The Best Solid Wood Furniture from Ikea (2022)
and the ‘other stuff’ that’s worth buying anyway!
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We all know it.
The blue building, yellow letters.
The maze-like floorplan.
The. Meatballs.
IKEA – the Swedish-based, home furnishing giant. It’s the go-to for any 20’s something moving into their first apartment. But that’s not all it’s good for! From your first apartment to your dream home, IKEA makes its way into every interior along the way.
You heard me.
The Swedish giant has perfected the art of design and functionality with its minimalism that toes the line between classic and on-trend. Sure, you can easily identify some of the most basic, swedish minimalist pieces that the brand sells but it’s also possible to complement even a mature home with some of their furniture without your decor screaming “IKEA”. Even more, you can get some good quality furniture from IKEA.
I’m talking genuine. Bonafide. Solid Wood.
Ikea gets a bad wrap. Check out this list of solid wood furniture (and other things) that you should spend your money (as soon as you can find your way out of the Showroom)
Solid Wood Furniture from IKEA
Hemnes- Bedroom
These bedroom pieces have been around at IKEA for a while and they keep expanding the collection. They have dressers, nightstands, bed frames, vanity tables, daybeds, wardrobes.. you get the picture.
Hemnes bedroom furniture is a hit with the public and I’m not surprised because the quality is great! Hemnes is made of solid pine (aside from drawer bottoms and back panels) and they are a great, clean lined option to blend in with the rest of your decor, whatever your style may be!
I’ve had the Hemnes 8-drawer dresser (pictured above) and 6-drawer chest in black-brown for almost 10 years and they’re still going strong! They’ve made it through 3 moves (1 cross-country) plus heavy everyday use and they still look brand new! I think once, 5 years ago, one of the drawer bases blew out, but it was easily fixed by popping it back in it’s track. Never throwing out a pair of jeans is one of my super powers.
Hemnes- Living Room
The Hemnes Living Room series has so many great gems! For starters, you can get this bookcase that’s like a graduated Billy Bookcase (IKEA cult favorite) in a solid option.
As a whole, the Hemnes Living Room series has the same style of the bedroom series but with living room pieces-bookshelves, media tables, coffee and side tables. The major upgrade to the Living Room series is that there are some dual-color pieces really elevate these pieces from the typical IKEA look. They also fit really well together to make a combination piece:
Even though there’s not Hemnes- “Dining Room” series (yet!) they show this glass-door cabinet with dishes in it and it’s the perfect transition for your modern farmhouse (turning contemporary) decor:
Hemnes also has the following series:
Workspace– desks in a few different styles and storage options.
Hallway– benches, a coat tree, shoe racks and narrow tables. Great for adding functional storage in small entry spaces.
Bathroom– cabinets, shelf units, mirrors and tons of single and dual vanity options. Have you seen the prices of vanities? Do not underestimate the options at IKEA.
Tarva
The Tarva series is about as minimal as they come design wise with it’s clean, straight lines and unfinished pine construction. Although most of the environmental photos on the site focus on dorm rooms and similar, the Tarva can be incredibly versatile even for mature home designs. The unassuming design and ability to customize however you want make this series a great building block for minimal, modern, eclectic and even traditional design.
I used the Tarva 6-drawer dresser in my closet built-in makeover (Part II where I use the dresser HERE. Here’s the REVEAL!)
The Tarva dresser was small enough to fit in my small space but still gave us that much needed drawer storage. I didn’t even contemplate building my own drawers- this dresser was it!
Havsta
I see Havsta as like the moodier, more traditional Hemnes living room collection.
Even in the white option, the shaker doors and construction of the Havsta pieces fit seamlessly into a transitional living room. I don’t have any Havsta pieces personally but some of these environmental shots on the IKEA website have me itching!
I love that they even come with base frames for the option of a more high-end furniture look.
Bjorksnas
The Bjorksnas bedroom series definitely leans heavily toward the traditional Scandinavian design that IKEA is known for.
The soft curves of these pieces are perfect for any light and airy bedroom. The pieces come in both natural wood and black, and include the cutest leather pulls and side- beadboard detailing.
Other Stuff to buy at IKEA
aka the non-solid wood pieces that are still worth the dough!
You might see a pattern with this section of the post. Most of the non-solid wood options I’m listing are different storage systems- bases, frames, doors- basically cabinets. There’s a reason that people don’t build solid wood kitchens (well, maybe they used to) and that’s because material conversion technology has come so far. Even high-end cabinetry is made out of plywood or composite wood materials. By using composites, we’re able to get the structural strength and performance without the warping, bowing and cracking of using solid wood.
Pair that with IKEA selection and prices and their pre-made cabinetry is a DIYer’s dream!
BESTA Storage Units
The Besta series is famous in the DIY world. Every DIYer has customized, built-in or at the very least knows about this IKEA furniture series.
The series has various frame sizes, doors and drawers in a few different colors that you can assemble however you want or need. Of course you can use them as stand alone furniture using the feet, or mounting them to the wall. However, a quick pinterest search for “IKEA Besta Hack” and you will find an endless number of innovative takes on these seemingly basic pieces. Sideboards, benches, mudroom lockers- you name it. There are even entire companies that are modeled around providing additional pieces to further customize your Besta pieces.
In 2022, IKEA also added some more Drawer Fronts styles for their Besta units (probably to compete with those other companies I just mentioned!)
PAX Organization Units
The Pax storage series is what I would deem the closet version of Besta. ON STEROIDS. These aren’t just basic frames and door and drawers. We have floor to ceiling storage, 3 different depths, custom lighting, sliding doors, sliding shelves, sliding hanger storage and.. why are we so obsessed with sliding storage?! Oh right, because it’s AWESOME.
It’s with a heavy heart that I recommend the Pax storage system to you because unfortunately, the primary closet in my house is the most absurd, awkwardly shaped tiny room. I wanted to use the PAX system. I tried to use the PAX system. But my only option was to create custom built-ins (and use the Tarva dresser, of course). It still came out amazing, so I’m not too salty to make your life devoid of the PAX, too.
Sektion Kitchen Cabinets
Have I convinced you that the cabinets at IKEA are amazing? Because now we’re onto the holy grail of IKEA cabinets- the Sektion kitchen cabinets. They have it all- base cabinets, cabinets for built-in appliances, sink cabinets, hidden drawers, those little spice drawers.
I haven’t bought or installed any Sektion cabinets but I’ve watched many kitchen makeovers from people I follow on Instagram. IKEA has made the installation so simple that anyone with a level and a drill could do it. There’s a suspension rail (french cleat) system so that all you have to do is attach these rails to the studs in your walls and then you just hang the assembled cabinet box right on them.
I dream one day of re-doing my kitchen with IKEA cabinetry (maybe with some custom doors) or maybe I’ll use them in an IKEA hack when I makeover one of the rooms in our downstairs into an office later this year…
Tornviken Kitchen Island
Okay, I swear, now I’m really over the cabinets but can I just share the Tornviken kitchen island? It’s only partially solid wood. The legs and shelves are solid which makes it sturdy, but I just think it’s adorable. And functional. There’s a space on the opposite side for two counter height stools. I’ve seen people use this kitchen island as a craft table or put it on wheels to use as a rolling work table. And look at it with two side by side. Sign me up.
IKEA’s not just for college students anymore. Stop staring at the empty rooms in your house and get over to IKEA. If you’re planning to brave the showroom, take the map when they offer it. No, seriously… it’s actually a maze and you will get lost.
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