PAX Pantry

Jules Yap·
KitchenSecondary Storage
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Pantry%2Bof%2Btwo%2BPAX%2Bwardrobes%2Bw%2BBirkeland%2Bdoors 778094

Materials: Two PAX wardrobes, 93″ x 19″ x 14″ with Birkeland doors, MANY shelves, four baskets, cordless drill/screwdriver

Description: My kitchen was overflowing so for a couple of years I designed major remodels and reviewed this site for inspiration before this idea came to me. It’s not so much a HACK as a repurpose.

I used the tallest and shallowest PAX wardrobes because I strongly dislike deep shelving for a pantry. Used two narrow units rather than one wide so that each shelf wouldn’t have too much weigh to bear. The baskets are for crackers, noodles, etc.

IKEA includes instructions for joining the two wardrobes and you can buy as many shelves and baskets as you need or want. The instructions say it takes two people to assemble and mount these but I did them on my own.

Now I just have to get brave and drill holes for the handles (I could use advice on that because I’m afraid of shattering the paint finish).

~ Christine, Silicon Valley, CA

Jules Yap
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13 Responses

  1. i don’t think they are actually painted. i think it is a laminate over some kind of pressed board. at least that is what all my cabinets are….

    if that is the case, i drilled through that w no problem you just have to go slower.

    Reply

  2. I have handles on my wardrobes (from Ikea) that don’t need any drilling to fix them in place. Instead, you screw them straight onto the back of the door using short screws, which don’t go all the way through the thickness of the door. I too was afraid of drilling holes all the way through.

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  3. I love this! The only thing I would do differently would be to put the pull out baskets on the bottom shelves. Other than that… I guess I’m going to be making an extra pantry for my new kitchen.

    Reply

  4. 93″ i assume that its the height of it.. the 19″ x 14″, is the 19″ the depth or the width or the 14″ is the depth or width? please let me know. very interested with your work.

    i’ve look at ikea’s website for the pax wardrobes and most of their depths are 22″ or more.

    Reply

  5. i’m curious as to why you didn’t purchase an IKEA akurum (kitchen) high cabinet? they’re made to handle the weight and have pullout drawers and baskets to maximize storage space. as far as the handles go, always drill from the outside in so that any splintering is covered in the inside of the cabinet. also, you’ll definitely want to have a piece of wood behind it, and drill slowly.

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  6. Love this! It’s just what I was looking for to add a pantry to my kitchen! I like the idea of the bold color doors! I think I’m off to Ikea now!

    Reply

  7. if it’s a laquered surface you’re working on, first you need to punch the correct spot with a nail (chiodo), or your drill could “slide/slip” and scratch the outside surface.
    then, you’ll need the smallest drill bit you have or can find, sth like a 3mm diameter, and with that you can go all the way through. take care if the inside surface is laquered, too. my drawers were, but with a different material than the outside, some “softer” one, that was not risking to chip away like nail (unghie) enameil, but was something like bubbleing.
    third, you redrill from the inside with the small bit.
    last, drill from the outside, carefully if you have the bubbleing material, with the definitive drill.
    all of it, after your measuring is done, obviously!
    ps no english speaking person has ever considered the possibility to have different words for different nails? 😉

    Reply

  10. Disclaimer: I have only drilled through veneer-finished doors so far, the tape trick might work just fine on a painted door.

    To avoid splintering, I do two things (since the masking-tape thing does not seem to work for me, maybe I am too much of a brute ;-)):
    – I drill from the inside out (hence any damage on that side is hidden from sight and the head of the bolt)
    – I clamp a piece of wood (5mm ply) I have laying around to the outside of the door. This prevents the drill from shearing the veneer/paint on exit, since it is the exit presure that causes it to rupture before the drill can actually cut it.

    I also suggest you check the instructions that come with the handles. They include the exact measurement you need between the two centers of the holes for those particular handles. They also tell you the size of drill needed (normally a 5mm wood dril, 1mm wider as the bolts)

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  12. My advice on drilling for the door handles would be firstly to measure very carefully. Measure from the top and check it by measuring from the bottom. Before measuring, tape off the area on each side of the door with a few overlapping layers of painters tape. Mark the tape with your measurements and drill through the tape to create the holes. That should offer protection from tools scratching the area and minimize any splintering. I’ve also heard that some Ikea furniture takes well to being coated with polyurethane for additional protection of the finish.

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  13. Seconding the recommendation to put a layer of tape down before marking and drilling. Drill from front to back because blowout on the back won’t be so in-your-face. A brad-point drill bit would help make sure the holes are cleaner, plus allow you to drill most of the way through from the front and then center the bit in the drilled-through center point on the back and finish the hole from the back so that the edges on both sides are clean. They’re not cheap, though, and probably not worth the extra expense. Worst case, if you blow out the back side a little for than the screw will hide, just add a larger exterior-diameter washer under the handle screw.

    To be sure you have the bolt spacing right if you have a 2-bolt handle, put a piece of paper on the upturned handle and poke holes through the paper into the handle, where the bolts would go, then use that piece of paper as a template to mark your bolt holes on the door. Also, drill the holes slightly larger than the bolts (but still small enough to be hidden. And use a level when you drill to help make sure you’re perpendicular to the door surface (or better yet, a drilling jig or drill press).

    Reply

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