That's what I'm saving up for! After extensive searches I've really only read excellent comments about them especially from folks w/ kids.

I have the white slipcovered ektorp sofa from ikea. We really like it. It looks great and the slipcover washes well and seems like it is well made and will last for a long time. I did buy an additional one so that I can alternate them but I don't think I needed to, in retrospect. I don't think it's the most comfortable sofa in the world, but it's not too bad. I hear they get more comfortable as they get more use - ours is at our beach house and doesn't get full time use, so that could be why. If you live near an Ikea store you might want to visit it and sit on it first. My boys get them very dirty - sand, suntan lotion, food, etc. and they always come out perfectly clean. To me the best thing is that you can replace the slipcover for like $50! If you get sick of white, you can get something else. We have another white slipcovered sofa from Crate & Barrell and it's somewhere around $350 to buy an additional slipcover and I actually think the Ikea slipcover is a better quality!

Hello!

This is good to hear! I think maybe we will need to take a short trip to Ikea and actually sit on the furniture. We will be using this in our finished basement for tv watching. Since we have the big tv down there, I am thinking that in time we will be spending quite some time down there.

Thanks!!!

I have the Ikea Ektorp Sofa Bed in white in my office. I have yet to wash the slip covers, though I really do need to. Mine has stayed quite clean except a little grime near the skirt where my dog rubbed. The sofa is quite comfortable and the price is great. They look much nicer than the price tag.

Hi-
My sister has the Ektorp sofas, she has washed hers many, many times and they have held up well.

I have a JC Penney Linden Street slipcovered sectional for 2 years, and that has held up really well also. My sister always says mine is more comfortable than hers. Although she has 2 sofas, and one is definitely more comfy than the other. Weird, but I guess thats how it goes with IKEA stuff.

One big plus about the Linden street sofas, the arms detach for getting into tight spaces. Not sure if the Ektorp does as well. I'm not sure how your stairs are getting into your basement, sometimes they can be really tight, especially when trying to get a full size couch down them.

PS- Love your new finished basement- I'm very envious.

Hi!

I'm so glad to see the good reviews on the Ikea sofas! I'm planning on a sofa and a loveseat. I can get both of them for under $1000.

polly929 - I'll check out the JC Penney sofa. How does the price compare? My basement stairs are straight, no turns. We did get our old furniture (pictured above) down the stairs, and it is fairly big. The sofa was a little tight, but it went! Dh will tear them apart to get them back up, I think as long as it isn't overstuffed large size, we shouldn't have any trouble.

Thanks!

Have you seen the matching slipcovered ottomans? We have one and it's great and the top comes off for storage. I can't remember the price, but it's very reasonable. If you're going to be using your sofa for TV watching, you might want to consider it! You can store all your DVDs in it! I usually drape a pretty folded tablecloth, or something on part of it (sounds weird but looks okay) so it stays cleaner longer, with all those feet on it, since its white. Or you can put a tray on it for drinks etc. Actually it's big enough that we have a wooden tray on ours and you can still rest your feet on it.

We also have the Ikea Ektorp sofa, loveseat and chair with white slipcovers. They are about two years old and have held up better than I expected. We wash the slipcovers approximately once every two months with oxyclean and they always come out wonderful. It is also nice that if just your cushions are getting dirty, you can very easily wash those and leave the bulky frame cover slip for another time.

If you are used to typical large American style sofas, they do sit differently. They are much lower to the ground, when we initially sat on them in the store, I almost didn't get them due to this, but we hardly even notice it anymore. DH and I are both tall (5'11" and 6'), but the lower seat height has not been a problem.

For our family that includes a five year old daughter and a dog that likes to sit and roll on the furniture, I wouldn't have anything other than a slipcovered set in the future.

I always here good reviews but then I go to the showroom and they look lumpy and broken down. I would love to see some pics. I like things to look pretty tailored so I am more particular about these sorts of things.

I have an ivory slipcovered Linden Street loveseat from JCP too. It is used every day. It's about 3 1/2 years old but it still looks great and is very comfortable. I wash the covers on the cushions but dry clean the arms and back cover (the slipcovers I have are supposed to be dry cleaned) as the big cover fits VERY tightly and I am afraid of shrinkage. The cushion covers wash like new.

Attached are pics of my Ikea slipcovered sofa, loveseat and chair. These are taken after about 2 years of use.