If you don’t have enough room for a dedicated workspace for everyone in your home, do like Domitille, IKEA Australia, and get a trolley each. Holding all your work essentials, simply let it follow you into the kitchen, to your bed or wherever you feel comfortable. When the workday is over, just wheel your mobile office out of sight.

“My husband and I are both sharing our home now for work and creative projects, so I am using a trolley for my computer and painting equipment that can move around the home when needed. A flexible solution that moves with me.”

Domitille Le Rall

IKEA Australia

Open storage is trendy, but making it work visually can be difficult – different colours, materials, or shapes often make open storage look cluttered, even if everything’s perfectly in order. If this is a problem in your home, the good news is that all it takes to create calm is a curtain.

“I love flowers and plants, so this little room is my oasis in the city. But the shelves looked messy with gardening tools, plant pots and other random stuff, so I put up textiles with a calming pattern in front of them. It changed the atmosphere completely, and now I’m able to relax and enjoy my plants and my view every day.”

Sina Lee

IKEA Korea

A pretend store, house or drive-thru window? Let the kids decide! All it takes to get their imagination going is a shower curtain rod and a curtain, a sheet or some metre fabric to dress up a door frame.

“I used a couple of metres of fabric when making this kiosk for the kids. It’s easy to put up, take down and move around, and they can play for hours with it.”

Cecilia Franck

IKEA Sweden

Make a portable gym station by storing towels, water bottles and equipment in a trolley or a sturdy box with a handle. And don’t forget the speaker – what’s a workout without music?!

“Keeping myself in shape makes me feel good, especially when I work out in the park next to my apartment and get lots of fresh air and some sunshine at the same time. All it takes is a simple ‘toolbox’ I can carry with me.”

Violeta Nenita

IKEA Romania

This may look like a ready-made wardrobe combination, but it’s not. Here’s how Miriam, IKEA Spain, used her bedroom wall in the most efficient way possible while making sure she can recycle each piece of her storage puzzle any way she wants when it’s time to move.

“I rent my apartment and don’t have a huge budget for furniture that might not adapt to my next home. To solve the lack of wardrobes, I’ve used inexpensive products and put them together, like two clothes racks, a couple of shelves, and some chests of drawers. The things I don’t use very often are stored in cardboard boxes high up.”

Miriam Almagro

IKEA Spain