Before and after: makeovers in the in family crisis centre continue

This week we invite you to visit a place where we have already been. Some time ago, “Home idea with IKEA” went there, to the family crisis centre in Kaunas, to create a homely atmosphere in the family rooms and lounge area. This time, our interior designer Ūla returns to upgrade their kitchen and a living-dining room. 

Before the renovation

Both spaces have been already worn out, including old furniture and the interior itself. There was a great lack of appliances in the kitchen, just a few cabinets to store all the items, and a countertop that was way too small for several families to prepare food at the same time. 

As for the living room, it was spacious yet empty, furnished with nothing but a dining table, a sofa and a couple of shelving units. In the event, this room lacked cosiness and did not offer any privacy in the open space.

A homely living room

Interior designer Ūla has created a modern, functional, and ergonomic interior that meets the needs of people of different ages. In doing so, she tried to take advantage of every inch of the space. Leaving a separate kitchen, the interior designer divided the living room into three areas: one for families to relax, another for eating, and the third one for toddlers and teenagers.
 

One room, three areas

The refurbished living room now offers three separate areas to spend time in: a dining room, a family lounge area and a children’s corner.

The dining area with a RÖNNINGE extendable table now can gather more people at once. KYRRE stools work as an extra seating. To take up less space, they can be stacked when not in use.

For the family lounge, Ūla has chosen a coffee table and several seating options: an inviting EKTORP sofa, a FRÖSET easy chair and a SANDARED pouffe.

In the space for children and teenagers, our interior designer has set up a reading and play corner featuring a KNOPPARP 2-seat sofa with washable covers. Next to the sofa and above, there are some KALLAX shelving units for books and toy storage. We believe that the youngest visitors of this space will appreciate the STORABO rug, while the older ones should enjoy the reading lamps under the shelves.

“To make our homes a safe place for both the grown-ups and kids, all high furniture, especially the shelving units, must be securely attached to the wall. Use the tip-over restraint provided with the product and the right hardware for your wall type.”

Ūla Žebrauskaitė-Malinauskė, IKEA interior designer
 

Kitchen makeover

One kitchen in the family crisis centre is used by six families. Therefore, Ūla had to adapt a relatively small space to store all their kitchen utensils and food supplies, as well as to accommodate a lot of different kitchen appliances. After the makeover, the new kitchen now accommodates three refrigerators, a dishwasher, a washing machine, an oven, a hob, an extractor hood, and a microwave oven.
 

While some of the family members are cooking, others will be able to eat or just stay together, as the interior designer has also furnished a small dining area with a bar table by the kitchen window. Next to it, she hung several pots that will be perfect for growing decorative plants and fresh herbs.

To accommodate more items in the kitchen, Ūla has planned the kitchen cabinets up to the ceiling, using the full height of the room. There are now enough drawers, cabinets and open shelves for everything and everyone. If you want a customisable kitchen that uses your space optimally and has a wide selection of frames in different sizes and fronts in many styles, as well as interior organisers for perfect organisation on the inside, the METOD kitchen system is your choice. Try it out!
 

More room for colours

Green colour became the accent of the whole interior. The walls of the premises are painted in various shades of green, as are the kitchen fronts, the sofa and storage in the living room. Interior designer Ūla urges to be brave with colours, as the properly selected and coordinated ones can set up the mood and help to create a unique expression.

To add even more colour to the family crisis centre and the life of families who stay in there, Ūla has created a small gallery in the hallway, where children will be able to display their drawings, changing the exposition as often as they like, since new artworks will be pretty simple to attach.