I would like to show you how I created a built-in wardrobe in the girls' room using IKEA Platsa and Besta systems.
The room is small (only 10 sqm) and has to accommodate the stuff of two little girls - so I mean a lot of toys and clothes! The idea was to create one storage solution for everything - toy storage with easy access for kids, large wardrobe with hangers and drawers for clothes, high storage for items which kids don't use on daily basis, and finally a bookshelf with a place to sit.
I started with a sketch on a piece of paper. I wanted to keep it simple with neutral colours - white fronts and birch plywood accents. The wall is 255cm long and ceiling height in the room is 245cm. My first thought was to order a bespoke unit by the local joiner company, but after receiving a few quotes for €2-3k (!!!) I decided that we cannot afford it at the moment and start thinking about IKEA products.
I came across a new IKEA product - Platsa system, which fitted perfectly within the space I have in the room. As you can see in the photo below I had to adjust the previous design to fit dimensions of the Platsa units. I chose four 60x60x55cm units at the top and two 60x180x55cm units for the wardrobe. Unfortunately, Platsa system doesn't have deep drawers which I wanted to use as toys storage. That's why I used Besta system instead - two 60x40x40cm units with drawers. It turned out that white Platsa Fonnes front and white Besta Lappviken front looks exactly the same.
Once I've got all IKEA elements, it was time to think how I actually gonna put everything together so it looks exactly the same as in my head. I was thinking about buying plywood sheets in the local B&Q store when this great opportunity came - the office where I work was getting rid of a beautiful plywood shelving unit in order to put in more desks. I asked if I could take the unit home as they were planning to through it away!!!
Because IKEA doesn't recommend handing deep (55cm) Platsa units, I built a construction that supports top units. First, I built the plywood frame of the bookshelf unit, then span the plywood sheet between bookshelf and wardrobe and put 60x60cm Platsa Units on top. I also put a top on Besta drawers to cover the hole behind as Besta is only 40cm and Platsa is 55cm deep. The last task was to add shelves and a cover panel on the left-hand side.
Finally, I added decorative items - self-adhesive wallpaper on the wall and seat cushion made from cot mattress and linen fabric in dusty pink colour. I love the final result so much!
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