A colourful makeover in a living room

A great painting starts with a blank canvas and a great interior starts with an empty room. This time, the room destined for a makeover is almost like a blank canvas, as the owners Karīna and Reinis have recently moved in. The white walls and many empty spaces just wait to be filled with colours. But will everything go as smooth as hoped for? IKEA Interior Designer Elīna is ready to lend the creative couple a helping hand.

Before: a functional minimalism

The spacious living room in this home seems to be a lesson in minimalism at first, with its stark white walls and a lot of empty space. However, this is not by choice – the young couple would very much like to bring more colour and creativity into this room to make it the true heart of their home.

After: a colourful and cosy living area for two and more

The contrast between the interior before the makeover and after it is so great that the room is almost unrecognizable! Warm, lively shades, harmonious proportions and a lot of space for art and things that the owners love and would like to display. The grey sofa brings a harmonious note and serves as a peaceful accent between the more bold colours.

Adding a personal touch

With the bigger interior elements in place, it is essential to think about the smaller, more personal details that make a house a home. Here, the designer has advised to create a big gallery wall, where the artwork of both creative minds in this home can be displayed like it should. Other details like lighting, cushions, a naturally light-coloured coffee table and others give the room its special something.

Bold colours for a fresh impression

Many people refrain from using bold colours in their living space thinking this would make the rooms look smaller and darker. The living room of Karīna and Rainis is a proof that this effect can be counterbalanced by the cosiness created by darker, richer nuances, adding clever lighting and lighter elements in furniture solutions.

"If there is a lot of artwork to display, it is a good idea to plan a gallery wall. One way of doing it is simply hanging the frames on the wall, but a clever way to make the solution more dynamic is to use picture ledges that allow to mix and match different pictures as you like."

How to plan a gallery wall

The best tip when starting a gallery wall is to choose same or similar colour frames. As the pictures are already with their own character, the frames act as a uniting element and do not let the whole collapse into a multicoloured chaos. A good idea is to choose different frame sizes from the same collection for a professional looking result.