IKEA kitchen cabinets are great as wardrobes. Here’s proof.

Can you make a full height wardrobe from METOD kitchen cabinets? Oh, yes!

This post started out as a Hackers Help question.

Min wanted to know whether the MAXIMERA drawers could fit into PLATSA frames as she didn’t like the PLATSA range of doors. However, after deliberating it, she eventually ended up with the METOD kitchen range.

Yes, she used the METOD (or SEKTION in the US) kitchen cabinets for her wardrobe.

She felt that “Having to make all the new holes on PLATSA and that sort of thing seemed quite a huge challenge for me.”

Min was kind enough to update us with photos of her new METOD wardrobe set up. And it looks marvellous, almost like a full-height built-in.

“I took some pictures of my METOD wardrobe. The room is very small and I couldn’t get nice pictures due to the limited angles …” she adds.

Related: How I transformed kitchen cabinets to full length wardrobe

Here’s the METOD kitchen cabinet configuration for her wardrobe

The wall for the wardrobe is 321cm wide, with a ceiling height of 230cm. To span the wall, she used four 60cm wide METOD cabinets and two 40cm wide ones, 320cm in total. 

Min used the 220cm high METOD cabinets. They are the tallest available in South Korea.

On the frames, she added the tall VEDDINGE doors that measure 200cm in length. They are also the tallest of the kind available. 

And yes, the extra row you see at the bottom are drawers. She used the 20cm VEDDINGE drawer fronts. 

“The challenge was that there is no such configuration (shown in the IKEA manuals) which allowed for a 200cm door + 20cm drawer for a 220cm cabinet frame,” she says, “And, on the Internet, I couldn’t find any pictures with the same configuration. But I was sure I could make it.” 

“The upper side of the drawer front and the lower side of the door clashed. I could fix the problem by adjusting the MAXIMERA front as low as possible and and the UTRUSTA hinge set at a higher position,” she explains.

“I used the HJÄLPA (for PLATSA) clothes hanging rails for the 60cm wide cabinets and custom-ordered the other rails for the 40cm ones.”

Well done, Min.

Here’s the original question (posted October 30, 2019):

Q: Can MAXIMERA Drawers fit PLATSA Frames?

I have questions about PLATSA frames and MAXIMERA drawers (for METOD kitchen range). It’ll be very kind of you if you let me get some useful tips related to my question.

IKEA items used: 

• PLATSA: 80 x 60 x 180 and 40 x 60 x 180 frames
• MAXIMERA 80cm width drawers

Other materials and tools: 

• VEDDINGE doors

The width of the wall in my room is 321 cm and its height is 231 cm. I want to have an almost-built-in drawers in my room for a simple and modern look.

I’m considering the PLATSA range but the FONNES doors look rather cheap, in my opinion.

Recently, I learnt that the doors for the IKEA METOD kitchen range, e.g. VEDDINGE, actually fit the PLATSA frames.

Now, I’d like to know if I can use MAXIMERA drawers for PLATSA frames.

~ by Min (from Seoul)

***

Hi Min

The PLATSA is a fantastic range. Though I agree, rather limited on door options. (More doors please, IKEA!)

The size of the MAXIMERA drawer seem to fit, at least, according to the IKEA website. But to be sure, you’ll need to measure them in real life, as the size of the internal frame (with allowance for the drawer runners) is not listed.

It won’t be a straightforward swap, if that’s what you’re hoping for. From what I can see, you’ll run into some issues installing it. Let’s compare the two drawers for the two systems.

PLATSA drawers vs MAXIMERA drawers

The PLATSA drawers use the HJÄLPA (pictured above) as its drawer frame. As you can see, the drawer runners are on the top lip of the drawer sides.

And this is the MAXIMERA with runners at the bottom.

So, you’ll need to make all-new holes for the MAXIMERA drawer runners on the PLATSA frame if you wish to proceed with the MAXIMERA.

A possibly easier way to skin this would be to go with the HJÄLPA drawer without front and install the VEDDINGE drawer front onto it. I believe modifying the drawer front attachment may be easier.

Step 7 on the HJÄLPA assembly instruction shows the FONNES (or any other PLATSA drawer front) attached to the drawer frame via a press and click system. This won’t work with the MAXIMERA.

However, we are in luck. The HJÄLPA appears to have a bracket of sorts (which is supposed to be pressed into place on the FONNES drawer front). You may be able to add screws through this bracket into the VEDDINGE drawer front. Fingers crossed.

Like so:

Use short screws that won’t pierce through to the front of the drawer. And do make sure all your drawer fronts are level and line up nicely.

And that’s my suggestion for you, Min.

Hope it works out. Let us know how it goes and we’ll love to see what you do end up with.

Happy hacking,

Jules

Hacking may compromise the structural integrity of the item, so please be aware of the risks involved before modifying or altering any IKEA product. Alterations and modifications will also void any warranties or return policies you may have received from IKEA. IKEAhackers.net is not liable for any product failure, injury or damage resulting from the application of suggestions, ideas and hacks featured on this site.

The post IKEA kitchen cabinets are great as wardrobes. Here’s proof. appeared first on IKEA Hackers.