A Family Home That Stays Calm And Colourful

A newly built home with three children and no clutter in sight might sound unlikely, but one family has managed exactly that. Their approach mixes bold colour, personal touches and a few clever IKEA hacks along the way.

Colour with confidence

Pink kitchen units are not the obvious choice for most homes, but this family's owner wanted a colour that felt personal rather than trend-led. Her reasoning was simple: she likes pretty things, and a kitchen is worth making joyful rather than safe. For anyone living in a Maltese apartment or townhouse where the kitchen often opens onto the main living space, a strong colour on the units can set the tone for the whole room without needing extra decoration elsewhere. It is a reminder that a kitchen renovation does not have to mean white.

KNOXHULT base cabinet with doors and drawer, white, 120 cmKNOXHULT wall cabinet with doors, white, 120x75 cmKNOXHULT base cabinet with drawers, white, 40 cmKNOXHULT wall cabinet with door, white, 60x75 cmKNOXHULT wall cabinet with doors, dark grey, 120x75 cmKNOXHULT wall cabinet with sliding doors, white, 120x29x37.5 cm

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Letting the layout breathe

Building work does not always go to plan, and this family found their new build had more walls than they wanted. Rather than live with a chopped-up layout, they opened things out, creating one flowing living and dining space furnished with a green velvet sofa, mustard armchairs and simple white dining chairs. The owner moves the furniture often, keeping the space flexible for a family that is rarely all in one room at the same time but still feels connected. It is a useful lesson for compact Maltese homes, where one open room often has to do several jobs at once.

HAUGA cabinet with 2 doors, white, 70x116 cmHAUGA high cabinet with 2 doors, white, 70x199 cmHAUGA high cabinet with 2 doors, grey, 70x199 cmHAUGA sideboard, white, 140x46x84 cmHAUGA cabinet with 2 doors, grey, 70x116 cmHAUGA glass-door cabinet, white, 105x116 cm

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Making IKEA furniture feel like your own

Spray paint, new handles and swapped legs are the owner's three go-to tricks for giving furniture a personal edge, and she applies them throughout the house. Her STOCKHOLM cabinet got rounder, more feminine handles, while a set of IVAR cabinets in the bedroom gained different legs and a coat of chalk paint for a softer finish. Neither change took much money or skill, just a willingness to see a piece of furniture as a starting point rather than a finished product. It is an approach well suited to Maltese homes, where a small, affordable update can completely shift the feel of a room.

IVAR cabinet, pine, 80x30x83 cmIVAR cabinet with doors, white, 80x83 cmIVAR cabinet, pine, 80x50x83 cmIVAR wall cabinet with doors, pine, 160x30x83 cmIVAR cabinet with sliding doors, pine, 80x30x60 cmIVAR folding table, pine, 80x30-91 cm

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A children's corner that grows with them

Upstairs, a HEMNES chest of drawers and wardrobe moved house with the family from their old apartment, repainted and fitted with new handles to suit a little girl's room, alongside a hand-painted flying birds motif made with simple card stencils. Nearby, a BESTÅ unit anchors a home-schooling and craft corner at the top of the stairs, chosen for its depth and for how easily the children can find their own things. Toys are rotated rather than left out permanently, with unused ones stored in the attic until they are wanted again, keeping every room calm without anything being thrown away for good.

BESTÅ TV bench, white stained oak effect, 120x40x64 cmBESTÅ TV bench, white stained oak effect, 120x40x38 cmBESTÅ TV bench, white stained oak effect, 180x40x64 cmBESTÅ TV bench, black-brown, 180x40x64 cmBESTÅ TV bench, black-brown, 120x40x64 cmBESTÅ TV bench, black-brown, 120x40x38 cm

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For homes across Malta and Gozo looking to try a similar mix of colour, calm and clever updates, Maltashopper brings these same IKEA pieces straight to your door.

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