Before and After: We Wouldn’t Change a Thing About This IKEA Living Room Hack
This simple white storage bench, designed by the Swedish powerhouse, IKEA, has found a new home and a totally new look in a Victorian in London.
IKEA’s PLATSA storage bench—not currently available in the U.S. so the STUVA might be the best alternative—fits perfectly into this living room nook, with just a little bit of wiggle room. It looked just fine in the white space, but the room now has a completely different look—and, therefore, so does the PLATSA.
Hannah and James of The Albert Project are renovating their Victorian flat, and this storage bench and living room now have a style and gravitas that works wonderfully in a historic home. The paint color is deep and lush, the gold handles gleam subtly, and the entire storage bench now appears to be an enviable built-in—the kind of feature one generally hopes to find in older homes. The shelves above add to the effect while also drawing the eye upward away from the television, though the TV is quite unobtrusive as is. The renovated room strikes a perfect balance between historical and modern.
If you’d like to do a similar installation, the first step was reversing the direction of the PLATSA door on the right so the doors open like a typical cabinet. As for that delicious paint, Hannah and James list the color as Forest Waters by Valspar, but that color no longer seems to exist; Long Water might be a close match. And though this storage bench would have looked great simply painted and plonked into place, creating the illusion of a built-in took the room to the next level:
We initially planned to build an MDF surround but in the end it was a near perfect fit for our alcove so we just ran a piece of skirting along the front to give a built-in effect and put these lovely gold handles on to finish the look.
The handles are perfect—they, along with the planter and pendant, add light and luxury without being too fancy or fussy. The entire makeover is clever, affordable, and wildly successful.
Thank you, Hannah and James of The Albert Project!