This IKEA PAX makeover has turned an ordinary furnishing into an elegant built-in closet in a Victorian home

If our favorite Scandi-cool powerhouse were to exist in 1880's Ontario, we imagine it would offer something quite like this sophisticated PAX – which currently sits at the top of our IKEA hacks lust-list. 

The closet graces the master bedroom of Readmore House, an ornate 19th-century property in Prince Edward County, Canada. A house of this grandeur deserves a closet fit for Victorian aristocracy, yet the bedroom was sparse on original closet space. So, owners Kevin and Sarah set out to make this right.

The couple (@readmorehouse) was faced with a task – to create a highly refined closet that mirrored the elegance of the historical setting – whilst maintaining the graceful ambiance of their organically lit bedroom. The solution? A trip to home decor haven IKEA, where they picked up their PAX closet system – a twenty-first-century staple – that would receive a makeover from the past. But what does time travel involve?

IKEA PAX hack – the makeover process 

'When faced with a no-closet master bedroom in our late-1800s Victorian Italianate home, we hacked the IKEA PAX system to create a character-filled, built-in wardrobe system that looks like it was always here,' they begin. 

Faced with their fresh PAX, Kevin and Sarah began by constructing the flatpack so they could plan the build-in with more detail. To ensure the PAX fit tightly against the wall, they used MDF pieces to frame the closet sides – thus maintaining the built-in aesthetic. 

'We added crown molding, baseboard, and wall trim to match the original profiles in the room, seamlessly blending the wardrobes into the architecture,' they share.

Kevin and Sarah then designed the closet doors, which crown the piece and ooze timeless elegance with a contemporary twist. They chose the most basic PAX doors to ensure they had a clean canvas for their designs, trim, and hardware. 

The pair used strong construction adhesive to apply the molding to the doors and added them to the closet once the glue had dried. 

Once everything was in place, they filled, sanded, and primed with Zinsser B-I-N shellac-based Primer. Then, after re-sanding, they painted the cabinets in Chantilly Lace paint, the same hues as their entire master bedroom. Finally, they added oversized 18" brass pulls for the ultimate 'touch of modern Victorian luxury.'

The final result is the luxury bedroom idea of our dreams – and Scandi-Victorian is the new interior style we never knew we needed – until now.