“Home idea with IKEA”: psychologist‘s office in the family crisis centre

After a short break, our interior designer Ūla is back to the family crisis centre in Kaunas. She has already furnished several rooms and lounge areas here, but this time her task is even more interesting: she came here to furnish a cosy and private office for a child psychologist.

Before and after

Can a former office turn into a therapeutic space for children? To make this happen, Ūla had to put some effort. In a small room of just 11 square metres, she had to find space not only for the psychologist’s desk and work-related items, but also for a family consultation area and a play corner for kids, where they could feel safe and calm.

Less noise, more comfort

When it comes to the psychologist’s office, calming environment is key. This is why our interior designer has paid major attention to acoustic solutions. To reduce noise, the renovated office features thick, sound-absorbing MAJGULL curtains and a fluffy stain-resistant BUSENKEL rug.

As comfy as a throne

VEDBO armchairs help to create a peaceful and private seating. A high-back isolates ambient sights and sounds, which is perfect when you want your own space in an open environment, and still socialise with others. All armchairs in this series are covered under a 10-year guarantee.

The office itself

We wanted to leave as much room as possible for conversations and children’s educational activities, thus the psychologist‘s working spot only features the essentials: a small desk with a SIGFINN monitor stand and a lamp above it, a comfortable office chair on castors, and a drawer cabinet with some space for a printer.

Some things must stay behind closed doors

A tall PAX wardrobe has been placed by the door of the office. It’s a perfect place to rest the children’s outdoor clothes and store everything from stationery to toys to documents. One of the wardrobe doors is secured with a ROTHULT smart lock, so only adults can access the contents.

“Having a small space doesn't mean you have to avoid colour. When properly matched, different tones can add warmth and cosiness to the interior.”

Ūla Žebrauskaitė-Malinauskė, IKEA interior designer

Children’s furniture not only for kids

In this office, the children’s furniture also serves the adults. TROFAST shelves with boxes are suitable for storing stationery and books, and the FLISAT children’s desk for drawing doubles as a coffee table. It also hides some surprise storage boxes under the lids, which means kids can keep toys and drawing essentials at hand – and clean up in a jiff.

Therapy and play

One of the main needs of the crisis centre was to have a place where children could relax and calm down. This is why we filled several boxes in the psychologist’s office with cereals and noodles of different shapes and sizes, so that children can develop their tactile senses and other important skills while playing. Developing the senses helps children to navigate the world better, to know their bodies, to develop their thinking, memory, attention, creativity and concentration, to improve physically and intellectually, and to learn better.

It‘s also important to develop children's knowledge and memory, which is why we‘ve installed a multiplication wheel on the wall. It was created using simple means such as yarn and LILLASJÖN wooden knobs.

“All IKEA furniture - even from different series - fits perfectly together. For instance, PLATSA storage solutions are easy to combine with PAX wardrobes or TROFAST children’s furniture. For even more unified looks, you can use the same knobs and handles for furniture in different series.”

Ūla Žebrauskaitė-Malinauskė, IKEA interior designer (on the right)

Notice violence

We at IKEA seek to create a better life at home, in all senses of this word. This is why we have been raising awareness and fighting against domestic violence in the Baltics for several years already.