The Secret To Making Your IKEA Purchases Meld With Your Family Heirlooms

Like many people, when I was first starting out on my journey as an adult, I didn't have the luxury of curating my dream home. It was all about getting what was inexpensive and necessary. My husband and I also ended up with a lot of hand-me-downs. This resulted in a hodgepodge of different styles and items that we owned out of necessity. Our first attempt at upgrading to something better was with IKEA furniture, which was budget friendly and high quality, with the simple, clean look I loved. The problem was, although I had no issue donating many of our hand-me-downs to the thrift store, I had family heirlooms I wouldn't dare get rid of. I had to somehow integrate my antiques with my IKEA purchases. 

The secret I discovered? IKEA furniture works best as a supporting role, not necessarily the main character. When you use their clean-lined pieces as the backdrop, your heirlooms are allowed to shine.

Now, 20 years later, my husband is still trying to convince me to get rid of our NORESUND side table. Our tastes have matured, and we are a little more discerning and methodical about the pieces we choose to decorate with. But we have even more heirloom items now. Thankfully, I still have the skill of mixing the old with the new, and IKEA has even more options that can easily be integrated with heirlooms than it did back in 2006. There are even a few modern IKEA pieces that could totally pass for vintage themselves. My favorite hack is to use something like a KALLAX shelf to serve as a curio cabinet for ceramic pieces and the antique books I've inherited, but there are plenty of other ways to integrate heirlooms with modern IKEA pieces.

Family heirlooms are precious items that tell the story of your family. They can also be conversation pieces that remind us of loved ones who've passed on. This is why they should be displayed, not hidden away in the attic. IKEA has a wonderful selection that allows you to customize each of its furniture pieces to blend with furniture and decor items you already have. Looking for a shelf to highlight the ornate mantel clock you got from your grandfather? The LOMMARP in blue-green would work perfectly.

Like me, you could use an IKEA cube shelf as a multipurpose furniture solution in a living room or office to prominently display your favorite pieces. The KALLAX comes in a variety of finishes that can work with a multitude of heirlooms from various decor styles. If you want to integrate different types of heirloom furniture with IKEA pieces, you can do that as well. A MORABO sofa in a neutral shade would work as the perfect backdrop for the vintage mid-century modern coffee table you got from your great-aunt. You could also use something like the UPPLAND sofa as a cozy display for your grandmother's handmade quilt.

Try to stick with neutral colors and complementary finishes. If you don't know where to start, it's always a good idea to create a focal point and design around that. If you've inherited a piece of art, pick a few colors or shapes from it that you love, and use IKEA pieces that complement it. Just as you are the resulting blend of all your ancestors, your decor should be an expression of the continuing story of your family.