Home is where your heart is

As the spring is approaching, it is time to spice things up! This time, "Home idea with IKEA" visits a family of four who are dedicated admirers of Spain and everything Spanish. This is reflected in their interior accessories. However, decorating their living room in the buoyant colours and prints of this Southern European country would make the minute room look cramped. How to keep the decoration simple enough, but give it a special spark? IKEA interior designer Elīza knows the answer.
 

A space for everything

Small spaces are a challenge in many a home and this one is no exception. Our hosts Jolanta and Ansis tell how there is always a question where to find place for things and somehow they always end up in the already crowded and miniature entrance area. There is everything from sports equipment to seasonal clothes and more, shelves are just overflowing with stuff.

Long live Spanish cuisine!

What better way to get to know a culture than through its food! Interior designer Elīza introduces Jolanta and Ansis to Javier, who is from Spain and a true connoiseur of the Spanish cuisine. Together, they cook traditional Spanish food and Elīza gets the feel of the character and lifestyle of hosts in order to find even more inspiration for the makeovers.

Spanish temperament meets Scandinavian design

A mood board is a way to give your ideas a more precise expression by choosing materials, colours and forms. You can combine photos, accessories and colour swatches to feel how they fit together. Sometimes, the result will be minimalistic and made up by a very few things, but sometimes it evolves in a creative chaos, like here.

How a colour can completely change a room

A sure way to liven up a space is to give it a new colour. Here, Elīza has chosen a fresh, greenish grey shade that harmonizes beautifully with the warmer wooden tones. As the room has an elongated rectangular layout, a bold colour on the end wall draws it seemingly nearer to the observers eye and improves the overall proportions of space. The diagonal line of the staircase has been painted in the same colour so as not to stand out and accessories form a symetry on both its sides.
 

One room or two

The living room opens up to a light and sunny but very small entrance area. Mostly it just adds extra light to the living room, but for the moments when family would like more privacy, Elīza has installed a curtain that acts as a partition and can help to save energy in the colder days as it keeps some of the cold out.
 

Hidden (and not-so-hidden) storage everywhere

Previously, this room's biggest challenge was finding place for all the family's things. Elīza has solved this with ease and elegance of an experienced designer, using all the nooks available and putting wall space to use. Shelves are most practical in all kinds of spaces as they can be completed with organisers chosen with your needs in mind.
 

Tiny but highly functional

As for the hallway, it was clear that the interior has to be very simple and minimalistic as the space is so small. One wall is dedicated to a spacious wardrobe in white and with a mirror door that makes the room seem bigger. A couple of organisers, some seating to get those shoes on and off and it's done!