Ikea Roundup!

I've been an avid fan of Ikea since middle school. I very clearly remember my first trip to Ikea, crammed into the back seat of a minivan with a bunch of my cousins, my Mom, and Aunt. As the youngest of the cousins on the trip, I remember wanting to pick out something at Ikea that was as cool as whatever they were going to pick out. So naturally, I picked out the iconic wavy wall mirror, because that was clearly the grooviest option Ikea offered. Funny enough, after we got back from this Ikea trip, we brought the mirror into my room and laid it on my bed to keep it safe while we unpacked a few more purchases. And then my cousin Kate came running into the room and lept full force onto my bed, and shattered the whole thing. Along with all of my groovy hopes and dreams. In the end, I still got to hang that mirror in my room because we went back to get another. There's a chance I was wearing my sparkly shirt from Old Navy that said "MillenialGirl2000" because you know, Y2K was all the rage, when we went back to buy the second mirror.

Between my college dorm room, buying our first home, opening two different retail stores, and creating nursuries for both of our girls, I've been to IKEA more times than I can count. And I'm never disappointed.

However, over the years there are definitely certain purchases that stick out in my mind as better than the rest, and that's the list I've made for you today. This certainly is not an exhaustive list of all the things I have from Ikea, but it's my highlight real in terms of price, style, function and how much our family uses it.

For example, for the first seven years of our marriage, all of our living room furniture was Ikea. It was a great price, durable and served us well. So, if you're on the lookout for a killer leather couch or some bomb outdoor furniture, Ikea's definitely worth considering.

But the things I find I'm constantly telling friends "Oh yea, that's from Ikea!" are the items listed below. If you're new the Ikea game, or looking to not spend $1500 on your next Ikea trip, pick up a few of the items I've listed below and I know you'll love (and use!) them as much as I do.

White Bath Towels / I love white bath towels. There's just something so delightful about pulling a clean white towel out of the closet before you head to shower. White towels also remind me of the towels you find inside nice hotel bathrooms. I normally wash them all together on the "whites cycle" and will bleach them every so often as well to remove any makeup stains or, let's be real, stains from baby diaper blowouts. Clean, bright, and fresh. I love two things about the Ikea towels specifically. Our towels get used hard. First off, they're super absorbent. I don't know about you, but I don't like a super fluffy bath towel. I feel like that kind just moves the water on your skin all around and doesn't actually dry you off. Gross! That's why I like the FRÄJEN Bath Towel because it's made with a "slightly coarser texture" and I love it. Secondly, they come with this little hook attached to them to help them stay on your towel hooks and dry faster. (FRÄJEN Towel, White)

Wooden Hangers / We initially bought hundreds of these for when we had our retail stores. And over time, they all found their way into our house and closets! I love how uniform everything looks in our closest, and how we can swap them around from room to room easily when doing laundry. (BUMERANG Hanger)

Bed Frames / Our bedframe, June’s bedframe and Sunny’s crib are all from Ikea. I love the simple design, and use of white and raw wood materials, which is why I gravitate towards any of Ikeas items — especially their bedframes.

Our master bed frame comes in a few other sizes and has been great for us. We have a queen. If and when, someday, I’m tired of the unfinished pine look, I might paint ours! (TARVA Bedframe, Pine)

June’s bedframe is actually “vintage” Ikea. This was my bed at my parent’s house when I was in college. I am SO happy my Mom saved it because 13 years later, I love that my daughter uses it now.

Sunny’s crib is the same crib we used for June. We actually have on in white and one in that same unfinished pine that you see in our other frames. Right now the pine one is at my parent’s house, but I’m thinking about bringing it back when I give Sunny’s room a “big girl makeover” in a year or so. (SNIGLAR, white or beech)

Cord Light / There are times where I just use these cord lights to hang anywhere, with no shade! But now we have two of them in our bedroom with bamboo lamp shades on them! (HEMMA Cord Set)

Pendant Lamp Shade / Sadly this style is no longer offered, BUT! They have a similar version now that is almost cooler. Love it’s shape! (GOTTORP Lamp Shade)

This room (above) is actually my niece Pearl’s room! But they’re our neighbors and I helped design it last year, so naturally, lots of Ikea items were included.

Again, another bedframe! Pearls is the MINNEN in white.

Wicker Baskets / To be honest, a lot of the baskets in my own home are vintage and/or from thrift stores, but! Ikea has some really great ones (at a great price) that are perfect for rounding up stuffed animals, shoes, or holding plants. (SNIDAD Rattan Basket)

Floating Shelves / These things are the BEST. Technically they are called “picture ledges” because they have that little lip to keep things from sliding off. I have them in both June and Sunny’s rooms, and put them in my niece Pearl’s room! They have a few different sizes and colors (white, black, natural) and are perfect for any room in your house. (MOSSLANDA in White)

White Frames / Hands down the best selection of simple white frames, with mats, out there. And the price is fantastic! We have dozens of this style of frame in our house from Ikea, as well as a few others in different natural or wood shades. (RIBBA Frame)

If you’re not catching on yet, a lot of the white things in my house are from Ikea…. even our bathmat! (TOFTBO Bath Mat White)

White Dishes / I’ve had a few different versions of Ikea’s "basic white dishes” set over the years, but the best part is that they all work together and look so pretty, even if they vary in sizes and shapes a little from different collections. (IKEA 365+ Dinnerware Set)

Linen Bedspread / Linen duvet covers, sheets, and pillow covers are such a great way to give your home a crisp yet somehow still relaxed look. I love the white linen duvet cover we have from Ikea and know that they also have some crib-sized ones for kids too! (PUDERVIVA Duvet)

Play Kitchen / This might be in my top five favorite Ikea items ever. The price is amazing (only $89!), plus it goes with any style decor. For awhile we kept it downstairs in our dining room so that June could play with it while I was actually making meals, but now it lives up in her room for playtimes. (DUKTIG Kitchen in Birch) (DUKTIG Vegetable Play Set)

Stuffed Animals / I know, I know, who needs more stuffed animals? None of us. BUT! Ikea’s are big and fluffy and of course, a great price. We have just a few bigger ones from them and I really enjoy how they fit into the decor of our home and provide hours of playtime for the girls. This giant Kangaroo Mama is our all-time favorite. (SOFT TOY)

Wooden Train Set / I have a hard time going to an Ikea and picking up one of two of their wooden kid’s toys. I love wooden toys in our home, both in the way they look and to reduce the amount of plastic we have. Their trainset is at the top of my list. I’ve got an entire bucket of tracks and trains in our living room right now for afternoon play and adventures. (LILLABO Train Track Set)

Bookshelves / Over the last 10 years, we have had so many different Ikea bookshelves in our home, and right now still have our three favorites in our home. The first being this tiny little wooden kid’s bookshelf! Right now it’s in Sunny’s room, but for awhile, it lived in our bathroom when June was potty training awhile back!

The second is the adjustable white bookshelf that’s now in our master bedroom. This has literally been in every room of our house over the years. It is SO versatile. (FJÄLKINGE Shelf Unit, White)

Lastly, we have a shelf (*not pictured in this post) with drawer and door storage inserts in our basement/playroom. Our TV sits on to of it and loads of toys are kept inside of it. I’m pretty sure the actual shelf is from one of our retail displays back in the days of our Park City store! (KALLAX Shelf Unit, White)

There you have it! That is just a brief list of some of our favorite Ikea items that have stood the test of time, design, kids and life.

I will have to create “Version 2” of this post before too long, since I didn’t even get to mention rugs, couches, bathroom shelves, etc. Another day!

Thanks for reading!
XO -Brooke