This Vintage IKEA Find Is So Cool, People Are Begging for It to Come Back

IKEA consistently swaps out fan-loved products to make room for new inventory, but in some cases discontinued items are even more covetable than what’s currently lining shelves. Yes, people love their IKEA KALLAX, but many vintage IKEA pieces have grown their own cult followings in the decades since they’ve left shelves — and the wall-mounted FORHOJA shelving unit is a prime example.

In a recent Instagram Reel shared by Medina Grillo, the creator reminded IKEA shoppers just how one-of-a-kind (and useful) the retired shelving unit is. “Vintage IKEA is sooo good!” she shared, illustrating how the wooden shelf basically eliminates all countertop clutter while looking like a cottagecore-meets-scandi modern decor piece. 

The wall-mounted wooden organizer features five equally spaced wooden cubbies that each house a thick, sturdy glass container with a handle. Grillo filled each of the glassware pieces with coffee beans, sugar, tea, and other dry goods that would normally live on her counter or in her built-in cabinets.

Unfortunately, Grillo confirmed that the FORHOJA is no longer available online (one commenter shared it was last sold in stores in 2003), but she was able to find the organization hero — which she raved is “so handy for kitchen storage” while adding the perfect “vintage” touch to her kitchen — by sourcing it on eBay. Several people also shared that they found the one-of-a-kind product at thrift stores and garage sales.

Given their rareness, viewers quickly took to the comment section to echo Grillo’s final statement, where she wrote, “Kinda feel like IKEA should bring this back.” The sentiment is unsurprising, as the glass storage shelves have inspired numerous Reddit threads with people trying to find the vintage organization product despite its whopping $150-plus resell price tag on eBay.

While it’s unknown exactly why the FORHOJA was discontinued, it’s possible that the glass containers not being airtight might have limited its uses, as several commenters noted. “Love the look of it, but living in a humid place, I would worry about [the] freshness of items I’d put in,” one person wrote. “Might be perfect if they brought it back, but with a simple lid at the top to protect from moisture/bugs, and could still slide into the shelf.”

The FORHOJA could be making a return at some point in the future, as IKEA commented on the video, “Some icons never go out of style. We’ll pass the word along.”

Unfortunately, not really — the IKEA FORHOJA feels one-of-a-kind. But if you really want to DIY your own storage solution, and you don’t have luck on eBay or at your local thrift store, Amazon is selling a two-pack bamboo and glass shelving container that kind of serves the same purpose.

The $28.99 Bamboo Snack & Pantry Kitchen Organizer from Keowa Delightful Practicality doesn’t mount on the walls, which means you won’t be clearing your counter space. However, the two-pack organizer stacks on top of each other, making it an aesthetically pleasing-yet-compact way to display your coffee, tea, and other non-perishable items. You could also DIY attach it to walls with some drills, but that’s not so renter-friendly.