Aubrey Ament and William Glaser, founders of the Brooklyn-based interior design firm Glam Studio, have turned browsing this clearance corner into an art form. Juggling the dual demands of running a growing design business while raising two young children in an urban environment requires a high level of domestic efficiency. In their Brooklyn home, a carefully curated series of wooden and bamboo boxes keeps their busy lives running in order. These unassuming bins hold everything from cooking spices and tile samples to bulky children’s toys. They are visually appealing, stackable, sturdy, and, most surprisingly, sourced entirely from IKEA’s discounted as-is section. According to Ament, savvy shoppers just need to know what to look for.
When Ament peruses the selection at her local Red Hook warehouse in Brooklyn, she deliberately steers clear of larger, more prominent furniture pieces like dining chairs, coffee tables, and heavy case goods. More often than not, those items end up in the clearance area because they have sustained structural damage during transport or mishandling on the showroom floor. Instead, her strategy focuses on smaller, highly versatile goods.
"The things I mostly look for are ubiquitous organizational things, which is how I got to these boxes," Ament explains.
Items like the ultra-simple pine Knagglig box and the smaller bamboo Uppdatera containers are staples that frequently land on her radar during her visits to the bargain area. Because these organizational items are typically made of hardy materials, they frequently arrive in the as-is section completely unscathed—and often marked down by 50 percent.
Within the design industry, navigating budgets for clients requires a strategic eye, but sourcing for one’s own home demands an even tighter focus on longevity and cost-efficiency. Designers rarely operate with unlimited personal funds, making durability a primary metric for domestic purchases. Ament notes that she constantly looks for pieces crafted from resilient, honest materials like wood, wool, and metal that deliver accessible, lasting, and modern design principles without demanding a luxury price tag. Her ongoing running list of clearance favorites highlights how simple, utilitarian items can be repurposed across multiple rooms in a busy household.
The Knagglig Box
Among Ament’s top recommendations is the slatted pine Knagglig box, an item she views as an absolute essential for domestic organization. Available in two distinct sizes, she advises shoppers to skip the smaller variant and opt directly for the larger version, which measures roughly 18 inches deep and nearly 10 inches tall.
"I want as many as I can get," Ament says, praising the robust construction of the slatted pine container.
In her household, these boxes serve as the primary containment system for her son’s toys, instantly subduing the visual clutter of playrooms and living areas. Beyond the nursery, they prove equally effective in home offices and studios for storing heavy work binders, loose envelopes, and large architectural rug samples. While some shoppers might dismiss the boxes as being too stark or simple in their unadorned pine finish, that minimalist aesthetic is precisely what appeals to professional designers. By creating visual uniformity and neutralizing chaos, these unassuming containers master the foundational rule of organization.
The Uppdatera Box
Another major focus during Ament’s warehouse visits is the Uppdatera line of light bamboo storage boxes. Crafted from sustainable bamboo, these sleek, lighter-toned bins offer a slightly more refined aesthetic than raw pine, making them ideal for visible storage areas or spaces where moisture resistance is beneficial.
Ament typically scouts for these bins when she is undertaking kitchen pantries or needs a dedicated system to corral delicate tile and fabric samples for upcoming interior design projects. While their primary home in her residence is the pantry, she notes that their clean lines and durable construction make them equally helpful additions to bathroom vanities and hallway closets.
The Bumerang Hangers
Wardrobe maintenance is another area where Ament relies on the discount section. Regardless of whether she has recently purchased new clothing or expanded her wardrobe, whenever she spots IKEA’s natural wood Bumerang hangers in the as-is section for a few dollars, she immediately adds them to her cart.
"IKEA makes good wooden hangers!" she notes, emphasizing their durability compared to flimsy wire or plastic alternatives. Investing in sturdy wooden hangers ensures that heavy winter coats maintain their structure over time while protecting delicate blouses from stretching or slipping.
The Gladom Tray Table
For furniture pieces, Ament makes exceptions when an item delivers exceptional multi-functional value in a compact footprint. A prime example is the Gladom tray table, a minimalist side table featuring a removable serving tray top. Because urban living spaces often require furniture to perform double duty, a piece that can quickly transition from a living room surface to a functional serving tray is invaluable.
"I’ve seen these in the as-is area a few times," Ament says, advising shoppers to act quickly if they spot a functional, multi-purpose design before someone else snaps it up.
The Domsten Stool
Stools represent another category of furniture that Ament believes homeowners will rarely regret purchasing. A durable, functional stool serves a multitude of purposes in a dynamic household: it can act as a temporary surface for stacking books, provide extra seating when guests arrive, elevate a potted plant toward a sunny window, or serve as a step to reach items in tall kitchen cupboards.
While IKEA offers a wide variety of seating options in different shapes and sizes, Ament’s current favorite is the Domsten stool. This design elevates the standard, basic pine stool by pairing a warm pine wood top with colorful, powder-coated metal legs, adding a playful pop of modern color to a utilitarian object.
"You’ll never be sad you bought a stool," she notes.
The Parkla Storage Bag
As a longtime New Yorker and small-space dweller, Ament is intimately familiar with the seasonal dance of swapping out wardrobes, heavy winter bedding, and bulky textiles. For this ongoing organizational challenge, she relies on the Parkla storage bags. Available in multiple sizes and constructed from semi-transparent polypropylene, these bags allow for easy visibility of their contents while protecting garments from dust and moisture.
Homeowners can easily slide these flat cases under a mattress, stow them on high closet shelves, or repurpose them in a garage to store outdoor patio cushions during the harsh winter months. Ament even utilizes them as a long-term archiving solution for outgrown children’s clothes, sorting and dividing the garments clearly by size to pass down or store away.
The Purrpingla Laundry Bag
Managing household chores efficiently requires tools that can withstand frequent use and heavy loads. As the primary person handling laundry in her household, Ament can personally attest to the structural integrity and functionality of the firm canvas Purrpingla laundry bag.
Retailing around $25, this structured hamper is well-suited for residents who frequently travel to local wash-and-fold services or simply need to haul loads up and down flights of stairs within a multi-level home.
"It’s stiff enough to stand up on its own, so you can use it as a hamper too," she points out, noting that its rigid construction prevents the slouching and collapsing common with softer fabric sacks.
The Slibb Laundry Basket
For a more lightweight and flexible option, Ament keeps IKEA’s low-profile Slibb flexible laundry baskets near the front entryway of her home. Priced accessibly at around $9, these pliable, green plastic baskets provide an effortless drop zone for corralling family shoes as soon as people walk through the door.
They are equally useful for tidying up communal living spaces at the end of the day. Ament notes that her eldest child can easily pick up and carry the basket himself because the sides are low and manageable, making cleanup an approachable task for younger members of the household.
Natural Textiles
Beyond organizational hard goods, Ament has frequently been surprised by the unexpected quality of textiles available through IKEA, including pillowcases, decorative blankets, and area rugs. When sorting through the textile bins in the as-is section, she consistently keeps an eye out for natural fibers such as pure wool and cotton rather than synthetics.
A prime example of an exceptional find is the 100 percent cotton Skogskovall bedspread, a chic and durable textile that brings a refined texture to a bedroom suite.
"I bought one last year and I was like, ‘How is this IKEA?’" she recalls.
Ultimately, navigating the clearance aisles of a major furniture retailer requires a blend of patience and imagination. Because the inventory in the as-is section changes daily based on customer returns and floor updates, shoppers never truly know what they are going to discover—an element of unpredictability that adds an undeniable thrill to the hunt for well-designed, functional home goods.
