Home idea with IKEA: contemporary kitchen and living room in an old farmhouse

Renovating an old log country house into a home is often a challenge, requiring to find a suitable balance between the unique characteristics of an old house and modern solutions. Eveli and Demos´s family of 5 has been renovating a threshing house as their home for 7 years, and one of the challenges they still haven’t solved – unrenovated kitchen and living room space.

Before: a kitchen that gets the job done, but could be improved

Before the makeover, this kitchen was lacking systematicity and functionality and the living room didn't even have enough seats for all family members to spend time together. There was also a great lack of storage and light.

The challenge was accepted by IKEA interior designer Anastasia Malkova. The biggest challenge to her was to create space for the kitchen and living room in such a way that a family of five could fit in and cook comfortably at the same time making the uniqueness of this special threshing house shine.

Hosts

Eveli and Demos with their three children live in a 140-year-old farmhouse in the middle of a forest. Their goal is to combine the heritage of the olden days with modern and more comfortable solutions. A lot has already been done, but their kitchen/living room, converted from the former threshing room, is still waiting for an update.

After: thoughtful solutions for the kitchen and living room of a large family

Re-painting walls with white glaze made the room brigther and airier. Lighter walls also better reflect the light from the new lamps, which in turn enhances the end result. A sofa and armchairs arranged in a separate relaxing area provide enough seating for the whole family. And the kitchen has plenty of room for storing and cooking, and also fits a dining set where the family can enjoy meals together.

There is never too much space and storage in the kitchen

Our desingner only used lower kitchen cabinets because due to the round logs, cabinets could not be attached to the wall. "We created extra storage space by adding wall organizers: rails with hooks and shelves. This is an easy and affordable solution for any home," Anastasia says. "And the traditional style lower cabinets are really spacious." The oven was relocated to a higher cabinet which is both more convenient and safer for the kids.

Kitchen

The table is set

In order to create additional space for the dining table, our interior designer chose a L-shaped kitchen and eliminated the kitchen island. The dining area is conveniently located close to the kitchen, which makes serving food easier. The tone of the chairs in a traditional style matches the color of the kitchen cabinets and appliances, tying the room together. Natural materials like the woven rug on the floor, place mats from seagrass and airy curtains higlight the natural wooden walls and adds texture, warmth, and cosiness to the space.

Dining

A comfy and relaxing living room

In the living room area, our designer placed a three-seater sofa with two armchairs. "Corner sofas are a compact solution, but they take up quite a lot of floor space. A separate sofa and armchairs are more flexible and create enough seating for the whole family," notes the interior designer. To this home, she chose a sofa with a removable cover. "There are three children and animals in the family, so the furniture should be easily maintained. The removable cover is easy to wash or replace."

Living room

A living room with everything in its place

In the living room area, the interior designer used different combinations of storage furniture and display cabinet. The storage solution with drawers is used as TV stand and also works as additional storage place. There is also a coffee table here and picture shelves for favourite family photos.

BESTÅ storage system

A miraculous makeover

Turning an old farmhouse threshing room into a modern and cosy living room and kitchen is quite a challenge, as Eveli and Demos know well. But when our interior designer Anastasia Malkova joins forces with Hanna Martinson and heads to resdesign their space, everything is possible.