"IKEA Ektorp Sofa Review"

     One of the things that really gave me a push to get this blog going was our recent purchase of new living room furniture. We were parting with the sorry furniture that had seen us through a decade of puking babies and teething puppies, and now needed to do our homework on what to replace it with. We wanted this room to be a "kid free zone" but let's face it...they manage to to touch, spill on, and molest just about everything in the house, so whatever we got needed to be practical. Oh, and affordable.
     I decided that I really wanted washable, custom fit slip covers (we have also tried after market slip covers- do yourself a favor...don't bother) after seeing the price tag to go along with genuine leather (ouch!), and reading the horrible reviews about bonded leather and pets. Traditional upholstery was out- we had been there, done that, and were giving it away on Craigslist.
     Having long since been an IKEA fan I headed to their website. The Ektorp line was EXACTLY what I wanted. It looked like Pottery Barn, had a Target price tag and came slip covered in a myriad of colors! But...would it last? The 10 year warranty sounded great, but would the covers wash well, how hard would it be to put them on, or take them off? I googled away looking for reviews and was surprised to find very few. Even more shocking was the fact the only reviews I could find were for the WHITE covers. These reviews must have been written by people who lived in kid free, pet free homes, right? Wrong- the few reviews I found for Ektorp slip covered sofas were written by moms claiming the white was the way to go! The white had the cheapest price tag, and should there be a mishap that standard detergent or OXY couldn't handle there was always bleach. Hmmm...I still wasn't convinced. I really, really wanted to find more reviews to back up the claims of success with  white sofas, small children, and big dogs, but had no luck.
     My next step was simply to go look for myself- IKEA is a little over an hour from us so we were in luck there. Ektorp fit the bill on all levels...it was neutral, pleasing to the eye, and lets be honest...cheap! I liked the feel of the slip covers, a heavy, cotton duck material that felt sturdy. To be frank, at this point I was sick of debating the topic and decided to go for it.
     If you are lucky enough to live near an IKEA these were very easy to transport. There is moderate assembly required...you basically need to put the arms on. It took two trips with our Buick Enclave to get everything (loveseat, chair, and ottoman as well as some Expedit shelves and a rug) home, but if my husband had been the one to take the first trip he probably could have managed to fit everything in- he is much better at stuffing things in than I am and has some height and muscle on his side for the lifting. I sprung for a second set of slip covers for everything we purchased (I highly recommend this). They were so reasonable, between $20-$40 each, and it just seemed like a great idea to have one to wash, one to wear.
     It has been six months since we bought everything,and I can honestly say that I love, love, LOVE them! They washes fantastically! If my kids clothes washed half as well I would be ecstatic! I wash the covers about every two months with basic detergent and a bit of non-chlorine bleach, in six months I have yet to use chlorine bleach. They are sparkling white each wash, despite the fact that the dog loves to rub his grubby head all over them. I line dry, and have had no problems with shrinkage. You do have to accept the fact that they will not remain perfectly white for the duration of time between washings...there will be smudges, marks, stains, dirt, etc. I really thought this would bug me, but...it doesn't! I know that I have a CLEAN set of covers stored in my Ektorp ottoman (perfect fit), and that my grungy covers are a machine wash from being sparkling white. They are a bit wrinkly after being line dried, but again, I'm not really bothered by this. My goal was a neat, clean, comfortable space for my husband and I to read, watch a movie, have some wine, etc. The wrinkles fade and add a little character...let's not take ourselves too seriously.
     I timed the process of stripping the loveseat, chair, and ottoman coupled with re-covering them with the replacement covers. Solo- this took about 45 minutes...the second time I had hubby's help and it was half that...no sweat. Please feel free to ask me any questions...I'd be happy to help if at all possible! And a HUGE thanks to the other moms that posted their reviews online! I hope mine can help someone else make a confident decision!

OK...So I let them sit in there once in a while :) it makes for an awesome "blank canvas" for photos! In case you were wondering the kids have another room that they trash on a regular basis. I do think the Ektorp is do-able for a playroom/family room, however you'll need to wash more frequently or ignore the blemishes between washings.

The fireplace was a complete overhaul, as well as the window cornices that we made using IKEA material that I purchased to match the pillows. Check back soon! I hope to share our experience with those two projects as well! It

Who I am...and what I hope to share?

My name is Megan King, and I am a stay at home mom living in Southern NH with my husband, Matt, our three kids, and a menagerie of pets, including a 120 pound dog, a perpetually hungry cat, a gecko, and three chickens. I adopted (maybe stole) the term "domestic engineer" from a PA that I saw several years back for an ankle injury. It had such a ring to it...dressing up the overused title of "homemaker"!

Once upon a time I wrote copy for a small children's clothing catalog and enjoyed it very much. Before that, in a galaxy far, far away, I managed a restaurant. After our oldest daughter was born in 2002 I stayed home with her, leaving my copy writing days behind. In 2005 we welcomed a son, followed by a second girl in 2007.  Starting a blog about the trials and tribulations of raising three kids is always something I have been interested in, but I've been waiting for the kids to reach school age...foolishly thinking that I would have more time at that stage in our lives. I know- what a silly girl I am! A writing class that I took last year reminded me of how much I enjoyed and missed writing, so I decided to give this a go. Since I am relatively certain "having more time" isn't something I should hold out for in the near future...there's no time like the present.

With all that spare time that no one actually has I enjoy gardening, cooking, walking, and DIY projects around the house. I am always out for a bargain and LOVE to read online reviews before making major purchases. I hope to be able to pass along some of my own reviews, interests, ideas, things we've tried, made or done, and how it worked out for us. If you like what you see, feel free to check back in...there is never a dull moment at the King house!