Pax Wardrobe Converted into a Reach-In Office Nook with Komplement Trays

Start with the depth, then the height

The 236 cm height of a Pax frame tends to grab attention first because it suggests a wall of storage above the desk. For this build, the more important measurement is the internal depth: 58 cm on the standard 60 cm frame. A usable desk surface needs at least 55 cm so a keyboard, wrists, and a coffee cup can share the surface without crowding each other. Once that shelf is in place, only a sliver remains for cable slack, and poor cable routing is where many of these conversions become annoying to use.

Before cutting any shelves, pull the frame 5 to 8 cm away from the wall and keep it in that position. The gap works as a cable chase for the monitor cable, the power strip lead, and ethernet. Run them down the back and out through a notch at the bottom. If the wardrobe is pushed flat against the wall, the usual fix later is a hole through the back panel, which is risky because the hardboard is only 3 mm thick and can split along the grain when a spade bit catches.

The 50 cm deep Pax is available, too. For a desk, skip it. The lost depth takes away elbow room, brings the monitor too close to your face, and becomes impossible to recover after the doors are fitted.

Where the desk shelf actually goes

For most people, a seated desk height lands between 72 and 75 cm from the floor. This is a seated nook; a standing setup needs a different approach, and the Pax depth does not make a comfortable standing workstation. Set the desk shelf at 73 cm using the Pax shelf pins, then reinforce it. Pins alone are weak support for a working surface, especially if a monitor arm is clamped to a 60 cm melamine shelf. Add two L-brackets underneath into the side panels, using 3.5 x 16 mm screws so the fasteners do not break through the 1.8 cm particleboard.

That desk position leaves roughly 160 cm of vertical space above the work surface. If the monitor is not on a clamp arm, one shelf can sit at eye level as a monitor shelf. Higher up, two more shelves can take the router, label printer, and the box of pens that seems to migrate into every desk setup. Under the desk, the 73 cm leg clearance has to be planned around any Komplement trays or drawers you install.

People who prefer Ivar or Kallax often argue for building the whole workstation from scratch. There is a case for that, especially if the room needs odd dimensions. The Pax advantage is that the two side panels and top already form a finished, square carcass. That saves the fiddly part of building a tall box and trying to make it sit plumb against a wall that usually is not.

Using Komplement trays as a keyboard shelf

The 50 cm deep Komplement pull-out tray, the version designed for folded shirts, works as a keyboard and mouse shelf. It rides on the same soft-close runners as the drawers. Mounted about 68 cm from the floor, around 5 cm below the desk shelf, it gives you a tuck-away keyboard tray for roughly 15 euros, compared with an aftermarket ergonomic arm at around four times the price.

Check the width before ordering. Komplement pull-out tray runners are integrated with the Pax hole pattern, so the tray must match the internal frame width exactly. A 50 cm frame takes a 50 cm tray, and a 75 cm frame takes a 75 cm tray. With the wrong width, the runner holes miss the pre-drilled Pax positions by a couple of centimetres, and shimming does not solve the alignment problem.

Below the keyboard tray, two Komplement drawers make practical use of the remaining height. A shallow 16 cm drawer works for cables and chargers, while a deeper drawer below can take hanging files if paper still belongs in your work routine. The soft-close action is genuinely useful here, and it explains why the Komplement parts are worth using instead of buying loose runners. The mechanism, drawer box, and front arrive sized to the frame.

Load needs some attention. Komplement runners are rated generously, but three loaded drawers plus a keyboard tray on one side of a 60 cm frame can pull the wardrobe forward when everything is open at once. Use the supplied Pax bracket to anchor the frame to the wall, fixing into a stud or a proper cavity fixing. On a unit this tall, the anchor is part of the build.

The light problem

A reach-in nook becomes dark as soon as the desk shelf blocks ceiling light. Put an under-shelf LED strip on the underside of the shelf directly above the desk, power it from the same strip as the monitor, and choose warm white around 3000K so the nook does not feel clinical.

Refinishing the fronts so it reads as furniture

Pax finishes vary by year and country, with options such as white and white-stained oak effect. The surface is melamine foil over particleboard, so it behaves differently from timber when painted. Paint applied straight onto raw melamine peels within weeks because the surface gives it almost nothing to grip.

Start by degreasing the panels with sugar soap or a strong all-purpose cleaner. The faces can carry an invisible film from the warehouse and from normal use at home. After cleaning, scuff the entire face with 240 grit until the sheen is evenly dull. Any shiny patch left behind becomes the exact place where the new finish can fail. Wipe off the dust with a tack cloth before priming.

Use a bonding primer made for melamine and laminate. Zinsser B-I-N shellac primer is one option, and an equivalent adhesion primer can do the same job. Apply one thin coat and let it cure for the full time stated on the tin. The cure time matters more than the point when the surface merely feels dry.

Follow with two thin topcoats of a hardwearing water-based furniture or trim paint. Lightly sand between coats with 320 grit. A small foam roller gives the smoothest finish across the broad faces, with a brush kept for the corners.

The same method is useful on a tired laminate nightstand, which is where many people first learn how unforgiving this surface can be. If the scuffing and bonding primer are skipped, the finish lifts at the first knock. With both steps done, the front can take a fingernail scratch without peeling.

Edges deserve extra attention because they are the weak point on refinished laminate. The foil wraps around them and tends to lift there first. Give the edges an extra pass of primer, then inspect them under a raking light before applying the topcoat.

Keeping the doors changes the character of the nook. In a bedroom or small flat, closed doors let the workstation disappear into the wall at the end of the day. Removing them makes the setup feel closer to an open bookcase or a fitted Billy-style built-in, and it is quicker to sit down and start working, although the desk remains visible all the time.

Cost against the alternative

A 60 x 60 x 236 Pax frame usually runs around 90 to 130 euros, depending on region and sales. With two Komplement drawers, a pull-out tray, three extra shelves, an LED strip, primer, and paint, the material cost for the nook lands near 250 to 320 euros.

A joiner-built office nook with the same footprint starts well north of a thousand once labour and bespoke carcassing are included. The saving is paid for in weekend work and in a finish that will never be quite as flat as a sprayed cabinet shop surface. The trade-off comes down to how much you notice roller stipple that is only visible from 10 cm away.

Heat inside the box

Material lists rarely account for summer use. A closed wardrobe containing a laptop, a monitor power brick, and an LED strip running for eight hours can build up heat, and a laptop can thermal-throttle inside a shut cabinet. During work sessions, the practical approach is to keep the doors open and close the nook only after the machine is off.

That leaves a tension built into the whole idea: the doors provide the clean disappearing act, while daily computer use may keep them open for most of the day.