Where can I hang that?

Wardrobes: IKEA Pax 

Bespoke fitted wardrobes are pricey. The next best option is to design and build your own. With different colours, depths, heights, and an endless array of internal storage items, IKEA Pax wardrobes are the bees knees.

The best feature is that if your bedroom space is a bit tight, you can combine both hanging and folding space. By using drawers inside the wardrobe you don't have to find space in your room for a separate chest of drawers.You can also store small items such as jewellery and cuff links in pull-out trays with soft inserts.

The Pax online planner is time consuming but excellent. In 3D or 2D mode, it allows you to design your perfect wardrobe inside and out. You can spend hours dragging and dropping different combinations of shelves, rails and cupboards into the frame that best fits your space. Once happy, you can then with one click add all the necessary product items (of which there will be many) to your shopping basket.


If you still can't find a wardrobe to fit your space or you want to re-purpose the space a wardrobe provides, check out IKEA Hackers which has lots of ideas.

Our wardrobe

We each wanted our own wardrobes so we used the planner and kitted out two spaces of 100cm each.
We used Lansa handles, Vinterbro textured doors, Komplement drawers, shelves and organisers. We put soft Skubb storage cases on the top.

Top tips

• Make sure you have enough height clearance to assemble them. They come in two different heights (201cm and 236cm). There needs to be 10cm clearance between the top of the wardrobe and your ceiling.
• Think about whether hinged or sliding doors would be better. Sliding is probably better if you don't have much room. 
• Try combining different sizes of frames. For example if you want a 100cm wardrobe you can have 2 x 50cm frames or 1 x 100cm. 
• Trying to fill a corner? Not a problem. You can buy a corner unit.  
• Internal and external lights are available.
• Try and fit in a Komplement Valet Hanger on the side - it's really useful for hanging up clothes.
• Remember and fix them to the wall for peace of mind.

Uh oh moment

You can't put drawer next to a hinge as there's not enough space. We used one of the soft storage boxes instead.
I'd really like a full length mirror on the inside but as far as I know, IKEA don't sell on.

Did you know?

With over 12,000 products sold across over 300 stores around the world, IKEA products are all assigned names from a database of Swedish words.

• Bathroom products - Swedish lakes
• Bedroom textiles - flowers and plants
• Beds and wardrobes - place names
• Rugs - Danish place names
• Children's products - animals and adjectives
   

If you're interested in finding out more, check out the unofficial IKEA dictionary.

Project: the boudoir

Dusty Pink. Who knew it was such a popular colour? A wondrous shade of eighties glam that has yet to make a comeback.

I understand that built in wardrobes offer storage but the rails are too low to hang anything longer than a shirt. Lying in bed feels somewhat claustrophobic.

Made out of some kind of melamine, the gold handles and beading on the doors add another level of fussiness.

Uh oh moment

The built in wardrobes are drilled into the ceiling.  There are some strange electric flickering lights that need taking out.

Cork: but not in a bathroom?

Siesta Cork Tile

Much as I like a cosy carpet, my eldest has multiple allergies that include household dust so I wanted to find a hard floor that didn't break the bank.

We had the budget for laminate but I've found it a bit slippy underfoot. I then came across Siesta Cork Tiles. Warm and slightly springy underfoot they come in a range of colours.

We plan to use it in all the bedrooms and the hall.

Top tips

• Rather than buying the tiles direct, ask your fitter if you then can get them cheaper.
• The joins between tiles aren't very obvious once it's laid but it's worth talking through with your fitter how they're going to cut it into the door way or other noticeable areas. Our walls are completely off so the job definitely required some skill
• You need a few hours for the sealant to dry before you can walk on them. 

Uh oh moment

•  Our fitter slightly under ordered the tiles for one of the rooms. He had to come back to fit them. I was a bit worried that they would look different to the rest but they matched perfectly. 

Did you know? 

• Cork is the outer bark from an evergreen oak found in southwest Europe and northwest Africa. It's harvested during the winter time when the tree is dormant.
• Naturally fire retardant, it's also sound and heat absorbing.
• You can view a good video of the harvesting process here.

Project: the messy room

So we're lucky enough to have three bedrooms in our house. Not massive, but big enough. The second largest is dominated by an eighties over-the-bed-wardrobe-cupboard-thingy, that takes up most of the room.

Our plan is to take it out and use the space to store toys, hang creations and some kind of desk/making space.

As the room is at the front of the house I also need to think about what we do at the window to allow both privacy and light.



 

What we want

• Room to store all the toys
• An easy to keep clean floor with space to play
• A desk for writing and crafting
• Somewhere to display artwork
• Some way of storing their Lego and cars
• Space to put down a blow up guest bed