IKEA Must Haves 2021

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Joe clearly knows my love language. For my birthday this year, he suggested I meet him near his office for lunch while the kids went to the museum with their grandparents. What he suggested next made me swoon - “you should go to Ikea while you’re down here”. SAY NO MORE, BABY, I’M THERE. I’ve been keeping a running list of things I need/want from Ikea for a year, so I was thrilled!

This is my 2021 list of Ikea Must Haves/my huge shopping haul from the trip.

RITVA Curtains

When we bought our house, I was still learning a lot about interior design (I was in design school, actually), so I didn’t hang my curtains high and wide like I do now. If you don’t know what I mean, stay tuned because I’ll be sure to do a before/after post both here and on Instagram. The difference it makes is insane.

I considered going with a color this time, but I just can’t get away from white curtains. I love them and I’m not ashamed of it. I chose the Ikea Ritva curtain panels because I love the subtle texture they have. They’re not too sheer and not too heavy - the perfect curtain, in my opinion. The one downside is that Ikea curtains come EXTREMELY long (although I suppose this is an up-side if you have insanely high ceilings), so I’ll probably have to hem them but at $30 per pair, I’m okay with that.

RÄCKA Curtain Rods

Ikea also has extremely well priced curtain rods. The RÄCKA Curtain Rod that I got can extend up to 152”. I’ve even seen others put multiple rods together to curtain an entire wall of windows! At $5 per rod, they’re the cheapest I’ve seen. Be sure to grab 2 BETYDLIG Wall Brackets and a pack of RAFFIG Finials to finish it off.

Pillow Inserts

I’ve been slowly transitioning all of our pillows to down filled inserts. I no longer buy pillows that don’t have a zipper so I’m able to wash them and switch out the insert if needed. Down filled pillows are also able to be fluffed infinitely, while polyester filled pillows will go flat over time. Ikea carries the cheapest down filled pillow inserts I’ve seen. H&M also has well priced options if you can’t make it to an Ikea.

I bought:

2 - 20x20” FJÄDRAR down inserts for $6 each

2 - 26x26” FJÄDRAR down inserts for $10 each

1 - 16x26” FJÄDRAR down inserts for $7

1 - 16x26” HEDDAMARIA cushion cover for $9

I like to use an insert one size larger than the cushion I’m filling - his creates a really full looking pillow. I bought these 24” pillow covers to use with the 26x26” inserts. My general rule of thumb when selecting throw pillows is “bigger is always better”, so you’ll never find a pillow smaller than 18x18” on my couch or bed.

HOVSTA Frame

These frames have a beautiful wood tone, and I love the clean lines. I also appreciate that they come with a mat, yet sell for $10 for a 12x16”. Something to note about these frames is that they don’t have glass. It’s plexiglass, but at least you know they won’t break!

KORKEN Jars

We keep all of our flour, sugar, etc. in these jars of varying sizes. They’re great for gifts and for storing all kinds of things. I love that they seal shut too, so any time I’m at Ikea I pick up a few.

INGEFÄRA Pot

You guys know I couldn’t leave Ikea without getting something plant-related. I’ve been eyeballing Ikea’s quintessential terra cotta pot for ages - it’s simple but I just love the lines of it. They also had a larger one, but I couldn’t think of anything I needed it for, so I opted for the smaller one this time.

Hemnes Shoe Cabinet

While I have enough storage for our shoes, we struggle with maintaining a home for our electronics when they’re charging. They bounce around the house, and the electronics that do have a permanent home are not hidden away. My plan is to modify this shoe cabinet so it acts as a charging station for our electronics. I’ll have to paint it as well since they didn’t have the white in stock.

There you have it - a list of my Ikea must haves. Hopefully this helps if you’re planning a trip to your nearest Ikea! Do you have any must haves that didn’t make the list?