Ways to Design with Ikea Furniture

Inspired by Danish furniture brand Vipp, Havart overhauled Ikea Akurum cabinets, electro-painting them with a resistant black matte coating. To create a streamlined effect, he capped the cabinet doors with the same finish as the metal appliances and added handles.

Finnish homeowners Susanna and Jussi Vento prefer a motley set of dining chairs over a coordinated set; that way guests can pick their favorite when they sit. Photo by: Petra Bindel

The kids’ bedroom features playfully colored bunk beds from Ikea. The mirrored closet doors reflect light and make the room appear larger. The vertical light slot can also be viewed through the bedroom corridor.

A family enlists Brooklyn design-build firm MADE to renovate a brownstone using surplus and salvaged materials for a budget-conscious patina. In the kitchen, the island and cabinets, fashioned from remilled Douglas-fir beams salvaged from upstate New York, sport inexpensive drawers from Ikea.

In the master bedroom, a Mandal bed from Ikea is draped with a Tuuli duvet cover by Marimekko.

A pair of Ikea Expedit shelving units line one wall of the sleeping area.

In the bathroom, a chrome waterfall faucet by LightInTheBox tops a 12.6-inch-square Mini Nova basin by Barclay; a retractable Ikea mirror is the only concession to vanity.

The living-dining area is outfitted with a Karlstad sofa from Ikea and a fireplace from European Home.

A Dokstra table from Ikea is situated on the patio.