See how our Under $100 closet system IKEA hack has held up over almost 8 years, plus some beautiful updates, in the closet system update post! [Preview pic above.]
Just before the baby was born last September (and before I had the genius idea of an IKEA hack closet makeover) I was in a panic to get a closet system in his room. (You can read all about that, here.) After that, the baby’s closet was the nicest closet in the whole house and sometimes I would go in there, stand in the one room in the house that was organized, and bask in its glory.
We bought our home as a foreclosure. That meant we had no appliances, no bathroom mirrors and absolutely, completely, empty closets. No rods for hanging, no shelves in the pantry, NADA! (I totally just said “Nada” in James Spader’s voice from Pretty in Pink in my head)
That might not seem too overwhelming at first but there are 9 closets in this house and by the time we got done putting in all the appliances we normally take for granted and hanging mirrors so we could see to brush our teeth, the closets seemed really unimportant. Which is a shame because, in the end, they are so essential in the War on Clutter, especially in our oldest son’s room. But we were tired so the only treatment our closets got was two of those triangle brackets that oh-so-handily hold a rod and a shelf at the same time. They are also efficient at taking up so much space that you can’t put as many clothes on the rod as you should be to and you can only fit so many of them in a closet at a time. Then, you wind up with this…
Wow. That’s actually really embarrassing. Now you know two things: 1) Someone besides the baby needs a closet system and 2) I need to wash clothes.
Here’s the thing, the baby’s closet system set us back $700. At the time my desperation, and possibly my hormones, clouded my judgment. But this time there was no way I was spending that much – especially since he has two closets.
I’d read somewhere on the web about someone using EasyClosets.com to design their closet and then using the plan/measurements to do it themselves. Bingo! (Actually, EasyClosets.com is a very affordable option and had we bought the baby’s closet system from them we’d have probably saved some money!) But did we really have time for a DIY; to cut every piece of wood, pre-drill every hole and basically start from scratch? The answer is no for a lot of reasons. Namely that I have way too many projects I want to do to spend an eternity on two closets and also because we’d probably never finish it. That’s when I met Billy…
First, we added a small mdf panel to the bottoms of each bookshelf to make the notch, already in the back of the bookshelf, fit over our molding.
Click HERE for the Star Wars themed big boy room these closets for designed for.
UPDATE: Under $100 Closet System IKEA Hack
Click here to see how our IKEA hack closet system has held up over the last 7 years. Plus, check out the updates to these beautiful closet systems!
See Our Other IKEA Closet Hack:
I just found this on Pinterest. I love the new look (although it is old by now). This is inspiring.
Thanks Holly! We still love it, too!
I just started this. How did you support the middle shelves.
I’m assuming you’re asking about the middles shelves we added? In that case we screwed them in from the opposite side and then covered those holes with the prefab shelves that came with the Billy unit. Hope that helps!
Wasted space.
No wooden hangers?
Snarky
LOL Snarky. I like that word!
Wow.
love it! smart girl. off to IKEA after the hurricane passes.
denise
Thank you! Have fun & stay safe!
To Anonymous, why wasted space? I think it looks pretty good, maybe could use more hanging space, but maybe this suits their needs. I just love those little cubicals.
Thank you! 😉
Also saw this on pinterest, looks like it’s making the rounds. Where did you find the shelving board and brackets that you put over the closet rods? What specifically did you use? Also how did you install the closet rods so that they are secure? Did you have to drill into the bookcase at all?
I’d also like to know the answers to the questions asked above please 🙂
I’m sorry, I don’t remember where we got the closet rods from but they do come in a package with the brackets. I think it may have been Lowe’s. The shelving boards, which were already white, did come from Lowe’s. We installed the closet rods using the brackets that came with the kit. We attached the closet rods to the bookshelves themselves so, yes, we did have to drill into them. We also attached the bookshelves to the closet walls to keep them secure. Hope this helps!
I’m sorry, I don’t remember where we got the closet rods from but they do come in a package with the brackets. I think it may have been Lowe’s. The shelving boards, which were already white, did come from Lowe’s. We installed the closet rods using the brackets that came with the kit. We attached the closet rods to the bookshelves themselves so, yes, we did have to drill into them. We also attached the bookshelves to the closet walls to keep them secure. Hope this helps!
Very nice! Creative and looks much more expensive.
Oh so clever! We have a 1960’s ranch and they lived with way less closet space. So I am in desperate need for some of this organization. I have never thought of using bookshelves like that for closets. So smart!
Wow great idea!
We don’t have an Ikea anywhere close to us and I have looked everywhere for a Billy type bookshelf. I have one other project I would love to do with this bookshelf. Anyone have any ideas on where I might find similar bookshelves? Thanks
Rubbermaid, Home Depot, Menard’s, Lowe’s, Ikea ships!
you can order from Ikea and have delivered to your home.
So, let’s consider this … Your closet is a hack of a hack. Which, in my book is perfect. The originator of the closet system sold at Ikea is Elfa. Elfa is sold at The Container Store and is a brilliantly created,brilliantly conceived and ingenious system for closets. The magnificent beauty of Elfa is that everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING hangs from one header top rail which can be screwed into dry wall, plaster, brick or wood. One need only purchase the appropriate screws/anchors. I have had everything from a two foot wide by seven foot tall section of Elfa to hold scarves, gloves and shoes in one closet to a six foot wide by seven foot tall section holding bolts of fabric, quilting and crafting supplies as well as hundreds of magazines. If installed properly, an Elfa closet will hold thousands of pounds. Comes in white or platinum epoxy finishes with wooden accessories and some really lovely touches. Impossible to bend any of the components with bare hands. However, all of that said, I basic Elfa closet will set you back $350.00
The Rubbermaid Closet system is a hack of Elfa. Well made, similarly installed and also of a very high quality epoxy finish. Wood laminate accessories, the same extras as Elfa
The Ikea Closet system is a hack of Rubbermaid. Meant to hold about ¼ of the weight of Elfa, not as well made, can be bent with the right amount of pressure applied by bare hands. A “poor man’s” Elfa if you will. I LOVE your design. Ingenious, clever, nicely thought out. My concerns are these …
If you put too much weight on the clothes bars, will they bend or destroy the MDF or particle board on the shelves?
If your child is precocious, will they try to climb up the shelves, either splitting them in half or pulling the entire unit down on top of them and causing serious injury or rip the doors off the closet?
Again, love your design, well done.
Just wanting to organize my kids closets and came across this post. Wondering if you find the Billy bookcase deep enough for folded shirts? I’m worried it won’t be deep enough and will cause problems as their clothes grow … would probably be OK for now, but I’m hoping the closet re-do lasts for a while 😉
The Billys measure just over 10″ deep and just over 14″ wide. I think they’d have no trouble growing into that. Good luck!
THANK YOU!!!!! This is just what I need for our very sad and disorganized closets!
I’m so glad! Thank you!
Creating custom closet cabinets is something my company does and it really does add great value to you home. This is a great use of inexpensive pieces from IKEA and making your own if your budget is tight. I love it! And it looks great!
Thanks Chad!
Can you detail how you cut out the notch in the back for the baseboards?
We used a jigsaw to notch it out. Hope that helps! Thanks!
I’m sorry for lacking imagination, but how did you attach the boards between the shelves (above the rods). I’m squinting my eyes at it trying to figure it out!
Not lacking imagination! Let’s call it our amazing ability to hide screws! LOL We screwed the shelves in from the other side of the bookcase. That way once we placed the shelves inside the bookcases our screws were hidden. Make sense?
Quick question: In the nursery closet, are the drawer units part of the Billy collection? I can’t find them on their website. Thanks!
The baby’s closet is the $1k+ closet system we got from Lowe’s. As far as I know the Billys don’t come with doors or drawers but you could always add them yourself. You’d have to make them though. The Kallax series (replacing the Expedit) has doors and drawer inserts. These are deeper and shorter than the Billys though. Depending on where you’re putting them these could be a better choice.
What is the storage unit called on ikea?
They are the Billy bookcases, half size.
Was so excited to find this post as I am trying to do this for under $100. I see now it is an older post and the Billy is now $69.99. Hard to believe they’ve marked it up $30 in just 3 years. 🙁 If anyone has any ideas on where to get the bookcases cheaper, please let me know. Thanks!
I think you’re looking at the Birch veneer. Those are 69.99. The one I used is the white one and it is now 49.99. Just $10 more. You can find it here: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50263838/ Still around $100 if you use two per closet. A few bucks more spent on a rod and a couple of shelves. You will still be spending loads less than on a closet system. Hope that helps!
We’re planning a similar project and got our Billy’s for free on craigslist It’s unusual to get them for free, but $20 is a common price.
That’s fantastic!
Great post!! We’re have the baseboard notch issue in our new house. What is the thickness of your mdf piece and did you cut the front shape yourself? If so, how did you do it?
Hi David,
We used 3/4″ MDF and a jigsaw to notch out it. Good luck!
We’re considering a similar look to a large walk-in closet. I’m wondering how well your unit has held up. We’re concerned about the mdf not holding the weight of the rods over time once their loaded. Have you noticed any pulling or bowing or has it pulled out from the Billy unit? Thanks so much!
In ALL honesty, it has held up amazingly. Still looks just as it did when we installed it. And not only are the rods full of clothes the rest of the closet is full of baskets and baskets of toys. It was a great decision. In fact, I recently used some more in my husband’s closet makeover: https://www.southernrevivals.com/2015/08/man-closet-makeover.html
How did you attach the book case on the wall? Is it the one that came with it? The one that you attach on the top of the book case to tha back side wall?
Yes! That’s exactly what we used. Then by adding the shelf and bar it completely stabilizes the entire unit.
I was just wondering if you had to cut the pieces of wood between the bookcase to size? Or were you just lucky and it fit perfectly?
We were lucky enough that our bookcases fit without modifications but there is a tad bit of space (an inch or two) between the sidewalls and the bookcases. But you could absolutely put spacers between the bookshelves if needed. We did this in our office makeover, also using the Billy bookcases: https://www.southernrevivals.com/office-makeover-reveal-ikea-hack-built-billy-bookcases/