I Spent Hours and Hours Testing Every Sofa at IKEA — These Are the 5 That Impressed Me the Most, and Why
I treated IKEA like my living room for a long afternoon, and these are the styles I'd honestly consider buying, plus three honorable mentions
Buying a sofa is — in a word — hard. And expensive. And frustrating, and painful, and exhausting, too. I guess maybe you can't distill the sofa-buying process down to just one word, because it really is just too big a deal. Because if you want a couch that's really going to last, you can't take any shortcuts.
If there were a shortcut, though, I am confident it would have something to do with IKEA's sofas. Because of its reputation and its furniture acumen, you can generally shop with the understanding that you'll find something of decent quality. But there is also so much product to sort through, and in this case, that might mean finding the best sofa for you feels like finding a needle in a haystack.
Well, dear reader, that's where I can help. A few weeks ago, I spent an afternoon at my local store, where I did nothing but sit on every single IKEA sofa available in the showroom (okay fine, I ate some meatballs, too). I sat up, sat down, rolled around, touched, felt, plopped, plumped ... I did everything you would need to do to get a decent feel for a sofa before purchasing, then compiled my testing in the shortlist below.
Now, you can shop a pre-selected shortlist of sofas that not only impressed me during my visit but also come with a first-person review you can trust. Below, you'll find my five fave IKEA sofas (though take a look at my separate guide to IKEA sleeper sofas if you're looking for a sofa bed) as well as some honorable mentions, which are good choices, stylistically, but may come with more caveats than their predecessors.
Brigid, a freelance design writer for Livingetc, has become somewhat of a couch expert over the years. In 2023, she was hired as Livingetc's very first Style Editor, a role for which she set out to understand the ins and outs of the sofa-buying process. This pursuit involved traveling to stores around New York City and sitting on every product she could, as well as talking to manufacturers and upholstery studios about their tips and tricks for finagling the perfect fit. Although she is no longer on the Livingetc masthead full-time, she brings those 100+ hours of sofa-researching experience to her in-store reviews like these, which also involved hours and hours traipsing around a local IKEA. Boots? Meet ground.
JÄTTEBO
This was, by far, my favorite IKEA sofa. From my experience, I would certainly recommend it. It is so incredibly chic — the low profile, the corduroy fabric, the green color — and very on trend. Plus, IKEA's JÄTTEBO sofa also conceals hidden storage beneath (yes, you read that right).
I quite like that it is modular, as well, which means you can reconfigure the layout as your life changes, grows and expands. The sit itself is medium — it was softer than I thought but not uber-plush, either.
I also touched and felt a few of the different upholsteries available and can confidently say they are all chic and of high quality. The soft brown was definitely my favorite (included in the gallery above), but the white and blue bouclés were also nice for something a bit more tactile.
STOCKHOLM 2025
As for my second favorite IKEA sofa, I would have to say the STOCKHOLM 3-seater took the cake. The look and style of this piece is a 10/10, and it's not something that seems like it came from IKEA; the visible wooden frame, for instance, elevates it instantly.
It's also much bigger than you'd expect, in part because of the deep seat and pocket-spring core, and the sit is extremely plush — probably an eight out of 10, with 10 being the most plush possible. (So if you have back problems, maybe not the one for you.)
The cotton-linen blend fabric feels pretty durable and would be nice to curl up on, but I do wish that the fill felt a touch more substantive or high-quality. It's also worth noting that the cover is washable and comes with a 25-year guarantee.
UPPÅKRA
If you're looking to buy a main living room sofa for a family, the UPPÅKRA is probably the one for you. It's a very big couch, with an extremely deep seat depth and a chaise that could fit two adults or three to four kids.
Now, at least in my showroom, the cushions on the display UPPÅKRA seemed a tad too big for the frame, but I'm not sure if that was just wear and tear on the showroom model or a hallmark of the product. Still, though, the sit is really nice, and the overall product makes for a quality family couch, not least of all because the style is top-notch.
It comes in six different colored, washable fabrics, and you can also choose between wood or chrome-plated legs, depending on the look you're going for. As someone who cares a lot about style, I appreciate the options.
KIVIK
The KIVIK is a solid buy when it comes to IKEA sofas. I have linked a three-seater here, but I tried a sectional in the store. I quite liked the chaise; it was pretty wide and could easily serve as a place for a guest to sleep.
Regarding plushness, I'd give this a 7/10. It didn't feel like a luxury sofa to me, but it felt good for what it was. In other words, if you bought this couch online and sight unseen, you wouldn't be unhappy when it arrived.
The other thing I would note: the armrests are sofa height, so if you like to lean your head on your hand while you, say, read a book, you'd be leaning over pretty far. That said, one online review notes: "To someone who has back problems, I find this sofa very comfortable. It’s on the firm side (which is perfect for me) and doesn’t eat you when you sit down."
It also comes in eight different fabric colors. Plus, top tip: the matching Kivik footstool has hidden storage space.
FINNALA
The FINNALA is another solid IKEA sofa. Good for the price, nice fabric, stylish silhouette. I'd say that the sit leans plush (6/10), but not overly so, and that the seat itself is deep.
Personally, I wish this had a bench cushion instead of three individual seats — I just think that's a classier look — but it's also true that three separate cushions make for easier cleaning and replacement. So, there's a silver lining there. I'd just keep an eye on this fabric if you have pets, as I'm not sure that it would be a good sofa for animals.
I'm also sorry to UK readers, but this IKEA sofa seems to only be available in the US right now. It's also currently on clearance, so it may be on its way out. If you like the look, I'd move quickly.
Honorable Mentions
The IKEA sofas that are still worth mentioning — and could still work great for you! — but didn't crack my top five after my afternoon spent in-store.
SALTMYRAN
Small and compact, the SALTMYRAN is not a main sofa at all. But it would be good for an office or nursery.
I don't think the look and sit of IKEA's SALTMYRAN 2-Seat/loveseat rises to the level of main sofa (you just cannot lounge the way you want on this), but it's a shocker for the price and also surprisingly comfortable. It has a medium firmness with a compact, minimalist design. Consider for an office, guest room, or dorm.
SALTSJÖBADEN
The SALTSJÖBADEN is pretty firm, but the deep seat kind of makes up for that (i.e. you don't feel like you're chilling with a railroad-straight spine). The fabric covers are washable, and would probably stand up nicely against kids and pets. In fact, the IKEA I visited had this in a nursery-themed showroom, and I quite liked that placement.
If you'd like to use the 2-seater as a main couch, I would also recommend buying the matching footstool to go with it; I tried it out and liked having that flexibility. But the SALTSJÖBADEN series also has three-seat and sectional options, too, so you're covered if you want something bigger, too.
MORABO
The MORABO would be higher on this list of IKEA sofas if it were available in both the U.S. and the U.K. — as of this writing, it is only available in the U.S. Sigh. This green colorway is fabulous, in my opinion; in store, I sat on a black leather MORABO, which, although the quality did surprise me (it has a nice deep seat and a medium-plush sit), wasn't my favorite stylistically. If you can capitalize on this natural green look, do it. Best of all, you can honestly bring this into your scheme as something of a neutral.
FAQs
What is the best-selling IKEA sofa?
Anecdotally speaking, I would say that the FRIHETEN sleeper sofa is one of, if not the, best-selling sofas at IKEA. You can't seem to go on any trip or crash at any friend's house without running into one. And for good reason!
I have had many a sound night's sleep on a FRIHETEN, then gotten up and lounged on it all day. Don't get me wrong — it's not what I'd want as the main couch in my living room. But it's an affordable, versatile piece that makes hosting overnight guests a breeze. You can see the appeal!
What is the best-looking IKEA sofa?
In my opinion, the best-looking IKEA sofa is easily the JÄTTEBO. Truthfully, it blew me away. I felt like I was looking at and sitting on something much more expensive, from a higher-end brand. The other fabric options are just as chic as the olive green I tried, too. I don't think you can go wrong with this sofa, especially because it's genuinely comfortable, too. Perhaps on the more expensive side for this retailer, but worth the money, no doubt.
Looking for an IKEA sofa that can do it all? I've also shared my hands-on experience with IKEA's best sofa beds, which will hopefully help you in your search.
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