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Ikea DC Makeover

By Adele Chapin
  • Images courtesy of Ikea
  • BEFORE
  • This nook seemed like the natural place in the apartment for a bed, but the Ikea home tour team amazingly found a new home for the bed and turned this corner into an entertaining space. A large piece of artwork hung almost to the edge of the wall captures
  • BEFORE
  • The new dining area features the TORSBY table, PJATTERYD picture, and HAVLOP lamp shade.
  • The Ikea Home Tour Squad turned an awkward, shallow closet into more usable storage space. The closet unit is a mashup of PRAGEL countertop and STOLMEN drawer units.
  • BEFORE
  • The KALLAX shelving unit is by the window and features baskets for all of Mansaray's odds and ends. Along the entry wall, the television is now on a stand that can be moved so you can watch from the bed or the sofa area.
  • Underneath the TV are STALL shoe cabinets for Mansaray's impressive shoe collection.
  • Mansaray's shoes! Spencer's small space tip: Use multi-function furniture. "Always consider furniture pieces that serve as many functions as possible. One of my favorites is the STALL shoe cabinet from IKEA. It stores roughly 16 pairs o
  • BEFORE
  • Spencer's small space tip: Create storage. "When you lack storage space, use furniture or find solutions to create extra storage space – like a bed with built-in storage under the mattress. This option is just like having an extra closet –
  • BEFORE
  • The tall storage units on each side of the bed are PAX units with STOCKHOLM doors. The lights above the bed are TIVED wall/clamp spotlights. And Mansaray's collection of art and souvenirs is on display in a GALANT wall cabinet above the bed. Spenc
  • The whole apartment is a cheerful mix of colors and patterns, which Mansaray loves. The units above the sofa are BESTA units with BESTA VARA doors. The lights above the sofa are MINUT. The tables in the entertaining area are IKEA PS, and VITTSJO laptop st
  • Rugs to help divide the apartment's living areas. The sofa area incorporates an ORSTED rug while a LAPPLJUNG RUTA rug is under the bed. In a lot of small studios, it seems like the bed is always on display, but the Ikea Home Tour Squad managed to create d
  • These 2 KIVIK one-seaters were combined to make a couch for this small space. "I didn’t have a couch before," Mansaray said. Now Mansaray has seating for her guests, and when we met her minutes after the reveal, she was already planning a get-together to

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