This episode of "Home idea with IKEA" leads to the family home of Ilga and Guntars, where they live together with their three young sons. The family has been renovating the house themselves, but till the third floor, the energy was sapped and the big space in the attic has been left almost empty. Will the family and IKEA Designer Nadežda manage to make it cosy and to stay within the budget?
Before: an empty space waiting to be lived in
This big, empty space is waiting for the final planning ever since the family moved in this house a couple of years ago. For now, the whole family is living on the second floor, but every parent knows how fast children grow so Ilga and Guntars would like to plan in advance and set up a bedroom on the third floor now serving just as a home office. The home office part has to stay, however, so IKEA Designer Nadežda will face the challenge of combining working and sleeping in one room.
After: fitting a bedroom under a roof
At first glance, the placing of the bed almost in the middle of the room may seem unusual. However, the Interior Designer stresses the importance of clever solutions in this space as the ceiling is quite low and also sloped towards the outer edges which makes a traditional planning impossible at times. Setting up a bed at one wall, there would be risk of hurting the head every time when standing up. As it is, it is cleverer to use the lower parts for a wardrobe combination like here or other storage solutions.
Combining different functions in one space
In many homes, there are spaces dedicated to more than one function. The bigger the difference between those functions, the more difficult it is to find solutions to fit them in one space and to make it all comfortable. Here, the Designer has chosen a calm grey-blue shade as a common element that pulls the interior together as a whole, but divided the room in two parts, each dedicated to a different activity. One part is a working space while the other is for sleeping, relaxing and storing clothes.
Lose no space – use it!
Spaces with sloped ceiling are often hard to plan as it is hard to find use for the parts where the ceiling is to low to stand upright. Here, IKEA Designer shows how to make use of this by planning an open wardrobe with sturdy rods for hangers and shelves and baskets for foldable items. The system can be changed and developed further if needed.
"Unusual floor plan requires unusual solutions and it is best if the chosen furniture can adapt to your space. For example, the BOAXEL system is great as it offers a wide variety of different storage solutions that can be fitted in places where we struggle to put traditional furniture."
A flexible home office
In this multifunctional space, the Designer has kept the workplace as minimal and neutral as possible so as not to interfere with the relaxing quality of the whole interior. A light desk that can be fitted with different legs if needed and some functional shelves are the basics that ensure smooth working.
Details that matter
What is the easiest way to keep things in order? To find a place for each of them! Here, the designer has added a lot of boxes that can be marked to hold whatever is needed in the workplace. A good lighting is essential as are some personal details that make the home office feel more like home and less like an office.