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How do I choose the right furniture legs?
Choosing the right furniture legs is one of the most important details when renovating or building furniture. The right legs improve stability, design, and the overall impression. In this guide, we walk you through everything you need to know to find the perfect furniture legs — from height and material to mounting and style.
1. Choosing the right height
Getting the height right makes the biggest difference to comfort, proportions, and design. The wrong height can make a sofa feel too low, a table feel unstable, or a chest of drawers look clumsy — so it’s worth getting right.
Start by thinking about what you actually need the legs for. Raising a sofa, lowering a bed slightly, or simply adding short legs to a cabinet to make cleaning underneath easier? The intended use is your starting point.
Test the new height before you buy. Prop your furniture up with a few books and try how it feels — or remove your existing legs and slide a book underneath to experience what a lower height is like. It only takes a minute and saves a lot of guesswork.
2. Which wood should I choose?
At AJKDesign®, all furniture legs are made from solid wood — pine, beech, oak, or walnut. Oak and walnut are delivered finished with Swedish linseed oil, while pine and beech are unfinished so you can leave them natural, paint, or stain them yourself.
The right choice depends mainly on your interior and the feel you want to create:
Oak floors or oak furniture? Oak legs are the natural choice for a warm, harmonious look throughout the room. Lighter floors or a whiter interior?
Dark walnut creates a beautiful contrast and adds depth to brighter spaces. Light sofa or furniture? Light pine or beech legs create a cohesive, unified look. Dark oak or walnut legs create contrast and make the legs a visible design feature. Want the legs to blend in? Choose the same wood as your furniture for a seamless, built-in feel.
3. Which legs should I choose?
AJKDesign manufactures several different models of solid wood furniture legs. Here’s a simple overview to help you find the right style for your furniture:
Simple, neutral sofa:
Classic round legs work well. They’re discreet and let the sofa itself take centre stage. For a bit more character, opt for uniquely profiled legs instead.
Modern or minimalist sofa:
Choose slim round or slim straight legs. Clean lines reinforce the modern look.
Dark or statement sofa:
Angled retro-style legs in oak or walnut are a particularly good match. The darker wood creates a striking contrast.
Chest of drawers or cabinet:
Round legs in a lower height (5–10 cm) give a nice floating effect. For something more elegant, uniquely profiled legs can turn a plain cabinet into a real statement piece.
Bed:
Chunkier legs or octagon legs in 15–25 cm height are a safe choice. They provide both stability and a great look.
All AJKDesign legs are made from solid wood with high load capacity — equally suited to lightweight furniture and heavy pieces. A wardrobe full of clothes, a double bed with mattress and two adults — our legs handle it without issue.
4. How do I mount the legs?
Most of our legs come with a pre-installed M8 threaded bolt protruding approximately 2 cm. This means the legs are designed for furniture that already has M8 threaded inserts installed, or that can be fitted with a nut plate.
If your furniture doesn’t have the right fittings, you have two options:
Install threaded inserts yourself: Purchase our M8 threaded inserts and fit them into the furniture base. Note that the base panel needs to be at least 25 mm thick and made from a suitable material such as chipboard, MDF, or solid wood.
Use our wooden mounting plates: Order our dedicated mounting plates at the same time as your legs — they’re designed to be fully compatible and make installation straightforward.
If your furniture already has the correct fittings, simply rotate the leg into the hole until it sits tight. If a leg needs to be installed at a specific angle, it’s fine if not all legs are tightened to exactly the same degree — you can also adjust the bolt using a T25 bit or a matching Torx key.
Our legs are used for everything from TV benches to double beds, so whatever you need to raise, you can count on them to hold without any problem.
Yes — our pine and beech legs are delivered unfinished, so they can be painted or stained straight away. Oak and walnut legs are finished with linseed oil, but you’re welcome to contact us if you’d prefer them unfinished so you can apply your own treatment.
Yes, in many cases they do. Our legs come with a 2 cm M8 threaded bolt, which fits a wide range of popular IKEA furniture including BESTÅ, SÖDERHAMN, LANDSKRONA, and IDANÄS, among others. We recommend double-checking before purchasing.
Oak and walnut legs are finished with natural boiled linseed oil and require minimal maintenance. If needed, wipe with a lightly damp cloth and apply a thin layer of linseed oil to keep the wood in good condition. Pine and beech legs are delivered unfinished — these can be treated with linseed oil, lacquered, painted, or stained to your preference. Avoid cleaning products with strong chemicals as these can damage the wood surface.
It depends on the size and weight of the piece. A sofa or bed typically needs 4–6 legs for even weight distribution, while a smaller chest of drawers or bedside table usually manages with 4. For longer TV benches or sideboards, we recommend 6 legs to prevent the furniture from sagging in the middle over time.