The house that we are moving to in Connecticut has a fairly large living room and since our current living room space is quite small, we’re going to need some new furniture. At the top of the list is a sofa. We’re in a bit of a unique situation – we may only be in this house for a few years so we don’t want to invest much money in furniture that we won’t have a place for if we end up moving again. What sofa do I think I’ll most likely end up with? IKEA’s slipcovered EKTORP Sofa – at under $500, the combination of style and price is hard to beat!
The beauty of this sofa is that when it’s used in a well decorated space, the sofa looks anything but cheap:
Being a gal who likes to know all of her options before make a decision, I did some online searching this weekend to see what other inexpensive sofa options I could find. Maybe there’s a better choice than IKEA’s EKTORP?! Her are a few options that I found for under $999 (includes affiliate links – full disclosure statement available {here}):
Pier 1 Imports’ Alton Sofa:
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and Pottery Barn’s Buchanan Sofa with a square arm (available {here}) or roll arm (available {here}):
I’m hoping to make it up to the Pottery Barn Outlet and Ballard Outlet in the next few weeks to see if I can find any bargains but at this point, the EKTORP remains number one on my list. Do you know of any great inexpensive sofas that I’m missing??
Lindsay, Xo Lindsay says
I have Ikea’s Ektorp, but I have it in the sectional version. For the price, I’m very impressed. The slipcovers are SO EASY to wash, it’s fairly comfortable and it looks damn good… You’d never know it was so inexpensive. That one gets my vote!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
I’m so glad to hear that you love it and the slipcovers are easy to wash – another reason that this is probably the best choice for me!
Lindsay @ A Walk in the Closet says
I recently bought a pair of Ektorp 3 seaters after a lot of deliberation. Our criteria was removable slipcovers. With 2 cats now, children and a dog in the near horizon, that was a must. Also, I wanted to be able to change the color of my couch instead of buying a new one should we move within the next few years.
With all that in mind, I could not find anything NEAR the price of the Ektorp. I found many sub-$1000 beautiful sofas that didn’t have slipcovers so they were out. With slipcovers, I could only find ones $1500-3000+.
I also found the Ektorps way more comfortable than a lot of nicer sofas out there. The screws that came with the sofa were quite short so we upgraded them with a quick trip to Home Depot.
I really don’t think you’ll regret it!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Thanks so much for the info Lindsay – it helps to hear that someone else has been on the same search and ended up with the same solution!
Tiffany Larson says
I have the IKEA Hovas, I like to think it’s a little more sleek than the Ektorp (but I’m no designer). It’s been our only couch for a year with two young kids and held up well. Very stiff at first but is more comfortable now. For the price, it was a steal. I really wish they would made a more linen/beige colored slipcover for it though (similar one they make for the Ektorp).
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Thanks Tiffany – I haven’t seen the HOVAS in person yet but it definitely seems to be a good looking sofa! It’s good to know that there aren’t as many choices in slipcovers – I think I’ll go with the white but it would be nice to have lots of color options to switch to in the future by just changing out the slipcover!
Julie says
I like both of the Ikea sofas. I think the Hovas looks a little more streamlined than the Ektorp. But for the price, I don’t think you could go wrong with either one. I recently bought a new sofa, chair and ottoman from Ashley Furniture and they have turned out to be less than desirable quality. So, just a word of warning…I won’t ever buy from them again and certainly won’t recommend them to anyone. Good luck in your search!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
Thanks for sharing your experience Julie!
jasi says
the ektorp is a great value but it’s —everywhere—. i’m actually kinda sick of it. i have one of those karlstads in the playroom because it’s still comfy and every time i hate seeing it (or a child gunks it up), i can buy a new cover for $100 and pretend it’s a new sofa. also we painted the feet. it doesn’t really make a difference but it feels good to be different. so hipster.
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
I agree – the Karlstad is totally hipster 🙂 I saw that sofa used on Young House Love and think it’s perfect for a young couple!
andrea says
which did you end up getting?
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
After much debate and looking, I ended up going with the EKTORP. We’ve only been using it about a month now but I’m happy with my choice so far!
Shelia Dowd says
I purchased two of the Chloe sofas – I almost purchased the Ektorp slipcovered sofas. I think I made the right choice (I was buying them for my living room which is a bit more formal) – they’ve held up really well! I’ve had them a little over a year. I hope you are enjoying yours – I’ve always wanted a slipcovered sofa – maybe I’ll get them for the den!
Laura says
How is the quality of the Ektorp over time ?
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Laura! We’ve had our EKTORP about two years now and it has held up great!
Lauren says
Glad to see that it has held up! I have heard great things about the EKTORP! I have had my eye on the EKTORP myself and I have read a couple blogs on it. I love the price and the fact that it comes with a slipcover for easy maintenance.
My husband likes the KIVIK. We will probably end up going with the KIVIK if we buy from IKEA but I think you made an excellent choice with the EKTORP! So stylish!
Kris Jarrett says
The KIVIK is a great option too! Good luck making your decision!
Jeanette says
I don’t know if you’ll see this comment on this old post, but thought I’d try. I noticed that you had 3 cushions on your updated room pictures instead of the 2 in this post. I’m thinking about getting these couches, so thought I’d ask! Thx, yours looks great.
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Jeanette! Yes, I ended up having one cushion made so that I could have the three separate ones. I found the additional cushion cover in the clearance section at IKEA!
-Jeanette says
That was so clever! Great idea.
Michelle Goebel says
Hi, I love your blog and IG! I remembered this older post on the IKEA sofa and I just wanted to check in to see how the slip cover has held up and if you have had to get any replacement ones in the past few years? Also, what are your thoughts on their “newer” Stockrund sofa (return rolled arm). I love the shape by I am not crazy about the current slip cover choices in the US. Thank you!
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Michelle – our slipcover has held up really well so we haven’t had to invest in another one yet. I actually bought a replacement slipcover a while back in case I needed it when I heard they were changing out the slipcovers to new ones (and I wasn’t sure I would like the new ones) but it’s still in the box! I actually looked at the STOCKSUND sofa in person when a friend of mine was looking to buy a new inexpensive sofa and I love the shape and design of it but wasn’t crazy about how the arms looked in person – I like that style of arm in an upholstered sofa but with a slipcover it just looked kinda messy and wrinkled to me.
Dib says
Thank you for this article. I am shopping for a new sofa and keep gravitating back to the Ecktorp. I love the style.
Kris Jarrett says
So glad you found it helpful!