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Bring the Passion Back into your Ikea Bedroom

Interiors | by Leyla Keskin, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

At the tender age of 21, I left my mother’s home and went off into the world, moving 250 miles away. As a graduate moving from temporary job to temporary job, the budget for kitting out my new pad was limited. I heard Ikea was affordable and stylish so off I went to have a look. I wasn’t planning on buying, but it’s simple, contemporary Swedish good looks and affordable price tag was too much for me to resist. I spent hours roaming around the showrooms. Knowing I could only look and not touch increased the excitement. I still remember the first time I worked up a sweat in the warehouse section, grunting and panting as I lifted the flat packs off the shelves, placing them gently on the trolley. I remember handing over my credit card without a care in the world. I remember the hours of assembling, and the proud feeling of knowing ‘I did that’. Me and Ikea, no one could touch us.

As the years went by my love for Ikea started to diminish. Walking around the showrooms became frustrating and dull, the furniture was boring and repetitive with no individuality and the price tags were cheap like the quality. I had a pair of bedside cabinets and chest of drawers that followed me around for years. They had stayed with me through my break up with my long term boyfriend and were the only pieces of furniture I left my first apartment with.  They stayed with my through the bad times so I couldn’t possibly part with them once I had found my own apartment two years later.

On moving day, I unpacked them from the back of a van and placed them in my new bedroom with my new white, fresh looking furniture. My apartment was clean and free from arguments about the dishes and whose turn it was to buy toilet rolls. They looked tired, worn out and had no passion or zest for life. I couldn’t bear to buy a new set (mostly because my bank balance wouldn’t allow me) so I decided to get the spark between us back.

I painted them white to give them a brighter, fresher look but they still looked like generic pieces of Ikea furniture. They sat there for months being used only as storage. I was fed up but couldn’t give up on them. Then, I had an idea. I could wallpaper them! Surely, this would make them fun again and bring some passion back into the bedroom.

Just follow these simple steps and you to can revamp your relationship with your old Ikea furniture without breaking the bank:

If you want to change the colour of your furniture you need to sand and sand and then sand again. Getting your hands on an electric sander really helps, but you can do it using regular sand paper too.

  • Prime the furniture using a spray primer. It’s much easier and quicker than painting. Let it dry for about 45 minutes before adding the paint.
  • Pick a good quality paint especially for furniture. I used Dulux satin finish brilliant white. With the primer, I only had to apply two coats of paint.
  • Let the paint dry over night before you wallpaper.
  • As you would with wallpapering a wall, you need to make sure the patterns match up so get out your tape measure and scissors. Cut out all your bits first and make sure they line up before you stick anything down.
  • Stick the wallpaper with a strong adhesive spray. You have a few seconds to move and line up the wallpaper before it dries so don’t panic.
  • Leave it to dry for as long as possible. I put the drawers back together after a few hours but it’s probably best to leave it overnight.
  • Buy handles or knobs to really add your own style. I bought a set of faux crystal and gold knobs from ebay at a really affordable price.
  • Enjoy your new and improved furniture.

 

The process wasn’t easy, and at times I felt like giving up, but now I am happier than ever.  I have been asked whether the paint chips or the wallpaper starts to come away at the sides. The answer is ‘I don’t know, but at the moment I am happy with them’. I am still in the honeymoon phase and love walking into my bedroom and seeing my beautiful, unique pieces of furniture. I hope they stand the test of time, I really do. One thing is for sure, I won’t give up on Ikea that easily.

Get some inspiration from these beautiful pieces by British artisan Bryonie Porter.

Byronie Porter

 

Design Days Dubai 2013: Review

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After the debut last year, we were very excited to see what Design Days Dubai 2013 had to offer, and we were not disappointed. With galleries from all over the world showcasing some show stopping designs, here are some of our favourites.

 

Based Upon

The artworks tell the story of their subject, often beginning with an important location or family history. Based on natural forms and ‘the passage of time’ the pieces are made from metals and resins. The gallery is based in London.

Fragmented Crack Coffee Table

 

Wandering Knightsbridge

 

Stilwerk Limited Edition Design Gallery

Based in Hamburg, Stilwerk is establishing a platform for contemporary products intertwining art and design

PLOPP Copper Family Stools by Oskar Zieta

 

Moto_OV Sideboard by Sgroll & Vidal

 

“Object of Transit” by Sgroll & Vidal

 

La Galerie Nationale

Dubai based La Galerie Nationale were exhibiting the design works of artist turned designer Helidon Xhixha – shaped, sculpted metal turned into furniture pieces. Check out his design work at www.styleand steeluae.com.

Vitality

 

Stainless Steel Sliding Door “Gateway of Light”

 

Seating Ensemble

 

J+A Gallery

Although usually specialising in offering the Dubai design scene with rare industrial and mid-century design objects and salvaged goods from Germany and Central Europe, the gallery had a few surprises in the form of artist and designer Ritchie Riediger’s work. The “Fire – Frequency Tubes” consist of borosilicate glass and polished brass, and emit an amazing crytal clear colorful light, the order and shape of which  based on the frequency of a burning fire.

 

Jens Praet with Industry Gallery

Italian based Belgian designer Jens Praet produced a Shredded Side Table during Design Days Dubai opening hours, in addition to running two fully booked workshops. ‘Shredded’ takes non-useful documents and leftover magazines and transforms them into valuable and useful objects. The selection below is from the Elle Decor Edition.

 

Carpenters Workshop Gallery 

Carpenters Workshop Gallery is known for its discovery of bold and iconic design-art. Like many of the artists it fosters, the gallery takes a young, fresh and dynamic approach, primarily following its own aesthetic. They exhibit unique and limited edition works both by emerging and established artists, and designers.

Lathe IX by Sebastian Brajkovic

 

Lathe Side Table 650 & 450 by Sebastian Brajkovic

 

“You Fade To Light” by Random International

 

Eiffel Tower Lamp by Studio Job

 

Fragile Future Chandelier 3.6 by Gordijn & Nauta

Interior Style Trend: Monochromatic Colour Scheme

Design, , , , , , , ,

A look that is in all the interior design magazines at the moment is the monochromatic colour scheme and, don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds. A monochromatic colour scheme simply uses variations in shade of a single colour to create a clean and elegant look.

Monochromatic colours go well together, producing a soothing effect, which is fantastic to come home to after a stressful day. The monochromatic scheme is very easy on the eyes, especially with blue or green hues and can be used to establish an overall mood. The main colour can be integrated with neutral colours such as black, white, or grey. One thing to be aware of is that it can be difficult when using this scheme to highlight the most important elements of your room. The space can also end up looking a bit boring and bland if you haven’t planned it properly.

So how do you do it? Firstly you have to choose your main colour. Personally I like beige for this colour scheme, but blues and greens also work well. Choose a soothing soft shade of your main colour and use this throughout, for example on the walls. If you are going to paint all the walls of a room with colour be careful to choose a light shade to avoid overkill, and to make sure you don’t close in the space by making it too dark. With this as your base colour, choose furniture in different shades. For example, if you have a beige colour scheme the obvious choice would be wooden furniture.

Monochromatic Colour Scheme

Small colour accents will add interest to the scheme

If you are using a blue, white or grey furniture would work well. Always remember neutrals – black, white, or grey – can be added to the main colour. Once you have your base you have to choose textiles, and additional items to finish the space that are different shades of the main colour. Make sure not to make everything ‘match’ – that is not the aim of this look – you want to use as many shades of the main colour as possible

Again, if you are using beige, the colours in your room can range from a dark brown to an almost off-white beige, in addition to neutral colours. An easy way of doing this is to get a few paint colour charts from a local hardware store and carry these with you when you’re shopping for items. To add interest to the space, you can add one or two pieces of a contrasting colour, but do this cautiously as you don’t want to ruin the overall scheme.

And that’s it! Remember to have fun with it, and make sure you always keep the overall mood in mind when choosing different colours/pieces for your room.