Dedicate space to your passions. Fashion enthusiast Carolina sacrificed having a big living area for what’s important to her (which includes a collection of over 60 pairs of trainers!). ‘This room was intended to be the living area, but I wanted to take the biggest space for my bedroom/dressing room,’ says Carolina. ‘My fashion style has influenced my home style – it’s all about comfort, adding masculine elements and mixing things up. I’m always swapping things around, like moving rugs and cushions.’

Apply the same creativity to your storage that you would when pulling together a new look. Carolina uses a bookshelf to house her growing shoe collection. ‘I’ve had this bookshelf since I was about five years old – I brought it with me from my parents’ house,’ says Carolina. ‘I like being able to see my shoes when I’m choosing my outfit and this way I can organise them by colour, style and brand.’

‘I knew exactly what wardrobe combination I needed,’ says Carolina. ‘I used to have all open storage but the mess made it hard to relax – I wanted doors so that I could shut everything away. Now I have hanging space for jackets, shirts and dresses, as well as folding space for jeans, jumpers and T-shirts. I store my most-worn items at eye level. My small accessories, like silk scarves, are folded into wooden bread bins I found in the kitchen department!’

Walk through your getting-ready routine in your head, and now think of ways to bring the action into one place. ‘Adding the coffee table, which I use as a bench, has made a difference to the way I get dressed,’ says Carolina. ‘Now, when I pick an outfit, I lay my clothes out on the bench, get dressed and do my make-up in front of the mirror. The shoes and the bag come last, then I might take a selfie before I go out. I take outfit photos in the mirror as it feels more natural than staging it.’

‘I launched my fashion and lifestyle blog nine years ago when I was studying – I needed a creative outlet,’ says Carolina. ‘I use that and Instagram to document everything I love – my outfits, my home, days on the beach and my cat Zappa – and my followers seem to love it too.’

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: Carl Braganza
Photographer: Dan Duchars
Follow Carolina on Instagram: @carolinaflores