Kids’ closets, amiright? Since we’ve had kids, we’ve had closet struggles. As someone obsessed with organization, you can imagine how frustrating that can be. Coincidentally, we’ve also always had wire closet shelves. We did the best we could with what we had to work with (adding more shelves, lowering the shelves, using all the bins in the world) but it was never great and never easy to maintain. Last summer, we decided it was time. We ripped out those old wire closet shelves and installed a DIY Closet System from Ikea for our kids. Let me tell you – it’s a game changer.
New Closets
I’d been agonizing over our wire closets for years. They were fine and we did what we could to make them more functional, but the timing was never right for a full replacement. We always had different priorities, and we had a 20-year-old carpet. We couldn’t install a nice new closet system until we replaced the carpet, especially not if that closet system for kids would sit on the floor.
Finally, in the summer of 2024, a few things happened. (1) New bedroom flooring made it to the top of our list and (2) Ikea came out with a new DIY closet system — Aurdal.
The Aurdal Closet System was more affordable and less daunting than the Pax Closet System, so we went for it! We installed two systems in our daughters’ closets (two daughters, one closet, one wall each — think of a Jack-and-Jill bathroom between bedrooms, but make it a closet). We liked it so much we installed the same system in our son’s room in the fall of 2024 — this is the closet I’m going to be discussing in this post. This isn’t specifically a custom closet system for kids, but we have only used it for them so far.
Ikea Aurdal: A Perfect Closet System for Kids
If you’re familiar with shopping at Ikea, the Aurdal system is just like anything else. You can totally customize what you need for your space and then you purchase every individual item. This may sound tedious, however Ikea has a simple design tool that makes it super simple (PS- this isn’t sponsored).
Using the design tool, you click to set your measurements and then drag every shelf, rod, basket, and drawer into the space you’d like. You can change your mind, move things around, and get it just right. When you’re done designing, you can add the whole kit and caboodle to your cart.
It used to be EXPENSIVE to get items from Ikea delivered — like $100 delivery fees — and I’m not sure when it changed but the delivery fees are now much more reasonable, around $30 (which still feels like a lot compared to free shipping, it is a lot of large, heavy boxes and saved me 2 hours of driving, so I think it’s reasonable). Delivery is a great option if you don’t have a large vehicle or if you’re not super close to an Ikea.
In addition, if you’re not handy and the rest of this post sounds terribly overwhelming, you can also hire someone through the Ikea website via Taskrabbit. The website provided me with an assembly price of $218.
Step 1: Measure
Before purchasing anything, you’ll want to measure carefully. This is essential because this closet system is basically a giant rectangle that’s 2 feet wide and 8 feet tall. You need to measure to the inch to make sure it fits in your space. Don’t forget to account for the base moulding!
Step 2: Design your Closet System for Kids
Once you’ve measured your width, height, and depth, enter that information into the Aurdal design website — I recommend starting from scratch instead of using one of their pre-made examples. Using the software, first add the vertical boards, then the horizontal supports at the top and the bottom — this is the structural base for the entire closet.
Once you’ve added the structure, you can design the rest of the closet. Choose between shelves, clothing rods, shoe racks, drawers, and pull-0out baskets. We chose specific elements based on our kids’ needs, but made sure not to go too custom so the closets could grow with the kids.
We also designed this custom closet system for kids by keeping items they need to reach lower to the floor and adding storage for less needed items up high.
For instance, our teenage daughter, who likes to highlight her colored Converse collection, got a few diagonal shoe shelves installed. Our two younger children didn’t need that.
Our Selections
For our DIY closet system, we purchased white pieces instead of grey. We also used four vertical boards when we could have saved some money and only purchased two boards, installing the other ends of the rods and shelves directly into the wall. Using 4 boards provides a nice clean, consistent look and brightens up the space.
For the closet pictured, we purchased 3 clothing rods, 4 drawers and drawer fronts (fronts sold separately, and 13 shelves. Of the shelves we purchased, six were necessary for support and the other 7 were for storage and function. We also needed to purchase two suspension rods to attach the closet to the wall.
Our purchase list:
- 1 Aurdal Suspension Rod (49″, white)
- 4 Aurdal Side Panel with leg (white)
- 3 Aurdal Extendable Clothes Rail (white)
- 4 Aurdal Drawer (white)
- 4 Aurdal Drawer Front (white) (fronts are $5 and sold separately)
- 13 Aurdal Shelves (white)
Step 3: Install
Once we had a plan, we prepped the closet by removing the existing wire shelves. We patched the (million) holes, sanded, and added a fresh coat of paint.
Finally, it was time to add the closet system for kids.
We started with the support rods (be careful to install these at exactly the right height) (see below).
Next, we “hung” the four vertical boards on them. The boards have a notch, so they can hang on the support beam, but the front “foot” of the boards also supports them (see the bottom of the second image).
After installing the vertical boards, it was time to add the 6 support shelves — three on the top and three on the bottom. The structure of the closet was now complete.
From here on out, every other aspect of the closet is custom, based on user needs. The next step we took was to hang three clothing rods. We spaced these out by using a shirt on a hanger to determine an appropriate height.
I love symmetry, but try as I might, I could not make this closet symmetrical with the height and spacing restrictions.
We decided on a stack of drawers in the center column and hanging space on the right and left. The drawers had to be built individually and then installed. We added shelves at the top, center, and left and an additional spot for hanging items on the right.
We chose this configuration for a kids’ closet so he could easily reach the drawers and in-season clothing, with out-of-season clothing out of reach. Less frequently used items such as sheets, travel items, and memory boxes will be stored on the higher shelves.
While the drawers are accessible and easy to grab, I wanted to make this closet a little more custom-looking, so we added these black metal drawer pulls on the four drawers, which was $15 well-spent. Don’t they look nice?
Step 4: Organization
Finally, it was time for my favorite step — organization! Since my son’s closet was pretty organized before our project, I already knew his needs and how I planned to use the space. This is why it’s beneficial to live in a space for a while before investing in expensive systems.
You can find all the specifics on the items I used and how I organized the closet in THIS POST.
He separates his clothing by purpose, sorts his drawers into specific categories, and labels the bins so everyone knows how to use them.
Custom Closet System Cost Breakdown
Overall, this custom closet for kids was pretty affordable. We spent $455 on materials at Ikea, plus another $15 on the drawer pulls.
This closet looks way better than the wire shelves we removed, plus it’s a lot more functional. Hopefully it lasts a lifetime!
Our Custom Closet System for Kids
I installed this Aurdal closet system about 10 months ago, and it’s working amazingly well, providing a space for every need and item has been helpful. My son, while he doesn’t keep the system neat (messy hanging, not folding shorts, items tossed around a bit), keeps up with the organization.
Could your kids’ closets use an upgrade?
