Save Your Money with These Ikea Budget Home Decor Ideas

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If you need a lot of style on a teeny tiny budget, then Ikea is going to be your best friend. They have so many budget home decor ideas that you will totally love.

I mean, Ikea can be your best home decor friend for lots of reasons that have nothing to do with being budget friendly. Like the fact that they have a cafeteria where you can get Swedish meatballs or breakfast for $1.99.

I write this like I have a perfect relationship with Ikea, but there are actually a lot of things that irk me about Ikea. It’s kind of a love/hate relationship. But I shall save my Ikea hate for another post. This one is a love fest, ok?

The Best Budget Home Decor Ideas at Ikea for When You’re Kinda Broke, But Still Stylish

Black Accessories

I remember on some show on HGTV or TLC, about a million years ago, hearing a designer say that having a little bit of black in a room grounds the room.

This feather and/or the globe in black would be perfect for accomplishing that.

I love the matte finish, these are not shiny and I love how it’s sort of a little odd that the globe and the feather are black. Normally these things are colorful in decor.

The globe is $20 and the feather is just $13. One or both will really make a statement on a bookshelf or a mantel.

Faux Plants and Real Pots

budget home decor from ikea - fake plants

If you really want real plants, go ahead and do that, but real plants have a restraining order against me, so I have to advocate for fake plants.

At Ikea, you can get faux plants for really cheap. Most of them are in the 4-5 dollar range and I have to say, they don’t look terribly fake. I have some in my house and my mother just complimented me on them the other day.

She said,

Oh, that looks pretty there!

-mom

I told her thanks and that it was fake. She said, I know, but it’s still pretty. So, see, fake plants can totally be pretty, too! They really help brighten up little corners and bring some life to a room (even the fake ones that are NOT alive and therefore cannot be killed!)

And don’t forget to grab some planters while you’re at Ikea. They range anywhere from $2-7+ so there are no excuses for leaving your fake plant in the plastic container, ok?

Clocks. But Why?

ikea clocks

No one has clocks anymore. Well, let me rephrase this. I don’t have any clocks in my house except the ones on the appliances.

But clocks are beautiful decor. Ikea has a nice variety of different clocks. I like that they have shape and dimension and even some typography.

If you’ve got a blank bit of wall and you’re board with hanging yet another frame, consider a clock from Ikea. You can get a cute one from $10!

Pillows on Pillows on Pillows

ikea pillows

Pillows do a lot of work. They support your head while you nap but they also are a versatile item when it comes to decor.

Now, you can spend a lot of money on a pretty throw pillow, you definitely can. I don’t recommend it, though. Throw pillows are functional. They are not there solely to look good, they are there to be leaned on, slept on, cuddled with.

So, you need form and function here. You also need to be able to clean them easily. Which is why you should be getting your throw pillows and pillow covers from Ikea.

You can see from the image above they have all sort of colors and prints. They also have different textures like the cozy faux fur ones below.

And best of all, they are inexpensive. Usually in the $3-8 dollar range for the covers.

ikea soft pillow covers

And yeah, the inserts are $3.99. Which means you can change up the covers to suit the season or your newest favorite color pretty much whenever you want.

Pro tip, the black and white pillows that are sort of just tossed in there a couple of images ago? They are more expensive, $20 bucks for the insert and cover, but these are like the throw pillow back bone. I highly recommend getting a set of these when they are in the budget.

ikea pillow inserts

Colorful Place Settings

ikea place settings

The dish section at Ikea is one of my favorite spots. In your kitchen or dining room, a great way to add some fun and color is with a couple of dish settings.

I know, no one lives like this with dish settings set out and cute, right?

But what if you did? It isn’t really any harder to put these out on the dining table after they’ve been cleaned than it is to put them away, right? It might even be easier.

I LOVE the little setting of mix and match dishes above, but Ikea has a ton of variety to fit any color palette. The dishes above are $4 for the big plate, $3 for the small plate and the bowl is $3. $10 for a whole lot of color and personality.

Cutting Boards (or anything “wood”)

ikea cutting board

I kow, these cutting boards don’t look particularly impressive just sitting there on the Ikea shelving. Why would I even put those there.

Well, you may or may not have seen this from my post on Ikea Wall Decor Ideas:

ikea wall art

Now you see what I’m saying? A collection of gorgeous wood cutting boards is incredibly impressive hung on the wall.

The chopping boards go from $5 to $20 depending on the size, but, they are going to double duty for you. They are going to be cutting boards AND decor.

And you don’t have to buy them all at once. Grab a couple of the smaller ones and work your way up to a giant collection. Ikea also has some pretty wooden bowls that would work well as decor, too.

Ribba Frames for When YOU Are the Decor

ribba frames

The Ribba frame from Ikea is a staple, just like the pillows and pillow covers.

This display of frames is a great example of how hanging personal photos and kids artwork can look completely lovely in your home.

You can get a good photograph blown up to fit those larger frames or have your kids make some large scale diy art to put behind the sofa. Once it’s in a frame, it will look like funky modern art, I promise.

Ribba frames start as low as $4.

Lantern Pendant Shades

pendant lights

Ikea has lots of fun pendant shades and I’m a big fan of this white lantern style one.

It’s $5! And it adds instant impact and personality to any room. It is super light and easy to hang. It gives off a nice soft light, too.

You will need to grab a pendant light kit, but those are just $10 and come with an LED light bulb, so for about $15, you bought a game changer for pretty much any room in your home.

Accent Furniture from the “Expensive” Collections

half moon side table with a basket tray on it

Ikea has a few furniture and decor collections that are on the pricier side. I don’t usually buy stuff from those because I am cheap. There I said it. But they are usually SUPER stylish.

What you can do if you want to stay budget friendly is look at some of the smaller accent furniture pieces from those collections like this side table from the Lovbacken collection is $60, but it’s seriously adorable.

I love the wood tone and I really love the little brass bottoms on the legs. This is the type of table that people will be like, “OH, I love that table”.

Star Pendant Lights

star lamp

Ok, this is hands down the best thing on this list. Ok? Do you understand the importance of this?

This sort of puny star lampshade is quite adorable, isn’t it? It’s a little on the small side for what I actually love, which is the giant Strala lampshade (28″) that I have in my home.

One in the living room and one in the dining room. They are the most captivating lights you will ever own. They are gorgeous, impactful and they give off beautiful light.

They also act as giant Christmas lights during the holidays. These are a game changer and I strongly suggest getting a couple and putting them in windows.

The shade is $6 plus the little lamp kit thing which is $15 bucks. You cannot go wrong with this, I promise.

Vases and Such

white ceramic pottery

The last thing you will want to pick for budget home decor from Ikea is some vases and other vessels.

I know you don’t buy fresh flowers weekly (but maybe you should), however, these are good for lots of things. Like holding utensils or just looking cute on a shelf.

And Ikea has some really pretty fake flowers, don’t forget, so if you can’t afford flowers every week, go for some fake ones for now.

I love the crips blue and white items here, but that natural rattan will add a ton of texture to your room. Texture is always a good thing.

Go Get Some Style On a Budget

You’re dying to go to Ikea now, aren’t you? I promise you I do not take for granted the fact that I live 12 minutes away from Ikea.

There’s something really special about going to Ikea on Tuesday night and there’s practically no one there and you can just roam freely through the store without any drunk shopping carts trying to run you over.

If you don’t know about the drunk Ikea Shopping carts, I will be sure to include them in my What I Hate About Ikea post. (sorry, Ikea, I really love you, too, though).

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