No finishing work was needed for the remodel: it was possible to qualitatively change the space beyond recognition with just the help of different lighting scenarios, the right furniture and festive decor.
New Year’s Eve is a magical time of miracles, goodness and change for absolutely everyone. So that the residents of the Mother’s House shelter could happily celebrate the New Year, designer and decorator Zhenya Zhdanova decided to transform his living room on her own and in the shortest possible time.
No finishing work was needed for the remodel: the space was qualitatively changed beyond recognition with just the help of different lighting scenarios, the right furniture and festive decor. We also managed to do without serious monetary influences: it was the responsiveness and talent of people that made the dream come true: young mothers and children of “Mom’s House” now have a spacious, beautiful and incredibly cozy living room to celebrate the New Year.
Thorough preparation
“Mom’s House” is a charity shelter for mothers and babies left without a roof over their heads. Mostly, the shelter houses girls who have graduated from orphanages and pregnant women who, for various reasons, find themselves on the street. The shelter is located in the building of a former village school 100 kilometers from Moscow, near the city of Kirzhach.
Living conditions in the “Domik” are far from ideal: the building in which the shelter is located was built in the 70s, and therefore does not meet modern requirements for construction and design at all. Even the electrical wiring has not been changed all these years, and the repairs that were once made mainly affected the bedrooms.
It was obvious that the remodeling needed to start with the living room, where girls and kids could spend time together, communicate and play. Together with Arina Seravkina, the owner of Mom’s House, Zhenya compiled a list of necessary things, and then published information on social networks that she was going to go to Mom’s House. The fact that her many friends and colleagues wanted to help create beauty and comfort in the shelter was not a surprise, but rather a pleasant surprise. Several people offered their help with New Year’s interior decoration; someone bought and brought what was needed – food, household appliances, diapers, decorative items; others donated money for the Little House.
Two days before her trip to Domik, the designer went shopping at IKEA. The New Year’s rush and expectation of price increases complicated the purchasing process and it took her more than 6 hours to purchase everything on the list. However, the check was punched, and delivery was made directly to “Mother’s House”.
Get to work!
The rather spacious living room looked more like a warehouse of old mismatched furniture than a place where everyone could get together.
The large corner sofa was about to fall apart, the old chairs and tables were swaying, and faded curtains were hanging on the windows: you must admit, this was far from a festive picture. Freeing the space from outdated things and rubbish was what the designers had to do first.
Since the renovation was started just before the New Year, there was no opportunity to carry out any construction work. As a result, it was decided that holiday decor would become an important element of the design of this living room.
The magic of transformation
First of all, 2 good-quality beige sofa beds appeared in the living room – a double Bjerbu and a Fixkhult with a chaise longue and a compartment for storing linen. Neutral-colored Snekkersten carpet (it is stain-resistant and easy to care for). New tulle and checkered curtains on the windows will also remain in the living room for a long time.
Color accents in red add a New Year’s atmosphere. Thus, the designers decorated one of the faded walls with rich red fabric, and a checkered blanket and bright decorative pillows appeared on the sofas. And of course, it’s impossible not to notice the hanging New Year’s star lamps: they create a soft glow and are responsible for the fabulous atmosphere.
Speaking of lighting, the room also received an additional light source in the form of a floor lamp, which was placed between the sofas: now, if you turn off the overhead light, the room will not plunge into cold darkness, but, on the contrary, will be filled with muted light and become even more comfortable and warmer.
The power of accents
Bright accents in the interior were New Year’s compositions made of fir branches and cones and DIY Christmas trees: the decorators made them in advance in the workshop. Decorative pillows with a checkered print and images of deer from the new IKEA “Chalet” collection also came in handy – they make the interior cozy and fairy-tale-like in winter.
And of course, the spruce itself, decorated with bright toys and garlands, is an indispensable attribute of the New Year. By the way, next to her appeared the symbol of 2015 – a sheep, which was especially liked by the kids and will definitely bring happiness to everyone in “Mama’s House”.
The magic of the result
In addition to the living room, the professionals managed to update the interiors of the children’s rooms. New pale pink bed linen, floral-print curtains, soft colored carpets, and homemade decorative items radically transformed the rooms and charged them with positive and kind energy.
The entire “operation” was actually carried out in one day. But all this is thanks to careful preparation and the help of friends: builders and designers Inga Azhgirey, Inna Raskina, Sophie Mu, Asya Bondareva.
