Let’s consider this a public service announcement, shall we? Questions about my sofa come up constantly, and now there’s a good way to get the look for less.
I love our teal Winifred sofa from Anthropologie. The size and scale is great, the quality excellent (super sturdy, super comfortable), and it’s pretty darn cute… but it’s also the most expensive piece of furniture we’ve ever owned. It was listed at $3300, and I bought it when it went on sale for $2300. I feel like it was worth the price, but it was definitely a big chunk of change to put down.
Fast forward to a few years later, and it’s no longer available. If you love the look though (and not the price), IKEA now sells a reasonable facsimile: the Stocksund 3-1/2 seater sofa in ljungen blue.
Why the difference in price? The stores play a part, of course, but there are a few differences in quality too. The Anthro sofa is 98″ long with cotton/linen upholstery, a kiln-dried hardwood frame, down and polyfill cushions with eight-way hand-tied seat construction (and that cute button tufting), handcrafted in USA. IKEA’s sofa is 90″ long with a polyester cover, a frame made of particleboard, plywood, and fiberboard, with polyurethane foam cushions that have inner springs. The overall styling is slightly different as well, along with simpler turned legs and no castors on IKEA’s version.
I would expect my sofa to have a longer lifespan, perhaps needing reupholstering eventually rather than replacing, but the less expensive option is still a great choice! (We own an IKEA couch too — the Kivik — no complaints.) Throw a few pillows on there, style it up, and bam.
Karla Matthews
February 3, 2016 at 10:22 amAwesome find!! You can probably even stain the legs to a deeper color before you install them.
Amanda
February 3, 2016 at 10:35 amAlthough Ikea furniture is cheap and some pieces have the lifespan of what you pay for, I had the Ektorp sectional sofa for almost 10 years and we bought it off someone else. We replaced the cover a few times when we wanted a change of style but not until recently did the cushions start to lose shape and we needed to replace it.
Stephanie
February 3, 2016 at 12:50 pmYou are so right! We had an Ektorp for many years and I replaced it with a Pottery Barn PB comfort sleeper sofa….. Worst decision we ever made. The PB sofa is THE WORST. We have had it less than 4 years and it’s falling apart and terribly uncomfortable and it makes the Ektorp look all the better. I have never regretted a purchase daily like I do the pottery barn sofa. :( I miss my Ektorp.
Making it Lovely
February 3, 2016 at 12:52 pmMy sister-in-law has a pair of Ektorp loveseats facing each other that she must have had for about a decade, and they’re still going strong too. She has changed the covers a few times over the years.
Dulcie
February 3, 2016 at 11:05 amI heavily considered it until I looked at the Stocksund in the store and in real life it looks pretty sloppy. Even my husband (who normally has no opinions on the matter) said it looked dumpy.
Charlotte
February 4, 2016 at 8:15 amI had the exact same thoughts when I saw it in person. The cushions looked squashed and miss shaped, so didn’t end up getting it.
Filipa
February 16, 2016 at 8:16 amI went to Ikea last week here in Portugal to test out the Stocksund with my daughters, and we loved the range – extremely comfy and cute! The reason I like it is precisely because it doesn’t look ‘over-stuffed’ like so many of this type of sofa. I can see that people who like the traditional take would not like this one so much. To test myself I went onto the Laura Ashley (UK) website to find similar sofas, which they had. They were pricey and – overstuffed! When I looked at the ikea website the stocksund looked much better to my eyes – so there you have it – if you like the slouchy look, the Ikea sofa is great! This is lucky for me as here in the north of Portugal, Ikea is practically the only modern furniture store that exists. There is literally nothing else. Furniture is made here for export, and you can get a carpenter to make things, but that’s it!
Jeanne
February 3, 2016 at 11:45 amWhat a Spot-On enlightening, informative and honest post on the pros and cons of furniture buying. Love it. Thanks.
http://doodlet.me/
Kristina
February 3, 2016 at 12:25 pmAnd for an extra $70, you can update the prettier, turned legs to these — a close match.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CBJMOQ6/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1/179-8711570-6952347?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_r=0PPNKJX01C8S2Z50VFRB&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=1944687722&pf_rd_i=B003YI2IA0
Making it Lovely
February 3, 2016 at 12:29 pmYes! That would make a big difference. You can also get a nicer cover from Bemz in teal for $399 instead of IKEA’s at $249.
Kate F
February 3, 2016 at 10:41 pmRe the legs, they also come in a matte black stain.
I just bought the Stocksund loveseat for my daughter’s room. I’m not using the arm covers, which seem superfluous and frumpy, as someone said. It’s darling and very comfortable (nice deep seat and angled back, so it doesn’t spit you out). I have to say, it was the easiest, cleverest assembly I’ve ever done. The back is hinged to the seat and then the arms slide into brackets. The legs screw on and you Velcro the covers in place. The only hardware is a set of for giant hard plastic bolts that click into place to stabilize the arms!!
ErikaOh
February 4, 2016 at 1:26 pmHi everyone!
I bought the Broyhill “Parker” sofa 3 years ago. It is around 80″ long so it is smaller, which was great for a studio we had and now our first (small-ish) house. I actually picked out a very similar teal color as you did Nicole, so I know if someone wanted it in the same color, it should still be available. The quality has been great! The cushions and frame have held up nicely, a purchase we have never regretted. Pricing was around $1,500 or so.
Here’s a picture for reference. https://www.instagram.com/p/9zFs4ROmIXVHi5Kv7wBKu5i4jyLbc18Hakmvc0/?taken-by=erika_ohh
https://www.broyhillfurniture.com/i106057-parker-sofa
LAComfy
February 14, 2016 at 6:15 pmWow. It’s amazing! I want to buy it right now. Thank you!
Savannah Perry
May 4, 2016 at 11:31 amI am dying to buy an english roll arm sofa. I have narrowed down to the PB Carlisle sofa or the Ikea version. Can I pair modern furniture, especially rugs with this sofa?
Anonymous
February 7, 2020 at 2:38 pmHi Could you please tell me where did you order this? I cannot find it anywhere on Ikea website.
Darby
October 18, 2020 at 10:41 pmWhere did you get the stripped and pink pillows?