decorators show house

In January I was approached with the incredible opportunity to design a space for Atlanta's most prestigious residential showcase for designers -  The Atlanta Symphony's Decorators Show House and Gardens. This terrace level bonus room was presented to IKEA Atlanta, and my managers thought that it would be a great experience to further develop me as designer, project manager, and leader. And you know what, they could not have been more right! At 26, this experience has made my young career. To quote myself in a conversation with my manager Michael, this has been "the most challenging, frustrating, exhausting, amazing, and rewarding project that I have ever been apart of! This was definitely an opportunity of a lifetime."  

Below are some before photos when we viewed the space for the very first time, as well as a few photos that are just a few finishing touches away from being complete. The planning took about Two-and-a-half months, the construction took about three weeks. The concept was to create a multifunctional space that blended our Swedish modern roots with the timeless, classic feeling of this 9 million dollar mansion. We used an eclectic mix of products from our modern and traditional range, as well as as few real-life accessories from our very own homes to add depth.

Overall we wanted it to feel like a beautiful place where people could actually live. You know, step outside of the context of a show house, and let visitors know that YOU CAN ACTUALLY LIVE LIKE THIS! It's functional, beautiful, and affordable. Twenty thousand dollars won't just get you a new credenza or sofa like in the other rooms in this house, it can get you a brand new, fully-furnished space... a lifestyle. Did I mention you can buy it and take it all home with you today? So enough chatting. I know you wanna see the photos!

   
Kitchen space before:

Kitchen space almost complete:

List of products:

• IKEA Akurum / Abstrakt Gray kitchen
• White IKEA by Whirlpool appliances (5 year limited warranty)
• Marble tile from Floor and Decor
• Caesarstone countertops
• Henriksdal barstools with custom covers with Sofia fabric by the yard
• Hektar pendant light
• IKEA PS 2012 plates on the window wall
• Custom Roman shade with Angsfly fabric by the yard

Banquette wall before:

Banquette wall almost complete:

List of Products:

• IKEA Akurum / Sofielund light gray cabinets
• IKEA Stockholm lighting
• Cole and Sons wallcovering
• Emmie Rund bolsters
• Pillow custom made with Malin fabric and cut Ritva curtains
• Hadjeby table
• Tobias chairs
• Koldby cowhide
• Tropisk tree
• Pekannot planter pot
• Olunda Picasso print
• Skovel clock

Reading corner almost complete:

List of Products:

• Lerkyl canvas
• IKEA PS 2012 bowl
• Tved LED floor lamp
• Jappling chair
• IKEA Stockholm side table
• Standmon ottoman
• Rens sheepskin rugs
• Ursula blanket
• Sanela cover with Fjadrar cushion

Entertainment unit wall before:

Entertainment unit wall almost complete:

List of Procucts:

• Hallaryd picture
• Besta / Framsta / Inreda entertainment unit
• Solsta Palbo stools with custom covers using Tradklover and Sofia fabric
• Strandmon wing chair
• Stacked Alseda stools
• Oleby tray
• Jappling ottoman
• Rens sheepskin
• Gaser rugs

Window wall before:

Window wall almost complete:

List of products:

• IKEA PS Maskros pendant
• Tertial lamps
• Vittsjo shelving units
• Karlstad sectional
• Besta Burs desks
• Forsa work lamps
• Ritva Curtains extended with Angsfly fabric by the yard

List of Products:

• Holminden Lamp
• Klubbo side table
• Vejmon coffee table
• Karlstad Sectional
• Pillows are a mix of prefab and custom covers made with our fabric by the yard
• Almsta chair, Hadjeby chair, IKEA PS 2012 high back arm chair, and Ingolf chair (behind sectional and Besta Burs desks)

List of products:

• IKEA PS chest of drawers with add on
• IKEA Stockholm lamp
• Omvaxlande tray on wall
• Hasselnot basket
• Strandmon chair
• Ursula pillow cover

List of Products:

• IKEA PS glass door cabinet
• Fyllig floor vase

List of products:

• Ljusas Ysby table lamp
• Vittsjo side table
• Honefoss mirrors

Okay, here is one more before and after shot for you!

The biggest of thanks goes out to my incredible team of amazingly talented individuals for without them this space would have never been possible -

Marianne, Robin, and Michael - I love you guys. In spite of everything, we did it! And it's beautiful!

So to my readers, what do you think? Does it do anything to change your perception of IKEA?

Of course my little photos barely do it justice! If you haven't had a chance to get out to the ASO Decorators Show House and Gardens, the last day is May 12th! The house is filled top to bottom with breath-taking architecture and gorgeous designs from some of Atlanta's most talented designers. All the proceeds help fund educational and community outreach programs for children and adults throughout the city. So get out there, support, and be inspired!

lwt (living with textiles) refresh

I just wanted to drop in and share what my team and I have been up to! Recently we refreshed the showroom entrance to make a stronger impression for this year's theme which is "living with textiles" For the before and after effect, check out our first implementation here. This time I was assigned the sewing studio (which was previously a dining room) and the youth room (which was previously a lounge). Check out the photos!

I really loved this space because it was all about color! I really gravitate towards bright, bold color, so I truly felt right at home. In fact, I would love to have a space as cool as this in my home where I could tinker around and create beautiful things.

Of course I drew inspiration from the Gullvi fabric faces.

Here's a photo of what it looked like before - 

Who said new paint, furniture, and fabrics can't transform a room?

It's like she just got up while she was in the middle of something...

Check out the PS boxes!  I totally want them, but can't justify a place for 'em.

Odds and ends, stretches, scraps, task lighting...

Our manager, Michael created an outdoor space that is literally as cute as a button. It was attached to my space, so it felt as though the same super chic lady lived there. I'll tease you for a moment, and show you later. P.S. How adorable are the birds and the branches?

Here's the kitchenette, which I turned into a textiles dying studio.

Gotta have a place for hanging wet garments!

The other side was transformed into an entry landing.

Put on your shoes, grab your bag, glance at the time, check your lipstick, and you're out the door!

Here's the adorable outdoor space. 

And it's full of color, so you know that I was completely enchanted!

The graphics really make it feel like you've been transported to the country.

And how neat is this wall? I need a bigger outdoor space, like yesterday.

Marianne was in charge of the middle bedroom, which was previously red and white. She made the black and white room pop with Pantone's color of the year, Emerald.

It actually came across quite peaceful and luxurious. I could totally live there.

Robin focused on the first room which felt like an amazing lodge in the mountains.
 I mean honestly, how cool is it? Very.

Here's an idea of how the rooms led to one another. Pretty cool, eh?

On the other side, I focused on the junior room, which turned out to be red and white again.
 Not to worry though, I rocked it out all the same.

My favorite part about the space was the wall that we wrapped in mdf that was covered in vinyl fabric. I punched it up with white frames and a Tradig bowl turned upside down as a cool, modern shade. Between you and me, I love it.

This time around, we totally went for more function, like our traditional roomsettings, so the way I propped this space was kind of reminiscent of a dorm room.

Marianne focused on the room right off of the escalator, which may be the most graphic of all.  If I walked into someone's home and it looked like this, I would never want to leave. It's just so happy!

I love the fabric on the Besta doors, and it made me want a wall of Besta just so that I could do this.
I love the sofas facing one another too.

Robin focused on the small balcony, as well as the bedroom next to my "dorm room".

Spring time in the country! Adorable!

I really like the bed alcove too. It went from continental dark to Swedish country.

How cute is the peek-a-boo window?

On the other side is a crib, which unfortunately in our showroom is quite rare. The rug on the wall is pretty awesome, and really transforms a typical nursery into a sophisticated space.

Here are the ladders on the other side and a peek onto the balcony!

Michael also transformed the podiums in the entrance, which look quite chic. This one totally makes me want to attempt my own Palbo stool cover. P.S. You would not believe how many customers want to snatch these covers (which were made by our seamstress) off and take them to the cash lanes. Wipe the dust off of your sewing machine, people! These covers are going to be a little labor of love.

And here's the last podium. I don't even have to tell you which one I gravitate to. It's pretty obvious!

So, this is what our team has been up to! I love my team to pieces, and I'm super proud of what were were able to accomplish in just three short weeks. We're pretty darn awesome. :) What do you think?

staff lounge

I've been a very busy girl. In conjunction with our big admin off remodel,  I was given the task of designing our new staff lounge. Here's the sadness of what used to be:

Five tired Jappling arm chairs, a coffee table, and sad tv (with a huge lack of cord management). Yeah, it was nothing to brag about, especially since we work at IKEA. The back of the house was definitely neglected, so with the opportunity for a remodel, I definitely wanted to spice things up a bit and show our co-workers a little luxury. I also wanted to incorporate more seating well beyond five people.

Here's a photo of the room once after the flooring was stripped. Below you'll see that a new wall was installed underneath the header on the left wall.

My manager and I collaborated to choose the wall color. A vast improvement over the original wall color, eh? The focal wall is Olive Moss and the left and right walls are Deep Silver - both by Benjamin Moore. And because I love doing elevations, I thought I would share some of them with you, so here are a few in conjunction with my photos.

Since the tv has always been / will always be the focal point of the lounge, I decided to hang it lower on the wall so that it would be more ergonomically correct, and designed a grid pattern behind it to make it look more custom. 

By adding a bar, not only were we able to increase the seating for the space, we were also able to somewhat discourage eating inside the lounge. Has that worked out? Well, kind of. Lots of people actually eat at the bar, but drink spillage, left behind glasses, and snack wrappers are still an issue inside the actual room. Our team is thoroughly frustrated that co-workers would continue to treat our workplace as if they have maids cleaning up after them, but I guess you can't really raise your adult co-workers, now can you? (Hops off soap box)

I used the Maskros pendants help to balance out the the tv, and true to form, they bounce beautiful shadows around the room. I went with all leather furniture for durability and just a few accent pillows to sprinkle the colors from the print around the room.You would not believe how many co-workers asked me if we sell this print! It definitely stopped people in their tracks. It was introduced into the range last August, and truth be told, I would totally get it for our apartment if only we had a place for it...

Here's a shot of the Karlstad tufted loveseat against the custom bar. The PS nesting tables were greatly needed to help break up the black.  Plus, who doesn't love a nice pop of red?

 

A little close-up of some pretty things.

For the other side I decided to do an installation with Honefoss mirrors. I arrived at the decision mostly because I had never seen them used in one of our roomsettings. I must admit that they came out nicely, although they were a pain to apply. It turns out that every mirror in a package isn't exactly the same size, so the spacing between each will be slightly irregular. Caution - once they're on, they're not coming off! They are absolutely a design commitment. I would not recommend them for a rental. (You have been warned.) Anyhoo, I used them to design an asymmetrical shape that when viewed sideways actually turns out to be symmetrical to allow for a custom graphic - you'll see it applied below a little further down.

One thing my Com-In manager warned me about during the schematic phase of this project was to use as few side tables as possible in order to limit the accumulation of drinks and random glasses. I liked the idea of using the IKEA PS side tables next to the Mellby chairs for balance, but not necessarily for drinks, so I made them into cell phone charging stations. Before, our co-workers used one a random outlet in the staff cafe to charge their cell phone, so quad outlets on either side of the lounge is a dramatic improvement. 

 Here's the custom graphic I referenced earlier. I Googled the word "relax" and "Slappna" came up, but my lovely Swedish co-worker set me straight with the "av" at the end. Swedish lesson anyone?

The biggest thanks goes out to all of my amazing co-workers who helped me implement this space! You guys are the best and I couldn't have gotten it all done without you! So readers, now that you have toured the space where we took a sad, little lounge for 5 and turned it into sophisticated space for up to 14. What do you think?