ikea couch...yay or nay?

[Sagginit]

i have been on the fence for months about what to do about my sofa/couch situation. the roomate was supposed to handle this as i got the dining room table. the issue was she brought hand me down stuff and the couch was an older sleeper and could not fit up the stairs to the apt. this left us with a chair and loveseat. i am dying to be able to spread out for once. i want modular seating to tackle the staircase problem, especially since i will be in apts for years now.

i liked west elm's options, but out of my budget. i was going to save up for raymour and flanigan as they had options i liked, but saw it in person and almost died. the chaise is about the size of a twin bed so back to the drawing board . pier one had a version on clearance but their furniture seams to be falling apart on the sales floor. this has left.....ikea. affordable and modular options that i want. i am so fearful though i twill just lump and slump and i will hate it in a year. has anyone bought a couch or sofa from ikea? how long do they last?

 

[katie26]

I wouldn't buy another IKEA couch again. My last one broke - like, crash! we were on the floor - less than a month after I bought it. (And since I hadn't saved the receipt, there was nothing I could do about having it replaced under warranty or returned to the store. Learned a very valuable lesson there.)

I bit the bullet and bought a Raymour & Flanigan couch, which was more expensive, but has been absolutely lovely for the last year, and still looks as good as the day it was delivered.

I wound up doing a lot of research before buying this couch, and Raymour & Flanigan seemed like the best combination of (at least sort of) affordable and durable. I was also looking at Restoration Hardware (but found their couches sort of uncomfortable) and Macy's (but read a fair amount of negative reviews online).

 

[Sagginit]

oh no! that is my exact fear. i can't believe that actually happened. with my luck that would happen the first day. restoration hardware is beautiful, i was actually thinking about seriously saving up the next few years and investing in some bedroom pieces from them. ironically my friend wanted to go to raymour & flanigan because he wants a new couch. i had been dreaming of this sectional and wanted to cry when i saw how thick it was, i wish the darn thing would go on a diet to fit up my stairs.

 

[Desnik]

I've had my Ikea couch for about 7 years now. I'm on it right now and it's still like new! We use it daily and I love it. It's the Ektorp and you can change the covers so if you get tired of the color you can just switch it! They are washable too! The original cover I had was washed a bunch of times and lasted until about a month ago. I just purchased a new cover along with the love seat. My kids hang on the arms, sit on them, etc and this couch has taken a beating! I have been buying Ikea furniture for about 15 years now and have never been dissatisfied. I've never heard of their couches breaking.

 

[FloridaDreaming]

I've had the Ikea Ektorp loveseat for 5 years now and it's still in perfect shape. I also just purchased a new cover for it to change it up a bit. We love it and plan to purchase the full size couch when we move into a house. Our condo is a little on the tiny side.

 

[mrs.beast]

We have had an ikea couch also for 6yrs. We bought it when our middle daughter was going through a color on the furniture phase thinking we would replace it in a year or two because it was so cheap. She colored on the back of the sofa the second week we had it. Other than a slight stain from the teal marker, it is in great shape. We planned on replacing it once she hit 5 (3yrs ago) but it is so great and why replace it now? we will when it gets saggy or ugly. great budget way to go.

 

[bumbershoot]

I wouldn't buy another IKEA couch again. My last one broke - like, crash! we were on the floor - less than a month after I bought it. (And since I hadn't saved the receipt, there was nothing I could do about having it replaced under warranty or returned to the store. Learned a very valuable lesson there.)

Please tell me you at least tried.


We got our mattress completely refunded under their warranty, because there was a huge dip inside the warranty period and they don't sell that one before. I did NOT have the receipt, but I figured out what card I had used and when I bought it. They spent *at least* an hour with me at the Seattle area Ikea, going through records, and found it. It was AMAZING.

Though I will mention, I didn't expect that. I went up there to shop, brought the info I did have, and spent time in their customer service area as they searched, before borrowing a large vehicle to haul the mattress up (king sized). If I had my own large vehicle I would have done it, but not when I had to borrow.



OP, I've never much liked the looks or feel of the couches there, but if I did I'd buy one. I mean, heck, I bought a couch at Macy's furniture store (well, the store they were before macy's took them over), and they were supposed to have GREAT furniture, and that thing is turning into junk before our eyes, WAY earlier than I expected it to.

 

[olecow]

I "had" to buy an IKEA couch because the modular design was the only way to fit it into our basement. We've had it for three years and it gets used by our three kids almost daily and it's still in great shape. I would recommend one.

 

[QVCshopper]

I'd say go for it. You need a couch, not a forever type thing. Everything I have bought from Ikea (with the exception of a too big/ugly entertainment center) has been great. I don't have a couch, but my kitchen table and chairs set from them is going on 14 years and still wonderful... More than got my $150 out of that one. Also have dressers, bookcases, storage stuff, etc. With kids, it makes it so much easier for me to transport things flat, build them at home when I have time, and not have to worry about delivery.

Most of the furniture in my house is either solid wood built by the Amish or Ikea modules. I was thinking about how funny that is the other day...

 

[zoemurr]

near a BonTon? Many are closing and all the floor models are on sale cheap.. also some R&F's have a scratch and dent store.

We just bought a sectional from Value City cheap that we are very happy with.

 

[Kellydelly]

I bought an Ektorp sofa about a year ago and I hate it. It isn't comfortable at all . I am thinking of relegating it to the basement so the kids can deal with it and I get a better one .

 

[Swmr359]

My parents have an IKEA sofa. My mom LOVES her sofa, it's the most comfortable couch I've sat on! The pillows do slump a bit, but it's really easy to fix; the cover comes off incase it needs to be washed, or if you get tired of the color and need a change. I'm not sure what the name is of the one she has but it has legs so you can store stuff under it (and the cover hides it).

I would go to the store and try out all the sofas; and while you are there check out the as-is section you might find a discounted sofa there.

 

[zeferjen]

We have this couch in Dh's office, so that it can double as a guest room. I am really happy with it. Pretty comfortable and easy to convert to a bed. The price can't be beat!

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90198978/

 

[AInWonderland]

We have the KLIPPAN that my daughter bought her first year at college. It was well used there and has been in my sons room (teenager) for the past two years , with many friends coming over playing video games and sleeping on it. It is very sturdy and the cover is washable, and has held up well.

 

[dawnn12]

i didnt go thru all the responces but i seen your in nj have you checked out the dump... i dont know if you have any over in jersey but we have one over here in pa easy to get to by either 95 or rt1 its on business rt 1 by oxford valley mall..... they are open fri sat and sun only. i seen good prices in there and also i really like diamond furniture on street rd in bensalem(right off of 95) we got a wrap around sectional(4 reciliners) for half of the price that mealys or raymore wanted hth and look around

 

[rparmfamily]

I have the Ektorp sofa and chair and LOVE it. Love the slipcovers (I have bought new ones). We've had it 6 yrs. They are showing wear but are used daily and roughly (3 kids, plus they've been moved 4 times including being crated on ends and shipped 1/2 way around the world.) I'd definately buy them again.

 

[JLiz]

I have the KARLSTAD and love it. We've had it for about 5 years, it looks great and we get compliments on it often. I also think it is very comfortable, especially for napping.

 

[katie26]

Please tell me you at least tried.


We got our mattress completely refunded under their warranty, because there was a huge dip inside the warranty period and they don't sell that one before. I did NOT have the receipt, but I figured out what card I had used and when I bought it. They spent *at least* an hour with me at the Seattle area Ikea, going through records, and found it. It was AMAZING.

Though I will mention, I didn't expect that. I went up there to shop, brought the info I did have, and spent time in their customer service area as they searched, before borrowing a large vehicle to haul the mattress up (king sized). If I had my own large vehicle I would have done it, but not when I had to borrow.

I did try. No dice!

Complicating matters, I'd bought it with a gift card (well, two gift cards, actually) and had tossed the empty gift cards. I did have the delivery invoice, but IKEA management wouldn't accept it. If I'd used a credit card, I might have looked into contesting it with the CC company but... I didn't, so I didn't.

 

[mistysue]

Just don't buy the cheapest one.
That is my advice with ALL IKEA items. The cheapest one will break, if you buy the next one up, it's usually great. It's held true for me with their chairs, couches, bed frames, entertainment centers and lamps.
That said, our IKEA couch was the cheapest one... it was great for about 2 years. Then one day while I was pregnant I sat down and the main support beam broke in half! (I only weighed 175 at the time, so I wasn't "snap a couch" heavy) Talk about a blow to your self esteem.

Like some PP have said, that feature where you can change covers is the best thing ever! With a regular couch if you get a cover, it looks like a couch cover. Their covers are custom fitted to your model, so it's really like getting a new couch.

 

[Sagginit]

ok i think i will go to ikea and actually consider buying it now. if i didnt need a modular couch i would shop around and look at more stores. but it seems to be a niche item, i remember last summer when i moved i saw one at CB2 and it was discontinued within a few weeks of getting the catalog. i like the sound of the cover too. my roomate is a bit tough on things and i like that i can get new covers if the other ones get stained or worn.