Which is the most important room besides the kitchen? The living room of course! In this family of five it is a hub of different activities, where the parents Aija and Jānis rest after work, the three children play with their toys and the whole family watches TV, plays chess and spends time together. Their living room is the last room in the apartment that has been left unrenovated, and Aija feels that the time is ripe for it to shine in a new decor.
Waiting for the makeover
This living room is quite a typical example of a room that has been left to renovate "later". The family has tried to make it more cosy by adding photos and other personal things, but the overall impression is still a bit chaotic and not finished. The colour scheme is not thought through, and Aija would also like not to have a computer in the room so it would be dedicated solely to rest and family time.
The Macramé inspiration
The sea is a very special source of inspiration for Aija, so IKEA Interior Designer Elīna has an exquisite surprise for her: a creative workshop with Macramé artist Juta Vovere who also finds the sea supremely inspiring. During the workshop, the artist works together with Aija and her small daughter to create a beautiful plant hanger and a wall decoration for their new living room. Macramé is an ancient technique that is also very democratic as even an absolute beginner can create something.
Calming palette for a relaxed and cosy time together
Aija's wish was to have more light in the living room and to keep the colour palette down to earth with nuances of sand, air and water. The closeness to nature is felt in the natural materials like wood, cotton and jute and in the overall cosy impression. A corner for children is set up near the window where it profits from the natural daylight and lets the children play in their own area.
Smart details for more comfort
Overall, the room is rather small for a family of five. But IKEA Interior Designer Elīna knows there is always a solution. She has chosen a practical sofa-bed that will, with time, become the parent's bed. In the corner near the window there is a storage and children's area combination with deeper cabinets at the lowest level and some more shallow ones above, so the flow of light would not be disturbed.
An accent wall to stand out and to unite
The room has an elongated floor plan, so the Interior Designer decided to compensate the visual effect with an accent wall that creates an optical illusion of being nearer and thus shortens the room visually. The textured wall also acts as a background for the TV and the furniture, softening the stark contrasts between the light and dark furniture.
The room has an elongated floor plan, so the Interior Designer decided to compensate the visual effect with an accent wall that creates an optical illusion of being nearer and thus shortens the room visually. The textured wall also acts as a background for the TV and the furniture, softening the stark contrasts between the light and dark furniture.
Designer's advice
"A storage combination can be created from cabinets and shelves of different depth. If there are children in the household, lower cabinets can be bigger and more spacious for easy access, but the ones higher up can be used with glass doors that hold back dust."