Small is beautiful
Mette Helena shares a one bedroom space with her daughter in the heart of Copenhagen. Here’s how she makes it work…
Facts
Who: Mette HelenaWhat: One-room apartment
Where: Copenhagen, Denmark
Style: Mette Helena lives in a playful, petit, pattern-filled apartment with her four-year-old daughter, Villa Malou.
Ideas
Living in a 50m2 apartment has been a challenge for this mother and daughter, but according to Mette Helena, 'Challenges fire my imagination and I’ve found creative ways to make our lack of space work'.
Tips for a family living small
1. Plan up and over. Mette Helena adds extensions to her BILLY bookcases and hangs shelving over doors to make use of a room's height.
2. Divide and conquer. Create separate spaces in an open-plan living area by using a secured shelving unit like a BILLY or EXPEDIT as a make-shift wall.
3. Make storage fun. Wallpaper-covered boxes provide pretty storage and encourage Mette Helena's daughter Villa Malou to be tidy.
The story
Having grown up in a commune with shared living areas and individual sleeping quarters, Mette Helena was taught the value of personal space from a young age. As a result, the interiors stylist, mother, art student and wallpaper-shop-owner knows how to make the most of the small home she shares with her daughter, Villa Malou.
Trial and error
Mette Helena admits that she experiments with design ideas and learns from her mistakes. She gives the round dining table she used to own as an example: 'I had read that you can always find room for one more around a round table. It's not true! A table like that needs space, so it didn't work here. Now I have and extendable table from a flea market.'
For Villa Malou, the apartment is her playground. 'She's creative, like me,' says Mette Helena. 'We play at the table, under the table, wherever!'
Video
Mette Helena shares her tips for creating a colourful home
Floorplan
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12 Comments
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beautiful!!! nice and creative. it´s my dream. for me and my daughter. thank you for a great inspiration!:-) have a nice day, girls :-) ola and lola, czech republic
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Hi Ismael, the EXPEDIT unit from IKEA is quite similar. Perhaps worth a look? http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/70116276/
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Hi Mette Helena, I like your bedroom but I would like to know which is the shelf above your bed. many thanks
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Mette Helena, thanks a lot for your answer and for sharing the wonderful bed-idea
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Thanks for the instructions. Your home is fantastic!! :)
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Hi everybody.
Thank you for your comments :)
I build the bed on top of on Faktum cupboard 80 cm - that's the open one for putting under the kitchen zink, put it on wheels and beside that I have 3 Best-benches on top of each other. A long the opposite walls I put of laths for the bed to rest on. That means that I can use the space under the bed for stuff like towels and crawl under, when I take the Faktum cupboard on wheels out. :)
Feel free to ask me anything.
Best regards
Mette Helena Rasmussen, www.retrovilla.dk
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I Love the raised bed. Much better than bed raisers or the college dorm trick of cinder blocks! Thanks for replying with the type of kitchen units. However, I'm still not clear on how to replicate this and can't tell from the photos. Can you give a bit more information or a "how to"? Thanks!!
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Gorgeous and so creative! I love looking at these ideas! Thanks!
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Hello,
I have to live in a very small apartment too. You have a wonderful place there. The idea of the bed with Faktum is great. But did you use bed slats? And how to roll out the kitchen units without the bed is coming down? Please let me know, thanx
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Hi Fumi Minami, the cabinets under the bed are FAKTUM kitchen units (with wheels added so they slide in and out easily). We're happy to hear you like Mette Helena's home story (and we agree, sunny girl sf - the colours in this home are great!). -the live team
View more Sign in to commentby: Olí Štrejbarová , Sun February 05, 2012, 21:44
by: live from IKEA FAMILY , Tue December 20, 2011, 10:16
by: Ismael Reyes , Mon December 19, 2011, 21:36
by: twig twiggie , Thu September 22, 2011, 19:01
by: Ashley W , Wed September 21, 2011, 12:32
by: Mette Helena Rasmussen , Wed September 21, 2011, 10:46
by: Ashley W , Sun September 18, 2011, 14:38
by: Cherie Worley , Fri September 16, 2011, 23:54
by: twig twiggie , Wed September 14, 2011, 17:05
by: live from IKEA FAMILY , Wed September 14, 2011, 10:32