An IKEA Closet Designed as a Large Room Partition

Customizing IKEA SEKTION Tall Cabinets for a Unique Closet Design

Converting industrial buildings into apartments, office spaces, restaurants, etc., is an innovative trend. It’s sustainable, affordable, and an overall great investment. However, the high ceilings and massive rooms typical of these conversions can be both the draw and the drawback—especially when considering a living space.

Michigan native Brad discovered this problem when he and his fiancé purchased an apartment in the newly renovated factory building near his hometown. The couple was excited about the modern space, and since neither wanted kids at that point, they were happy with a one-bedroom option.

The apartment layout included a living room, kitchen, and bathroom, with a bedroom located in the loft area. To say the bedroom was huge would be an understatement—and who doesn’t want a big bedroom?

There was just one problem: Even after they moved their bedroom furniture into the loft, this couple’s bedroom still looked empty.

“We wanted to break up the room somehow, but we didn’t have the money or the motivation to change the layout. After all, we’d just moved in. We were honestly a little bummed because we thought we’d picked the perfect place, but we had to admit maybe we didn’t. It was huge and echoed, and while the loft space looked cool at first, it didn’t offer privacy. We needed an easy, affordable solution that would also make us remember why we liked it so much.” –Brad, IKD customer

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From no closet to a closet as a partition using IKEA SEKTION cabinetry.

“Our original thought was to toss a couple of wardrobes in the middle of the room to create a division. We had a couple of secondhand wardrobes, but we didn’t like staring at the back of them. They were ugly and looked like we’d put furniture in the middle of the room. Because that’s what we did. I was at a work function one night and joked to my boss about being on ‘an IKEA budget.’ He turned me on to Inspired Kitchen Designs.” –Brad, IKD customer

Brad also mentioned that the wardrobes became quickly disorganized and acted as catchalls for anything without a proper place. Designers are familiar with this problem; it’s hard to take the best care of a home you don’t love.

Designer Richard was determined to come up with a closet and room divider that checked all the boxes on this couple’s wishlist without breaking the bank.

“We knew Brad’s budget didn’t allow for enclosing or rearranging new spaces, but we asked what he thought about building a partial wall and creating a peninsula-style built-in. The design I presented showcased floating shelves on the side facing the bed, a LACK wall shelf on the short side of the wall, and his & her closet on the opposite side.” –Richard, IKD designer

Specifically, the design included a drywall partition jutting out between the bed and the other half of the room with a drywall cap on the end about 24” deep. Richard designed this alcove to allow for three SEKTION tall cabinets to be placed side by side: two 30” W cabinets and one 24” W cabinet. The 24” cabinet went to Brad, and the 30” went to his fiancé (as you may have predicted), while the far cabinet became a shared dresser and shelving space. He used four 10” H MAXIMERA drawers with BODARP gray-green fronts to create the look of a dresser.

The couple hired a contractor to put in the drywall partition but opted to install the IKEA cabinets and shelves themselves. However, the couple chose not to use closet doors.

An open look was critical to this IKEA design using IKEA SEKTION cabinets.

“When Richard showed us the design, the closet didn’t have doors. I thought it was kind of weird, but my fiancé loved it. She said it would give the space ‘a walk-in closet feel.’ Now that we’ve been living with it for a while, I kind of get what she means. It’s like we have a dressing room on one side and a bedroom on the other. I’ve also noticed that we’re more careful about putting stuff where it belongs because we can’t just close the door and forget about it.” –Brad, IKD customer

The mixed materials (gray-green BODARP drawers, white LACK shelving on wood-grain wall treatment, and walnut shelving) gave the closet a warm, multidimensional look that added a homey feeling to the room.

“It’s what we were missing. Neither of us feels like we made the wrong choice with this apartment anymore. I’m still amazed that an 8’ x 7’ addition was all it took.” –Brad, IKD customer

Richard achieved this design using IKEA cabinet products totaling $1,367.

The LACK wall shelves were $160.

They completed the look with four floating walnut shelves by Semihandmade and an attractive white trim along the bottom of the drywall.

Key Takeaway

You don’t have to build an entire wall with a door or use an unattractive accordion divider to break up a large room. A well-designed room divider can look beautiful, be functional, and enhance your living space.