized and easy to see where everything is.

We had pax in our old house - if the pic has uploaded correctly you can see it below

We had IKEA sliding pack ones in our old house. When we moved we had proper fitted wardrobes from Hammonds and we really don't like them at all. Thinking about pulling them out and replacing with pax!