We started 2008 with a home-improvement project that transformed our master bedroom overnight.

On New Year’s Day we were out of bed by 8:20 a.m. and on the road to Ikea by 9:00. Motivation? The prospect of adding not one but two closets to our bedroom. Our master had only a tiny closet, and John’s clothes were living in the guest room. We decided to fix that.

Here’s the New Year’s Day play-by-play:

8:20 a.m. — Up and at ’em.

9:00 a.m. — Drive to Ikea.

11:00 a.m. — Arrive and head straight to the closet department.

12:30 p.m. — Leave Ikea $460 lighter with two wardrobe units and plenty of interior fittings.

2:00 p.m. — Back home and resting briefly.

2:05 p.m. — Time to assemble; the wardrobes won’t build themselves.

2:06 p.m. — Forgot to take a new “before” photo, so we used an older shot for reference.

2:15 p.m. — Side tables moved, allen wrench in hand.

3:50 p.m. — First wardrobe frame complete.

4:30 p.m. — Second wardrobe frame finished; curtains rehung to help visually enlarge the small window.

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5:25 p.m. — Quick trip to Lowe’s for longer screws to anchor the wardrobes to the wall — something Ikea didn’t include.

6:15 p.m. — Installed six shelves and a hanging bar in Sherry’s wardrobe.

7:30 p.m. — Installed three drawers and a hanging bar in John’s wardrobe (we realized later we’d bought the wrong-sized shelves).

8:30 p.m. — Burger King break — cereal and DIY adrenaline aren’t enough alone.

9:30 p.m. — Clothing, shoes, bags, and belts moved into the new closets; the guest room closet was suddenly empty.

10:00 p.m. — Hung matching white curtains on the wardrobes but didn’t like the effect; they looked too cheap and draped the units like bookcases wrapped in fabric.

10:05 p.m. — We preferred the curtains pushed to the side; the wardrobes read more like built-ins that way.

Over the next few days we made steady progress. A trip to Home Depot produced 7-inch molding to bridge the 4-inch gap between the wardrobes and the ceiling, helping them read as a single, taller unit. We also tried heavy chocolate-brown curtain panels from Linens N’ Things, but ultimately they weren’t the right fit.

We went on a curtain-shopping spree, testing many panels from several stores until a clear favorite emerged: khaki, chenille-like curtains with a subtle crosshatched texture from Bed Bath & Beyond. They balanced color and texture without overwhelming the room.

Next on the list were plug-in swing-arm lamps above the bed. After checking multiple retailers and weighing price and style, we found two brushed-nickel, plug-in swing-arm lamps for $40 each at a Lamp Factory Outlet. They were an affordable find and added a hotel-like feel to the room.

To give the paired wardrobes a built-in look, we mounted a wide painted plank from the ceiling across the top to serve as a header. That header, finished with crown molding and painted to match, unified the pieces and created a cozy bed nook instead of two standalone units.

Now the bedroom feels intentional and finished. Lying in bed feels like being tucked into a cozy nook rather than wedged between two mismatched boxes. The space reads larger and more deliberate, which was exactly our goal for this 12 by 13-foot room.

Old houses often require creative solutions to make ordinary rooms feel special, and this Ikea wardrobe hack—combined with molding, curtains, lighting, and a header—turned our small master into a comfortable built-in sanctuary. Mission accomplished.

UPDATE: By request, we photographed how the curtain rod is mounted behind the header. We used an inexpensive curtain rod seated on a bracket attached to the molding bridging the wardrobe and ceiling. The rod sits a few inches below the ceiling so it can be lifted off the bracket when needed; you can see the two holes above the bracket where we learned that lesson the hard way.