How to Decorate an Interior with IKEA so It Doesn't Look Cheap

The guest studio with an area of 54 m², which designer Antonina Sinchugova decorated in a house extension for the clients in Moscow, you have already seen and appreciated by looking at the project tour.

In this post, we analyze the meticulous work of the designer with IKEA furniture: there will be many items from the Swedish brand, but they do not stand out, and the interior does not look cheap. To achieve the same effect in your own interior, follow these simple rules.

Your choice — basic items with neutral design

"If you don't want IKEA to look like IKEA and the items to seem recognizable, choose simple solutions," — advises the designer.

Following this principle, she selected all the Swedish brand items for this project, except for the RÖGRUND chair in the bathroom: although it has a memorable design, its functionality is hard to overestimate.

But the designer's advice is best demonstrated on the kitchen with KUNGSBACKA fronts and a neutral countertop in concrete style. Antonina believes that black matte fronts can be made in any workshop or bought from another manufacturer.

Think of new ways to use

Stepping away from associations with the usual, catalog IKEA can be achieved through an unconventional approach to using mass-produced products. Here it's a linear kitchen without upper cabinets: cabinet systems - "topless" - is a relatively new trend, they look modern and light, and the designer was particularly keen to avoid the effect of a traditional kitchen space.

However, they didn't completely give up upper cabinets: the designer moved them to the adjacent wall in the dining area, hanging them above the bar table.

Best companions — items with bold design

Shift the focus: no one will focus on neutral items while admiring unusual solutions.

With this in mind, Antonina complemented the minimalist IKEA table NORRÖKER in the dining area with a pair of chairs made from bent plywood and a pendant made in the same technique.

For another example, we go to the hallway. There is an IKEA shoe cabinet, a hanger, and a mirror, but what catches the eye first is the expressive laminate with different-sized tiles.

Finally, the bedroom zone: on a bedside table from the same collection as the chairs with pendants in the dining area, next to an eye-catching desk lamp, they placed the IKEA alarm clock SNÖFSAS.

Mix and layer

Let's return to the kitchen to examine the wall above the work surface. It seems like a costly monolithic structure, but in reality, it's several IKEA shelves LACK connected into one and ceramic granite in wood style.

"We first bought the shelves, then found tiles to match," — Antonina recalls.

Among the books and decor placed on the shelf, IKEA items — more precisely, the glass vase BEGAVNISSING — also found their place.

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For example, in the wardrobe. In this project, shelves, hangers, drawers and other wardrobe contents are also IKEA. However, the exterior is minimalist doors with concealed installation painted to match the walls. A clean and visually expensive solution.