A thoroughly unpopular opinion
I bought an IKEA Klippan sofa yesterday as part of my efffort to get my home ready to sell. I'm following the home staging bible that reads...'thou shall not have a room with an undefined purpose'. So I needed a small sofa, bought on the cheap that I will likely sell off once the home is sold.

I have to say that although the Klippan is indeed fabricated with particle board, and various other less than quality components, that it's really not such a bad piece. Heck, it only cost me $279USD including the slip cover, I'm sane enough to know I'm not getting Knoll for that kind of money.

But the thing came with a description of the sustainable/recycled components in it's construction, which I found quite satisfying. It flat packs into this amazingly small footprint that I could fit into my VW Passat, and it went together in 7 minutes without tools. Best of all it's actually quite comfortable.

I know this sofa has been in their line for years, but I'd never before considered buying it. I like IKEA for simple things, like candle holders, drinking glasses, bed sheets, etc. I do have a pair of chairs I got from them years back that have held up so well that I reupholstered them, so I thought, what the hey, I'll get the Klippan. I'm truly surprised that I actually like it as much as I do. It's pretty amazing that a sofa pops out of that little package... like those squished up kitchen sponges.

I know many of you villify IKEA as bad design for the unwashed masses, but if you ever bought a Klippan, you might actually be impressed by the cleverness, not the quality, I'm not arguing that point at all, of the thing. For what it is, a cheap sofa, it's a rather exceptional example of the type!

Perfect
for that application...

I've always had a positive...
I've always had a positive feel about IKEA since I was a kid growing up seeing furnished Real World houses done by IKEA. Yes, some items are really tough to install because of production inconsistencies, but overall, I've never had quality issues with them.

Who cares what people think? As long as it sells your house. Most of us have graduated to being elitists and design snobs(don't join them):)

IKEA
Has its place.

OH,
SNAP!

Ikea
Ikea is a matter of knowing construction and materials and then making informed decisions. I have some simple and lovely pieces from the big blue box.

What irks me about them, aside from copying the classics of Aalto, Saarinen, Breuer, etc, is that they blanket market everything as being 'high quality' when it should be marketed as 'affordable'. There is nothing wrong with temporary solutions. I think this was best highlighted when Ikea released 'Stockholm' - a line of high(er) quality pieces, with price tags to match. If you truly believe your quality is good - why are you touting your new products as the next best-thing?

DAMN
now I must go to the huge Ikea near(Austin TX.) to check out the new stuff...Last time I got the feeling people (mobbed,weekends) were buying stuff due to lowish prices...not really design buff types in general.I buy something every time I go.The styling in general is quite high.I have a "thing" for the rubber like material you can bake/freeze in:)

I like IKEA.
I go there all the time and have bought bookcases, bathroom sinks and vanities, several kitchens, a few chairs, many housewares and textiles, toys, light fixtures and lamps, and food over the years. They have a lot of good stuff.

That said, I had an interesting experience with a Klippan sofa.

My daughter bought one for her first apartment. After a couple of years she wanted a new look for it so I offered to reupholster it (thinking that would be easier than attempting to copy their slipcover in the fabric she wanted).

It was made in such a way that I had to disassemble it to re-cover some of the parts. The construction was appallingly bad. The arms were boxes made of oriented strand board or flake board or something, and some of the screws were driven in so far that they went through the board. Other screws were added next to them in kind of a random way.

Some of the components for the main frame were pine 1x2 boards with knots. They had broken in two places where there were large knots. This happened in a home with no kids and just two slim adults.

Several types of bolts and screws were used to hold the frame together and their placement didn't seem to follow any plan. Some had split the wood and others were added with extra little blocks of wood for reinforcement.

It looked like it had been made in a high school shop class by kids with no instruction. The foam and fabric covered up all of this and no one would ever have known about it.

I did get it reupholstered in the end. It was a comfortable sofa and actually didn't seem any less so for the lack of quality. I only mention it here because of the astoundingly poor quality of construction. It put me off buying anything from IKEA where the construction is hidden, but that's about it.

About to buy the stank out of some IKEA bedroom offerings...
I am always disappointed when looking for bedroom furniture in the MCM and Danish vein. I don't love any of it enough to pay the prices asked. I purchased the MALM Series platform bed, side tables and chest of drawers nearly five years ago when my wife and I shacked up and they still look the part today. Was looking for simple and unobtrusive. But I was pleasantly surprised upon arrival. Very sexy bed with the attached side tables for around $300 I believe it was. And dare I say genius packaging and assembly design. Simple as. Also still have the SNIGLAR crib which my second hellion now resides in through the night. It's not heirloom quality stuff, but I think the quality complaint is overstated. It is what it is. You have to know what you're buying. I find my purchases as easy on the eye as most of their top of the line counterparts. And I'm never apologetic in spending exorbitant amounts on designs which I love either. But IKEA has been a nice option in the bedroom since I've found few accessible designs that get me hot and bothered. So with our family gaining two bedrooms with our pending move, IKEA it is once again.

We have the red leather...
We have the red leather klippan and four children.
After five years it has really stood the test, and I'd buy one again with no hesitation.....

Kramfors
I visited friends this past summer and they had two Kramfors sofas in their
summer house living room. A festive saturday and a dozen small children jumping
all over them and pausing and lying for a rest on the boxiness of the backs. After three
years they have held up well. I was impressed.
They are a bit more expensive but seem durable.
I visit Ikea about once a year and am often stunned at their output of interesting design.
I usually only buy 'smalls'. The little 'gack'. And usually for gifts. My entire family and extended
family have never been to Ikea, so the little crap is an easy gift.

I spent more at Whole Foods this morning, (we call it 'Whole Paycheck' in NYC) than i have ever spent in Ikea.

(For international readers, Whole Foods is a mega food store supplying organic.)



http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/IkeamsSearch?s...

IKEA's more $$$ pieces
While shopping at IKEA this weekend with my brother, I took notice to what I think is probably their most attractive sofa option - the ARILD in leather. They offer a several nice colors and it's extremely comfy. The scale is nice, because it isn't frumpy, but it offers deep enough seating for comfort.

I have a vintage Steelcase sofa that I reupholstered. Because I am a soon-to-be father, I have spent a little time thinking about child friendly furniture (furniture that I won't worry about so much). I like the idea of a dark hued leather for wiping off the inevitable.

After reading the fine print, this $1K sofa still has particleboard in it! I was shocked to learn this. While 1K is very reasonable for an attractive sofa, I would think that at this price point you've graduated past that horrid material.

So, in the end I am sticking to my vintage sofa, methinks. I would only guess that this lovely ARILD piece will eventually wear out, while my Steelcase has been standing strong since 1968. My fear has been that I will need to reupholster it yet again after it gets an ass whipping from my future child. But, what's the difference in spending another 1K to reupholster and spending 1K on a sofa that will not last? Except maybe, having to look at stains for a couple of years before it makes sense to recover...

Has anyone had experience with this sofa? It does boast some hardwood and metal, and perhaps the particleboard isn't being used in areas that must be structurally sound??

Lastly, does anyone have any advice about fabric sofas + kids? Should I sell it before it gets butchered? Is there a magic trick I should know about?

plastic?
Sounds comfy ... and aesthetically pleasing.

SO, do the majority of the...
SO, do the majority of the parents here grin and bear the inevitable fabric stains, or do you opt to swap for more resilient products?

NOTE: I think I will start another thread for this

And - opinions on the aforementioned Ikea ARILD sofa?