Where You Should Shop According to Your Personal Style
Target, Ikea, and more: your ultimate guide to the best retailer for you.
Published Jun 24, 2019 3:00 PM
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Weeding through the seemingly never-ending offerings of a massive online retailer might sound like a good idea in theory. You park yourself on your cushy sofa with a hot tea or glass of your favorite vino and sit down to enjoy a bit of retail therapy.
Fast forward 15 minutes into this endeavor, and you’re left feeling exasperated and overwhelmed with options. It would be significantly easier if a store’s online catalog was broken down by distinct style sections—eliminating the need to endlessly scroll and wading through unrelated items of zero interest to you. We’re here to help make this dream a reality, and we’re starting by making our favorite shops a little easier to navigate.
Target, Ikea, H&M, West Elm… there are tons of purveyors of affordable goods out there with a seemingly never-ending roster of products. We’re breaking down the virtual catalog into four of our favorite trending styles. There’s modern farmhouse, ruled by rustic materials and fresh takes on the classic. The contemporary minimalist aesthetic is all about sleekness: Streamlined silhouettes, monochromatic color schemes, and a simplification of traditionally luxe materials (like gold or marble) are most pervasive.
Next up is our take on Scandinavian style—the perennially trendy look is all about layering textures and warm neutrals, creating a space that feels calm, collected, and as hygge as humanly possible. Finally, for our maximalist lovers out there, we’ve put together a curated edit of some of the most colorful, pattern-filled, Bohemian pieces our favorite brands have to offer.
Keep reading to discover the best of each category and happy shopping.
MODERN FARMHOUSE
An instant classic, this deep-seated armchair is sure to become your go-to spot for your morning coffee or unwinding with a good book post-work. It’s the perfect size to fill an empty corner in your living room. The modern yet sophisticated design ensures its longevity for more than a few years—just be sure to pick yours in a hue that you’ll be able to deal with for a while. We love the natural basketweave option if you’re stuck on choice.
Chip and Joanna Gaines are the undisputed king and queen of the modern farmhouse look, so we’ll leave it to them to pick products that suit this particular aesthetic. More accurately, we’ll leave it to their Hearth & Hand with Magnolia line at Target, which is chock full of these timeless-with-a-twist items. This simple stoneware pitcher is the perfect example. Slightly uneven gray dotting lends a handmade feel to the piece, preventing it from looking too manufactured. It’ll be a tabletop essential at your next brunch; the perfect vehicle for your mimosas.
Nothing like a matte black accent piece to bring a bit of edge to whatever room you place it in. Go for an industrial, sleek candlestick in lieu of gilded antique options to spice up your mantel or coffee table. Whether grouped together in a medley of other candles and decorative accouterments, à la your favorite French girls, or left standing alone, it’s a fabulous finishing touch.
When a tablecloth feels too clunky, bring texture to your table via minimally patterned napkins. Red stripes are a beloved classic for modern farmhouse devotees; a timeless, rustic design created to infuse just the right amount of color into any setting without going overboard.
A rustic table setting necessitates owning a rustic table, so get started with this. Equally relaxed and refined, it’s just as well suited for weeknight family dinners as it is for larger holiday gatherings. Simply switch up the setting with a few spruced up florals for your centerpiece (and maybe a tapered candle or two) for more formal occasions.
Buying a generic square pillow insert is one of the smartest things you can do, decor-wise. That way, when you get bored with your living room or bedroom accessories, simply pick up a new cover to completely change the look of your sofa or bed. We’re loving the elegant combination of faux leather and linen on this one.
A bit of old-school charm served up in a chic minimal way. Swapping out the lighting is an easy way to make a big difference in your rental apartment, and a bronze sconce is a perennially trendy way to go about it.
CONTEMPORARY MINIMALIST
This piece reads more like a work of art than a functional living room seating option. Luckily, it’s both. Buy into the millennial pink movement with the equally en vogue mid-century silhouette; this sofa is the best of both worlds.
The slightly unfinished yet somehow perfectly contemporary shape of this dinnerware collection—made out of Portuguese stoneware—is a visually pleasing balance sure to elevate even the most mundane of salads. Plus, the trendy lavender hue (the only thing we love more than millennial pink is millennial lilac) is a bit more unusual for dinnerware, making this set all the more interesting.
The die-hard minimalist eschews most fussy textiles and colors, which is why this rustic runner in a deep charcoal is the only tabletop dressing you’ll need. When in doubt, linen is foolproof.
If you’re the kind of person who enjoys a good cheese board from time to time, you need a marble serving tray. It’s the kind of thing that immediately invites a bit of luxurious frivolity; and the ultra-mod combo of marble and brass doesn’t hurt, either.
Listen closely, and you can almost hear your entryway telling you to buy this mirror. Part organizational shelf, part vanity enabler, this contemporary accessory is the easiest way to dress up empty wall space. Add a sleek candlestick or a little ceramic bowl (to hold your keys), and you’re good to go.
Winter is coming—it’s high time you turned into a tea person. A transparent teapot is so much cooler than anything old school, and the built-in tea leaf infuser makes everything easier. It sure beats heating up your mug of water in the microwave, that’s for sure. Taking time for your tea ritual and serving it up in a contemporary little contraption makes it all the more special.
A good statement lamp pulls the room together instantaneously. This particular gold pendant is unique thanks to its cage-style shade, which is both minimalist and eye-catching. Hang it above your kitchen island or dining room table to create some much-needed ambiance.
Minimalist doesn’t necessarily mean color-averse. This sleek little end table, save for its deep green hue, won’t sacrifice your pared-back vibe. Keep it in a corner of your dining room to serve as a bar cart, or in your living room to add a burst of color to an empty corner.
SCANDINAVIAN CHIC
If Scandinavian design is all about bringing in style and warmth through a select amount of cozy knits and timeless textiles, you need to stock up. Start with a cream-colored rug. This tufted wool ivory piece features only a zig-zag geometric pattern and will not detract from the rest of your decor.
When adding color, go for rich, earthy tones like dusty greens or mustard yellows. Nothing too vibrant or artificial-looking; the aim is to keep everything in your space feeling natural. Though statement-making, this deep yellow throw blanket won’t look out of place in your home. As far as we’re concerned, mustard yellow may as well be a neutral.
Opt for something simple in which to display your favorite blooms, and achieve peak Scandi-style through elevated simplicity. This bottle-shaped glass vase is the ideal vessel for a couple sprigs of eucalyptus or something equally minimal.
The dip-dyed trend can still look classic when it comes in the timeless combo of natural wood and crisp white. These stools are a small space essential, as they can be used for anything from a plant stand to a nightstand, and double as extra seating whenever needed.
Once more, earthy colors and textures remain paramount in Scandinavian design, which is why this stoneware bowl is so perfect. Keep them empty and allow the beautiful sculptural shape to do all the talking, or fill it with a few pieces of citrus and keep on your table for a simple centerpiece.
A studio apartment essential, the daybed is an investment we’ll always champion. Particularly when it looks as sleek as this one; crafted from a durable pine wood base and featuring crisp white cushions, it speaks to the Scandinavian design tenets of quality simplicity. Plus this way, you won’t have to make your friends sleep on an air mattress when they come to visit.
We love the idea of a full set of these grouped together to stagger height. Whether you go traditional with a white tapered candle or opt for something more vibrant, like a rosy pink or bright citron, the group will make for a pared-down centerpiece.
Mixing solid pine with whitewashed legs, this table is a great starter piece, being that it comes with a super affordable price tag and looks a lot more expensive than it actually is.
MAXIMALIST BOHEMIAN
Shower curtains may not historically be an interesting aspect of your home decor, but this fruit-emblazoned version seeks to change that. Turn your bathroom into an instantly cheerier spot with a fun printed shower curtain—the attention to detail in this pattern almost makes it look handmade.
Not only is orange one of the hottest colors of the moment, but it’s also a surefire way to refresh your bedroom—or any room, for that matter. Here, imagined in a woven cotton duvet cover, it’s sure to brighten up your space. Minimal dot detailing only complements the saturated hue.
The ultimate stylish storage solution, woven baskets remain one of our favorite functional accent pieces. Handcrafted from abaca rope in the Philippines, these rainbow-colored pieces are particularly eye-catching. Use to conceal your plant’s sturdy (but less-than-stylish) pot, or to keep your favorite fall textiles within easy reach in your living room.
If you’re going all out with color and pattern in your living room, you need something a little more simple to anchor the space. That’s where this sage green sofa comes in: A classic silhouette marries well with the rich hue, the combination of which is an instant hit. With a crushed velvet finish, it feels a little opulent, too.
So many different elements combine to create this lively accent rug: the rainbow-hued detailing, the woven jute, the braided tassels… it really is the ultimate bohemian piece. Use in your kitchen, to bring texture and warmth to cold tile floors. Or really, use in any room of your rental apartment to breathe life into a space in desperate need of it.
The maximalist bohemian won’t let any part of their decor feel drab or ordinary. Why settle for ordinary wine glasses when you could have a set of cobalt blue ones? Upgrading your glassware is an easy tweak to make your kitchen essentials feel fresh again.
This beloved silhouette is a boho favorite, especially given the rattan makeup of the piece. It might not be the chair you go to sink into, but add a colorful throw pillow, and it’ll quickly spruce up any room of your house. This armchair brings a bit of the tropics to you, no matter your zip code.
See more shopping guides: The Most Underrated Places to Shop for Kids’ Decor These Target Dinnerware Essentials Are Low-Key Luxe Your Ultimate Guide to French Girl Decor