Look! Staging a Studio from Alvhem

We found this great site thanks to Rachel of Black Eiffel blog: Alvhem, a real estate company in Sweden, not only handles listings of available flats in Sweden--they also stage the property by hiring art directors and professional photographers. The idea is to sell not just the space, but also the "lifestyle" of living in such a place. A pretty interesting concept, and the site itself is a great resource to get ideas for your own home. Most of the flats that we perused showed an excellent mix of high and low end pieces as well as some interesting storage solutions. Check out our favorite listing: This studio apartment gets styled with some Ikea staples, vibrant wallpaper, and antique pieces without feeling cramped...

Living room space with the bed in a wallpapered nook (pictured above).

Ikea's Expedit bookcase is a simple yet stylish display case / extra storage, holding everything from books to shoes and other accessories. We particularly love the use of a feminine, traditional wallpaper (very Marie Antoinette) with the more modern pieces in the living room.

A simple bathroom (no shower, that we can see at least...). A handwoven basket of fresh towels adds some much needed texture...

The entryway leads down a narrow hall with a work area consisting of an antique desk and stool. Due to the lack of closet space, an industrial clothing rack holds the current season's wardrobe.

Another view of the entry, papered in all its hot pink glory. Hooks are attached to the wall to hold coats.

The kitchen is also accessible from the hallway. Instead of the more girly wallpaper used in other areas of the space, the kitchen has a gothic charcoal-grey wall with ivy line illustrations which matches the grey tile back splash.

Kitchen with dining area, furnished with an Ikea Docksta and chairs.

Floor plan.

Want to see more? Check out all of the photos from this studio as well as past apartments over at Alvhem. And don't forget to check out Rachel's awesome blog, Black Eiffel.

[ Photos from Alvhem ]

Comments (16)

Not sure I'm loving the office in the hallway there, but on the whole it's pretty awesome.

"(no shower, that we can see at least...)"

Incorrect.

That vertical bar on the back wall is an adjustable stanchion for a Grohe handheld showerhead - you can just see the flexible tubing in the freestanding tub beneath the sink.

Why doesn't it have a showercurtain? Because as you said, this is an idea of how someone might want to live - a model home - not a real example.

I do not think I have ever seen a studio with a closed off kitchen and separate office. Intriguing.

Love the leaning ladder !! Where can I find something like this in the US. Would be great to hang clothes at the end of the day.

This looks awsome!
Some corners feel like your looking at a store, but that's just me.
I love it, especially the office/closet space.

Urboo: Ikea and CB2.com both carry various forms of ladders, any where from $50-80. Just go to their respective sites and search ladders.

Nicely done! Love the wallpapers used here, especially the hot pink one!

Their website is an amazing source of good ideas. Gosh, I would buy all these apartments, they made them look so good.

*sigh* But they have winter there too.

I absolutely love this apt. Not thrilled about the lack of closet space or office but otherwise I love it.

Where can I find that black ivy wall paper? That would be amazing in my little nook :)

Actually, they don't often have shower curtains here in Europe b/c they don't generally shower like Americans (standing up with the nozzle spraying from the wall). They mostly hold the nozzle in their hand (still kind of messy when I try it so far). You can buy shower curtains, but many furnished rentals won't have them (or they'll have a half door of glass).

Love the use of color to help delineate the spaces and break up all that white. Why, oh why, won't the French get into the concept of staging apartments? Instead, they post pictures like this: http://tinyurl.com/dcq9bb :-(

We certainly DO use shower curtains over here in Europe!

True, rentals won't have them, but that's because it's expected that renters bring their own - like they're expected to bring their own kitchen appliances, curtains and sometimes even flooring.

i've only lived in studios with separate kitchens. small, but big enough for table and chairs. this is one large space for a studio. big enough to bring in an armoire for clothes. the open rack looks cool though.

I love those wallpapers. The rest is maybe a bit minimal for me, but overall I like the cleanliness of it all. They defiantely have done a good job of not making it feel cramp considering the space.

http://www.carinagardner.com

I simply must have this blue wallpaper. Someone please tell me where I can find it!?

Hello!!
I love your style from A-Z, very simple, clean, and refreshing look, I would like to know were i can buy these wallpapers, Thank you