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Solo zones: Creating private bedrooms in a loft apartment

When you live in an open plan apartment, making space for some much-needed alone time can be tricky. This family of four have achieved the seemingly impossible, by making space for each member of the household to enjoy time on their own, all thanks to the clever use of zones.

A woman opening a room-dividing curtain, revealing a grey GLADSTAD upholstered bed, as a teenage boy lays a breakfast table.
A woman opening a room-dividing curtain, revealing a grey GLADSTAD upholstered bed, as a teenage boy lays a breakfast table.

A bedroom for busy parents

As the evenings are easily the quietest part of their busy days, the parents have set up their bedroom for recharging, relaxing and the best possible sleep with soft textiles, even softer lighting and block-out blinds. For extra privacy, they close a curtain divider across the width of the apartment, separating their space from the rest of the home. Ah, peace at last.

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An oak HÖVOLM rack with 6 knobs on a wall, with necklaces and beige fabric hanging from it.
A lit, white ÅSKMULLER table lamp on a white surface with a green plant in the background.
A white VIHALS bedside table with a lamp next to a light grey GLADSTAD upholstered bed covered in a VITKLÖVER duvet cover.
A white-grey STUK storage case, partially open, revealing rolled up winter clothes inside.
A white VIHALS bedside table with a lamp next to light grey GLADSTAD upholstered bed covered in a VITKLÖVER duvet cover.
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Bedroom storage to cut the clutter

A generous wardrobe for two offers a mix of both open and closed compartments. Storage at the very top is filled with holiday decorations and other seasonal supplies, making the most of the room’s height to store things they only need occasionally.

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A woman in pyjamas putting a folded clothing item away on a shelf in an open white PLATSA wardrobe.
A rail of hung clothes on white BUMERANG hangers inside a white PLATSA wardrobe with a SKYDRAG LED wardrobe light.
An unlit beige/opal white glass DEJSA table lamp on a surface with a newspaper, pen and a pair of spectacles.
An open dark grey TJOG storage box with lid on a rug with folded clothes inside.
A close-up of two shirts hanging from white BUMERANG hangers.
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An office space in a bedroom with a white HELMER drawer unit on castors under a LAGKAPTEN/ADILS desk with a swivel chair.

The art of open plan living

An open plan apartment can be the ideal launching pad for a family. According to interior designer Annette Ydholm it all comes down to multi-functional zones, smart storage, and creating much-needed privacy.

Design a studio apartment for a family

No walls? No problem!

Curtains, blinds or just plain textiles can be used to separate one part of a space from another, making a room within a room, or just adding a bit of extra privacy when needed.

See all curtains & blinds
See all curtains & blinds

Making space for two growing teens

For a pair of teenagers sharing a space, there is a rule they both (usually) follow: what’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is yours. Two side-by-side wardrobe units give each of them their own storage space, but the real privacy maker is the double-layer curtain divider between their beds.

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Two teenagers in a sleep area, each seated below two dark grey TUFFING loft bed frames separated by a green fabric curtain.
A teenage boy drawing a curtain made from green VÅRMÄTARE fabric.
See the PLATSA system
A white PLATSA open shelving unit and wardrobe with one door open, revealing hanging and folded clothes inside.
“
While it’s important that everyone has their own space, it’s just as important that they have personal space to store their things.
”

Annette YdholmInterior designer

All fun and games

Close in age, but miles apart in interests, these two brothers have made the space they share distinctly their own. For the elder one, that means gaming and all things online.

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An UPPSPEL poster on a grey wall with the corner of a shelf in the top left and the green leaves of a plant on the right.
A close-up of an UPPSPEL peg board with multicoloured SKÅDIS containers holding pens, paper clips and a polaroid photograph.
A HEKTAR wall clamp spotlight illuminating a loft bed, covered in a grey ÄNGSLILJA duvet cover and ÅSVEIG cushion cover.
A green and white, flatwoven TÖMMERBY rug on a wooden floor.
A grey UTESPELARE gaming chair angled toward a white LAGKAPTEN/KRILLE desk, with a computer screen on top and CPU below.
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A person with a game controller sitting next to an olive green LINNEBÄCK easy chair with a cushion in a ÅSVEIG cushion cover.
“
A loft bed makes the most of the space, effectively using the same footprint twice with a sleep zone above and a private lounge below.
”

Annette YdholmInterior designer

The other side of the universe

Happy in the great outdoors or between the pages of a book, the younger brother has made his zone all about the things he loves. The writing desk below his loft bed is a spot for storytelling, while shelves of different shapes and sizes store his collection of books and outdoor equipment.

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A yellow-green ÖRFJÄLL swivel chair in front of a white LAGKAPTEN/KRILLE desk below a dark grey TUFFING loft bed frame.
Two light green EKET cabinets on a wall holding books, notebooks, boxes, and a potted plant with a lit lamp above.
A yellow-green ÖRFJÄLL swivel chair in front of a desk with a laptop on top and a skateboard and helmet below.
A white PLATSA open shelving unit with analogue cameras on the top shelf and hats, notebooks and a bag on the shelves below.
A lit multicolour ISKÄRNA LED table lamp in the shape of a human head, with headphones over the “ears”.
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