1. What is the IKEA PAX system?
System furniture is designed to be configured to your needs.
I recently moved into a new house that is small and has one fewer room.
So my 6-seater dining table and the 4-compartment low wardrobe had to go, leaving me with a severe lack of storage space.
When I saw my girlfriend crawling around on the floor, cluttered with cosmetics and hair dryers, I felt so sorry for her.
So, I started looking for a wardrobe, in preparation for our upcoming marriage.
I had to put two spacious wardrobes, a dresser, and a queen-size bed in a 2.8-pyeong room.
It was like putting an elephant in a refrigerator.
There are many good furniture companies in Korea, such as Hanssem and Livart, but if I wanted to configure it exactly the way I wanted, the only choice was the IKEA PAX system wardrobe.
2. Before
The room is 3.35m wide and 2.84m long, with a hanging wardrobe dividing the room into a bedroom and a dressing room.
I decided to keep this structure because I felt more comfortable sleeping with the bed hidden behind the wardrobe, and I could spend more productive days by sleeping less.
3. Plan
I used Today's House 3D interior to see if the 4 100cm x 58cm wardrobes and 1 50cm x 58cm storage unit I wanted to fit into the narrow space. It was a real challenge...
Fortunately, I managed to squeeze them in, but it resulted in a cramped space where only one persone could stand comfortably.
If I gained a little more weight, I wouldn't be able to pass through the narrow corridor to reach the bed.
So, I had to think a lot about whether to choose a large wardrobe of the planned size and accept the cramped space, or to reduce the size to use the space more freely.
4. PAX Planner
The IKEA PAX system wardrobe frames I could choose were 100cm wide and 58cm deep, and 75cm deep.
The space was too narrow, so I had to install sliding doors instead of swing doors.
Sliding doors can only be installed if two frames of the same size are attached.
In other words, 75cm + 100cm frames cannot be installed with sliding doors.
I didn't want my clothes to hang at an angle if the depth was 35cm, and I thought two people's clothes would not be enough if the width was too short, so I decided to configure it in 100x58 as planned.
I promised myself to move to a bigger house next time...
The IKEA website has a PAX Planner where you can preview the PAX wardrobe.
I'm a power J (My MBTI is ISFJ.), so I changed the configuration several times and designed it with the most necessary combination.
I paid special attention to include a vanity table with a mirror, a place for accessory trays, a drawer-style pants hanger, and a sliding door for a full-length mirror.
5. Purchasing (October 2022), Delivery, and Assembly Service Tips
When you visit the IKEA website, you can check the availability of the desired items at a specific store location. (We chose the Goyang branch~)
We were able to rent a truck and decided to pick up the items ourselves to finish assembly over the weekend.
Although IKEA provides delivery and assembly services, I wanted to assemble the furniture quickly when I had the time.
At the time of my purchase, the delivery fee was 59,000 KRW (currently 29,000 KRW) and the assembly fee was 300,000 KRW.
Regarding the assembly fee, in the past, there was a fixed amount based on the purchase amount, but it seems that the policy has changed, and it now varies depending on the assembly difficulty and components. You can inquire about the assembly cost from IKEA staff when purchasing items on the website.
*Note that the assembly is done by a third-party service provider and sometimes there may be inconvenient situations.
A tip to save time when purchasing PAX is to go to the PAX system wardrobe department and directly inquire with the staff.
If you have pre-designed the layout using the PAX Planner like me, you can send the design code via email.
Knowing this code will help the staff assist you more quickly.
Even if you haven't pre-designed the layout, the staff will help you create the necessary combinations, and if the item is not in stock, they will provide alternatives or inform you of the delivery date. It's really convenient!
After that, the staff will prepare for pickup at the pickup counter, so you don't have to personally search for the items.
They even asked if I wanted them to bring the items to me so I could assemble them myself. As a discharged soldier from the Republic of Korea Army, I thought I could handle furniture assembly with just the instruction manual and a power drill...
Even at that time, I should have reconsidered and opted for the delivery and assembly services... sigh... If only I could go back in time, I would slap myself and stop myself from making that decision.
The staff will provide you with a pickup list, and once you go to the checkout counter and pay, the pickup preparation is complete!
*Make sure to join IKEA Family before making the payment! It's highly beneficial for after-sales service, exchanges, and refunds. I will explain it in detail in the next post!!
Due to the quantity, I think the waiting time for pickup was about an hour.
6. TO BE CONTINUED...
After spending a few days assembling the five wardrobes, I realized that the assembly fee of 300,000 KRW wasn't such an expensive amount.
The 100 x 58cm wardrobe frames were large and quite heavy, making it not easy for a man to move them alone.
Especially when assembling and erecting the wardrobe from a lying position, it was very difficult to do it alone. (My girlfriend helped me, and we barely managed to do it.)
I even ended up breaking one frame while setting it up, but I will share that experience in the next post...
If you read this post and still insist on self-assembly, I recommend having two men do it, and I highly discourage self-assembly for more than three units.
In the next post, I will share the assembly process, the tearful exchange show, and the vanity table decorated with IKEA PAX.
