Last night, my boyfriend was sitting on the couch and I plopped down next to him, only to hear a loud cracking noise. We looked down and discovered I had actually broken the frame of my Lillberg sofa from IKEA (see above). While it is only a $299 sofa, I am appalled that it broke under such everyday use (combined, my boyfriend and I weigh about 300 lbs.).I'm disappointed in IKEA and motivated to buy a "real" couch this time around. However, the prospect of spending $1200+ on a new sofa makes me a little sick to my stomach. What do you think? Should I bite the bullet and buy my very first piece of non-used, non-hand-me-down and non-IKEA furniture? Or should I cheap out again with IKEA?
12 comments:
I'm thinking you get what you pay for, so get the best sofa you can afford.
I bought an ikea couch two years ago. I had just had a baby and was not going to spend 1000's on a couch that she would soil in so many different ways. I think it comes down to what your priorities are. A couch or..a trip, new clothes, sending a bit to charity, and having an awesome dinner.
Buy a good one. If my cat doesn't come to visit you it will last for years. Two years ago I got a small couch from Pottery Barn, it's a Mitchell-Gold and cost about a 1000.00 Great price and except for the claw marks looks great.
I'd say go for a "real" sofa, but make sure it's one someone can sleep on (which means pretty big). Lynne's from Restoration Hardware is great, but the exact model is no longer available. Slipcovers are a good idea in dirty NYC. And think about whether you might like a "real" cow rug--I know of one that could be had very reasonably--in about two months.
Bite the bullet and buy a "real" sofa. I still have the first sofa I bought 12 years ago and it looks great. I love Ikea- but I've never been able to keep a piece of their furniture for that long.
Forget Ikea - go for quality. It would be better to buy a well-made second hand sofa than a brand new Ikea.
I hate to say it but I don't think $1200 will do much more than $299. I think you'd have to go to higher to have a long term piece of furniture. We have a three-year-old Crate and Barrel sofa that was $1500 I think and part of it cracked. They did send a "furniture medic" to fix it but I was really bummed that it broke. If you like an Ikea style I'd go for it. I saw a nice guide to mid-range sofas in a mag last month (prob House Beautiful or Elle Decor because I was looking at it at work :)) if you decide to go that route.
I've personally always wanted a Crate and Barrel couch: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/sofas-$999-and-less/furniture/1
I don't own an Ikea couch (but do have a bed, dresser, nightstand, etc. etc.) but have only had bad experiences with friends' purchases.
Is it too personal to ask what you were actually doing on that sofa to make it break :-) ??? lol just kidding.
That is a bummer. If you are looking for Ikea Coupons or Ikea Gift Cards then click those blue links or visit the website and it will take you to a secret site that offers those goodies
Looks to me like you could fix it if you don't want to spring for a new one. You'll need some carpenters clamps and some good kind of glue like Gorilla Glue. First, glue the cracked part and use clamps to pull it back into its place. It looks like it will fit back in place cleanly. Then, when it has dried, get a hunk of board, and glue and clamp it to the inside behind the repair. No nails or screws needed. Should be pretty strong.
That happened to ours a few years ago. We just propped it up with a couple of phone books. Filled the gap perfectly, and it's a great conversation starter.
We have friends with a "real" sofa and it broke in the same place, albeit they have a toddler who loves to jump. :) So I would actually buy one of these again. But maybe do what Tim suggests before ever using it. Preemptive shoring.
Found this blog post because the same thing just happened to me (and many other Ikea Lillberg buyers), same spot on a couch that barely got used. Really poor glue at the factory.
Do you know what the furniture fixers did - or was it just a clamp, glue and attach a backer thing as you described?
Peace from Canada
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