DIY IKEA Closet Makeover Before & After

Our small walk-in closet was in dire need of some re-organization and an aesthetic upgrade. Come see how we did this DIY IKEA closet makeover on a budget with the IKEA Pax units and get some budget friendly closet inspiration for yourself!

When we built out home in 2013, I knew I wanted to use the IKEA Pax system in our small walk-in closet in the main bedroom. It's a sturdy system that offers numerous possibilities for organization with drawer, shelf, rod and pull-out options. However, we weren't able to afford all the pretty drawers and shelves after we exhausted our resources building our home. 

Here's the interim walk-in closet we ended up with for the last 8 years:

I added the wire baskets instead of the IKEA Komplement drawers because they were cheaper. The problem was that they always looked messy and unorganized. Since we see our closet from our bed, I wanted a more eye-pleasing look.

Another issue was that I used narrower Pax units for the inside sides of our closet, and they didn't use the space properly because they were too narrow. I thought it would make more sense to use these units elsewhere in our home and turn these areas into much needed hanging storage.

Watch my YouTube video to see how I transformed my small walk-in closet to something more functional and aesthetic with IKEA organization:

Products used in our IKEA closet makeover:

• IKEA Pax Wardrobes
• Komplement drawers
• pull-out tray
• Komplement divider for frame
• shallow rod
• Star shape flush mount light fixture
• Edison light bulbs
• Laundry basket from HomeSense

Adding the white drawers to the Pax units definitely made our closet look instantly tidier and more high-end. They were simple to put together and easy to install.

We also added some crown moulding trim on the top of the cabinetry and casing trim on the sides to make it look more built in.

I purged and organized all of our clothing and added rods for hanging on the inside sides of the closet. That enabled me to make the other side of the closet mostly drawers and shelves for a more streamlined look.

We have some heating pipes we have to access on the lower right-hand side of our closet, so adding the Pax divider and a pull out laundry hamper was a simple solution to hide that area.

A simple display shelf in the middle of the closet allowed me to display some of my favourite thing like my teal suitcase, some art, and accessories. I also love how this looks when viewing it from our bed.

Now tell me: What do you think of this budget-friendly IKEA closet makeover? I'm so happy with how it turned out, and I think it looks so much better than before!