Gridfinity for IKEA ALEX: Organize Pens, Markers, and Paints
Written by Jeremy Carlsten, maker of GridfinityStudio.
Your favorite marker shouldn't be underneath fifteen other markers.
Build an IKEA ALEX drawer around the supplies you actually reach for. Compare shallow trays with angled pen storage, leave room to grab things, and plan the arrangement in GridfinityStudio before printing a drawer full of organizers.
Plan your ALEX drawer in GridfinityStudio
Start with your own measurements. This page offers layout ideas and community references, not a dimension-verified ALEX kit. We have not physically tested the linked models in your drawer or verified their import into GridfinityStudio.
A better way to reach your pens
On October 17, 2026, cdslug shared slanted Gridfinity bins for an IKEA ALEX top drawer. The problem was familiar: pens were too tall upright, but hard to find in a horizontal pile.
The creator's design keeps the base flat while the walls lean. Neighboring bins support one another, with a bookend supporting the end of the row. Their Slanted Gridfinity project provides a browser generator and STL export.
It's a useful approach to shallow storage. Angling an item trades vertical height for horizontal space, so plan for the loaded organizer's full reach, including anything extending beyond its base. Leave room for the end support, too.
These are cdslug's designs. GridfinityStudio provides a place to plan a drawer around generated bins and imported models; the linked generator creates the slanted geometry.
Pick storage by what you need to grab
| What lives in the drawer | A layout to try | Check before printing |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday pens and pencils | Short groups in shallow trays, or a row of slanted bins | Can you pick one up without moving its neighbors? |
| Markers and highlighters | Separate groups by type or color, with visible caps | Loaded height, cap width, and the manufacturer's storage guidance |
| Miniature paints | Upright pockets where height allows, or an angled holder designed for your bottles | Bottle diameter, cap clearance, retention, and recommended storage orientation |
| Brushes and hobby tools | A long shallow tray with space around the ends | Longest handle, protected bristles, and finger access |
| Erasers, clips, and small parts | Small open bins near the front | Enough room to retrieve the last piece |
Paint bottles deserve their own measurements. A holder that works for a dropper bottle may not suit a wider paint pot. A pen bin is inspiration for angled storage, not proof that it can safely hold your paints.
Measure the drawer you own
Use the inside of your actual drawer, not the cabinet's advertised dimensions or another maker's grid count.
Record its usable width and depth, then check the lowest obstruction above the drawer floor throughout opening and closing. Include any liner you intend to keep. Try reaching into the back while the drawer is open normally; space you cannot comfortably reach is a poor home for everyday supplies.
For height, check the complete assembly: baseplate, seated organizer, and contents. The bin's advertised height alone won't tell you whether a leaning marker clears the frame. Gridfinity parts nest together, so don't assume adding their separate overall heights gives the installed height either.
Before committing to a row, test one organizer with your longest item and slowly close the drawer. For a slanted design, include whatever neighboring support its creator specifies.
Use half-grid bins where a full cell wastes space
GridfinityStudio supports 21 mm half-grid feet, half-cell bin sizes, and half-cell placement. That gives you more choices for a narrow brush tray or a small group of pens.
When the measured layout leaves enough room, a 21 mm edge half-strip can hold compatible half-grid bins instead of solid padding. Only bins with 21 mm feet belong on that strip. A narrow-looking community model does not necessarily have those feet, and switching an import setting does not rebuild its underside.
Half-grid changes your footprint options. It doesn't add drawer height or guarantee that every leftover gap can become storage.
Community designs worth examining
Visit the creators' pages for files, instructions, updates, and license terms. These are references to compare against your measurements, not a tested bundle.
| Design and creator | Why look at it? | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Slanted Gridfinity by cdslug | Generate angled bins for a shallow-drawer arrangement | Full overhang, row support, nozzle settings, and loaded clearance |
| Gridfinity Baseplate for IKEA ALEX, remixed by FONSWERKS | An ALEX-specific baseplate approach, credited by FONSWERKS as a remix of Pey's design | Exact drawer variant, dimensions, and required section quantities |
| IKEA ALEX Gridfinity Spacers by maddingamer | An example of retaining a grid when an edge gap remains | Your actual gap and the spacer's dimensions |
Download from the original source and keep the creator's attribution with your project. Linking a model here does not grant permission to redistribute it. Check its terms before sharing files or remixes.
Plan one useful drawer first
Start with a small arrangement you can test:
- Put daily pens or markers toward the front, with caps visible.
- Give brushes and longer tools a separate lane so they don't slide under smaller supplies.
- Keep paints together in holders sized for the bottles you own.
- Reserve the harder-to-reach area for refills and occasional supplies.
In GridfinityStudio, enter your measured drawer dimensions and arrange the bins. For a community holder, sign in, open a saved project, and use Import STL. Confirm the suggested footprint and retain the source link. Imported geometry stays as-is.
With slanted models, compare the base footprint with the full mesh bounds. An import's suggested size is not a physical fit test. Check the overhang and support arrangement before relying on the layout.
Print one representative section first. Load it, close the drawer, and use it for a day. If choosing a marker still means digging through a pile, change the arrangement before printing the rest.
Start with the drawer that's bothering you
You don't need to organize the whole cabinet at once. Choose the drawer you use most, measure it, and give its contents a sensible place to sit.
Open GridfinityStudio and plan your drawer · See current pricing
Need the basic measuring process? Read How to Gridfinity a drawer.
IKEA and ALEX are trademarks of IKEA. GridfinityStudio is not affiliated with or endorsed by IKEA or the community creators linked here.