The IKEA Besta and Kallax series are both popular storage solutions, but they serve different purposes. Besta is a highly customizable media and storage system with a sleek, furniture-like appearance designed for concealing clutter, while the Kallax is a simple, budget-friendly cube storage unit ideal for open display and versatile organizing.
Here's a detailed comparison to help you choose the right storage series from IKEA for your home.
IKEA Besta Series
The Besta series is IKEA’s premier customizable storage solution, functioning as everything from a sophisticated media console to a dining room buffet or a wall of closed cabinets. Its strength lies in its modularity, which allows you to design a unit that fits your exact space and storage needs with a wide variety of frames, doors, drawers, shelves, and legs.
- What it is: A modular and highly customizable series of storage and media furniture with a clean, modern aesthetic.
- Key features: Wide range of frame sizes and depths, extensive selection of door and drawer fronts in various finishes (matte, high-gloss, wood-effect), options for glass doors, different leg styles, and integrated cable management.
- Price: Mid-range, with single frames starting around $50 and complete media units often costing between $200 and $700+ depending on the configuration.
- Style: Sleek, modern, and minimalist. Designed to look more like integrated cabinetry or standalone furniture than simple shelving.
- Materials/Construction: Particleboard and fiberboard frames with foil, veneer, or laminate finishes. Built to be sturdier than basic shelving, capable of supporting TVs and other heavy items.
- Pros: Enormous customization potential for a "built-in" look. Excellent for concealing electronics and clutter. Variety of high-end finishes available. Strong and durable enough for heavy media equipment.
- Cons: Significantly more expensive than the Kallax. Assembly is more complex and time-consuming. Less flexible for quick room changes or moves compared to a simple Kallax unit.
The Besta is for homeowners who want to create a polished, permanent-feeling storage solution tailored to a specific function, like an entertainment center or streamlined office storage.
Shop this product: ikea.com/us/en/catalog/series/besta/
IKEA Kallax Series
The Kallax is one of IKEA's most iconic and universally beloved products, known for its simple grid-like cube design. Its affordability, easy assembly, and incredible versatility have made it a staple in homes, offices, and dorm rooms around the world for organizing everything from books and vinyl records to children's toys and craft supplies.
- What it is: A simple, budget-friendly cube storage system known for its versatility.
- Key features: Symmetrical square compartments, available in multiple configurations (1x4, 2x2, 2x4, 4x4, 5x5), can be used horizontally or vertically, compatible with various inserts like drawers, doors, and storage boxes.
- Price: Very affordable, with a 2x2 unit costing around $50 and the popular 4x4 unit typically priced under $150.
- Dimensions: Each internal cube measures approximately 13" x 13" x 15". Available in various floor unit sizes.
- Materials/Construction: Particleboard and fiberboard with a foil or painted finish. Lighter construction that's easy to move.
- Style: Minimalist, geometric, and casual. Its straightforward design fits seamlessly into practically any decor style.
- Pros: Extremely budget-friendly. Very easy and fast to assemble. Highly versatile and can serve many purposes (bookshelf, toy storage, room divider). Perfect for open storage and display. Lightweight and easy to move.
- Cons: Open design can look cluttered without storage bins. Less durable than Besta and not recommended for very heavy loads like large TVs. Limited aesthetic customization options.
Kallax is the unbeatable choice for anyone needing fast, affordable, and flexible storage, especially for items that can be organized in bins or displayed openly.
Shop this product: ikea.com/us/en/catalog/series/kallax/
IKEA Besta vs. IKEA Kallax Comparison
Style & Aesthetic
The primary aesthetic difference is open versus closed storage. The Kallax offers a clean, geometric grid that is perfect for displaying books, decorative objects, and vinyl records. Its look is casual, accessible, and functional. It works as a blank canvas that blends into a room.
The Besta, by contrast, is designed for a sleeker, more intentional "furniture" look. With its vast array of door and drawer fronts, it aims to conceal storage for a clean, minimalist appearance. You can achieve a huge variety of styles, from a high-gloss modern media center to a classic wood-veneer sideboard, making it feel more integrated and customized than a Kallax.
Dimensions & Customization
Customization is the Besta's main strength. It comes in multiple frame heights, widths, and depths. You have complete control to mix and match doors, drawers, shelves, and legs to build a unit tailored precisely to your wall space and storage items. IKEA even has an online planning tool to help you design the perfect configuration.
The Kallax is modular in a much simpler way. It comes in a handful of standard frame sizes (primarily 2x2, 2x4, 4x4). Customization comes from how you use it - vertically or horizontally - and by adding optional inserts. These inserts are fairly standard: single doors, two-drawer sets, and A4-sized paper organizers that slide into the 13"x13" cubes.
Materials & Durability
While both systems use particleboard as their core material, the Besta is engineered to be more robust. Its frames are designed to be joined together for strength and can safely support heavy televisions, stereos, and large collections of dishes. The hardware and finishes available for Besta are also of a higher quality, intended for long-term daily use in a high-traffic area like a living room.
The Kallax is plenty strong for what it is designed for - books, toys, records, and general storage - but its lighter construction makes it less suitable for bearing heavy, concentrated loads. It excels in organizational use cases rather than as heavy-duty furniture.
Price & Value
There is a substantial price difference between the two. The Kallax offers incredible value and is one of the most cost-effective storage solutions you can find. A large-capacity shelving unit can be purchased for a very modest price, making it accessible to almost anyone.
The Besta is a clear step up in price. A basic frame is affordable, but the costs add up quickly once you add doors, drawers, legs, and interior fittings. The value in a Besta unit comes from getting a semi-custom piece of furniture for a fraction of the cost of true custom cabinetry.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both IKEA storage series are excellent choices, but they excel in fundamentally different scenarios.
Choose the Besta if:
- You want to build a customized media center or an entertainment console.
- You prefer concealed storage to hide clutter and electronics.
- A sleek, built-in, or high-end furniture look is important to you.
- You have a more flexible budget and are creating a long-term solution for your space.
Choose the Kallax if:
- You are on a tight budget.
- You need versatile storage for a craft room, playroom, home office, or dorm room.
- You collect vinyl records - the cube dimensions are famously perfect for LPs.
- You need a solution that is quick to assemble and easy to move or repurpose later.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the main difference between the Besta and Kallax?
The main difference is customization vs. simplicity. The Besta is a highly customizable system designed to create furniture-like media consoles and closed cabinets. The Kallax is a simple, affordable cube storage unit ideal for open display and general organization.
Which is stronger, Besta or Kallax?
The Besta series is designed to be stronger and more durable. It can support the weight of heavy electronics like televisions and AV receivers, whereas the Kallax is better suited for lighter items like books, records, and items in storage bins.
Can I use a Kallax as a TV stand?
While many people do, it's not ideal for larger, modern TVs. A smaller, lighter TV might be fine on a horizontal Kallax unit, but the Besta is specifically designed for this purpose, with better weight support and features like cable management cutouts.
Can I put doors on both Besta and Kallax units?
Yes, both series have door options. The Besta offers a huge variety of styles, colors, and finishes for a fully seamless look. The Kallax has simple door inserts that fit inside a single cube, leaving the shelf frame visible.
Is Besta or Kallax easier to assemble?
Kallax is significantly easier and quicker to assemble. Its simple, repetitive design makes assembly very straightforward. Besta configurations can be complex, involving many different parts, doors, hinges, and drawers, making assembly a more involved project.
Which unit is better for storing vinyl records?
The Kallax is legendary among vinyl collectors. Its 13"x13" cube interiors are perfectly sized for 12" LP records, making it the unofficial go-to shelving unit for record collections.
Can you combine Besta and Kallax units together?
They are not designed to be combined. Their depths, frame thicknesses, and overall aesthetics are different, so they would not look cohesive if placed side-by-side or stacked.
Which one is better for a kid's playroom?
The Kallax is generally considered the superior choice for a playroom. Its open cubes are perfect for fabric bins, making cleanup easy for kids. Its lower price point also makes it a practical choice for a space that is subject to wear and tear.
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