
My wife and I own an IKEA Ektorp couch. Itโs white. We like it. We have the matching ottoman for the sofa and the armchair. Come to think of it, other than our two antique refinished wingback chairs, our living room is all IKEA furniture. Weโve owned the sofa for over 7 years. Itโs our main sofa in the basement TV room, so itโs lasted a reasonably long time despite having two young boys who love to jump on it and crash into it daily. That alone is impressive. While overall weโre happy with it, I do have some complaints. However, this article is not solely about my IKEA couch complaints. Instead, this is my list of what you should look for, consider and test before buying your IKEA couch.
1. It may be a wood frame, but itโs not the toughest sofa
We also own a Sears sectional sofa. While it has its own problems, you can tell just by sitting in it and feeling the frame that it has a tougher frame.
Generally, IKEA couch frames arenโt the strongest. Yes, ours has served us well for four years, and itโs still going strong, but itโs not indestructible.
When looking, lift them up. If it seems absurdly light compared to other options, you know the frame is not very sturdy.
Is a weak frame a deal breaker?
Not for me. Itโs just something you need to keep in mind. Aside from our young kids being pretty tough on furniture, we arenโt, and itโs still fine. Whether itโll survive our kids when theyโre 12, thatโs anyoneโs guess.
2. Lots of options

I was going to make the point that IKEA doesnโt have a lot of options, but that was four years ago. Since then, theyโve added many new models and designs while retaining older models. Hereโs a list of current IKEA sofa models:
- FRIHETEN
- BRร THULT
- VIMLE
- EKTORP
- HOLMSUND
- KNOPPARP
- KNISLINGE
- KIVIK
- KARLSTAD
- FรRLรV
- SANDBACKEN
- GRรNLID
- SรDERHAMN
- VALLENTUNA
- LANDSKRONA
- KLIPPAN
- FLOTTEBO
- VรNNรS
- STOCKSUND
- UTTRAN
- YPPERLIG
- DELAKTIG
- DELAKTIG
- NOCKEBY
- LIDHULT
3. Can you remove the upholstery fabric to clean it and/or buy another one?
With the Ektorp, we can remove the outer fabric to wash it or, in theory, buy a new one. This is handier than you think. It comes off pretty easily and washes very nicely. Itโs a bit of a hassle putting it back on, though, because itโs a tight fit.
While this shouldnโt be a dealbreaker feature, itโs something to consider. Not all of IKEAโs sofas have removable upholstery fabric.
4. Is there a matching IKEA ottoman you can get?
Iโm so glad we also bought the matching white ottoman for the Ektorp. It, too, has a removable outer fabric layer for washing. Actually, the ottoman is a very solid piece of furniture. Ours is a storage ottoman, and itโs heavy and solid.
Itโs a perfect height in relation to the sofa. It matches appearance-wise. While it added a few bucks to the purchase, it makes sitting on the couch way more comfortable, especially since the sofaโs depth isnโt as deep as Iโd like it. The ottoman gives me a lot more solid sitting space.
5. Double check the depth dimension (and compare)
IKEA sofas are well known for not having a deep enough seat. Itโs fine if youโre not tall, but Iโm tall and really find it the worst aspect of the sofa.
Some of the more modern designs have a deeper seat so if you like deep seats, get that. We opted for the Ektorp because we didnโt want to spend piles of money on what we thought was a somewhat temporary living arrangement. So much for that; 4 years later and weโre still in the same place with the same old IKEA furniture.
If at all possible, visit an IKEA store and try out different sofas.
6. Who will deliver it?
Most IKEA stores (if not all) offer delivery. However, itโs not cheap. If youโre only buying a sofa, you might be able to get into your vehicle.
If not, this is your chance to order more stuff. If youโre paying for delivery, you might as well get as much delivered as possible.
Thatโs how we bought IKEA furniture in the past. We bought it in batches with all kinds of other furniture at the same time. Yeah, we have more IKEA stuff than we should. But we bought it because we believed our living arrangement was going to be temporary. It wasnโt.
7. Cushions are spongy or hard
The interesting thing about IKEA sofas is some of them have way too soft and spongy cushions, and others are too hard. It seems they canโt get the cushion firmness spot on.
Ours (Ektorp) is way too soft. The deform and are like big soft sponges, especially the back cushions. Actually, the seat cushions are decent. Itโs the back cushions that are not very good.
On the flip side, Iโve sat in other models where the seat and back cushions are too hard.
At the end of the day, in my experience, IKEA couches (regular and sectionals) are not the most comfortable. They simply arenโt, and itโs too bad. They look great. They look comfortable. Theyโre pretty comfortable when you sit in them for 5 minutes in the store. But once you get them home and sit in them for 2 hours, youโll know what Iโm talking about.
Iโm not saying theyโre terrible. Iโm just saying that compared to plusher, more expensive brands, they arenโt the most comfortable.
8. Itโs not heavy
This might be a big bonus for you. Our Ektorp sofa is not heavy at all. It has a light frame. This could be good or bad, depending on whether heavy furniture is a problem for you.
9. No complaints about the fabric quality
Our white Ektorp and matching armchair look great still. The fabric is still bright and maintained its texture. Itโs amazing, actually. Iโm impressed with the quality of the fabric used for this line of sofas.
I canโt comment on IKEA leather couches, though, since Iโve never had one. Iโve sat in some but never owned one. That may just be the only piece of IKEA furniture I havenโt owned.
10. Consider an IKEA couch where the cushions are attached to the sofa
Some models have the back cushions attached. Others donโt. Ours arenโt attached, and itโs a total nuisance, except itโs pretty easy to watch the covering. What I dislike about detached back cushions is they end up all over the house and end up askew when they manage to stay on the couch.
They shift and twist, which means adjusting them every time I sit down.
That said, while our cushions are detached, they are soft (too soft). Iโd rather be too soft than too hard. They are kind of plush where I sink into them, assuming they arenโt askew.
11. If your closest IKEA doesnโt have your preferred couch, check online
The IKEA website is good. Easy to use. Easy to order. Lots of options.
In fact, for some of the couch models, you can use their sofa planner to come up with the exact configuration, color, etc., that you want.
While these nifty online tools are cool, thereโs no substitute for sitting in them first. Iโm all about shopping online, but when it comes to buying any type of seating, I need to actually sit in it.
12. Visit a store and sit on many sofas
Our kids love going to IKEA, which makes it an easy outing for us. We almost always get breakfast or lunch there. The food is super good and cheap. I suspect a lot of people go to IKEA for meals only.
After our bellies are full, we enter the famous IKEA maze and check out everything. I donโt think weโve ever left empty-handed.
When buying our current sofa, we sat in pretty much every sofa in the store, looking for the perfect option for us. At the time, it was the Ektorp. Iโm a big sectional sofa fan, but not my wife. Since we already had a sectional, this needed to be a regular couch.
13. IKEA does offer a delivery service
If you can fit your purchases in your vehicle, thatโs great. While IKEA offers delivery, itโs not cheap.
Since when we buy IKEA furniture, weโve usually bought truckloads, and weโve used the delivery service a couple of times. It sure was nice not having to cart out mountains of stuff to our car.
That said, whenever our purchases will fit in our vehicle, we take it ourselves.
The point here is to not worry about how youโll get something big like a sofa home; IKEA does have delivery options.
Iโll say this, though โ arranging the delivery is a hassle. You do it after youโve paid for it. You then cart it to some customer service portal in the store and arrange for delivery. It would be nice if you just gave them a list of products and they retrieved it from the warehouse.
14. Hire local IKEA assemblers
True story here. I know someone who bought their daughter enough IKEA furniture to furnish an entire apartment. He not only bought it but spent roughly 24 hours straight assembling it with an Allen key (it hurts just thinking about doing that).
When we heard that, my wife asked him, โWere there no IKEA assembly contractors or services available?โ
He responded, โthere are such services? I never checked.โ
Turns out there were all kinds of services that assemble IKEA furniture where he was. Needless to say, he wasnโt happy he didnโt know that.
Moral of the story is if youโre buying a lot of IKEA furniture, look into hiring a pro to assemble it. We hired assemblers through our local IKEA stores, and they did a fabulous job.
When you watch a professional IKEA assembly guy, youโll never do it yourself again. They have the right tools and can put this stuff together by memory. They can do in 15 minutes what it takes us mere mortals 2 hours to assemble.
These days, TaskRabbit has people offering IKEA assembly help (in certain parts of Canada; Iโm not sure about it in the USA).
How much does it cost to hire someone to assemble an IKEA couch?
TaskRabbit assembly options range from $40 to $64 CAD, which in my view, is worth every nickel.
15. Err on the side of comfort
Seriously, while IKEA has some cool designs, they arenโt comfortable. When it comes to a sofa that you actually plan to sit in and nap, err on the side of comfortable. There are a good number of both stylish and comfortable couch options there. That was a selling feature of the EKTORP for us โ itโs comfortable (for an IKEA couch).
16. If getting an IKEA sectional sofa, ensure all sections securely join together
I like the big u-shaped IKEA sectionals. Theyโre pretty comfortable. They look good. However, we donโt own one, but I can tell you from the experience of buying other sectionals that you must ensure the section is secure together well.
I have a sectional from Sears, and for the life of me, I canโt figure out why didnโt come with hardware to fasten the three sections together. Drove us nuts, although now itโs fine because the kids love moving them around, so itโs part toy, part sofa.
17. Schedule time for an IKEA meal
Ha ha ha, I love the food at IKEA. Whether breakfast, lunch, or dinner, for the money, itโs a great deal. Iโve been known to get two dishes. They arenโt the most amount of food, but itโs cheap, so even two dishes are less than one dish elsewhere.
Their in-store restaurants are cafeteria-style. Try to avoid busy times like weekends because the lines can be outrageously long (as well as no available seating). We go at off-times so we can zip through the food line, eat and rip through the IKEA maze.
18. Check Craigslist
If youโre buying a sofa at IKEA as a temporary furniture solution, it might be worth checking Craigslist for a used sofa, IKEA or otherwise. Sometimes you can find really great finds for very little money. Even if you have to rent a truck or pay for a delivery, it can be worth it. It doesnโt cost much to rent a U-haul for a few hours, so consider this a viable option.
19. Check IKEAโs discount room
We pop into IKEAโs discount room on every visit. I think itโs where they sell returned items. Some may be slightly damaged from delivery. The point is the stuff in this room is super, super cheap. The inventory varies all the time, but you never know when you might see something you want or need, and itโs there costing way less than it would otherwise.
20. Donโt expect it to last a lifetime โ be realistic
IKEA is as successful as it is because it offers value. By value, I mean you get what you pay for and then some. In IKEAโs case, you get stylish home furnishings for not much money. You even get somewhat okay quality for some of their product lines.
What you donโt get is furniture that will last a lifetime. But then you donโt pay for that either. You really need to be realistic about what youโre getting. Yes, some of their furniture is sturdier and will last longer than other items, but for the most part, donโt expect that your IKEA couch will be the last couch you ever buy.
Weโve already had our Ektorp for four years, and Iโm happy about that. If it falls apart in the next month, Iโm content I got my moneyโs worth. Of course, Ektorp sofas are one of the cheapest options at IKEA, so I really canโt expect much. But even if I spent $1,000, if it lasted me ten years, Iโd be really happy with that.
21. IKEA is really good at making their sofas look fabulous

Watch out, or before you know it, you went in to buy a sofa, and you come out with a sofa, loveseat, armchair, ottomans, coffee table, end tables, shelves, picture frames, area rug, and more.
How does this happen?
Easy. Itโs those very well-designed IKEA rooms showcasing their wares. I particularly like the full mini-apartments they create with a small IKEA kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom with clever storage throughout.
All Iโm saying is to have a plan, or youโll end up buying way more than you intended. I know from experience.
22. More and more people are buying IKEA couches
When I look into Google Trends for โIKEA couchโ for the past five years, the chart is trending upward very consistently. This means more and more people are looking for this type of sofa. If youโre here, chances are youโre seriously buying one. Youโre not alone. They are very popular and getting more popular.
Do I regret buying an IKEA couch?
Not at all. I think we paid $500 CAD. It looks good. Itโs reasonably comfortable. Weโve had it as our main sofa for 4 years. I canโt complain at all.
