More clever tips – like Miriam’s smart shoe storage
How to become a botanist on a budget
Plants add a fresh and homey atmosphere to any room or style – and they’re so easy to come by! Ask friends, family and neighbors for plants or seedlings they can spare, or simply grow seeds. Here are some more green tips from Simson, IKEA Sweden.
“I like large plants, but the plant pots tend to cost a lot, so I use waste bins for a couple of euros each instead. These take ten liters and work just fine, they even look a bit like terracotta pots. You just need to cut a hole in the bottom. Then I have inexpensive shoe mats as floor protection.”
Simson Sundman
IKEA Sweden
Shoe and all-kinds-of-important-stuff cabinets
These shoe cabinets are an IKEA classic – budget-friendly, good-looking and incredibly space-saving. They can make life easier by keeping shoes, but also important papers and all sorts of small but important things, in order.
“I’m so happy about them because they’re perfect for storing lots of different things, like scarves, keys, my phone chargers, umbrellas, towels for my cat, mail and bills – you name it!”
Miriam Almagro
IKEA Spain
The perfect place for an art gallery
Narrow hallways and corridors are hard to furnish, but you can use the walls for other things, like putting up family photos, beautiful textile patterns or holiday postcards. Or maybe display a colorful collection of children’s drawings? Here’s some inspiration.
“Our hallway isn’t wide enough to place any furniture there, so we use the wall to add functionality and decorations. Wooden hangers with clips are perfect for creating a gallery of kids’ drawings, while fun hooks at the right height for the kids help them remember their stuff. A photo of a plant is nice, too, since there’s little room for actual plants.”
Jorge Da Cunha Gonçalves
IKEA Switzerland
The versatility of textiles
Changing the look of a space can be as easy as hanging a throw, quilt cover or curtain over a clothes rack. Monalisha, IKEA India, uses clothes racks on wheels as room dividers, for decorating her apartment and for shielding off light when resting.
“I live in a small apartment, and when I have friends over, I use a clothes rack with a piece of fabric as an affordable and flexible room divider, creating a little bit of privacy for my sleeping area. It’s smart, simple, movable and works really well.”
Monalisha
IKEA India
What are you looking at?
Click below to see the story behind these (and more) home-furnishing tips, and how they came to be in the actual homes of IKEA co-workers.