Bring in artistic influences Think of your space as an art gallery – when it’s time for a change, just swap the prints and pictures to put a new exhibition on show. ‘The art here is a mix; some is mine, some is by friends or artists I love. Looking at the same thing all the time gets tiring, so using picture ledges makes it easy to swap things around and refresh the living area,’ says Elisabeth.

Start with monochrome Add one bright colour to a simple monochrome scheme. ‘Nearly everything we chose for the apartment is black, white or red. Black and white are really good base colours, easy to add to or take away from. We really thought about using red in the apartment. We both love the colour, but we’ve planned it so that the red items can easily be taken away or changed if we tire of it,’ says Elisabeth.

Create a moveable work station Experiment with an unfixed home-office set-up to save it from feeling stale. ‘We have the same routine as other office jobs: we work from 9 to 5, but in our own home. When we work, we like to sit facing each other with our laptops. Sometimes we work on the floor as well, or we sit on different pouffes and cushions,’ says Elisabeth. ‘It’s important this space doesn’t feel cluttered, so we’ve neatly organised all our supplies – paper, fabric, art materials… everything.’

Have fun with the details Make room for a few eclectic, handmade elements. ‘We made the headboard in the bedroom – I painted the illustration of an old-fashioned bedhead on the wood, and hung our lampshade upside down. I think it’s really fun and interesting to think beyond what an object was made for. You can add something new to a design,’ says Elisabeth.

Put your collections on show Embrace colours, textures and patterns found in objects you’ve collected over time. ‘I think of objects as a series of small artworks. If you look at things that way then they are easier to arrange together. I approached my dressing area a little like an art piece. I have lots of accessories that I want to find easily when I get ready, so I’ve made a display out of their storage,’ says Elisabeth.

Don’t take things too seriously ‘Some items are so beautiful that I just like to look at them,’ says Elisabeth. ‘They don’t always have to have a function or be practical. Our home is very special to us because it is made out of love and fantasy.’

We love to see our customers get creative with our products. Go for it! But please note that altering or modifying IKEA products so they can no longer be re-sold or used for their original purpose, means the IKEA commercial guarantees and your right to return the products will be lost.

Made by

Interior stylist: Pernilla Warnhammar
Photographer: Lina Ikse