It’s not hard to argue that IKEA revolutionized the average person’s ability to design their home with thoughtfulness, intention, and—perhaps most famously—an accessible price point. Their Billy bookcase defined many of our foundational decades, their kitchen cabinetry dominates aspirational vision boards on Pinterest (and many of our favorite home tours) and the Poäng chair looms large in countless living rooms. IKEA, in large part, brought the principles of Scandinavian design to the American household.
With over 80 years of design history, their pieces have entered the realm of cult status: the Enetri goes for at least $800 on resale websites, the recent reissue of the Dyvlinge was celebrated by IKEA purists, and the same parties await the revamp of the Diana with baited breath. Our editors are not immune to IKEA fangirling and, among the brand’s many iconic designs, we turn to it ourselves for affordable, everyday essentials: tables, floor-to-ceiling shelving units, kitchen carts, mirrors, and even dishes. Our favorites—and our many reasons why—below.
Our Editors Top Picks
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Living Room
I have a large system of Ivar shelves that have followed me to multiple apartments, accommodating a truly massive book collection. It’s built to be expanded upon and its modular design can fit various apartment configurations. Ours, for example, wrap around the room. When I did a deeper dive on the system, I learned that it’s been in the IKEA catalogue since 1967, and the original design was supposedly conceived as an industrial storage shelf for the Swedish Post Office. I think that original, utilitarian intention is why the shelves remain so timeless.
Putting them together can be a bit daunting, but once assembled they carry serious weight and, with a range of add-ons, you can use them in many contexts. We used a set to build out our closet and a friend of mine has them stacked with bowls and cookware in her kitchen. A pro tip from our household: add screw-in feet to the legs so that the height can be subtly adjusted to address wonky, uneven New York City floors.—Hannah Martin, senior design editor
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These little bentwood stools are honestly not quite up to the caliber of IKEA Frosta stools (possibly the best IKEA product ever), which were discontinued in 2016 (the design was deemed too obvious a ripoff of Alvar Aalto’s Artek stools...), but I’ll still take them! They are graceful, lightweight, and versatile for use as plant stands, side tables, step stools and seating. And they stack.—Catherine Hong, senior editor, AD Pro
The 13-inch cubbies are aptly sized for my coffee table books, HAY crates (the medium ones), and a small collection of vinyl records. There are few things this storage unit can’t do—it’s my makeshift craft station, my TV stand, and my magazine archive.—Kate McGregor, commerce market editor
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These globe lamps do the clever work of looking expensive without being expensive, and I’ve had them on my dresser for almost a decade. Hot tip: Fill them with smart lightbulbs so that you can turn them on and off with a simple “Hey, Google.”—Julie Vadnal, digital director
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Pinterest put me onto using outdoor shelves indoors. This feels like a Copenhagen-coded hack to chrome shelves for $23, and it makes a very handsome shoe rack for my many pairs of slingbacks.—Julia Harrison, commerce writer
Kitchen & Dining Room
I 100% copied the Lisabo table from my brilliant and tasteful friend Jordan Sondler. When I saw it in her kitchen, I knew it was exactly what I’d been looking for. It’s solid, simply designed, and the right color ash wood to match all the other wood in my apartment exactly. I’ve had it for over five years and, aside from a few scrapes courtesy of my clumsiness, it looks as good as the day I brought it home; and for a $300 table, that’s really saying something! It looks great either naked or dressed up with some fancy linen.—Rachel Fletcher, commerce director
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Few pieces have been spotted in so many New York kitchens as the Förhöja. One brief Facebook Marketplace search serves a dozen dinged-up copies for sale as engaged couples leave the city for their inevitable pilgrimage to the suburbs. There’s a reason they’re a tiny-apartment staple: It’s a butcher block with two large drawers, two sturdy shelves, and it’s not so long or so deep that it dominates even a tiny-kitchen space. I have the unique three-drawer edition which successfully stores my forever-expanding Le Creuset collection and all the kitchenware I insist on having loose in the drawers.—Harrison
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These are the plates and bowls we reach for the most at home. They look like a Brimfield score, but in reality, they’re super affordable and durable. Plus, if one breaks, I won’t weep over it.— Vadnal
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After nearly five years of wear and tear (not including the years it was used by its previous owner), three rebuildings, two coats of paint, and a heavy sanding, IKEA’s Vadholma island is my kitchen’s workhorse. I use it as a dining table, a desk, a sewing station, and a drying rack on any given week. The shelves are spacious enough to fit my Dutch oven, mixing bowls, coffee grinder, and collection of cloth napkins. I have no complaints.—McGregor
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I got my first standard set of white IKEA plates as a sophomore in college. Years later and I’ve added a blue series to the mix, which still comprises my main dining set up. These plates are ridiculously durable—they’ve survived four moves and a few collapsing-shelf incidents—with only a few chips to suggest otherwise.—Maya Ibbitson, associate digital editor
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Speaking of durability, I pretty much lost my mind while reading up on Tupperwares, which leak microplastics into your bloodstream, deposit a credit card’s worth of plastic into your brain, etc. I won’t get into the grisly bits that made me toss all mine out and opt for glass containers instead. IKEA’s were the cheapest possible option, and by way of quality, you’d never be able to tell.— Ibbitson
Bedroom
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I wrote a full, very affectionate review of this mattress that served me faithfully until a roof leak destroyed it. It boasts seven zones of support to respond to your body however you’ve contorted it during the night and it was impossible to find a position that felt unsupported or uncomfortable on the mattress. After months, I still found no issue—no back pain for me and no visible wear, slumping or sagging. It retained its shape and comfort over time and, paired with a few Parachute down pillows and a Buffy cloud comforter, was an absolute delight to return to every evening. —Harrison
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The warm walnut finish, slim profile, and metal legs of this dresser give it an elevated, midcentury feel without taking up tight real estate in my West Village bedroom. I styled it with a tray and lamp on top and use the open shelf for everyday essentials. Assembly took some time but felt manageable with patience, and once built, it’s sturdy and well-made for the price. Overall, it’s a storage workhorse that doesn’t sacrifice design—exactly what I needed in a smaller-sized apartment.—Chapin Rockwell, assistant to the global editorial director
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These are sold as twin-sized mattress toppers but we’ve never actually used them on the beds. Thick and futon-like, they make perfect little mats for sleeping on the floor when you need an extra bed. When my kids were young, they were our go-to when we hosted sleepovers. (Just throw a sleeping bag on top.) They can be folded and slid under a bed for easy storage.—Hong
