Home idea with IKEA: several rooms in one go plus lots of storage

Kristin, Kristjan, and Saara live in a wooden apartment house in Tallinn. With Kristjan in a band, the home is filled not only with everyday items but also with instruments and stage outfits, though there’s no proper wardrobe system. Three rooms are awaiting transformation: the living room, Saara’s room, and a storage room – one of which will become the parents' bedroom. Kristin mentions that they are not necessarily after traditional solutions, but comfort and practicality are still key. Inspired by this lively trio, IKEA interior designer Hannele Saagpakk knows just what to do.

Before: several rooms in need of more practical solutions

The rooms on the apartment’s second floor are fairly small and could be planned more efficiently. The space is divided into three zones: a living room and storage area, partially separated by a partition, and Saara’s room. The storage area mainly holds clothes hung on clothes racks, with additional items kept in cardboard boxes, highlighting the need for better storage solutions.

After: a spacious Scandinavian bedroom with plenty of storage space

"This room features a PAX wardrobe with a corner setup designed primarily for hanging clothes," Hannele explains. "To keep the cabinet from taking up too much space and blocking light, I chose a shallower depth (350 mm) for the left module." Glass doors enhance the airy feel, and a mirrored door on one section visually enlarges the room. Since it's a bedroom, the designer also added two layers of curtains at the windows – light day curtains and blackout curtains for nighttime privacy.

Bedroom

Storage and lighting solutions for the bedroom

For extra storage, the interior designer combined NORDLI chests of drawers, perfect for folded clothes, socks, and underwear. "With storage in mind, I chose a MALM bed, which has storage boxes underneath for a lighter blanket, extra pillows, and spare sheets," the designer explains. To add light, two adjustable reading lamps are mounted above the bed, and there´s also a large, airy ceiling lamp.

A comfy and practical home office and study nook

Hannele designed a home office in the space between the rooms, with desks at different heights – one for the parents and one for the child. The parents' desk combines an ALEX drawer unit with a cabinet, while Saara's desk is built on TROFAST frames with plenty of storage boxes. The TROFAST series offers boxes in various sizes and colors and they are easy to change, mix and match. On the wall, the designer added two cabinets to store items that should stay out of Saara’s reach.

Home office

Working space storage solution

For the opposite wall, Hannele chose shelves from the ELVARLI modular system. "This setup creates an airy look while offering plenty of space for storing books, board games, speakers, plants, and more. The family also mentioned that they love bringing personality into their home with meaningful items like ceramics, photos, and favorite books, and this setup provides a great way to showcase those," says the designer.

Bookcases & shelving units

A cozy, warm-toned room for a little princess

For Saara’s room, Hannele chose the KURA bed, which can be flipped to create either a bunk bed or a high bed with play space underneath. According to her parents, Saara loves to be a little princess, so the designer transformed the lower bunk into a princess nook, complete with romantic curtains. The TROFAST drawer system was also used in this room, but differently than in the living room. Here, it´s placed next to the bed, allowing the parents to sit and read bedtime stories. The TROFAST toy boxes are also accessible from Saara’s play area under the bed.

Children‘s room

Every princess gown at its place

"Since kids always have a ton of toys, clothes, sports gear, and more, you can never have too much storage space," says Hannele. "I added a large PAX wardrobe in Saara’s room, with a clothes rail placed lower so she can reach it herself to put away clothes." Some clothes or books can also be stored in the repurposed wall-mounted TRONES shoe cabinet or on wall shelves.

Tips and tricks to create a similar solution

When starting to renovate a home, it is often smart to review the general plan again and perhaos change the purpose of rooms.
Playfulness can be brought into the room with accent walls or surfaces (so that the overall impression is not too heavy, but gives personality).
In a small room, use curtains instead of building a wall.

And one extra idea: you can never have too much storage space, so feel free to add it.

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