Ikea Ektorp Sofa Review Part 1

I am so excited to share my Ikea Ektorp sofa review with y'all! Ikea doesn't have a clue who I am but I know that I would have appreciated more reviews from fellow bloggers when I was making my new home purchases. Our old couch was bought used and was close to nine or ten years old. The cushions were sinking in and it just wasn't the style I wanted for the new living room. What I wanted was this:

Source: potterybarn.com via Kristen on Pinterest

The PB Basic.
Love!
Unfortunately, the price was out of the question - at least $1,440.00. So I started searching for a similar slipcovered sofa to no avail. Why is this style so difficult to find?! Anyway, after searching online I found reviews for this:

Source: ikea.com via Kristen on Pinterest

The Ikea Ektorp Collection. Looks a lot like the PB Basic but the price for this one is $399. Sold! Well actually, after convincing the hubby we decided to go with the corner sofa 2 + 2.

Source: ikea.com via Kristen on Pinterest

I love the traditional sofa "look" better than a sectional but we are in a season of our lives where comfort and couch space are a must. As soon as I sat down to test it out I could envision our two sweet girls snuggled up on the couch with us watching movies :) And let me say, it is perfect for that! I really believe it is the most comfortable couch that I have ever sat on. It is cushiony but still firm.

We also purchased the matching Ektorp Bromma footstool:

Source: ikea.com via Kristen on Pinterest

I know I must seem crazy for choosing a white sofa. {Did I momentarily forget that I have two children under three??} The color is called "Blekinge White." It is very white - meaning it does show every little bit of lint, dirt, food, etc. that gets on it. Which reminds me of the not so funny story of the day we got our sofa. Ellie came walking into the living room with a full glass of orange juice and spilled it all over the top of the footstool! Fortunately, it all came out in the wash. I used a little bit of stain remover on it just in case. Nothing stays "new" around here for very long, that is for sure.

However, it has been fairly easy to "spot clean." I use a spray bottle with one tablespoon of baby wash mixed with one cup of water. Anytime I find a dirty spot, I just spray and scrub it with a cloth diaper. Like I mentioned, the slipcover is removable and can be washed and air dried. The only problem is I don't have enough space to dry all the slipcovered pieces! Something one ought to think about prior to purchasing a slipcovered sofa, huh? Putting the slipcovers back on isn't very difficult, just a bit tedious. It is worth the effort knowing that my sofa is clean and that I'm not sitting on mystery stains from many years past. We have made some changes because of the new white sofa. Like no shoes on the furniture rule...probably a good rule anyway. And we throw afghans and quilts over the sofa for our daily use. When company is coming over, I just fold up the throw blankets and enjoy our white sofa!

Here are some pics of ours. I apologize in advance for the poor picture quality. I'm decorating for Christmas now and can't get a better picture. If you read my blog much, you are used to this type of picture quality.

All in all, here are the pros:

• Machine washable
• Can be spot cleaned
• Cushiony but still firm
• Great for cuddling up with the whole family
• Size (not too big like our last overstuffed couch and love seat)

Here are the cons:

• Shows dirt
• Must hang dry....and find the space to do so!
• Maintenance is time consuming (i.e. removing slipcovers, washing/drying, putting slipcovers back on)

When it comes down to it, I LOVE my new sofa and I would purchase it all over again. White is definitely my color of choice right now and it just really brightens the whole room. I love the Pottery Barn look and feel of it...without the PB Basic price tag!  I titled this "part 1" because I plan to share with you an update after we have had several months to really enjoy the sofa and see how it holds up.

**For my follow-up review, read part 2 here