13 best IKEA storage & functional decor for your home

It is no secret that I love a good IKEA hack, but not everyone has access to the tools or can spare the time for them. So today, I'm going to share the best pieces from IKEA that look and function great as is, straight out of the box. Starting with the first category, storage. If you have a small bathroom, the ancient wall cabinet might just be the storage solution for you. It's really narrow, measuring at only 15 centimeters deep, but comes with adjustable shelving that you can maximize the storage space with. The built-in handle on the door also saves space and looks really sleek. The ancient series comes in three different finishes, oak veneer, dark oak and glossy white. Despite our humid bathroom environment, the oak veneer has held up incredibly well, and the cabinets were one of the easiest things I've ever assembled from IKEA. We installed a total of four of these cabinets in our bathroom, and paired it with a single hagan shelf for a little open shelving moment to complete our cozy bathroom. Up next, we have the low mop sideboard that I fell in love with at first sight because of its classic touches. From the subtle curves to the detailed doors, and even down to the brass hardware on it. It's a style that I personally think could fit well into any home, and if you're not a fan of neutral colors, it also comes in a moody dark teal. Inside, the shelves are adjustable and there's loads of storage space. We store a pretty random assortment of things in ours, including walk-ins, glassware, and even an indoor grill. Since it isn't that tall of a piece, there's opportunity to display some decor on top. We currently use it as a home for our houseplants and a few whimsical pieces. We've gone through a couple of IKEA coffee tables over the last 10 years, but the Listervue coffee table is by far our favorite and should be the one to stay. The rounded corners give it such a polished look while being child and clumsy adult proof. We eat all our dinners on this coffee table, I also journal on here sometimes, and it's just been so easy to clean and maintain. The shelf below provides a ton of storage space and as a unintended bonus, it's a great playground for your puppy. Juno has definitely made a ton of memories with this coffee table. The Tonstad side table is another piece that comes in oak veneer, dark oak, and white. The oak finish is a great addition to any earthy style bedroom. The cylindrical legs are a small but important detail that give it a high-end look, while the hidden drawer keeps it true to its minimal scanty style. Speaking of, it looks like a tiny drawer but you can actually fill it with a lot of junk. The shelf at the bottom is also great for stacking books or maybe a cute basket to add even more storage. I find that it's a really good size for a bedside table. It's just the right height and there's a perfect amount of surface space for a bedside lamp, your phone charger, water bottle, and even your bedside clutter. In Germany, most apartments don't come with closets so the PAX wardrobe is a really popular storage option. It's a classic IKEA piece that comes in various sizes. The storage add-ons are probably my favorite part. I use the wire baskets to maximize storage space at the bottom while leaving enough space for the door hinges. I use the soft close drawers for storing clothes and the flat pull-out drawers for things like jewelry and belts. Originally, we had put sliding doors on our PAX wardrobe but in 2021, we added the flisberged doors that come in a soft neutral beige color and has subtle but really pretty trim detailing. In the recent years, I've noticed a few more amazing door options for the PAX wardrobe like this one from the Tonstud series that features inset handles for a mid-century modern look and the other one in the same series features reeded glass and looks incredibly high-end. For a more budget-friendly modular storage system, the plaza cabinet is a great option especially if you have sloped ceilings. We use them for extra storage space under the stairs and combined them with the smart start doors for those soft rounded corners that are great for this tight space. The plaza cabinet is another super easy build. I can usually build it on my own within 10 minutes but it's still really sturdy. I've sought my fitness weights that add up to about 26 kilograms on here for the past two years and the shelf still shows no signs of sagging. I also used the plaza cabinet for floor to ceiling storage in my recent studio makeover and only have good things to say about it. The Lode Margaret shelf is the only item on the list that we don't own but would love to. In our dining room, we have this custom shelving system which although we do love now, delivery took months and the overall customer experience was terrible. The Lode Margaret shelf from IKEA looks incredibly similar but at a more budget-friendly price. It's also pretty customizable. You can choose to customize the width of the shelf, which shelves to leave open or add an insert to and where to add closed storage. If you're looking for a good tall piece that provides storage and a chance to display decor, this might just be the perfect piece for you. Next, let's talk about some of the best functional decor IKEA has, starting with the radome frame. The radome frame comes in a variety of sizes and finishes but my personal favorite is, to no one's surprise, the oak finish. We have a couple of them in different sizes for our favorite posters and even a few puzzles that I glued together. What's special about this frame is that you can also use it as a shadow box. I 3D printed some metal holders and made this metal display case for my husband. I also spent some peaceful hours framing up our memorabilia in the 60 by 90 centimeters radome frame to create this gigantic memory wall. The Huvet mirror is a large mirror standing at almost two meters tall. It's available in aluminum, gold and black. You can either hang it fully on the wall in either direction or lean it against the wall like we did. For the latter, you'll need to add a screw five centimeters from the top of the mirror in order to securely hook it on. A large mirror is always a great filler piece for an empty patch of wall and ours sits right in our entryway for outfit checks and to bounce light off a window in the otherwise dark entryway. The Kut Lava Lamp is one of the newest additions to our home. I have such a soft spot for pleated lampshades because they have such a timeless nostalgic feel and they add a lot of interesting textures to a space. The Kut Lava Lamp is extremely wallet friendly and a great size for a desk or bedside lamp but it also has enough character to stand out as a functional piece of shelf decor. My favorite detail is the little wooden knob on top that is such a subtle detail but really ties it back to its Scandi roots. For something a bit more architectural, the Simrishan Lamp might be your choice instead. The milky opal glass globes are large enough to fit smart bulbs and give the perfect cozy glow. This lamp has been a staple in our home for over five years and I had spray painted the base black to better tie in with the rest of our decor. But if your home style leans more modern, the original chrome base would also be a really great fit. The Backfam Stepstool is another classic IKEA piece with multiple functions. Naturally, it's my go-to for reaching the top cabinets but it's also beautiful enough to create a cozy plant corner. Because it's made of solid wood, it has a weight and a sturdiness to it that makes it feel much more expensive than it actually is. IKEA now has a number of finishes for this stool but it's also really easy to customize it to your liking with just a little paint. The last item I want to talk about today is one that we get a lot of questions about and it's the Econus Mirror from IKEA. Originally, it comes with a floor stand that's handy for hanging those in-between clothes. You know, the ones that aren't dirty but aren't really clean either. But to save space in our previous smaller bedroom, we actually took the stand off and hung it using a metal wire. We liked the minimalistic look of it so much that we still use it today with the stand off and leave it in the corner of our book nook slash dressing area. And that concludes the 13 best IKEA home items that we've owned and loved. A big shout out and thank you to my channel members and be sure to stay tuned for part two where I talk about the best home organization items from IKEA. Thanks so much for watching and I'll catch you in the next one!