As an interior designer, my philosophy has always been quality, quality, quality or the old adage “buy the best and only cry once.” We live in a world where social media feeds the beast of instant gratification and retail therapy by pushing what is often cheap, mass-produced goods that end up in a land-field sooner than later. However, the fiscally, environmentally and culturally responsible approach to interior design is in fact to take your time, buy the best you can and repair and reupholster furnishings so they last for at least a decade if not longer. This will always be my design rallying cry.
However, I am going to add a BIG caveat here. There are seasons and situations where you may need inexpensive design solutions. For example, you are setting up your first home after university and your entry-level paycheck barely covers the rent let alone a sofa to sit on. Or on the other end of the spectrum, you purchased a vacation home and want to rent it out but would prefer to not spend a ton of money on that fabulous Pierre Frey fabric that would be perfect for the living room chairs only for its fate to be left in the hands of a potential bachelorette weekend that gets out of hand and is ruined in a game of truth or dare. Then there is always the conundrum of living in a rental apartment in Paris where there are only two pipes coming out of the wall in the kitchen and it’s your responsibility as the tenant to install a full-functioning kitchen…ah bon?!
This is where Ikea saves the day like a design knight in shining MDF.
My love affair with Ikea began fresh out of university when I moved into a one-bedroom apartment with my two roommates. We needed everything and we were obviously on a tight budget not being able to swing two extra bedrooms. There was an Ikea right outside of Washington, DC where I was living, and when I stepped through the sliding doors, I was transported. I dreamed about visiting Europe growing up, but I had not yet had the chance to cross the pond, so Ikea felt like a small taste of what was to come. The Scandinavian designs, the Swedish “exotic” meatballs, and the cleverly laid out room vignettes felt like I took a quick trip to Northern Europe. It feels silly now confessing all this, but at the same time the genius of Ikea began to reveal itself. Throughout out my twenties as a young professional and then a young wife setting up my first home and even as I began working in the high-end interior design world, I continued my excursions to Ikea with delight.
I recently read a thought-provoking interview with the Italian designer, Achille Salvagni, and he was asked what was the biggest challenge to the interior design industry today. He replied,
“The level of worldwide consumerism that’s been normalized in our culture has dramatically impacted the design industry on many levels…The rise of furniture brands that mass-produce products at lightning speed, paying low wages to meet consumer demand for trend-driven low-cost furniture; creating an industry burdened with questionable socioeconomic and environmental impacts. It’s also an industry that prioritises profit over originality, quality, durability and creative ingenuity. Designers need to be part of the solution, educating and helping shift client and consumer behaviour to appreciate how things are made and as such, to acquire items that have meaning and value that are made to last.”
I whole-heartedly agree with his point of view and again it aligns with my design philosophy I stated above. However, I do think Ikea has set itself apart from the big-box stores in that it has found a design-retail model that inculcates originality, creative ingenuity, is not trend-driven but rather driven by a team of in-house designers. Although Ikea products may not last decades, again there are certain circumstances where you need an affordable form and function solution, and Ikea fits the bill. Do yourself a favor and watch the documentary, Inside Ikea, where you will be privy to the behind-the-scenes operations and introduced to their innovative design team and process. In recent years, Ikea has also started to focus more on sustainability and researching ways to create their items using recycled materials and aim to be climate positive by 2030.
Even the “design authority” Architectural Digest has been a champion of Ikea products, and vintage Ikea has become a sought after trend with design collectors. Recently, there was an AD article featuring top designers and their favorite Ikea products they have used in projects and personally in their own home. If AD were to ask me, these would be my top 5 favorite Ikea products:
The FARLOV sofa - which sadly has been discontinued (bring it back, Ikea!). It has a beautiful Belgian design and can be customized with a slipcover. Below, Olympia Irving, had a custom slipcover made for her Farlov sofa featured in House and Garden magazine.
The MARKERAD Méridienne x Virgil Abloh - a successful collaboration back in 2019 with the late designer and now you can find this piece on 1st Dibs…talk about iconic. And if beige doesn’t tickle your fancy, there are endless possibilities if you had it reupholstered in your own fabric.
3. The BILLY Bookcase, the low model - this has been an Ikea mainstay for a reason. We had a whole wall in our last apartment lined with these bookshelves for my husband’s and my compulsive book collecting habit. I also think they easily give off Givenchy’s Chateau du Jonchet vibes.
TUSSÖY & LUNDRTAV Bedding - I am forever on the hunt for bedding that makes my bed feel like a 5-star hotel, and I kid you not, I found the goods at Ikea. I discovered the TUSSÖY mattress topper and LUNDTRAV down pillows last summer while staying in a charming AirBnB near Cap Ferret. I was 8 months pregnant and had not been sleeping well until my first night when I laid my pregnant-self down on what felt like a cloud and slept soundly for the first time in ages. So naturally, I immediately stripped the bed to find out where this secret sleeping sauce came from and I was shocked (!) …all from IKEA. Now, I’ve worked with clients who have bought the famous blue and white checked mattress from Hästens and I had another client who traveled 200 days out of the year and always stayed at a Four Season Hotel so he decided to buy the same hotel bed for his personal home. Beds are personal, like art - to each his own. However, I think a 5-star review from an 8 month pregnant lady takes the cake.
KALLARP Kitchen Cabinets in THIS color! - Our current rental apartment did come with a kitchen, but unfortunately it is equipped with an IKEA kitchen from at least 60 years ago. It’s functioning (so maybe I could make the argument IKEA is durable to a degree) but an eyesore after decades of wear and tear. It’s a service kitchen, a tight galley style off the hallway that requires a careful dance when two or more bodies are in there at once. We are in the midst of trying to negotiate some upgrades with the owner since everything is on its last leg, so in the meantime I’m tempted to put a large piece of yellow caution tape over the kitchen door. I decided to go one weekend to stroll through IKEA to see what we could possibly propose to the owner to upgrade the derelict space, and I came across the KALLARP cabinet fronts in the most beautiful deep Bordeaux red. Sadly, I don’t think our landlord would go this bold, but if I had free design reign I would use the design I whipped up below. The deep, high-gloss Bordeaux color begs for some old-world glamour with a touch of Italian influence.
I love supporting artisans and I’ve become even more passionate about it since moving to Europe. There is a high value placed on transmitting craftsmanship from one generation to the next especially on this side of the pond, and I will always champion this way of designing. However, Ikea has proven that you can create good and thoughtful design at a democratic price point. I think a space at any budget level should include at least one Ikea product, plus you never know if that Ikea piece you purchased will become a highly sought after “vintage” treasure.
At the very least, take a trip to IKEA for their self-serve ice cream machine.