Ikea France’s five best-selling furniture pieces

Practical furniture, fair prices and understated design: few home furnishing retailers have shaped homes in Germany and France as much as Ikea. Ikea France has now revealed which products are most frequently bought there. Familiar favourites such as the Billy shelving system are included – yet among the shelves and wardrobes is an armchair that many people have seriously underestimated.

How Ikea meets everyday needs in smaller homes

Ikea France’s analysis makes one thing clear: furniture that serves multiple purposes sells best. Particularly in cities with high rents, homes are often smaller and every square metre matters. Customers therefore look for pieces that can adapt to changing circumstances rather than performing just one fixed role.

“Multifunctional and modular furniture that can be expanded dominates Ikea’s bestseller list – it simply grows with everyday life.”

Whether it is a living room, a home office in the corner or a children’s bedroom that is constantly changing, systems that can be rearranged, extended or converted rank highly on shopping lists. Many of the products Ikea now identifies as sales hits have precisely this quality – and have been part of its range for decades.

Billy: the shelving unit found in almost every home

It would be difficult to imagine a list of Ikea bestsellers without Billy. This straightforward bookcase system with its pared-back frame has been one of the company’s enduring favourites for decades. Its popularity is not based on eye-catching design, but on an unassuming yet highly practical combination of features:

• slim, restrained appearance
• comparatively low price
• units in several widths and heights
• options to extend it with additional elements

In many homes, it begins with a narrow shelf in the living room. A second one is added later, followed by an extension unit. Some people create an entire wall arrangement from several elements, while others use Billy in a study or even a child’s bedroom. As the design remains so simple, the shelving unit never looks out of place in any of these rooms.

Ikea regularly refreshes the system with new colours and finishes. In France, a new blue version is currently receiving particular attention. The underlying principle remains unchanged: a simple shelving unit that can be expanded in every direction and therefore grows as the pile of books gets larger.

Kallax: the shelving unit that does more than hold books

Second in the French sales rankings is Kallax, previously known as Expedit. This square shelving unit has long become something of an everyday building block. The concept is simple: cube-shaped compartments that can be freely combined, whether as a long sideboard, a tall shelving unit or a square block.

Its benefits are especially clear in smaller homes. The unit can:

• stand conventionally against a wall
• act as a room divider in the middle of a room
• be placed horizontally for use as a bench
• be mounted on the wall to keep floor space clear

In the French article, the editorial team describes how a music enthusiast uses the unit to store a large vinyl collection – its compartments are almost perfectly sized for records. Similar repurposing appears time and again, from toy storage to an improvised home office. This “use it however you want” quality is exactly what makes Kallax so popular.

Pax: the modular wardrobe system

Third place goes to another classic: the Pax wardrobe range. This modular wardrobe system has been in the collection since the 1970s and has continued to evolve over that time. The key to its success is that nobody has to buy the wardrobe exactly as it appears in the catalogue.

Buyers can select:

• the width and height of the frames
• the door type, either hinged or sliding
• the internal fittings, including rails, drawers, baskets and shelves
• fronts in different colours and finishes

In homes where every centimetre counts, Pax can be adapted relatively precisely to sloping ceilings, alcoves or room corners. Interior designers have stressed for years how important systems like this are for maximising storage without overwhelming a room completely. Pax excels here because its interior can be fitted out as required, rather than simply looking attractive.

The surprise star: the Poäng armchair moves up the rankings

In fourth place comes the entry that genuinely causes a moment of surprise among Ikea followers. Rather than one of the famous chests of drawers or a bed, an armchair ranks very highly: Poäng. Many people know this model, with its bentwood frame and slim padded cushion, from shared flats, student homes or cosy reading corners.

“The Poäng armchair, which has remained almost unchanged in the range since the 1970s, is among Ikea’s best-selling products in France – and outsells well-known chests of drawers.”

At first glance, Poäng appears almost unremarkable, but its appeal becomes clear in everyday use. The gently springy frame provides more comfort than its minimalist look suggests. Many people place it beside their bookcase or by a window, where it provides a quiet counterpart to the sofa.

The armchair is available in several wood finishes, along with numerous covers ranging from plain designs to bold patterns. When moving home, people often replace only the cover instead of the entire chair. This means the piece remains in use for a surprisingly long time, even when the style of the home changes completely.

Lack: the budget coffee table for a first home

Fifth place is taken by another longstanding favourite: the Lack coffee table. This simple tabletop with four legs has spent years in student shared flats, first homes for couples and often guest rooms too. Its biggest advantage is obvious: it costs significantly less than many competing products.

Price alone does not explain its popularity, however. The table avoids any unnecessary embellishment and is so minimal that it almost disappears visually. That allows it to suit nearly any living room – whether the look is Scandinavian, colourful boho décor or a more minimalist loft. Anyone furnishing on a very limited budget gets a functional focal point for the room from a single piece of furniture.

Why these five Ikea furniture pieces are so successful

A clear theme emerges from Ikea France’s bestseller list: every item mentioned is relatively simple, affordable and designed with modularity in mind. They work across very different stages of life – from a first shared bedroom to a family home – and can be combined differently when a separation, job change or a growing family brings new needs.

This adaptability is becoming increasingly important at a time when living space is limited. Instead of continually buying new furniture, many people extend existing systems or give them another use. A Billy shelving unit becomes a cupboard wall for crockery, Kallax becomes a filing unit, and Pax becomes a pantry in a storage alcove. The Poäng armchair can move from the living room into a child’s bedroom when a comfortable reading corner is needed there.

What households in Germany can learn from this

Although the figures come from France, several conclusions can be applied to the German market. Housing conditions are very similar across many major urban areas: high rents, shrinking floor plans and rapidly increasing levels of home working. Furniture that fulfils more than one function is therefore becoming far more important.

Anyone planning a home from scratch can use three simple questions as a guide:

• Can the furniture be extended or altered later?
• Can it be reused in a different room after moving home?
• Are there accessories that can change how it is used?

The Ikea bestsellers listed here show that this kind of “grow-with-you furniture” is cheaper in the long term. Rather than replacing an entire interior, an extra module, a new door or a different cover is often enough to adapt the style or create additional storage.

There is also an interesting psychological effect: choosing a flexible system takes some pressure out of planning. A home does not need to look perfect immediately. Billy, Kallax, Pax, Poäng and Lack can all be added to gradually. Over time, this creates a home that suits current needs – and can later be transformed again completely without having to start from scratch each time.