Hosting for the Holidays? What to Buy at Ikea Under $50

byLauren Caruso 2 years ago

27 Start slideshow

Photo: Courtesy of Homepolish

So you’re hosting family, friends, coworkers, whomever, for the holidays, and you’re scrambling to make your apartment—you know, the same one that houses mismatched bath towels you’ve accumulated since college—look like it’s somewhere An Adult lives. (We get it. We also may or may not have mismatched bath towels.)

MORE: 5 Food and Wine Pairing Rules Every Adult Should Know

Your first order of business, beyond giving your space a solid deep-clean with an actual vacuum, of course, is to make sure you’ve got all your grown-up bases covered: hand towels in the bathroom, candles that haven’t been burnt down to a nub in the living room, and actual, breakable glassware. Beyond that, it’s pretty easy to fake: We rounded up 27 under-$50 finds at Ikea, the ultimate is-this-what-Adulting-looks-like store, to scoop up before you welcome guests over to your humble abode for the holidays. A chic basket for the bathroom, a mirrored tray that doubles as a place for appetizers (or, as adults call them, hors d’oeuvres), and a bar cart that you’ll want to decorate even if you’re not having anyone over, ahead.