I Just Discovered This New Furniture Brand That’s Like “Elevated IKEA,” Starting at $104 (It’s on Sale!)
If you’re shopping for your home on an IKEA budget but wanting something that’s, well, not IKEA, there’s a good chance you’ll have to compromise on either style or quality (or both). Luckily, now you don’t have to make that trade-off, thanks to an up-and-coming brand that’s like the Goldilocks of small-space furniture design.
Operating under the tagline of “furniture that moves with you,” Massachusetts-based manufacturer Lucca House specializes in a series of modular shelving units called the Grid System. Founder Lucca Zeray originally developed the prototype as a college student in 2014, but the brand itself didn’t officially launch until last spring. Now, Lucca House offers 15 minimalist grid-style storage configurations in five different trims, all constructed from pair-with-anything, prefinished maple plywood.
As a native New Yorker, Zeray aimed to fill a gap in the market for reasonably priced, functional pieces with a compact footprint. “A lot of the thinking for Lucca House was, ‘Can I make something that I myself can afford?’” he explains. “I want to make stuff for small spaces [and] city people, as someone who grew up in Brooklyn in a small apartment.”
The line is inclusive of all home sizes, though, and intended to evolve with your lifestyle. In fact, you can buy individual components — aka “loosies” — to expand on any existing Grid System module. “In a perfect world, it’s something that grows with you,” adds Zeray. “I have always imagined it as a system that could start with your first apartment or in college, go to your first real apartment, and eventually be a part of a forever home.”
That flexibility means there’s no shortage of multifunctional styling opportunities. The smallest Grid System unit, the 1×1, could work as a plant stand, mini kitchen counter organizer, and beyond. Meanwhile the largest 5×5 unit has potential to operate as freestanding shelving or even a room divider. So far, Zeray says his 5×2 configuration has been the most popular overall, which pulls double duty as a bookcase or low-slung console. But I personally also love the ultra-slim, tight-corner-friendly 2×1 model (cool bathroom storage does exist).
Each design can be positioned horizontally or vertically (ideal for maximizing height in a small room) as well as be wall-mounted or styled on the floor, depending on your storage needs and space parameters. You can also buy optional top covers, or customize the edging in red, blue, yellow, green, or a mix of each for extra color.
Prices do skew slightly higher than your average IKEA flat-packed piece, ranging from $104 to $780 (although everything’s currently 15% for Black Friday!). But you can count on built-to-last quality and much easier assembly — seriously, the shelves come together in just minutes. Lucca House even offers a 20-year warranty, but Zeray promises the pieces are already virtually indestructible. “I don’t know how you could break these things, unless you’re throwing it off a building,” he jokes. Bonus: Everything ships free.
Beyond the Grid System, Zeray also mentioned a Lucca House desk and even a mirror may be on the horizon. So stay tuned for more durable, well-priced contemporary pieces. But for now, have fun restyling, repositioning, or even rotating these shelving units — you can instantly transform a shoe rack from one room into a bar cart in another, and vice versa.