Bedroom makeover

It became a dream bedroom

From a boring bedroom with impractical wardrobes to a restful oasis with stylish sliding doors, an understated colour palette and a luxurious boutique hotel feel. Get inspired by this makeover performed by interior design guru Jannice Wistrand and Elfa’s storage expert Christine Dalman!

Text Charlotta Flinkenberg Photos Isak Sjöström

Erica Symreng and her family moved into their house in southern Sweden in January 2020. Renovation work began immediately on several parts of the house.
– We drew up a typical list of priorities for a family with children; made sure the children’s rooms were fixed first, then completed some expensive and essential renovation projects, including the kitchen, a new boiler and so on, Erica tells us.
The couple’s own bedroom was right at the bottom of the list. Basically they moved a double bed into the room and decided the rest would have to wait.
– Our bedroom hasn’t been particularly nice. The storage space for our clothes was a disaster area. There was room inside the wardrobes for wire baskets, but we discovered we couldn’t get hold of new ones because of their odd sizes. And the doors opened the wrong way entirely, so you got them in your face or needed to squeeze past them first to be able to open them.

Despondency grew until a friend suggested that Erica take a look at Elfa’s instagram for some inspiration. She saw that Elfa was looking for people who felt they had hopeless bedrooms in need of a makeover.
I showed it to my husband and said that this was exactly what we needed. But he was skeptical and replied: "Alas, do not send in any competition entry, there is no chance that we will win. It's just a waste of time… ”.

Erica couldn’t get the idea out of her head, however, and decided to ignore his words. When she was alone at home, she recorded an application video, explaining their bedroom situation, and sent it in to Elfa.
– Both of us were surprised and delighted when we found out that we had been chosen!

Feng shui set the tone

The task of taking on their dysfunctional, drab bedroom was given to Elfa’s storage expert Christine Dalman and interior design and feng shui consultant Jannice Wistrand.
- They asked us about our requirements for clothes storage. My husband needed drawers for all his ties, cuff links, belts and other accessories. And I have a number of full-length dresses and jumpsuits that need to be hung up and not folded, Erica says.

Swipe across to see before and after

Smart storage creates space

The family then checked into a hotel for a couple of days, leaving Elfa’s makeover team undisturbed to focus fully on the bedroom transformation.
– The standard wardrobes with outward-opening doors in Erica’s and Marcus’ bedroom took up so much space that Marcus had to place his bedside table against the opposite wall. They had to either first walk past the wardrobe or climb onto the bed to be able to open the doors. These doors were wasting a lot of useful floor space in the bedroom, explains Christine Dalman at Elfa.
Space-saving sliding doors solved this problem and the bedside table could at last be put in its proper place. They are now also able to get clothes out of their wardrobe at the same time.

– Having traditional wardrobes with doors that take up valuable space is a common problem in many homes. Sliding doors are the answer to that problem. They create more living space that can be furnished close to the wardrobe, Christine says.

– We painted the walls the same colour as the sliding doors to give the room a feeling of unity. It felt exactly right, says Jannice Wistrand.

We are speechless over the great result!

Erica Symreng

Create peace and calm

– Minimise the number of objects in your bedroom so you only have a few choice items that help you relax. The soothing colour, out-of-sight storage and a bed placed in the command position with a view of the windows and doors all create a sense of stability and calm. – The track lighting above the wardrobe adds a sophisticated and elegant look as well as serving a functional purpose, says Jannice.

Can you tell us about your choice of materials and furnishing for the bedroom?

– The key element was a homely Nordic ambience, but with a lightness to it. Sheer linen curtains that work well with rattan and jute. Our fingers are increasingly touching smooth, flat computer screens these days, making our choice of materials and tactile furnishings all the more important. We’ve added the boulcé pouffe, toe-caressing rug and silky satin sheets to bring details like these into the bedroom, says Jannice. The relaxing atmosphere has been further enhanced by creating storage space where objects that demand attention can be kept out of sight.

Hidden storage space and a consistent colour scheme in the room felt exactly right

Jannice Wistrand

Quick and easy to find

Our couple almost had a shock when they returned and saw their revamped bedroom because it looked so different.
– It was so stunning it left us speechless! Simple, harmonious and very, very beautiful. Everything is extremely organised now and quick and easy to find. Thanks to the sliding doors we’re no longer banging our heads on a wardrobe door. We used to keep our underwear in a large chest of drawers at the foot of the bed. These are now integrated inside the wardrobe.

Which features are you especially pleased about?

– Even though Christine and Jannice don’t know us, it feels as if they do. The solutions they’ve brought to the room are perfect for our needs. Everything has been thought through down to the smallest detail. Like the hook rail inside the wardrobe, which Christine explained is for hanging up clothes that you’re going to wear again rather than dumping them on a chair. We also love Elfa’s versatile system. If we want another shelf at some point, we can simply install one. There was no way we could do that before.
The Symreng couple’s dream of a beautiful, peaceful and practical bedroom with smart storage solutions came true.
– It probably hasn’t really sunk in yet what a fantastic room we now have. Our bedroom is wonderful, it’s like a dream, I love being in here!

This is where we live

Erica Symreng, 38 years old, communicator, together with her husband Marcus and two kids, four and six years old. The family lives in a villa of 155 square metres in Dalby, outside Lund in southern Sweden.

Jannice’s tips for creating a harmonious bedroom

A relaxing and soothing colour, for example grey or blue tones, is most essential for creating a harmonious bedroom. Or like here, in a bluish green.
Go for storage that is hidden away so it is not visually distracting.
Position the bed in the command position against a wall, ideally with a substantial headboard to rest your head against. It is important to be able to see the doors and windows from the bed. This enhances the sense of security and is a biologically conditioned behaviour from the time we lived in caves and needed to protect the entrance from wild animals and enemies.
Greenery can add soul to the room, but choose plants with care. Cacti and plants with sharp, pointed leaves do not belong in a bedroom which should exude relaxing, loving vibes.
There should be between 7 and 10 points of light in a room. Make sure that some of the bedroom lighting can be dimmed. Not having dimmable ceiling lights is like having just one volume setting on a loudspeaker.
Choose soft textiles in different fabrics, like linen, jute, silk and cotton.