The $130 IKEA Shelf in Julianne Moore's Luxury New York Kitchen Rewrites the Rules of High-Low Styling

Mixing inexpensive and high-end furniture can be difficult, but the actor shows how to make it look seamless in her West Village apartment

julianne moore on a pink background
(Image credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty Images)

If you're a fan of high-low styling, pay attention: Julianne Moore just revealed that she uses the industrial-style IKEA KOLBJÖRN shelf in her Manhattan kitchen.

'This I'm really proud of because this is IKEA,' explains Julianne, pointing to the gray shelf in the corner of her gorgeous white kitchen.

'I needed a piece where I could have my dishes [accessible], because we don't have a lot of storage in here. I was thinking about having something built, and I found this, and then I put it together, and I was like, "Oh my gosh, the color is perfect." I like the industrial quality it has, and it ended up kind of going with everything.'

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It goes to show that the chicest people aren't the ones who only buy the most expensive furnishings; they are the people who know how to mix in affordable pieces and make them look designer.

Going against the adage to 'invest in your staples, thrift your fun,' Julianne demonstrates that affordable staples work, as long as you style them right. In her space, a simple piece of storage becomes an artwork.

So, what is Julianne's technique for making high-low styling work in her neutral kitchen? For one, she starts with asking about what colors and styles will work in her home. Rather than introducing a pop with an inexpensive piece, she selected a shelf that fit seamlessly into the industrial aesthetic of the space.

Furthermore, though the IKEA shelf is prominent in Julianne Moore's kitchen, the eye is drawn to the sculptural dishes on the shelf, rather than the shelf itself. In other words, she splurged on the beautiful pieces, and decided to save on the functional. This is a clever way to think about your storage accents.

Finally, the mix of textures in her kitchen helps the high-low styling to feel effortless. Julianne mixes wood, glass, metal, and ceramic in the space, so a less expensive metal furnishing doesn't stand out as less elegant than the rest of the room. Ultimately, her technique has to do with bringing in an affordable piece that feels native to her space.

Shop The Rest of Julianne's Kitchen


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Sophie Edwards
News Editor

Sophie is a writer and News Editor on the Celebrity Style team at Homes & Gardens. She is fascinated by the intersection of design and popular culture and is particularly passionate about researching trends and interior history. She is an avid pop culture fan and has interviewed Martha Stewart and Hillary Duff.

In her free time, Sophie freelances on design news for Westport Magazine and Livingetc. She also has a newsletter, My Friend's Art, in which she covers music, culture, and fine art through a personal lens. Her fiction has appeared in Love & Squalor and The Isis Magazine.

Before joining Future, Sophie worked in editorial at Fig Linens and Home, a boutique luxury linens brand. She has an MSc from Oxford University and a BA in Creative Writing and Sociology from Sarah Lawrence College.