It is no secret that we are pretty big fans of IKEA here at Unplggd, so it should come as no surprise that we found quite a few ideas in the new 2012 catalog that we want to steal. The stylists at Ikea have done a great job and their work in the 2012 catalog provides plenty of inspiration for the home office and living room entertainment spaces.

1. Use a window shade as a projector screen: The first thing we noticed when looking at this room was the unconventional arrangement of the furniture, but the next detail that caught our eye was definitely the projector screen. Upon a closer examination, we noticed that it looked like a rolling window shade, the kind that can be easily found inexpensively at a local hardware store. Why didn't we think of that?

2. Entertainment unit storage does not have to be just for DVDs: With closed doors, sliding or hinged, visitors will not need to know that this is unit plays host to clothes and shoe storage that does not fit very well in that tiny closet in your small apartment.

3. Large coffee tables can be a triple threat as storage, workspace, & decor: We usually balk at the idea of large coffee table, but after seeing how well this could work and thinking about how often we work in groups on the couch we realized that perhaps it is time to rethink life sans coffee table. The large coffee table offers amble storage and workspace that you just don't get with a TV tray.

4. Keep exposed home office items looking neat with multiple matching containers: As Janel pointed out in her IKEA 2012 catalog post for Apartment Therapy, multiples are everywhere in this catalog and they look great. Multiples cut down on "visual noise," yet give you ample space to store all those home office essentials. You can see this in action in the 2nd image above in a real world space from The Orange Door.

5. A living room entertainment center does not have to mean a sofa + loveseat: We love the breakup of entertainment seating options that happen when deviation from the sofa + armchair model occurs. By opting for ottomans as opposed to a second sofa or loveseat seating is more flexible and it's easier to rearrange for movie nights, gaming, and conversation.

6. Don't under estimate a pop of colour: In this mostly white room, the greenery stands out even more and it looks great in this home office/ living room. We have been celebrating the power of pops of colour for some time and we love this example from Rebecca's Loving Living Small home office.

7. Offset wall cabinets and keep it interesting: We love how they have broken up the line of storage by offsetting the wall cabinets. This does nothing to impact the amount of storage but does create some fantastic visual interest.

8. Use a remote caddy for tablet/ notebook bedside storage: Another clever idea that we are surprised we did not think of considering the amount of times the iPads get placed under a pillow or under the bed after some late night Angry Birdsing or reading. Using a remote caddy is a much safer and smarter option than hoping your partner remembers that the MacBook Air is in a precarious spot under the bed.

9. Don't underestimate the laptop sized desk: Although styled as not exactly the most functional home office, having a dedicated workspace can make a difference in at-home productivity even when the home office space is a tiny laptop sized desk. A great real world example of the power of the tiny desk can be seen in Theresa's tiny treetop home office.

10. Mix & match your wall storage: By using both locked storage and shelves in cluster, the visual impact is increased as is your storage capacity. When building an array like this keep in mind how the wall will look when the locked storage doors are down as well as up.

Check out the new catalog: IKEA 2012