A room that’s welcoming for friends has to be welcoming to you. After all, it’s yours and you’re in it the most! So if you like to spend Saturday mornings on the sofa with a show on your laptop, plan for it and do it. Have a cosy throw and cushions nearby. A bed tray and coffee table keep your computer and your coffee off your lap.

A wall of storage helps prep for impromptu visits. Put fragile things like candles and vases up high. Keep a ‘quick-clean’ box, so you can toss in what’s strewn about. Don’t worry about cleaning too much either. A picture perfect home can feel stiff. Remember, too, displaying pictures and memories shows friends you love them!

For a work area, think ‘on’ when in use and ‘off’ otherwise. Store supplies within reach, but hide everything in a painted cabinet to calm the room. The laptop table blends in, and the adjustable clamp lamps take up little space. Hang a chair up and away on a rack with hooks. An easy-to-move armchair works for reading or lounging.

Friend-filled days can easily turn into party nights. Move the nesting tables under the laptop table. Use stools as side tables. The chair on the wall rail can hold jackets. Impromptu sleepover? Keep light away with a block-out roller blind. Include comfortable, thoughtful touches like a sleeping bag, blankets, a phone charging spot and a box with slippers and earplugs.

Inspired by the wall of storage? Check out our 3 wall ideas with EKET cabinets.
Like the DIY painted cabinet? Check out our secret pegboard storage station idea.

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 designer: Emma Parkinson
Photographer: Mats Ekdahl
Writer: Marissa Frayer