in paid partnership with IKEA
I recently had a different kind of day at work. I normally work from home, and use my house/ home studio as a backdrop for my styling and photography jobs. So when IKEA invited me to design my own window display at their Tottenham Court Road store, I felt both excited and a little nervous too, as this project was definitely out of my comfort zone!
For this project, I was asked to put my spin on one of IKEA’s Spring/Summer 2019 trends Rustic Coasts. This trend is dominated by natural inspired hues taken from classic British coastal scenes, from stoney grey cliffs and warm beiges of sandy beaches, to the soft blue tones of the sea. Before actually going in store to do the window display, I started off by creating a series of mood boards to help visualise what I wanted the space to look like, and pick out some key pieces from IKEA that I knew I wanted to feature in order to bring my rustic coasts vision to life.
As this was such a different experience for me, I thought it would be fun to share my day with you in a ‘A Day in the Life’ format so you get a glimpse into how the day was for me!
7:43am First challenge of the day – getting on the train. I don’t travel by train very often, but luckily my husband had picked up my tickets earlier and given me simple recap of the train travelling etiquette. Apart from forgetting to check if the seat I sat in was reserved for someone else (it was), I managed well.
9:17am Train arrives to Paddington. As it’s not raining I decided to walk to the Tottenham Court Road. I bought a take away coffee to keep me going.
10:10am I arrive to the IKEA Tottenham Court Road store, meet the lovely team, have a look around the space and review all the items waiting to be styled. People have already been working hard before my arrival and the PAX wardrobe with FORSAND doors, SÖDERHAMN chaise longue, TÄNKVÄRD lanterns are in place already.
10:30-12:30pm This was just the beginning! We started off by deciding which trinkets and décor we wanted to use to fill the space, including the lovely baskets, pillows and rugs. I wanted the window display to look like a calming and serene space, with muted colours and pops of blue. It was key for us to incorporate products made from natural and sustainable materials, such as wood, rattan, seagrass not only for texture but also creating a look that isn’t just beautiful but also environmentally friendly.
Since I hadn’t seen the space before, I spend the first half an hour just walking around and taking a look at all the great pieces we had at our disposal before starting to put the plan together. I had the pleasure of working with IKEA’s Interior Design lead, Clotilde Passalacqua, and it was so helpful and reassuring to have an expert to help me throughout the day!
We started off by dressing the SÖDERHAMN chaise longue, to create a cosy, Rustic Coasts style bedroom. As this was the centrepiece of the display, it was key for us to incorporate the summerbeach feeling by creating a maritime look through the colours, textures and materials. TÄNKVÄRD quilt cover and pillowcase and TÄNKVÄRD bedspread to add a splash of coastal blue, where the VÄNDEROT and HARÖRT Cushions add texture to the bed.
Another important part of the display were the PAX open shelves. I wanted to keep the shelves looking airy and spacious, the SNIDAD basket is great for storing extra cushions and throws and TÄNKVÄRD basket with handles was holding extra rolled up blankets too. The plants we used here are DYPSIS LUTESCENS, HEDERA HELIX and SPATHIPHYLLUM.
12:30pm It was time for lunch! We all had way too much food, as didn’t realise how huge the portions were.
1:15pm Back to the window display building and adding all the finishing touches! I love the TÄNKVÄRD bench, it would look lovely on my patio too! The TÄNKVÄRD easy chair (below) is my another favourite, a perfect chair for bedroom or a compact living room. MONSTERA is one of my favourite plants, it reminds me of my childhood.
3:00pm All done! I had great time styling the IKEA Tottenham Court Road store window display. It was fascinating to see how things worked and be part of the team effort to bring it all together. After the fun and exciting day I was so tired that I could have climbed into this bed myself!
The TÄNKVÄRD collection is only available to purchase in stores, you can find your nearest IKEA store here.
