“My family and I have just moved into a loft apartment, and we just don’t know where to begin! How do we turn this open space into a home?” Internal walls do a lot of work for us, but even without them, we can create a wonderful home. According to interior designer Annette Ydholm, it all comes down to zones for different activities, smart storage ideas and creating privacy where and when we need it.

Annette: Hello! With this home, I wanted to show a more unconventional living space, so designed an open plan loft for a family of two teens and their parents. It’s a super lively and practical space, but with some clever design tricks, they still have space for themselves.

Annette: The first thing we did was look at the floor plan and make sure we expanded the physical proximity as much as possible. We kept the communal spaces at the heart of the home, with the bedrooms on opposite ends from one another, so the parents and teenagers each have a space that’s completely their own.

Annette: While it’s important that everyone has their own space, it’s just as important that they have space for all their things. There is a lot of shared storage, but each person also has their own section of a wardrobe as well as smaller storage boxes and shelves that suit their personal preferences.

Annette: We didn’t want one person to dominate the shared space, so we consciously chose flexible surfaces that work for many different activities. In here, the dining area works just as well for games nights or an extra workstation. The modular sofas are easy to move around for book clubs, chilling out, or movie nights.

Annette: If you live in a small space, make vertical space your friend. Use the full length and height of the walls and the spaces we normally forget about – like above and behind the doors. Really, there are many surprising spots just begging to be taken advantage of, so think outside the box!