I know every corner of the website—here’s what you’re missing.
Your twice-weekly deep dive into what’s fresh on our radar.
Your twice-weekly deep dive into what’s fresh on our radar.

Every time I drive from New York to Philadelphia to visit my family, I make one important stop along the way: the IKEA in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania (a rental car = no schlepping big blue bags on public transportation!). I always beeline for the Marketplace section, keeping my eyes peeled for the latest accessories, before making my way up to the furniture displays. During my last trip, I scooped up a powder-coated magazine holder, a red serving stand, and a sculptural pitcher and portable lantern from the Marimekko collab. Sorry, none of those items are available today—but that’s exactly why I love shopping at the Swedish retailer: There’s always something new to discover. And if you don’t get it now, it might be gone forever. —Lydia Geisel, home editor

 
On Board
On Board

Technically, I work at Domino. But some days, it feels like I’m a part-time IKEA employee. I’m constantly combing the company’s website for under-the-radar products, chatting with its press team about exciting launches, ID’ing pieces in our home tours, digging through Instagram for hacks, and even asking staff members what products they cherish the most.

In My Big Blue Bag

Photography by Anson Smart; Styling by Olga Lewis

I unearth more cool finds than I’m able to write about, so here’s a peek at the chic, often clever things I discovered recently. 

 

01. Just like my new Marimekko lantern, I love that this $17 lamp is portable. Better yet, you can tilt the shade to cast light exactly where you want it. 

 

02. The other week, I shared my plans to get the look of this $1,840 corner shelf for less by combining two $50 Holmerud tables. 

 

03. The Mavinn line (a collaboration with Vietnam-based company Saitex) has been out for a while now, but I just came across this striped mat in trendy lavender. 

 

04. This retro speaker can come with me to the beach or sit cozy next to my books on a shelf. 

 

05. Right now, my sad watering can lives in a cabinet under my kitchen sink. I could win back that storage by replacing it with a cheery $5 option that doubles as a vase. 

 

06. I usually see the cloud-shaped Upplyst wall lights in kids’ spaces (zoom in on this cozy bunk), but I secretly want them for my own bedroom.

 

07. When we featured Dana Scruggs’s Brooklyn apartment, I learned that she squeezed more than 10 seating options into 700 square feet—the clear Tobias chair included. I’m really digging the orange colorway.  

 

08. Cottagecore will be alive and well in my studio this fall thanks to this checked bedding.

 

09. I’m convinced this stainless steel coaster set looks more expensive than $10, so someone in my family will be getting it in their stocking this Christmas. 

 

10. I hope this genius take on the sleeper sofa (it unfolds sideways!) is still around the day I have a home with a guest room. 

 

11. Speaking of saving space, I’m rethinking my bulky hamper after seeing how this tall cabinet’s portholes make it easy to sort lights and darks.

 
Buy This, Not That
Buy This, Not That
 

IKEA is best known for its neutral, Scandinavian-inspired designs, but when you and everyone else you know owns the same white Hemnes dresser, the basics can start to feel overplayed. Luckily, there are plenty of interesting alternatives hanging out on the shelves. Here are a few swaps that we found so your home doesn’t permanently look like a starter apartment. 

 

Clockwise from top left:

• Instead of the Sinnerlig pendant lamp, consider hanging the new Blastang shade. The weave is tighter so you don’t notice the bulb and cord as much. 


• Instead of the dormproof Gronsta chair, opt for the Genson in a fresh electric blue. 


• Instead of sticking a ubiquitous white Besta unit under your TV, use the rattan-clad Fryksas to hide all your media gear without blocking the signal. 


• Instead of relying on the Raskog utility cart for overflow storage, snap up the employee-approved Jarlasa side table, which also has wheels.  

 
Side Notes
Side Notes

Part of the fun of an affordable IKEA purchase is seeing what you can do with it once you’ve brought it home. I’ve seen plenty of DIYers clad the Pax closet in molding to make it look built in, and I’m just as obsessed with Bemz’s premade covers for the Soderhamn sofa as the next person, but did you know these lesser-known products can also be transformed?

 

• I’m not supercrafty, so I’m especially inspired by editor Hudson Moore, who simply painted his pine Ingo table bright pink. 

 

• Lone Fox Home creator Drew Michael Scott made a mushroom lamp out of a stainless steel bowl and a coffeepot from the kitchen aisle. 

 

• @mengmengliving convinced me I need the off-center Baggebo cabinet for my coffee supplies, complete with a cherry red knob swap. 

 

• There’s a snake plant sitting in a basic white pot in my entryway that I want to update with a reimagined Rodeby armrest tray, following The Sorry Girls’ instructions. 

 

• An empty white wall in my kitchen is begging for plate art. Kiva Brent applied Disc’s adhesive hangers to the backs of Entusiasm plates and…voilà!

 
Today’s Topic… What iconic IKEA furniture do you think is worth the hype?
Long live the Billy bookcase
Those cubelike Kallax shelves
The Besta line is, well, the best
You can’t go wrong with Sektion kitchen cabinets
The Malm dresser is a college staple for a reason!
From Last Week… What have you bought after spotting it in someone else’s home? (Welcome to the club.)
Was this newsletter forwarded to you?
Today’s Topic… What iconic IKEA furniture do you think is worth the hype?
Long live the Billy bookcase
Those cubelike Kallax shelves
The Besta line is, well, the best
You can’t go wrong with Sektion kitchen cabinets
The Malm dresser is a college staple for a reason!
From Last Week… What have you bought after spotting it in someone else’s home? (Welcome to the club.)
Was this newsletter forwarded to you?
 
 

Privacy Policy

View in Browser 

Manage Preferences 

Copyright © 2024 Recurrent Ventures Inc, All rights reserved.
701 Brickell Ave, Suite 1550, Miami, Florida 33131