Home visit: an open, live-work city apartment

Collaborate in an inspiring ideas room

A lot happens around the sofa in Radek and Lukasz’s place. ‘Forget just the look, it’s practical. We’re both tall so the deep seats are great. And we need a big sofa in here because it’s where everything happens – we meet friends and business partners, we relax, it’s our ideas room. We sit in here, sometimes two of us, sometimes a bunch, and dream big,’ says Radek.

‘We didn’t plan the gallery wall. The artwork most important to us is in the centre. Everything else is a mix. Expensive and affordable art can hang together’

Radek, Poznań

‘We collect and keep beautiful things, so we want to find beautiful ways of storing them, too’

Łukasz, Poznań

Design storage to look good

‘We had the idea of a single shelf against the copper wall instead of closed cupboards in your line of sight,’ says Łukasz. What started with a few jars and storage containers evolved into a fully stocked pantry and inspired the rest of the kitchen’s open storage. ‘Now it’s almost too much, but it was a natural progression.’ And it’s easy for guests to help themselves.

Create flow with a colour theme

From small decorative objects to colour-block walls, harmonious shades of blue run the length of the couple’s one-floor apartment. Turquoise in the kitchen/dining area leads to deep navy, which is known for its sleep-improving qualities, in the bedroom. ‘We love that our bedroom is a dark and almost empty escape,’ says Łukasz.

Relax in natural bedroom decor

Life in the city needn’t stop you from connecting with nature. For the bedroom, choose bare woods, such as birch, and layers of quilts, sheets and cushions in natural cotton, made from more sustainable source, to bring the feeling of outdoors in. ‘Good quality matters to us. If you know the source, you know the quality,’ says Radek.
Take a chance
‘This is an old area with an old population. At first people were unhappy with two young men shaking things up. But we took the risk,’ say visual artist, Radek (left), and florist, Łukasz (right). ‘We wanted an open house – a space to share with passionate people. It took nine months but the combination of my mind, which is a collage of ideas, and Łukasz who is logical, got us here.’

Rooms to share or shut off from the world

The first-floor apartment covers 80m2 and doubles as a home to retreat to and a hub where collaborators meet. To support the live/work balance, the couple planned the space to be as open as possible but fitted sliding doors so rooms can be shut off when privacy is needed. ‘This place was a complete disaster but we fell in love with its potential,’ says Radek.
We love to see our customers get creative with our products. Go for it! But please note that altering or modifying IKEA products so they can no longer be re-sold or used for their original purpose, means the IKEA commercial guarantees and your right to return the products will be lost.
 

Made by

Interior stylist: Carl Braganza
Photographer: Benjamin Edwards
Artwork: Swimmers prints by Magda Wolna,
Sea Monsters print by Longstory Prints,
Tilda screenprint by Patryk Mogilnicki

cross