15 IKEA Finds You’d Never Know Were From IKEA!
One of the super special designer skills I have is that I can frequently identify what retailer a piece of furniture or rug came from at first glance. It’s a blessing and a curse, sometimes I have to rewind This Is Us because I was paying more attention to the Pottery Barn pillow covers I spotted than to the dialog. Take a brand that’s as ubiquitous (and dare I say, iconic) as Ikea, and it’s pretty easy for anyone who’s ever stepped foot in one of their stores to be able to spot a Billy bookcase or Poang chair at twenty paces. There’s no shame in owning Ikea pieces (I have plenty) but you don’t always want something that screams IKEA, right?
More than a few things caught my eye during a recent trip to the big blue box store. Rather than Ikea’s usual colorful and quirky style, these items are sophisticated, chic, and oh-so-stylish!
1/ Floating Frame / The delicate chain for hanging and thin gold frame look much more expensive than the $7 price tag!
2/ Vases: Tall and Short / Neutral colors combined with ribbed texture make these the perfect bookshelf styling pieces, no flowers even needed!
3/ Bath Towels / It’s the subtle contrast striped trim that elevates these past the Ikea norm. They come in several colors including the prettiest blush pink color and I’m not even a pink person!
4/ Small Black Flush Mount / I would totally use these mounted on the wall as a bathroom sconce or as a sleek and simple flush mount option.
5/ Dinnerware / This collection’s handcrafted look—dark rim and subtly speckled glaze—is so spot on for casual entertaining or everyday dinnerware.
6/ Row of Hooks / Hooks are my favorite organizational tool, these are so classic and would look great in multiples to help corral jackets in an entryway or towels in a kid’s bathroom.
7/ Basket / A minimalist shape with a leather detail is a winning combination in my book! Tuck this basket next to the sofa to keep throws and pillows tidy.
8/ Bedding / The pattern on this bedding might be called ikat or blurry hashtag depending on who you ask, but either way the small scale pattern lends itself to being layered with all kinds of other bedding pieces.
9/ Dining Chair / It’s the classic lines and simplicity of this chair that help hide this chair’s Ikea origins! Ikea loves to add a quirky detail that frequently ruins things for me, but not here thankfully.
10/ Lamp / This muted grey-green ceramic lamp is so sophisticated and on trend right now, it could probably pass as a piece from Studio McGee!
11/ Stool / While technically part of their outdoor collection, this little wood and woven stool would work just as well indoors at the foot of a bed or tucked under a console table. Did I mention they’re only $25?!
12/ Console Table / I adore the curved edges on this table and the light oak color is just right. How cute would this be as an entryway table? SO cute, right?!
13/ Throw Blanket / The flat basketweave texture and fringe detail on this throw really do it for me. It’s on the thinner side which actually makes it great for styling draped over the arm of a chair or even over an upholstered headboard.
14/ Pillow Cover / I did a double take when I walked past this pillow cover in the store! They’re heavier weight fabric than any Ikea pillow cover I’ve seen and I love the herringbone pattern with fringed stripes.
15/ Sofa / The thinner slope arm combined with a skirted slipcover make this sofa equal parts casual and chic. Very Hamptons house vibes, if you ask me!
Some pretty surprising finds, right? Part of the reason I wanted to do this roundup was to illustrate that you can find great things at Ikea, and they’re great not just because of the Ikea price point, they’re just great in general!