Tiny house lovers, meet Tikku. A super sleek, multi level tiny apartment that currently lives in a bustling Helsinki square, where it only takes up a footprint of 2.5 x 5 meters (roughly 8′ x 16.5′) — the size of a parking spot.The house, designed and installed by Marco Casagrande, is described as “a contemporary cave for a modern urban nomad.” Tikku, which means “stick” in Finish, seeks to bring a sense of the organic to city life.

How the furniture was arranged for entertaining, for conversation, for “company.” It was once common for friends to drop by, even unannounced, and for you to spread some refreshments around while you sat on couches, facing each other, to shoot the breeze. Nowadays that sounds insane. Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco perfectly and hilariously illustrates the difference between someone dropping by 20 years ago versus now.

The house is designed to be mobile, to set down wherever one might place a car. It has three floors: one for sleeping, one for working and a green-house that are designed to be endlessly adaptable to the owner’s needs. There’s a sand box in the base of the building for balance, so one can simply set the house down wherever there is space, no foundation required.

It’s the combination of textures on the floor and bed, as well as the clear desk chair that takes up little visual space. Notice the boxes under the bed and the narrow wall shelf that add extra dorm storage without taking up too much space. Want a little extra privacy? Hang some curtains from the ceiling using Command Utility Hooks, which can hold a decent amount of weight and are easy to remove without making holes in the walls or ceilings.

“Today it’s rare to see a pair of sofas facing each other; modern living rooms often feature a couch facing the flatscreen.”

We all know lighting is one of the most important elements in a living room, especially in terms of creating a mood. Switch out existing (and bland) pendants for more attractive (and not necessarily expensive) options, like the sputnik chandelier in the above photo from MyDomaine, or skip ceiling lighting altogether in favor of a combination of flattering floor lamps and wall sconces.

This expansive collection designed by Mette and Rolf Hay of over 60 objects such as stools, benches, tables, vases, and even candle holders, are each elegant and modern with an aesthetic that is still very true to Hay’s original studio work. With practically all of the pieces being such a reasonable price (nothing is priced over $600), many of them are going to be tempting.

Nothing changes a room quite like a fresh coat of paint, but the time and expense of re-painting an entire space puts many people off. Instead, think about how you can subtly use paint to draw attention to your home’s better features, or perhaps fake a few you wish you had.The two wooden structures create a space in between that hosts a work area overlooking the living room and kitchen below. A bedroom and shower are tucked away to one side of the common space, close to the mezzanine walkway. We love how everything was kept simple, with the plywood surfaces adding a warm feel against the walls painted in white. Here and there, splashes of color add a personal, dynamic touch. Photography credits: Jeremias Gonzalez. IKEA’s product development engineer Ricky Ericsson states in the video that they had to modify the original legs of the HAY design for greater stability.