Best IKEA furniture

Start with the BILLY bookcase. It's the piece IKEA has refined for decades: a slim, shallow footprint, 66 lb per shelf, and it takes doors and inserts later, so it grows with you. Best first buy for most homes.

• KALLAX shelf unit — the one to pick if you want cube storage that doubles as a room divider; baskets hide the clutter.
• MALM bed frame — for a bedroom that needs a clean, low line and under-bed storage.
• RAST dresser — small rooms and anyone happy to paint or stain unfinished pine.
• LACK wall shelf — cheap, light wall storage above a desk or sofa.
• KRAMFORS sectional — if you want a proper lounge sofa rather than flat-pack basics.

Skip the vintage and consignment pieces if you want new, flat-pack IKEA.