Revealed: Our top 10 Ikea home interior picks of the year
Storage/display Tonstad €70 Furniture, €1229
Shovelling functional, affordable ballast into the stern of our little boats, it’s easy to forget just how well-regarded the Swedish furnishing flagship Ikea is in the design world.
Here’s my pick of the hundreds of launches and refreshed favourites from the Viking halls in 2024.
There was an excellent reminder this year of Ikea’s creative class in an everyday collection of cutlery. It put me in mind of the unconventional first stainless-steel cutlery created by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen in the late 1950s (still available at over €380 for 24 pieces).
We love the kite-shaped spoons and cylindrical handles of Frojda, part of an organically inspired limited edition for Ikea, with a standalone five-piece serving set for just €19, and ideal as a Christmas surprise. Incidentally, stainless steel accessorising is trending for the New Year.
Part of a relaunch of iconic work by Ikea in its Nytillverkad collection, these are one of a number of unserious but fascinating chairs to perch a teenager or punch colour and interest into otherwise politely behaved quarters.
Described by the design team as a “youthful and festive armchair” this shell/kiss form on a tubular metal frame in a low, bouncy lounger by Gillis Lundgren, was called Puck at its launch in 1969. Yellow is a key colour for 2025. The dopamine Hakebo colour is taken right over the shell and frame this time. Amusing, comfy, and catchy — just perfect for that 1980s (Italian) Memphis vibe.
Hallways are often forgotten in our anxiety to tastefully dress up principal rooms, but these conduit areas demand some sly aesthetic winks too. Another winner from the Ikea archives you can pick up after a plate of Swedish meatballs (€4 for Family Members on Mondays and Tuesdays), the asymmetric tree-style shape of the Smed stand was created by Rutger Andersson in 1978.
It's available in black, lilac or yellow, use it for light bags to show off that sculptural pop-culture form in your circulation spaces or walk-in dressing room.
I’m a longtime fan of Finnish fabrics for their vivacious joy, and the Tygg collection and various new fabrics at Ikea this year put me in mind of the brilliance of Marimekko (see my sidebar). Suited to a variety of domestic projects and even crafting, Ikea offers three-metre pre-cut fabrics in an array of colours and patterns in 100 % cotton.
Run up a summer dress in a Scandi-floral, conjure a tablecloth, or put a new application on a jaded set of curtains. Ikea fabrics can be machine-washed and easily ironed into pert perfection. My choice for spring 2025 would be the fresh yet electric Taggkorvel stripes and the hilarious squiggles of Flugblomster in red and pink — so juicy and fresh for cushions in that sunroom. A nice stocking filler for a crafty friend.
I know I’ve said not to try to solve storage issues with my storage furniture, but some things are just too handy to ignore. This softly imagined felt-covered tapered box/basket on a steel frame by Anna-Maria Nilsson, is a game-changer, perfect for those X-box accessories, a few magazines or the TV controls.
Light, sleek and unobtrusive, it can be easily carried by even a small child and has a lid to keep the dust off. It’s actually designed to sit into the versatile frame shelves of Kallax — something you may have. It includes holes for cables to allow charging inside too. The handles double as the floor stand when you fold them down. Genius. Please, cat owners, pick up a cat house for just €5 to slide into those Kallas boxes. Puss says “yes”.
Engineered and wood effect countertops are best-sellers at Ikea and with good reason. We know timber can be problematic in the kitchen, but there’s no reason you cannot have that calming honest look that will continue to soften kitchens for next year. With parquet still grooving up wood flooring, my choice from Ikea's top buys of 2024 has to be Barkaboda, which could be used in a small panel or all over a kitchen as a worktop or an island surface.
It combines solid wood, and a thick walnut veneer glossed with a hard-wax oil. It can be sanded to repair small areas of damage. Order the exact length and depth you need for your kitchen island or bar solution as well as cut-outs for your sink, tap and hob. Buy at Ikea's plan-and-order point, Douglas Village Shopping Centre, Cork.
Intentional clutter and determined comfort are making a cosy return in the New Year, with a new appreciation of vintage Edwardian nostalgia. Wing chairs have been popular for four hundred years, shielding us from drafts, human distractions and the direct heat of the fire. Ikea’s Strandmon has a lighter, airier presence than formal, clunky occasional. Its new monochrome Vibberbo hounds-tooth ticking would sit in a contemporary or rustic setting with equal flair.
I like its five fashion-forward horizontal buttons — very un-fussed European mid-century tailoring. Together with the rest of their popular Strandmon collection (check out optional slip-covers from €50), take a look at the fabulous, eclectic Vingson. Daring for inside and out, it has the handsome, high flutter of a wing chair, and is described by the design team as a “beautiful peacock” you can coax out from the conservatory as the weather warms; €299-€404.
There are some storage pieces by Ikea that are being heavily hacked and re-imagined by online influencers. Don’t stop at that Billy bookcase, hunt around the reaches of Brimnes, Eket and Besta too. Look for pieces you can bank together to form larger runs of floor-standing cabinets and shelves.
Straight sides without any interrupting raised baseboards are vital for this built-in cheat. Choose new handles and add a baseboard to unite their front. This year saw the introduction of new pieces in the quality Tonstad series in white and brushed oak veneer. With blind doors, glazed units and shelving combinations, it’s perfect for both showing off your favourite items and hiding things away.
Glassware is always a popular buy from Ikea, as it’s not only inexpensive but follows trends closely while still guarding that Swedish minimalism we all adore. Ikea glassware is easily blended into a glittering everyday collection, so don’t be afraid to take a harlequin group of glasses even to a party table.
The look of luxury is trending for 2025, but of course, we’re at Ikes, and this will be an affordable luxury. Mouth-blown, coloured glass pieces and goblets are a great choice for something a little elevated, and we like the lavender tint and tactile ribbing on the gorgeous Anledning range. The carafe would make a lovely vase too.
Our fascination with houseplants is not abating, but we are seeing more options for flying, floating, dangling, and otherwise raising the profile of our indoor greenery. Choose from planters, pots, stands and vases for growing and displaying. The Daksjus plant stand offers three plant pots in a satisfying egg form, €45.
I picked up a couple of Skugnonna wall plant supports for a bathroom and kitchen, a wirey steal at €17 each. For a massive planting area on wheels that can be used to divide off areas of a room or just tend herbs, the Mittzon in white can be wheeled around with its own urban jungle; €220.