Meet our hero Danutė and visit her bright new welcoming living room. IKEA interior designer Toma Montvilaitė.
Old-fashioned interior
When we asked Danutė what she would like to change, she admitted being annoyed about every little thing in this room: from old curtains to dark furniture and wallpapers she has stuck several decades ago.
Danutė confessed dreaming of a spacious living room, where she would have enough place to invite friends. So far, she used to welcome her guests in the kitchen. Another dream to be fulfilled is a cosy corner for private moments with a book or her favourite TV show (it was not convenient as the sofa and the TV were standing sideways).
“Although the living room is quite big, its layout is not functional at all. The dark and bulky furniture makes the space feel smaller than it is.”
Toma Montvilaitė, IKEA interior designer
It's time to change
After talking to Danutė about different interior styles, Toma found out that she prefers modern classics. The woman said she couldn't imagine drastic decisions and bright colours in her home, so the upgraded living room features light pastel shades, elegant furniture and trendy natural fibres, such as jute and rattan.
Make room for hobbies
Before the upgrade, Danutė used to store her books in the basement. Now that she has a BILLY bookcase with OXBERG glass doors in her living room, the personal library is always close at hand and safe from dust.
Make room for guests
Changing the furniture layout made the living room more spacious. It now has three areas: one for reading, one for storage, and one guests. A flatwoven HELLESTED rug marks the guest area in the very center of the room. Here, Toma has planned a GRÄLVIKEN 3-seat sofa-bed and a LACK coffee table. A perfect place for chatting with friends, isn't it?
Make room for "we" time
Interior designer left the space between the bookcase and the guest area for reading. This cosy corner now features a POÄNG rocking chair for Danutė and its minor version for her often-visiting grandson. To make the reading together more convenient at any time of the day, Toma has placed a floor/reading lamp between the two chairs.
Make room for storage
The space-consuming storage system is now replaced with modern storage solutions. Toma designed the BESTÅ cabinet combination, which consists of three different parts: closed cabinets, wall cabinets with glass doors and a TV bench. Such combination works best for this living room, but if you want to adapt BESTÅ system to your needs, just use our free online planning tool.
A BESTÅ solution can start as a simple unit with enough storage for a limited space and can grow and adapt as your needs change. You can create your own personal expression by choosing from a wide range of fronts in different colours and finishes, and personalise them even with knobs or handles, push openers, top panels or legs.