“Home idea with IKEA”: Work & Rest & Play

One room and more than one function? Surely the reality of many homes today. This applies also to Evija's and Juris' appartment where a cosy attic room is used both for work and leisure. The owners call it "the room where money is made and spent". It is a space for working and for hobbies (games, music and books). Evija and Juris admit to have wished for changes for a long time but never having the courage to actually make them happen. Will IKEA Interior Designer Nadežda manage to encourage them?

Before: greatest challenges of a multufunctional space

Evija and Juris remember the room already having some of the furniture when they first moved in. With time, they have added their own pieces. They have long since wanted to renovate but admit to having no real vision of the big picture. In such cases a professional advice from an Interior Designer is the best solution as a view from outside allows for a different take on needs and possibilities.

Same, but different

After the makeover, the space has not changed significantly in terms of layout and zoning, but it has taken on a whole new character. The designer has managed to fulfill the owners' desire for ample storage, combining different storage furniture with a subtle flair, all of which blends together with a light but cosy retro touch.

The vital element of a functional interior: zoning

If aspace is dedicated to more than one type of activity, careful thought needs to be given to zoning so that all the activities can be carried out easily. If there is more than one person in the houshold, such activities may also occur at the same time. This can happen, for example, if one person is working while another one is relaxing. Here, the space is divided by an elegant retro-style sofa that visually marks the seating area and slightly hides the working area to make it feel more separated.

A place for two... and more

The part of the room closest to the entrance is designed as a seating area. This places the work area further away from the door and the working person is less disturbed by other persons walking through the door. For storage, closed and open furniture is combined, with different shades of the finish adding texture to the overall look. A grey-turquoise sofa and a geometric-patterned rug add character and dynamic to the space.

A comfortable workplace in an alcove

In addition to the sofa, the space is dicided by a KALLAX shelf that serves as a support for the desk. Nadežda encourages such creative solutions, as they can also be highly practical. Another clever trick in this work corner is the table top that is actually a kitchen worktop. This is a very useful solution when a conventional desk seems too small, as kitchen worktops are easier to cut according to the needs.

A bed or a corner for rest and reading?

One may think that rooms without slanting walls and alcoves are the best when it comes to planning. However, with a bit of creativity any features can be turned into an asset. In this room, the Designer has made a cosy nook with a mattress in a small alcove and added blinds to separate it from the rest of the room or to hide it from sight. Such alcove can also be used as an extra bed.

Clever solutions for more versatility

Nadežda encourages the use of blinds for more than just windows. Blinds are great for dividing room or instead of doors in tricky places. When lowered, the blinds form a united surface similar to a wall and this solution allows hiding some corners that are not always as orderly as we wish them to be.

"If the budget allows, I would encourage experiments. For this interior, I used not only living room furniture, but also kitchen furniture. In the alcoves, I planned shelves from different series. I looked at what was the best size, reflected on alternative solutions and in the end I stuck with the kitchen cabinets that have a greater variety of sizes."