Ikea Inspiration Part One: Room Displays

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote Ikea or their products, just wanted to share our recent trip with you x

Hi Honeys
I'm starting to recover from an all-too-busy weekend at work after having a sofa day with our furbaby Jade for company.  She's perfect company for a sofa day because she adores cuddles and hugs as much as her Mummy does :)

Since I was stuck on the sofa with an ouchie spine and shoulders I spent (parts of) this afternoon editing the photos from our latest trip to my happy place... Ikea.  Take that Disney world! The happiest place on earth is Swedish and full of clever storage ideas and flat packs :)  

As usual I took too many photos.... hey, like I said, it's my happy place :)  The Ikea store is quite a wee distance from us and since my mobility isn't great we don't get to go there very often, each visit really is a treat.

Today's post is made up of my favourite part of a visit to the store.... the room displays!  Oh my how I love wandering around their wonderfully laid out, perfectly organized room settings! So much inspiration honeys :) Wanna join me for a tour around a few of my favourite rooms from this visit?
How wonderful is this honeys?  

There is so much going on in this "room" honeys.  Let's take a closer look at the left hand side of the room, the living room or family room portion...

This side of the room is dominated by the glass doored bookcases either side of the TV bench and wall storage above it which all combine to make a beautiful display area as well as giving some very clever storage opportunities.

The two baskets under the TV bench, as well as the two drawers either side of them, would tidy away the kid's (or Hubby's :) game system & accessories when not in use.  The coffee table too has built in storage to allow for a quick tidy up of magazines and remote controls in case of unexpected visitors :) The sofa looks so comfy and there's more than enough room for all the family to settle down to watch a movie together and even space for the furbabies too.  Every dog deserves a sofa :)

Over to the other side of the room then...

Even looking at the photo makes me smile honeys :)  Doesn't this look like a perfect place to work?

As you can see the desk (actually a table top) is set up to allow two designated work areas.  There are two computer stations, two chairs, two (really lovely I thought) angle poise lamps and separate desk organization accessories too.

There is ample storage space available for paperwork or stationery under the desk in a drawer tower as well as in the wall mounted cabinets above the monitors.  To the side of the desk/tabletop are two bookcases allowing for study/work papers and books and there is even room for a gallery wall above them!

The next two displays illustrate perfectly Ikea's talent for making every single inch of space work for it's owner.  Every inch has a purpose and in some cases more than one.  Let's have a look shall we?

The sofa bed allows this room to be used as a space to entertain, or just to be a very comfortable space to relax in, as well as allowing the room to transform into a bedroom at night.

There is a music system on the storage unit to the side of the sofa,  and of course the TV dominating the wall facing the sofa with shelving underneath it to accommodate games systems or a DVD/bluray player. There are large, lidded storage boxes underneath the shelves to store games/DVDs or other items.  

Let's have a closer look at the left hand side of the room shall we?

Above the sofa bed is a large shelf for extra storage, in addition to the white Kallax unit to the side, which is home to the music system as well as books and magazines.  Two of the Kallax cubbies have doors to provide more private storage.  The pretty lamp in the corner would give a softer light to watch movies by.

On the other side of the room...

By the "window" there is a very pretty vanity constructed from a wall mounted shelf with built in drawers, a Helmer drawer unit underneath and an ornate mirror on the wall.  This vanity could of course double up as a work space or desk.  The chair can be folded and placed against the wall when not in use, while the previously mentioned shelves and large storage boxes under the TV all provide plenty of useful storage. So much potential in so little space!

The next room display takes the form of a studio apartment, with the kitchen, dining room, living room and bedroom all contained within a single space.

This is such a pretty room.  The sectional sofa has plenty of room for guests and at night folds into a bed.  Three large, broad shelves offer lots of room for storage and decorative items, while the drawer units behind the sofa (under the shelves) provide even more storage!

A large sheer curtain acts as a room divider separating the living room from the kitchen and dining room.  Isn't the pendant lighting fixture beautiful? More of that in my next post :)

Beyond the sheer curtain, on the other side of the room is this...

As you can see honeys, in front of the sofa is a beautiful rug with a small coffee table.  Useful during daytime and easy to move at night to pull out the sofa bed.

On the wall facing the sofa is a wall mounted TV and underneath, making wonderful use of the space are wall mounted storage units.  I wish I'd written their name down honeys but they look similar to the Trones shoe cabinets we have upstairs.  Those cabinets are intended as a home for shoes but have 101 other uses as well as a handy indented space on the top to hold keys and other small items :) These units offer so much storage without intruding too far into the room.

Directly facing the TV is a doorway which leads through to a small hallway with built in closets for clothes storage and a tiny bathroom which not only has a bath, a shower, sink & toilet but also acts as a laundry room since it also has a washing machine and a fold down clothes airer above the bathtub!

I wish I'd managed to take photos of this area but Ikea was very busy (isn't it always)  and I considered myself very lucky to manage to get as many photographs as I did without people wandering through them. Maybe on our next visit :)  

Back in our main room then, walking past the TV and wall storage we have a dining area with table and chairs.  Past that is a full sized kitchen.  I've seen this room a couple of times now and each time I'm amazed at the storage space in this kitchen!  You'd think that a studio apartment would have very little storage space in its kitchen but as you can see there is a full size larder cupboard at the doorway, along with a full size hob, oven and microwave too.  There is even a mini greenhouse on the counter to grow fresh herbs.

On to our last display then honeys and it's a wonderful example of an organized entryway or mud room...  

I love this!  How could anyone have a bad day if they leave the house through this heaven of morning organization :)

Even if you're running late and still munching on your toast as you dash through,  everything is all set up to get you out the door and on your way to work. Don't believe me?  Let's have a look :)

Facing you as you dash into the entryway is a clock so you know exactly how much of a move on you need to be getting :)  Underneath is a cheery plant (nature makes everyone smile) and a dish to hold keys, easy to grab as you dash out.  Wall mounted storage again so everything has a home and to keep the area tidy.

Before you reach the door though, you have your coat and bag all ready to reach for, shoes on the rail underneath and a mirror for a last minute check (no toast crumbs? good!) before you fly out the door :) There is even an upper shelf, with storage boxes which might be used to store seasonal items such as hats, gloves & scarves.

Those items should be packed away each year I hear you yell, ah, but we live in Scotland and here its been known for us to experience all four seasons in one day!  I think we're going to use this as inspiration when we re-organize our little entryway :)

So, there we have it for today honeys.  I hope you enjoyed our little wander :) Do you adore Ikea as much as I do?  Have any of these rooms given you any ideas for your own home?  I have quite a few for here now :)  Well, I'm off to bed dear ones, till next time, sweet dreams and huggles always xx