This three-room apartment is home to three generations: our hero Natalija, her daughter Aleksandra with her husband Daniel and the little Veronika and Bernardas. Natalija spends most of her time in the living room that hasn't been upgraded for three decades. And neither has the balcony. Over years, it has turned into a pantry and now offers anything but rest. IKEA interior designer Birutė Beniušė decided to bring back colours and joy to these two spaces.
Before and after: bold living room for three generations
Before and after: bold living room for three generations
Dark and non-functional interior
At first glance, Natalija's room seems very dark and dusky. It lacks natural light and features a lot of dark furniture and accessories, such as an old piano that hasn't been used for a long time. There also are two heavy patterned rugs (one on the floor and one on the wall) that reduce space and collect dust.
Before and after: bold living room for three generations

Although the living room is quite roomy, it feels smaller due to the wrong floor plan and non-functional furniture. Natalija uses the room for eating, sleeping, welcoming guests, playing with grandchildren and watching TV, but she lacks the right furniture for all her activities and even clothes.
Before and after: bold living room for three generations

Natalija has always dreamed about having a cosy corner in her balcony, but never found enough time or money to furnish one. As the interior designer Birutė was unable to even step into the balcony, she realizes that there wasn't really any room for relaxation. Bicycles, children's toys and other seasonal items cover the entire area.
Before and after: bold living room for three generations
It's time to change
Interior designer Birutė confessed being lucky to have such an inspiring challenge. Right after entering the room, she realized what she needs to do to make this living room (and the balcony!) come to life. As she said, it is enough to re-colour the living room and to replace the old furniture with something more functional.
Before and after: bold living room for three generations
New colours arrived!
After seeing the new colours of her room, Natalija was left in awe. She couldn't find any words to express the feelings neither in Lithuanian, nor in her native Russian. She saw a bright and cheerful living room full of sunny mood created with bright furniture and accessories. The yellow GURLI cushions provide cosiness, MAJGULL curtains blur the room in the evenings, and the LACK shelves over the sofa-bed are beautifully combined with a coffee table of the same series.
Before and after: bold living room for three generations
For sleeping, reposing and having fun
Another highlight in the upgraded Natalija's room is the BENNEBOL sofa-bed that provides room for both her guests and her quality sleep. Along with this functional piece of furniture, Birutė also added a new HÄSTFIBLA sateen-woven bedlinen in lyocell/cotton and a LOBBÄK flatwoven rug to make getting out of the bed more pleasant.
Before and after: bold living room for three generations
New wardrobe to fit all the dresses
To make room for all Natalija's clothes, Birutė planned the modular PLATSA solution with three doors and a mirror. You can also use the PLATSA planner to create a wardrobe of your dreams. Decide the size and shape of your wardrobe yourself, regarding your budget or needs.
Before and after: bold living room for three generations
TV storage under and over it
Our interior designer decided to leave the TV in the same place where it used to be - in front of the sofa. She only replaced the old dark cabinets with new BESTÅ cabinet combination in white (merging with white colour of the walls). You can also try the BESTÅ planner to design any combination you need.
Before and after: bold living room for three generations
Balcony for storage and something more
At last, Natalija has her balcony for her own. The new HYLLIS shelving unit provides enough storage space for all family's stuff, so the rest of this room can be dedicated to a cosy oasis with RUNNEN floor decking and TÄRNÖ outdoor furniture.
Before and after: bold living room for three generations
The inside garden
Natalija loves gardening, so now she will be able to do it right here, on her balcony. The wooden ÄPPLARÖ wall panel with hooks and shelves is perfect to store small gardening tools, gloves, flower pots, watering cans or anything else she might need.
Before and after: bold living room for three generations
Where the sun shines forever
The SOLVINDEN solar-powered pendant lamps are here to save energy and reduce environmental impact. They create sunny mood on the balcony not only during warm summer evenings, but also long after the holiday season or even on cloudy days.


 

12 items
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HYLLIS, shelving unit HYLLIS, shelving unit

HYLLIS

Shelving unit, in/outdoor, 60x27x140 cm

18

BESTÅ, TV bench BESTÅ, TV bench

BESTÅ

TV bench, white, 120x40x38 cm

55

HJÄLPA, standard hinge

HJÄLPA

Standard hinge

1,50/1 pack

FLÅDIS, basket FLÅDIS, basket
IKEA Family price

FLÅDIS

Basket, seagrass, 25 cm

Regular price: 9,99

7,99

MAJGULL, room darkening curtains, 1 pair MAJGULL, room darkening curtains, 1 pair

MAJGULL

Room darkening curtains, 1 pair, yellow, 145x300 cm

39,99

GURLI, cushion cover GURLI, cushion cover
New lower price

GURLI

Cushion cover, golden-yellow, 50x50 cm

Old Price: 3,99
2,99
GJERTRUD, sheer curtains, 1 pair GJERTRUD, sheer curtains, 1 pair
New lower price

GJERTRUD

Sheer curtains, 1 pair, white, 145x300 cm

Old Price: 24,99
19,99
RUNNEN, floor decking, outdoor RUNNEN, floor decking, outdoor

RUNNEN

Floor decking, outdoor, brown stained, 0.81 m²

19,99/9 pack

TÄRNÖ, table, outdoor TÄRNÖ, table, outdoor

TÄRNÖ

Table, outdoor, black/light brown stained, 55x54 cm

25

TÄRNÖ, chair, outdoor TÄRNÖ, chair, outdoor

TÄRNÖ

Chair, outdoor, foldable black/light brown stained

15

LACK, wall shelf LACK, wall shelf

LACK

Wall shelf, white stained oak effect, 110x26 cm

12,99

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LACK

Wall shelf, white stained oak effect, 110x26 cm

12,99

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LACK, coffee table LACK, coffee table

LACK

Coffee table, white stained oak effect, 90x55 cm

24,99

Stock Notification

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LACK

Coffee table, white stained oak effect, 90x55 cm

24,99

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