Elle Fanning Got Ready For The Golden Globes on a $19 IKEA Stool – Here's How The Versatile, Stylish, and Surprisingly Affordable Furnishing Signals The Future of Design
2026 is the year of accessible design, and the actor's pretty stool from the Swedish retailer is the first harbinger – she makes it look like a luxury piece
For years, celebrities have taken to design publications (and more recently, to Instagram) to showcase their luxury furniture. Seating from iconic designers like Pierre Paulin, Eames, and Roche Bobois has acted as a subtle cultural currency, signaling their taste and if-you-know-you-know sensibility. However, in 2026, we predict a shift towards relatability in the homes of the glitterati.
The first harbinger is Ella Fanning getting ready for the Golden Globes on a $19 KYRRE IKEA stool. She took to Instagram to share a photograph of herself posing on the birchwood living room seating idea, with a neutral home in the background. It's a relatively simple piece, featuring 3 curved legs and a three-sided triangular top.
Even more notable, the stool looks just as stylish among her neutral furnishings as a stool 100 times the cost. The humble brag is no longer the price tag of the item, but the ability to use something with quotidian beginnings to convey a beautiful design vision. Luckily, the KYRRE sofa is still for sale and would look just as beautiful in any home.
This stackable, 3-legged best-selling stool is a hero of simple yet functional design. The triangular top and alluringly curved legs give it a luxury feel despite it's surprisingly affordable price.
The use of stylish IKEA furniture in celebrity homes is not limited to Elle Fanning. Kate Middleton and Prince William spoke publicly about using pieces from the Swedish furniture giant in their children's nurseries. Recently, Sarah Jessica Parker went viral for the stunning $15 IKEA lamp on her kitchen countertops. These choices signal a shift in celebrities prioritizing affordability and relatability, rather than big names in their decor. In 2026, creating a stunning home is more about mixing and matching than going for all designer, top of the line furnishings.
Shop Editor's IKEA Seating Picks
When I say lava lamp shapes, I don't mean it all that literally. What IKEA is taking from this retro piece of decor is those very fluid curves and bolder colors that this armchair embodies.
Rectangles are feeling a little tired. Enter the triangle. This side table works as an unexpected companion to an armchair or bedside, offering a small shape shift that amps up the energy of a room.
Presented as the "anti-stress armchair" in the 1967 IKEA catalog, this is a retro number that nails two trends, IKEA's love of bolder colors and the return of cord. This is also available in a more subtle black and equally bright orange.
As the narrative around high-end furnishings shifts, so does the pieces celebrities are using in their home. Moving further into 2026, this is a huge interior design trend to keep an eye on.
