Though spreads in home design magazines invariably seem to feature large, open spaces with cathedral ceilings and two-story windows, the majority of us average citizens live in regularly-sized homes. And those regular homes? A lot of the rooms can be quite small! While there are tons of excellent ideas out there to make the most of tiny spaces, a lot of them require extensive renovations that, however innovative and cool, we can’t really do ourselves on our normal budget. Most of the time, we just have to decorate and organize with what we have and what we can affordably grab at the store. We know how to navigate a small bathroom, bedroom and kitchen. Now we’re turning to the living room, where small space can feel extra oppressive when you want to relax and have friends over, but you only have room for one tiny couch. That’s the problem facing Detroit newlyweds Jonathan and Tiphany Walker, and their wonderful solutions came from a source most of us are super familiar with: IKEA.

OK, we can hear some of you rolling your eyes already, but hear us out: when installed correctly and treated right, the right products from IKEA can be put to super-smart, fabulous use, like in the Walkers’ small living room. Even if you don’t want to buy the same exact things and prefer other stores, you can take inspiration from this incredible makeover and how well it fits the expectant couple’s needs. Take a look at the before just one more time . . .

. . . and now look at the after!

How much better is that? It doesn’t even look like the same house, does it?

Let’s take a closer look at what changed and see what we can learn. The first thing we notice? The room’s now really taking advantage of the available wall space by mounting things on it. Take a look at the area around the television.

We can do something similar in our homes with creative uses of floating shelves. The Walkers get the look with BESTÅ TV storage. By mounting the cabinets, they get space under them for footstools, which can be used to add extra seating around their living area.

That couch you see there? Not only does it fit the wall space better than their old one and offer some more seating, it’s pulling double duty: as a sleeper sofa! Plus, it has built-in storage to hold the extra bedding for any guests who might use it, but the Walkers can use those compartments for whatever they like.

What does this sofa inspire us to do? Three things: embrace hidden space for storage purposes; consider buying or making multi-function furniture; and believe that with the right style touches, cheap furniture can look high end!

What other ideas do you take away from this living room makeover? Watch the video from IKEA Home Tour for more inspiration, and tell us how you make the most of small rooms in your home!