Stephanie Kinnear, 34, who works in marketing, lives in a rented two-bedroom flat in Walthamstow, east London, with her husband, Andy, 35.
“Our little flat has two bedrooms – one where we sleep and the other that we always just used for storage, and then as Andy’s office when he worked from home,” says Stephanie. “It had a desk for him and two wardrobes where we stashed everything we couldn’t fit anywhere else. Other than that, there were piles of books and boxes. To call it a home office would be being kind – it was basically a junk room.”
The decor wasn’t particularly inspiring either. “The previous tenants had painted a large grey square on to the bland pale walls to create a headboard effect, which looked weird without a bed there.
“The thin white curtains were draughty and didn’t block out any light; we’d built a wooden window seat but hadn’t found cushions for it; and as the room was an awkward, small L-shape, whatever furniture we put in there never seemed to quite fit.”
While the couple had vague plans to try to improve the room, their busy lives meant it wasn’t a pressing issue – until Stephanie became pregnant, and their priorities changed overnight. “It’s our first baby after a long period of trying,” she says. “While it’s exciting, it’s also nerve-racking, particularly when you’re completely unprepared in terms of what a child would need to be comfortable and safe.”
Stephanie and Andy wanted to transform the spare room into a dedicated nursery but, with limited space and Andy’s demanding NHS job to contend with, they were stumped – and stressed – as they tried to work out how to go about it.
“Andy works in clinical admin and his workload is more complicated than it was before the pandemic, so we’ll both need our sleep after the baby arrives. Whoever’s doing the night feeds can’t be up and down in our own tiny bedroom – we realised it would be better to have a calm spot elsewhere.
“And on days when Andy’s working from home, he and the baby can’t realistically be in the same room. We knew we had to reconfigure the flat so that Andy could work in the living room, but we had no idea where to start or if it was even possible to fit everything for the baby into the spare room. It was a huge worry at what was already an anxious time.”
It was a worry that was solved when IKEA stepped in. IKEA believes that every home should be a sanctuary. To achieve this, it has identified three elements that need to come together: function – the room must work as you need it to; space – even a small, awkward-shaped room can feel more spacious if designed well; and emotional stability – the room should make you feel happy and calm. However, according to IKEA’s 2021 Life at Home report, less than half of us say our homes meet our needs – and this can result in stress and frustration.
With their lives about to change dramatically, far from making them feel emotionally stable, Stephanie and Andy’s cluttered and unwelcoming spare room was having the opposite effect. So, IKEA stepped in to help them create the sanctuary their growing family needs. “When you’re planning a room for a baby, safety tops the list, followed by accessibility – whether you can reach everything you need to – and a layout that makes tasks such as feeding or nappy changing both easy and comfortable,” says IKEA designer Clotilde Passalacqua, part of a team that has taken on three makeovers for the Guardian over the past few months, to show how clever changes can transform the way our rooms function and feel.
“We started with the cot,” says Clotilde. “It can’t go under a window because of draughts; or against a hot radiator, so we put it in the centre of the room, away from the wall. We chose the Myllra cot, which will grow with the baby as the mattress height is adjustable. In the early months, it can be used on its highest setting; then lowered as the baby learns to stand. When he or she is too old for a cot, the side can be removed and a bed guard – currently stored on hooks on the wall – can be put in place, transforming it into a toddler bed. The storage drawer underneath can hold spare clothes and bedding.”
The changing station was futureproofed, too. “New parents don’t want to be buying new furniture after only a year or two, so the Myllra changing table is a great idea – it offers plenty of storage, and transforms into a chest of drawers once the baby is out of nappies. We used Stuk divider boxes in the drawers – it’s amazing how much more you can fit inside a drawer when it’s properly organised.”
To create a dedicated feeding area, a dusky pink Vedbo armchair was placed in one corner. “The high back and arms provide support, and we hung a couple of cloud-shaped Upplyst LED lights on the wall, so that whoever is giving a feed can do so in a gentle, low light, rather than waking themselves or the baby up too much,” says Clotilde. While feeding, it can be hard for a parent to move far, so the team came up with a clever solution – a Råskog trolley. “Stephanie and Andy can store all the bits and bobs in here, such as bottles and muslins, and anything else they might want. As it’s on wheels, they can pull it next to them; then push it to the side of the room when it’s not in use.”
After the baby arrives, the couple will still need to keep their clothes and belongings in the two wardrobes that were already in the room; so, to provide storage for baby items, the IKEA team mounted two slim cabinets on the wall, with a Trofast storage unit below. “The colourful plastic drawers are perfect for little hands, so the baby can help to tidy away their own toys as they get older,” says Clotilde. “We also mounted four Bekvam spice racks on the wall as bookshelves – they work brilliantly because children can instantly see the fronts of the books and pick out their favourite.”
The room had previously felt cold and unwelcoming, so to give some much-needed warmth, the flimsy white curtains were swapped for naptime-friendly soft teal ones with a blackout backing, while a thick rug went on the floor for cosiness underfoot and to help with sound buffering. The design team also dressed the window seat with cushions and added boxes underneath for yet more storage, giving this previously unloved and underused area of the room a real purpose.
The couple painted a feature wall a cheerful apricot shade – covering up the ugly grey square – and finishing touches included artificial plants for a splash of greenery; a practical fold-up playmat, which can be stored away when not in use; and a sweet Flisat doll’s house wall shelf.
Stephanie and Andy have been blown away by the transformation. “It looks and feels completely different. I can’t believe all this was possible in such a tight, tricky space. It’s gorgeous, and we keep walking in and just staring at it!” laughs Stephanie.
“There’s so much storage and so many clever ideas – any potential problems have been pre-empted and sorted before we’d even considered them, and I love the fact the room will grow with our child, too. Every bit of space has been used wisely – I’d never have thought to put the cot in the middle of the room, mount cabinets behind the door, use a trolley for feeding kit or divide up the drawers, but it all fits perfectly and makes so much sense.”
Now the couple feel more confident and excited to take on the challenges of new parenthood. “Even if I go into labour early, we’re so ready – there’s no panic or worry any more. It’s like a huge weight has been lifted from my mind. This room has gone from being a dark, random space to a breath of fresh air – light, comfortable, friendly and useful. Now all we need is the baby to enjoy it with!”
With inventive solutions for everything from clutter busting to lighting and decor, IKEA is on a mission to turn every home into a sanctuary. To find out more, go to IKEA.co.uk/designservice
