Ikea opened its first branch in the UK in 1987 and changed our homes forever.
For Micaela Sharp, best known for appearing on TV shows like Interior Design Masters, Changing Rooms and The Woodland Workshop, the key to Ikea shopping is to keep your personality firmly in mind while shopping.
“They also sell a frame for it where you can put it on its side and have it as a bench. A built-in bench for a dining table is so space-saving, and then you’ve got the shelves underneath so you can use it for books or shoes or whatever you’ve got.
Ikea’s Kallax bookshelf (Photo: Ikea)Sharp, author of Modern Upholstery, also advises upcycling Ikea products with upholstered headboards or fixing fabrics to standard wardrobes, transforming them into unique pieces.
Micaela Sharp appeals to her upholstery and upcycling skills to make run-of-the mill products more unique (Photo: Micaela Sharp)She says people often make the mistake of buying things in white from Ikea. Then they get home, and they realise everything’s kind of neutral and end up with too much blank space in the room.” Wherever possible, she says, choose coloured items or paint them yourself.
‘I got my kitchen from Ikea’
Kevin McCloud, renowned designer and host of Grand Designs, is also a fan of Ikea. Last year, he installed an Ikea kitchen in his home in Hereford, incorporating local, independent craftsmanship and designs to make it more bespoke.
He is a fan of Ikea’s Lixhult series, too.
Presenter Kevin McCloud has bought cabinets and a fitted kitchen from Ikea – then enhanced it with a local independent designer (Photo: Stephanie Lee)
“I’m on record on television as having built this cupboard in four and a half minutes. We all know the history of flatpak being littered with the carcasses of badly written instructions. I think, luckily, we’re well past that, which is a great thing.”
One of Ikea’s model kitchens“You can apply taste, you can apply fashion, but really, they’re too temporal or superficial to matter. What really matters is whether or not something is well designed and whether it’s well made.”
For kitchen basics, Angela Trofymova, head of testing at the Good Housekeeping Institute, is a big fan of the £3 Ikea peeler, which she says is “super affordable and works like a dream.”
Ikea’s DIMPA Storage bag
Meanwhile, Blossom Boothroyd, homes manager at the Good Housekeeping Institute, is a fan of the £5 ASPEKT knife sharpener: “It keeps my kitchen knives sharp and ready for tackling any cooking preparations with minimal effort.”
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Boothroyd says the MOSSLANDA picture ledge, which costs between £4 and £12 depending on the size, is the perfect example of a product that does more than what it says on the box.
‘I go for a high-low mix for my tableware’
Red magazine editor-in-chief Sarah Tomczak is a big fan of Ikea’s inexpensive table linen, which she elevates by mixing with vintage and more expensive pieces.
Ikea’s VIPPSTARR Tablecloth
“They’re particularly good for outdoor dining because you can get them at a really good price, stock up, and they don’t have to feel too precious.”
Sarah Tomczak blends Ikea products with more expensive items and vintage pieces (Photo: Sarah Tomczak)Ikea’s STRIMMIG Plate
“As with anything, it’s kind of the high-low mix. So, while I would get their table linens, I would then buy more expensive crockery that I would have on the table. But they’re really good for a really nice colour palette. I think their colours feel more expensive than lots of other high-end brands.”
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