Home idea with IKEA: a creative makeover at a crisis centre

Interior makeovers with IKEA take place in all kinds of spaces. This time, IKEA Interior Designer Ieva visits the crisis centre "Burtnieks", where a most important space is longing for a new lease of life – a room where creative workshops are held every day under the guidance of the energetic, optimistic Raimonda. Creativity is at a boiling point here, but Raimonda admits that there is so much of it that it takes a lot of time each day to organise the supplies. Will the designer find a way to combine the creative with the practical?

Before: creative chaos bubbling over

According to the staff, the spacious classroom is the heart of the centre. Here, people in crisis can take refuge in creative activities that encourage communication and trust and heal the soul through art and work. The activity leader Raimonda feels like a fish in water here and speaks lovingly of the wealth of materials on the many shelves, while also admitting that keeping order is a challenge.

After: a multifunctional space for bigger and smaller classes

The makeover has made the space to appear much more spacious. The previous layout was distorted by large chairs that could not be space-savingly arranged when not in use. The new interior has smaller chairs in a fresh mint green that matches the wall colour. The light palette is complemented by shelves in pale wood and white tables and other smaller furniture.

A seating area for more relaxed conversations

It was clear that the space was lively, but sometimes needed a more personal, intimate atmosphere to encourage more open and frank conversations or just to take a breather. So, a small, comfortable seating area was set up on one side. It is visually enchanted by a carpet that separates it from the rest of the room. The comfortable armchairs are in keeping with the rest of the interior, while the rounded shapes add an extra cosy touch.

Space for imagination and creativity

In the activity area, the Interior Designer has chosen four smaller tables instead of one larger one. This solution is more versatile, as the tables can be used together or separately in a variety of different arrangements. This gives more space and more combinations.

How to set up a storage system for many belongings

In a room where many different activities take place, you also need to store a lot of things. Over time, Raimonda has gathered a substantial collection of materials. She also needs to keep the endresult from the classes. Interior Designer Ieva has chosen a bold solution – a combination of IVAR shelves along the entire wall, where open and closed elements form an eye-catching collage. The open shelves are complemented by practical boxes and baskets made of natural materials that harmonise with the light wood shade of the shelves.

A separate working area in a spacious room

In workshops, there are many participants, but just one teacher, and she has to think not only about the creative side, but also about the documentation. Previously, all the documents were stored right next to the class materials, but now the designer has set up a separate area for the teacher's work, where documents and other essentials can be conveniently arranged on shelves. The spacious height-adjustable desk allows for both sitting and standing work, allowing for movement and thus ensuring the ergonomy of the work.

How to use every centimeter

The Designer has taken special care to leave as much floor space as possible free. The easiest way to do this is to use the walls. Even the wall with the whiteboard and the pull-down screen for film projections has found a use for it: the lower part of the wall has space for cabinets and closed boxes. Open shelving in such a place would distract attention from the whiteboard, so a solution with doors was chosen.

In a practical workplace, careful thought must be given to the storage solutions. Open shelving is convenient if you have a lot of things that you need frequently, as it makes it easier to see and access them. To avoid a cluttered impression, things organised in folders, boxes and baskets.

The aesthetics of storage

We often try to hide things as much as possible in our interiors, because we think that it will otherwise look chaotic. However, with well thought-out solutions you can find beauty in storage too! In this case, the Designer has chosen shelves made of natural wood and complemented them with colour-coordinated accessories – a miniature chest of drawers for small things, folders and boxes, as well as some decorative elements that add a more intriguing touch.

"A calm, relaxed and secure atmosphere in a room can easily be achieved with gentle pastels, which is why I chose them for the walls. The natural wood tones and the timeless white also complement the colour palette perfectly. Airy day curtains diffuse the bright daylight, creating a sensual and pleasant play of light. Textiles also bring an extra cosiness to a room."