When interested by affordable furniture, Ikea is probably going the primary retailer that involves thoughts. Although you would possibly affiliate the flatpack juggernaut together with your school condo futon or the place to go once you want a desk earlier than you should purchase the one you really need, Ikea is to not be neglected relating to discovering design-forward gems for a steal. The retailer’s limited collections are particularly nice sources for stylish decor that feels particular, however its traditional furniture collections are additionally jam-packed with budget-friendly dwelling necessities that add practicality or may even be DIY’d to really feel extra private.
To decide the best Ikea furniture and decor pieces that look more expensive than they are, I talked to 5 design consultants, together with inside stylists, architects and designers, in addition to Ikea’s in-house dwelling furnishing lead. The consultants additionally shared their tips about making Ikea furniture your individual by means of simple customization strategies. No matter your inside design aesthetic, the versatile pieces on this listing are sure to raise each nook of your home.
Ikea’s Kallax storage units are bestsellers for a purpose. The versatile cubby cabinets can be utilized in nearly any room of the house to retailer every part from books to dinnerware. Francesca Harris, an inside designer and the proprietor of Francesca Harris Design, mentioned the items are good for mudroom storage or children’ storage, or may even be used as sideboards in case you add doorways to them.
This small-space-friendly, comfortable swivel chair has been a part of Ikea’s furniture assortment since 1967, so it’s principally a bit of midcentury historical past, even when it has been reinterpreted. The chair is a favourite of inside architect Alyssa Anselmo. The digital content creator and founding father of Studio Anva identified its chrome base, ribbed corduroy-inspired cloth and vibrant colour choices. “I really wish Ikea would bring back more pieces from that era,” she mentioned. “I think it’s another timeless piece that adds personality and comfort to a space without feeling dated.”
Interior stylist Sharon Gottliebsen has been notably loving Ikea’s Stockholm 2025 collection. “Many of these pieces have a high-end energy but at high street prices,” she mentioned, highlighting this clean-lined cupboard. “It works so well in both modern and midcentury-inspired spaces and looks way more expensive than its price point. It would make a fantastic bar cabinet!” The piece is available in each light- and dark-toned wooden finishes, although you too can go for the inexperienced so as to add a pop of colour to your eating area.
Although he sometimes recommends spending extra on a high-quality couch that you’ll maintain for a very long time, Kyle Davis, an inside designer and stylist at Overcast Studio, has used this slipcovered couch in his work. It has a streamlined bench seat and again cushions you’ll be able to reverse to take care of its look. Although the couch is available in 10 colours so that you’ll be able to simply match it to the remainder of your area, Davis is a proponent of shopping for your individual slipcover to make your upholstered furniture look one-of-a-kind. “Places like Bemz, Etsy and eBay are great places to look, as long as you know your specific furniture model and dimensions,” he mentioned.
Available in a number of sizes, configurations and wooden finishes, Ikea’s Billy bookcase units are basically storage that doubles as decor. “They provide structure, and you can dress them up with accessories,” Harris mentioned. “Mix in decor you love — framed photos, books, curated ceramics, plants — so even a simple Ikea shelving unit feels intentional.”
Davis, Anselmo and Abbey Stark, Ikea’s dwelling furnishing route chief, are all followers of the Ivar storage system. Although it’s generally used for garage storage, you’ll be able to revamp lots of the pieces to make use of in different elements of the house. For instance, Davis has used this Ivar cabinet and mentioned there are limitless methods you can also make such a bit your individual, like altering its legs (he likes Pretty Pegs for options) and including or swapping out {hardware}. Anselmo added that the Ivar system “works beautifully as a raw canvas and can be customized in countless ways, from painting the exterior one color and the interior another, to configuring it as shelving, a sideboard or a long low storage unit.”
Davis and Harris have each used Ikea’s Pax wardrobe system of their work, customizing it to suit their shoppers’ particular kinds. “The Pax range is brilliant for getting a bespoke built-in look,” Harris mentioned. “Just paint [it] the same color as the walls, and it’s instantly elevated.” For much more DIY choices, Anselmo famous that the Swedish model Superfront designs legs, fronts, tops and {hardware} to suit Ikea’s bestselling storage programs, together with the Pax vary.
Interior designer Caroline Kopp despatched me a photograph of an Ikea dresser she personalized with new {hardware}, paint and a glass high, and I can affirm it seems to be like an expensive piece that was custom-made from scratch. Although that dresser is not obtainable, Ikea nonetheless sells equally spacious chests of drawers that can simply be upgraded with a couple of ending touches. For instance, you’ll be able to “cover a flat drawer front with your choice of wallpaper to create a completely different look,” Kopp mentioned. Harris added that one thing so simple as brass knobs or a daring coat of paint could make a mass-produced piece of furniture look custom-made. “Even peel-and-stick wallpaper on drawer faces can instantly elevate something flat-pack into a feature piece,” Harris mentioned.
One of Anselmo’s all-time favourite pieces from Ikea is the Byakorre shelf, which is sadly not obtainable. But Ikea has different cabinets with related qualities that Anselmo identified, like a streamlined form and playful use of main colours. This charming 3-foot-tall shelf, for instance, will add a enjoyable pop of pink to your favourite studying nook and serves quite a lot of storage functions, whether or not you wish to show the vinyl records in your present rotation otherwise you’re in want of a plant stand.
Although Ikea’s modular cabinetry pieces aren’t furniture in themselves, you should use the drawer fronts to reinforce your present pieces, from kitchen cupboards to shelving items. Kopp likes these from the Havstorp assortment, in addition to the Aurdal and Vallstena collections. “They are customizable to the scale you need for your space; they are extremely durable and functional; [and] the tracks are really good and silent!” she mentioned, including that you don’t need to be a talented skilled to put in the cupboard pieces. And, “because they are sold unassembled and come in white, you have a perfect clean slate to work with to apply your customizations to, no sanding or stripping needed,” she famous.
Ikea has tons of suave lighting fixtures to select from, no matter whether or not you’re after a task light, ground lamp or a pendant like this one, which Kopp recommends. It’s additionally tremendous simple to make it your individual. “Spray paint can be used to customize metal items such as light fixtures,” she mentioned. “Take a black or white light, and switch it to any color you like by spraying the metal parts.”
Even in case you simply choose up a couple of flower stems from the grocery retailer, the appropriate vase could make them look like 1,000,000 bucks. “I have this at home and love it so much,” Gottliebsen mentioned. “The amber finish gives it such a luxe feel.” The glassblown vase’s natural form can even assist forestall your fashionable area from wanting austere.
“This is a stunning lamp that looks far more high-end than its price suggests,” Gottliebsen mentioned. “It has that designer vibe without that designer price tag.” Part of the lamp’s luxe enchantment is achieved by the bottom, which is fabricated from expensive-looking travertine, in addition to the slender brass pole. The swap can also be situated conveniently beneath the bulb, so that you don’t need to rummage behind furniture to discover a hidden twine.
“Lamps, throws and cushions are great products that can significantly transform the feel of a room at an affordable price,” Stark mentioned, highlighting this fluffy throw with fringed ends that she loves from Ikea’s 2026 Style Guide. It is available in 4 punchy hues (in addition to white), so even you probably have neutral-colored furniture, you’ll be able to nonetheless brighten your area with out spending a fortune. What’s extra, the blanket is brushed to really feel like mohair, which suggests it’s tremendous comfortable.
Whereas a flowery pendant lamp can set you again a whole lot, this one that Stark recommends is just below $90. “When outfitting a home, people can save money on textiles and lighting to help create soothing sensory spaces while still finding a range of stylish options,” she mentioned. Thanks to its birch veneer shade and rounded design, the lamp creates a heat ambiance each by means of texture and colour, contributing to a comfy area you wish to spend time in.
Among Ikea’s minimalist dwelling decor, you’ll additionally discover revolutionary room necessities that are maybe a bit sudden, like this lamp that doubles as a Bluetooth speaker. “We design spaces by meeting functional needs but add playful elements with a little humor and a bit of surprise,” Stark mentioned. The lamp immediately boosts the temper of your own home not solely by enjoying your favourite tunes, but in addition with its bubble-like design and joyful colours.
Control your own home’s lighting from wherever with this dimmable good bulb, which Davis has utilized in tandem with this remote. Not solely do the bulbs come in useful in case you don’t really feel like getting as much as press the swap, however additionally they allow you to simply alter your own home’s ambiance in a flash, irrespective of the place you’re.
This Stark-approved quilt cowl set will rework the look of your complete bed room with its vigorous blue chicken motif. In addition to wanting cute, the bedding can also be extremely sensible for every day use because of its shrink- and wrinkle-resistant materials.
Another choose from Stark, this wall shelf gives storage with out taking over ground area. You can use one within the area above a desk or chair, or you’ll be able to seize a couple of and line them as much as create a wall show that seems to be tailored. The shelf’s tall ends create a putting motif as soon as lined up subsequent to and above or under one another.
This is one more pendant lamp that Kopp recommends portray so that it seems to be cohesive with the remainder of your area. “A chalk spray paint provides a chic, plaster-like finish that is highly durable and goes on easily,” she mentioned. The lamp’s metallic materials and outsized form will lend an industrial vibe to your eating room or residing space, so it’s an ideal distinction for anybody who favors a country decor type.
“Using Ikea cushion covers on your expensive sofa helps create a layered, curated feel,” Gottliebsen mentioned. “Cushions are one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to update a space and make it feel more considered.” Even less complicated than altering your sofa cushion covers, a throw pillow cowl like this one Stark recommends will work wonders to revamp the look of your sofascape, and you don’t need to spend some huge cash. The covers are available 10 colours, so you could possibly even seize a couple of and swap them out relying on the temper you’re attempting to create.
At beneath $20, this desk lamp advice from Stark performs on the pleated lampshade pattern for tremendous low-cost. It’s an incredible addition to a facet desk; in any case, almost all of the consultants I interviewed recommended spending much less on the smaller ornamental objects in your house, particularly lighting. “These pieces are easier to update over time as trends and tastes change, and there are many stylish options available at very accessible price points,” Gottliebsen mentioned.
According to Ikea’s website, the retailer’s furniture is made all all over the world, with most of its merchandise provided by Sweden, China, Germany, Italy and Poland.
Yes, once you buy furniture from Ikea, you could have the choice to guide a product meeting service at checkout because of the retailer’s partnership with Taskrabbit. If you guide by means of Ikea on-line or in-store, you’ll prepay for the meeting there. If you guide by means of Taskrabbit immediately, you’ll be charged for the service in Taskrabbit’s app as soon as the service has been accomplished.
For this text, I consulted the next consultants to achieve their skilled insights.
NCS Underscored has a crew of expert writers and editors who’ve a few years of expertise testing, researching and recommending merchandise, and they guarantee every article is fastidiously edited and merchandise are correctly vetted. We discuss to high consultants when relevant to make sure we’re testing every product precisely, recommending solely the best merchandise and contemplating the professionals and cons of every merchandise. For this story, affiliate dwelling and presents editor Nikol Slatinska talked to inside design consultants (together with Ikea’s dwelling furnishing route chief) about their inexpensive however expensive-looking furniture and decor suggestions from Ikea, in addition to their ideas for personalizing Ikea furniture.