When I was searching for the perfect couch for our new home a year ago, I read so many reviews. Those reviews of the Ektorp couch in particular helped me make my decision to purchase them. So, I’m going to pay it forward with my own thoughts on the Ektorp a year later.
A Review of the Ikea Ektorp Sofa
I’m just going to start by saying, I LOVE these sofas. Hands down the best purchase, especially if you have a house full of kids and animals, like I do. Before buying these sofas, we went through two other sofas in our first home, over the course of eight years. Between our kids and animals, they did not hold up. For reference, we had a microfiber sofa first and then a leather sofa. The microfiber stained like no other (even though it wasn’t supposed to) and the leather became a victim to our cats. If it wasn’t for the cats, the leather sofa would have stayed pretty awesome. But, back to the Ektorp, let’s talk about what I love:
1. Price – The Ektorp couches are cheap! The sofa style we bought is $379, then you buy the cover for around $99. We bought the first one to stage our old house and then put it in storage until our new house was built. Then we bought another one to complete the new house! I love that the covers are cheap enough that if the couch covers get ruined somehow, I can easily replace them, as opposed to replacing an entire sofa! The Ektorp Sofa looks a lot like the Pearce Pottery Barn Sofa, but is a fraction of the price.
2. Washability – My kids eat on these sofas, jump on these sofas, and my muddy dog lays on these sofas, yet they come clean every single time. I love love love, that I can wash the covers. One thing I hated about my old sofas, was the fact that they would smell over time. You could spray them, and surface clean them, but they never felt as clean as the Ektorp couch does after I launder the covers. I use a combo of whatever detergent I’m using at the moment and Oxiclean to clean them. You’re not supposed to bleach the covers, so I haven’t tried that, but I’m pretty sure Oxiclean is magic. My kids have colored on these sofas with marker and crayon and the Oxiclean gets it out. I will often soak the covers in the tub with a few scoops of Oxiclean, then launder on hot. I then hang them to dry. The cushion covers aren’t large, so it’s easy to hang them over the tub or on top of my ironing board. When I wash the large cover, I just hang it over our cat walk railing to dry! If I was a perfectionist, I would probably wash the covers every other week to keep them pristine, but I tend to wash them about once a month or more often if we have company coming over. I also roll them with a lint roller once a week, since they are white, they do show a little lint and dirt. When I was reading reviews, some people recommending spraying them with warm water and smoothing out the wrinkles once you put them back on the base, but I don’t feel the need to do the extra work. The wrinkles fall out after a couple of days and fit the “cottage” look of the sofas.
3. Comfort – For the price, these couches are pretty darn comfortable. I wouldn’t say they are la-z-boy level, but they do the job. I appreciate the soft, undone look they have and think it goes well in my casual living room.
Conclusion: I would buy these sofas over and over again. They look great, hold up well and at their price point, even if they only last a few years, that’s fine by me! If you’re on the fence about the Ektorp couch…buy it.
-Brooke
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Looks so beautiful and comfy!! LOVE the pillows!
It looks super comfy too.
xo
Pinksole
We’ve purchased a lot of items from IKEA but not a couch yet and that size would be perfect in our guest room! xo, Biana –BlovedBoston
Thanks for sharing! This sofa looks so comfy and homey! My kids and pets have completely destroyed my sofas and we are just trying to make them last until our next move! I don’t think the sofas will handle another move anyway, so they will become garbage at that point and I will definitely be in the market for new sofas then! I will have to keep these in mind!
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
What a great review! We don’t have kids yet but I am sure we’ll need a new sofa once that day arrives!! Always nice to hear a review about Ikea products because you just never know!
Katherine | http://www.oneswainkycouple.com
Love your casual living room look and those blue and white pillows love love love!
I was just looking at this sofa for our basement where our kids hang out, so this post is timed perfectly. It looks amazing in your house! Thanks for the review.
xo, Whitney and Blaire
Peaches In A Pod
I love, love, love Ikea!
SO glad you did a review of this couch! We have been debating getting it for our basement! Your living room is SO my style–I LOVE IT!
Rosy Outlook
This is great to know because we are thinking about replacing our couch soon. Thanks for sharing!
I like anything that’s washable when it comes to kids! We have a throw over our sofa at the moment, it gets replaced fairly regularly when it needs washed, but being able to remove the entire cover and wash it would be even more useful! 🙂
Thank you for the link up!
Hope you’re having a lovely week so far. Another nice warm spring day here, although they say the rain will be back soon 🙁
Away From The Blue Blog
Okay I NEED this. Plus your house is gorgeous and so bright and happy!
Amy Ann
Straight A Style
I do think that the advantage of online is reading the reviews. If you go to the store only-you never get to see what other people thought.
Love your area, Brooke. But please tell me that it’s not always so clean and picked up. I have my knitting strewn all over my couch area right now, and this is making me feel a little guilty!! Ha ha
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Glad you like your new couches. Furniture can be so frustrating, it costs so much and gets dated or worn so quickly. I have two very expensive, yet dated couches in my family room I would love to replace, but they are in MINT condition because no one ever sits on them.
This is a beautiful post. The first time I’ve read a review like this and I think it is a wonderful idea!
Cheryl
https://www.northwestmountainliving.com
Your living room looks beautiful! And I need this couch! I currently have a microfiber couch, which is ruined (all stained) by my boys. I’ve been afraid to bye something new because they’ll just trash that too, but this sounds like a great option.
Rachael
http://www.threadsforthomasblog.com
Looks like a great sofa! Love the photos!
~Samantha
http://goldcoastgirlblog.com
Love the colour combo you have going!
Love the cottage look and these sofas fit the bill perfectly! Glad they worked out for you! I’m actually looking for a sofa right now but I’m in the market for something sleek and modern. Hope I’m as lucky as you were at finding one that works. Have a great day!
Mary
http://marymurnane.com
Such a beautiful room! Love all the colors you used to decorate the area.
Mary
https://www.themarycurator.com/
Your living room looks sooo nice ! I have yet to try any furniture from Ikea.
The couches and curtains are the only thing I have from ikea, but I love them both!
Thank you Mary!
Love the modern look! I hope you share what you find!
Thanks girl!
Thank you Samantha!
I hated our microfiber couch, it was awful! I don’t know if yours is like mine, but you couldn’t get it wet at all, such a pain!
Thanks so much Cheryl, glad you enjoyed it!
I struggle with furniture purchases for that very reason. So far, I’ve managed to get my husband to make me something or I find an inexpensive option! I bought an expensive bedroom set for our first home and it was total garbage, scared me away after that haha!
Oh no it’s messy every day lol! I love a clean space so I have to pick it up at the end of each day or I can’t function. That’s a blessing and a curse sometimes!
Thank you Amy!
Bummer about the rain! It’s always fun for me to think how it’s going into winter here but spring and summer for you!
You’re welcome!
You will love it if you decide to go for them. I went back and forth because I did hear mixed reviews about them being cheap/not great quality. But my experience has been very positive!
The best!!! We have one a few hours away from us and we made a special trip out there just for the sofas!
It would be perfect for the kids in the basement! You’re welcome!
Thank you Katherine!
So true! We’ve had good luck with the sofas, but I haven’t tried much else from there besides curtains. 😀
Kids and pets are so tough on furniture! I learned that the hard way with out first two sofas lol!
They’re nice and compact!
Especially with a bunch of pillows and throw blankets, so cozy!
Thank you Andrea!
My sister has this couch and loves it so much! Your home is so beautiful!
We definitely need one of those sofas! It’s amazing how hard kids are on sofas. We currently have a brown microfiber couch that seems to be doing okay after 4 years, but I”m so ready for an update. Thanks for the review
Carly at A Modern Mom Blog
You have SUCH a beautiful house! I love the color scheme. I want to redecorate badly!
You have such beautiful style! The color is gorgeous and I love the idea of jumping kids, eating etc. and it’s still clean!
http://www.mylittlenest.org
I really enjoyed reading your review. I will definitely keep these in mind next time I am ready to buy furniture. I love the idea of having a washable cover!
Oh I loveee how comfy this sofa looks! If I had a larger space for a new one, I would totally be checking this one out! I love how you customized it with some fun pillows!
Denise | Fashion Love Letters
We had an Ektorp sectional for years and it was so comfy!
xo Jules
This is so good to know! We’ve had a couch for a couple of years now, and I’m just not loving how it’s holding up.I might have to try one of these!
By Lauren M
I have this sofa, too, in the chaise version! The movers got some kind of oily black stuff on it during the trek to Chicago, and I just popped off the cover and threw it in the wash. It looks better than it did when it was new! Such a fan. Where are you pillows from?
–Roxanne
http://glassofglam.com
We looked at those sofas when we were shopping for our new one. Ikea has such great stuff. The washable covers are so perfect for people with little ones, pets, teens, really anyone. I figure when our kids are setting up their houses, quite a few trips to IKEA will be in our future.
When I was looking at new furniture I was seriously considering these sofas! Nice to hear that they are so great for families!
This looks amazing. I love IKEA furniture. They really stir your creativity in design. Thanks for the review dear.
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
I thought a lot about an Ikea Ektorp sofa, with a cream covering like yours, when I moved into my house. I was on a budget and liked the price and the look of it, but wasn’t sure about how comfortable it would be. I’ve always wondered, so thank you for answering my questions in your review. Your living room looks so stylish by the way.
I love that the cover can be washed and down the road replaced if needed rather than the entire couch! That’s such an awesome feature especially when you think about all that goes into making a couch and that a dirty cover could even probably be repurposed into something! If its still around when the time comes for us to replace ours, this one will most definitely be on my list to consider!! 🙂
Erica
http://www.awastenotkindoflife.com