Does anyone have an IKEA sofa/couch

[kroonkles]

I'm interested in the Ikea Ektorp line. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S69841037

Does anyone have this or another Ikea sofa? Are they comfortable? sturdy? easy to assemble? How do the removable slipcovers work, do they wash well? Any other comments would be appreciated.
Thanks!

[leerypolyp]

We have an Ektorp sofa with an Idemo beige cover. The sofa itself is surprisingly sturdy, though lightweight (it slides around on hardwood if it isn't up against the wall). I thought it was too firm at first (more "formal" in feel), but it's broken in a bit and is more lounge-y. (Friends who bought another, squishier sofa reported that it turned to mush after a few months.) Haven't washed the cover yet, though it's looking kind of dingy.

Assembly was a piece of cake, since we didn't have to do anything but, I think, put the feet and slipcovers on. In all it's been a good everyday sofa, comfortable, pretty tough, and reasonably attractive.

If you go to the as-is department on the right day (check with your local store to see when they get big shipments in) you can often pick one up for much less money -- when they unpack them sometimes the cloth (the stuff under the cover) will get slashed or torn, and it doesn't affect the function (or the look, once you get the cover on), but you can get it cheap! I always see them marked down.

[veggiekicks]

We have this sofa, too. As leerypolyp said, assembly was very easy. We find it's comfortable and use it as our everyday sofa, too.

The slip covers come off easily and wash nicely. I always let them air-dry for fear of shrinkage. I'm able to take them off and put them back on by myself in little time.

For the price, I think it's a great piece!

[anniegirl]

We had the loveseat version of it. It was a good little couch. I loved that I could wash the slipcovers, I put them in the dryer btw and shrinkage was minimal, they always fit great.

We managed to pretty much thrash in three years though. It was harder and harder to get the covers looking nice. But we let ds1 eat on it and the kids liked to jump on it, so we were asking for it! And the actual couch cover part always slipped beneath the cushions and made it look saggy. I had to straighten all the time. Not a big deal, just fyi.

[SusanInItaly]

I have the couch (3 seater) and the chair w/ottoman. I have white slipcovers and a beige one for the chair. I keep a big throw over the couch since it is white and I have kids LOL. I did buy spare covers in white too. That's what was in the budget when we bought them!

So far we love it. It is firmer (the floor model was softer, probably because it was "wore in") but is softening up a little bit on us. Our old couches were so mushy that anything would feel firmer!!

I haven't washed the slipcovers yet, I'm doing that in a few weeks.

We paid $1100 for the couch (3 seater), overstuffed chair and ottoman and that included delivery to Jacksonville, Florida, which is no where near an IKEA!

[kroonkles]

white with kids - not happening here! I really like the roses print, but am worried there is too much white in it.

We have hardwood floors and now I am worried about my kids sliding the sofa around the room.

Do they really seem to go in just a few years? I have 7 year old leather couches that are still in great condition, but I want something comfier that doesn't smell like leather.

[SusanInItaly]

Yeah, I wanted the dark blue but we were on a budget if buying new.

I'm looking for a pic to link you to. I love how simple and understated they look.

[SusanInItaly]

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/10...mas2006060.jpg

and
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/10...mas2006062.jpg

and in my new house in Hawaii.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/10...e2007II010.jpg

[amjs]

a bit ot...

Originally Posted by kroonkles

much white in it.

We have hardwood floors and now I am worried about my kids sliding the sofa around the room.

but i've just found these plastic rubbery cup things at home depot that you put under the sofa feet and it keeps it from sliding on hardwood floors. and they work great! i can lean on the sofa while sitting on the floor and it doesnt slide any. i went back and bought a set for every chair and couch in my house.

[rsps]

We bought ours (loveseat size) in 2001. It has held up pretty well.
One cushion had a broken zipper (i hold it togther with saftey pins) We originally bought two covers (solid red and solid blue) and alternated them.
The red cover we had was looking bad. We went in last year and bought a new plaid cover -- I like it a lot.

The major draw back we have noticed is that with the kids climbing all over the back cushions (as kids do) they have become all mishapen and lumpy. It's okay, but they don't look as good as they did originally. I've been wondering about going to our local fabric store and getting some foam cut to the right shape to fix them, but haven't tried it yet.

[kroonkles]

Originally Posted by rsps

The red cover we had was looking bad. We went in last year and bought a new plaid cover -- I like it a lot.

Is that the red corduroy cover? I was actually thinking that should wear well because corduroy always washes so nicely. Did it wear because you used it more often?

I got the pictures to work. Susan, your house looks nice!

[SusanInItaly]

Originally Posted by kroonkles

I got the pictures to work. Susan, your house looks nice!

Thanks! The first 2 are my old house in Florida (which we are renting now) and the last is my rental (military housing) in Hawaii.

Those couches are the only "new" pieces of furniture in any of the pictures, the rest are all hand-me-downs from family and friends!

[leerypolyp]

Oh, on the corduroy -- we have some red corduroy chairs from Ikea, and you know how corduroy pants lose their wales where they rub together? Now imagine what your backside does to the corduroy every time you sit down. It'll take a while, but the cords will wear off.

[kerc]

we have a loveseat, which we bought used. It's about a year old, 2 months old to us. It's dark brown. This talk of washing has me saying I wonder if I can wash mine.

IMO it's too soft, but I have long legs and like to sit on the couch with my legs in a certain position. It's comfy, my family and friends like it. I think my issue with it is it is about 1-2 inches too low for me. I LOVE that it is light. We have no issues with it moving around our hw floors.

[celestialdreamer]

We have the Ektorp corner sofa. We've had it for about 5 years (???) and I really love it. We started out with the Idemo beige slipcover and it got washed alot because we had a spitty newborn and a big dog. That slipcover didn't wear quite as well as I would have liked. I think I accidently threw it in the dryer a couple times and that was pretty much the end of it. We replaced it with the red corduroy slipcover (about a year ago) and it has worked great. Occasionally it does kind of ride up on the back which makes the cushions slide out, but its easy to fix. My kids bounce up and down on the back cushions, but we can fluff them up before guests come over. It has been great for this price range and I really love the red. It wasn't worth it to buy something expensive when I have little kids, and I liked the look of the Ektorp line anyway. Just don't buy the red corduroy slipcover if you have a fawn pug dog that sheds ALOT. :

[eden/averymum]

I have an ikea sofa, got it about 5.5 years ago. it's STAINED as heck but otherwise in decent shape.