The best IKEA products for the perfect vanity setup (and why they work)

A large round grey-framed mirror with two vertical strips of round bulb wall lights mounted either side, styled above a white cabinet against a pink wall

If your current vanity setup consists of makeup perched on your bathroom sink, hair dryer cables trailing across your room or squinting in poor light, it’s time for an upgrade.

Having a dedicated space for getting ready isn’t just about storage, it’s about feeling calm and in control of your routine and you don’t need to spend a fortune to achieve it.

$200-$400: the considered setup

Two white IKEA ALEX drawer units flanking a wide desk surface in a decorated room — You can make a bespoke-looking vanity unit using two ALEX drawer towers placed your preferred distance apart, bridged by a KOMPLEMENT insert and glass shelf to form a table that looks custom-built (Image credit: IKEA)

The viral vanity setup that’s dominated TikTok and Pinterest for years is built from two ALEX drawer units placed 100cm apart, bridged by a KOMPLEMENT pull-out tray and KOMPLEMENT glass shelf across the top.

The result looks like a custom-built setup and costs a fraction of what a bespoke dressing table would, while the ALEX drawers themselves give you far more divided storage than most dedicated vanity tables offer.

ALEX units (£70 / $95) placed around 100cm apart. These give the makeshift vanity table its support but also storage.

Next, add a KOMPLEMENT pull-out tray. This tray was technically designed for the inside of a PAX wardrobe but you can screw its brackets directly onto the top of both ALEX units so it bridges the gap between them.

The tray also comes in a range of sizes to fit your space and prices start at $20 / £17.

Finally, lay a KOMPLEMENT glass shelf —again, technically a PAX component — flat across the top of both ALEX units to form your tabletop. Sizes vary and prices start at $30 / £12.

If all of this feels a little overwhelming, IKEA knows how popular this setup is so also offers an online design tool to help you configure these units exactly how you want them.

White IKEA SKÅDIS pegboard mounted on a wall above a desk with shelves, containers, hooks and a letter holder holding stationery and accessories

The SKÅDIS pegboard system is endlessly reconfigurable. You can swap containers, hooks and shelves around and store makeup brushes, hair stylers or whatever you can think of with no tools required (Image credit: IKEA)

For hair tool storage, or if you want to save tabletop space, you can mount various products, hair dryers and more on a SKÅDIS pegboard ($19.99 / £15), mounted to the wall above the setup. Alternatively, the large SKÅDIS combination containers ($39.99 / £31) can be used for hair dryers, stylers or other tools. In fact, the entire pegboard wall storage series is huge and highly reconfigurable with various hooks, containers, pots and more so you’ll definitely be able to find a layout or combo that suits your setup.

Black IKEA HÄRSLINGA floor lamp with adjustable head, styled in a living room beside a sofa

You can position the HÄRSLINGA floor lamp beside your vanity table, and adjust its height as well as its angle (Image credit: IKEA)

Finish with the HÅRSLINGA floor lamp ($29 / £17). It’s narrow enough, with a small enough base, to tuck alongside the table. Even in tight spaces. You can then adjust the height as well as the angle of the bulb on the stand to suit your needs.

PAX and KOMPLEMENT system is the place to start.

PAX is the name of the wardrobe and cabinet frames, all of which can then be configured with components from the KOMPLEMENT range. The setup here is almost endlessly customizable so the vanity world is your oyster.

IKEA's PAX planner and design with lighting options shown

You can use IKEA’s PAX planner (pictured) to map out your perfect vanity setup. (Image credit: IKEA)

To give you some inspiration I’ve listed three potential setups below or you can use IKEA’s PAX planner to map out your perfect vanity setup.

All of these can be finished off with a table mirror, like the KARMSUND ($29.99 / £12) surrounded by wall-mounted, dimmable vanity lights like the KABOMBA range ($99 / £65), or the larger MUSIK strip lights ($39.99 / £15).

The Minimalist

1 PAX frame
2 KOMPLEMENT pull-out shelves (one as the tabletop and one as makeup tray)
A row of KOMPLEMENT drawers for skincare
A KOMPLEMENT shelf for perfume bottles and tools

IKEA KABOMBA LED wall lamp in matt black with three circular frosted glass globes, mounted beside a round mirror in a white-tiled bathroom

All of the PAX vanity setups can be finished off with a table mirror surrounded by wall-mounted, dimmable vanity lights like the KABOMBA range (Image credit: IKEA)

The Collector

2 / 3 PAX frames side by side with a mix of KOMPLEMENT drawers (for makeup and skincare sorted by category)
KOMPLEMENT pull-out trays with felt inserts for jewellery and brushes
Open shelving for display of perfume bottles, candles etc. The middle section works as the pull-out desktop

The Beauty Room

PAX frames without doors, set up like an open walk-in-style station with KOMPLEMENT pull-out trays at desktop height
KOMPLEMENT glass shelves above for display
KOMPLEMENT drawers below or with end units

The key component in any PAX-based vanity setup is the KOMPLEMENT pull-out shelf fitted inside. It slides out to become a full tabletop when you’re getting ready, then disappears flush with the cabinet face when you’re done.

The rest of the PAX interior handles everything else: drawers for makeup and skincare, shelves for bigger items with either doors on the outside, or not.