When dark becomes light and old becomes new

Once again it is time for interior makeovers! Whatever the challenge, we have made it our mission to make everyday life better for the many people. This time the interior designer of IKEA gave a new life to a room that had seen its better days a long time ago. Take a look and see how old becomes new, dark becomes light, and overwhelming becomes bright and airy.

The family heritage
This room has looked almost the same as far as Eliisabet can remember. The massive hold-it-all combination takes up the bigger part of one wall and is so big that it is not even moved when painting the floor. All in all, this room, nicknamed fondly after a homey dish “ühepajatoit” by both inhabitants because of everything being thrown together in one big, but "tasty" mix, is homey, yet resembling a hotel room. And that is the one thing that Eliise would like to change.

The code of cosiness
The further end of the room has been converted into a cosy haven with a bed and lots of storage. Placing the bigger wardrobe in a corner not directly visible when entering the room was a conscious decision. This helps to keep up the airy impression created by open shelves and the light tone-on-tone colour scheme. Layering sheer and thick curtains give texture to the window and add to the atmosphere. As the room is quite small, there are no unused spaces. Even under the bed, there are boxes for storage that can be pulled out and rolled in with ease.

Flexibility is key
One of the biggest challenges in every room is to plan appropriate storage solutions. This is even harder to do if a room is small. Modular solutions like the PLATSA series are great as they ensure flexibility and many options for personalisation. Here, interior designer Eliise has chosen an asymmetric combination that encloses a nook for TV with a small picture ledge above it for memorabilia. A tip from the designer: choose your storage wisely. It is always better to have more options and choose drawers and open shelves with different organisers to combine with cabinets than to just have cabinets. Some open shelves in between also help to create a more airy impression.

Work meets rest
One corner of the room is set up in a smart way to fulfil two functions. There is a working station for Eliisabet with a sturdy table that can be folded down when not needed and a SKÅDIS pegboard combination to organize the small things needed for work. For moments of rest, there is a comfortable sofa to sit or lay on. Interior designer Eliise reminds us to think about good lighting. Wall lamps are a good solution as they do not need a place to put them on and they provide both good mood lighting and functional lighting, e.g., for reading.

Show what you have got
Open shelves are a way to bring lightness to an interior and they are great to show some memorabilia and everything you love. The designer's advice is not to overload the shelves and to give each object a chance to show its true beauty. And what about things that you do not want to show? There is an easy solution to that too! Just choose some boxes and organisers in a design you like and use them to store everything that you want out of sight.