Here's the Ikea sofa.

I got an Ektorp chair for free from someone who was getting rid of it. It is surprisingly comfortable. However their pug sat on the back cushion for several years and this created an unfixable dent. (My cats adopted this dent as their own.) Ikea does not sell replacement cushions. Despite this the chair is still comfortable and in good condition. If I really wanted to I could get new cushions made at a foam shop, because you can remove the slipcovers. In my view this is also handy for keeping the chair clean. Remove the slipcover from the dryer when still slightly damp and put it on immediately, this makes it easier and less wrinkled.

I have no experience with the other sofa. However I have had several cheap pieces made of bi-cast leather (a chair from Fred Meyer, dining benches from World Market) and was severely disappointed in how fast the foam inside broke down with use. I mean, crazy fast! And on my furniture, there is no way to replace that foam. So the pieces became uncomfortable junk quickly. So check out the construction and consider that when making your decision. Believe it or not, the Ektorp may win in terms of durability.

You might try googling for reviews of each sofa. I am confident you will find many bloggers who have reviewed the Ektorp - it is a very popular Ikea classic. If you are lucky you will find some reviews of the Cindy Crawford too.

A few other thoughts: How does it work to have 4 people on a sofa that has two reclining sections? That seems a little tricky. My ex had an old reclining sofa that I absolutely hated - it had sharp things poking out with age and the metal frame was easily felt through the padding. It prevented us from snuggling because the frame was in the way. And it was ugly. And, it was kinda broken in the reclining department. I must say visually I prefer the Ektorp. And theres less stuff to break on it.

Hope that helps....

Thanks so much for your input! That does help, definitely, especially your confidence in the Ektorp. I did try googling for reviews on the Cindy Crawford one. All I could find were really old ones from like 2008 and 2009.They weren't good, but so old I thought I'd like to hear from someone more current.

I'm totally with you on the visual appeal of the Ektorp vs. recliner. One big attraction on the reclining one though is that we've always had a couple of old recliners in there, and because of a redesign there's not going to be room for those plus a real sofa. So this would still give hubby a place to nap.

Ugggggghh. I've had all the time in the world, and now I'm down to the wire. Indecision is my worst enemy, haha!

Oh, yikes!! I just found a whole bunch of long, detailed and recent complaints about RTG, as far as customer service, lots of damaged goods delivered, terrible peeling leather. While I know that people are more likely to complain than to write in and praise a company, it is really putting me off.

Not to sound like an idiot, but can anyone tell me about a chain that is above the quality of RTG, but maybe not as expensive as, say, Haverty's? (By the way, Haverty's doesn't have anything I like.) I may still go with the Ikea sofa, but the fam really would like a reclining sofa! I've checked La-Z-Boy, but will check again.

La-Z-Boy Colton... maybe i'm making progress. Would still love input. Trying to escape the really poofy recliner sofas, though they are soooo comfy. Just not my style.