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Turn a living room into a dramatic scene

Join us as we transform a room from a bookworm haven during the day to a fantastic magical setting during the night.

A dark Halloween themed living room with a floral couch, bookshelf in the background covered in string lights and Halloween themed decor and candles throughout.
A dark Halloween themed living room with a floral couch, bookshelf in the background covered in string lights and Halloween themed decor and candles throughout.

Start with the basics

Begin with an ordinary living room, enriched by a colour palette that makes it warm and cozy, full of dark tones and tactile materials. During the day, it’s a welcoming spot for some light reading, relaxation, and long conversations. But when the sun goes down, it transforms into a mysterious and uncanny lair.

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A close up image of the floral UPPLAND sofa with jewel tone throw pillows and a teal throw.
A red BILLY bookcase with glass doors displaying books, artificial flowers, candles and string lights. Framed photos can be seen in the background.
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Take care of the details

Now it’s time to step away from the big picture and use the small things to pull your dramatic effect together. With a whiteboard marker, you can easily give a vase a new, spine-chilling expression. Make sure you choose one with a smooth surface, so you can wipe the ink off later on.

Small brown vases decorated with Halloween themed faces displayed with an artificial flower.
Artificial pink flowers displayed on a black table in small brown vases.

Add a little mystery here…

Cozy LED lighting with a warm glow already enhances the dramatic effect of our design. But if you want to sharpen the impression, wrap your lights with fabrics that match the rest of the décor to create an inviting and eccentric atmosphere. But be careful – make sure your lamp doesn’t get too hot!

A large floor lamp draped in a dark blue and red floral fabric in a darkly decorated living room with a red bookcase in the background.

…and a little mystery there

Finally, add some other ghostly touches like a creepy ice hand you can make by freezing a plastic glove filled with water. With small details like these, all of a sudden an ordinary room turns into a theatrical setting for a dinner with special visitors – beware of who might show up!

A punch bowl with red punch filled with ice cubes and one human hand shaped ice cube, sitting on a black table with glasses.
“
During the daytime, or when the festivities are over, it’s easy to change back to your normal living room.
”

Saša Antić, IKEA interior designer

We love to see our customers get creative with our products. Go for it! But please note that altering or modifying IKEA products so they can no longer be re-sold or used for their original purpose, means the IKEA commercial guarantees and your right to return the products will be lost.

Made by
Interior designer: Saša Antić
Photographer: Emma Engkvist
Writer: Vi Cooper

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