An Honest Review of My White Ikea Ektorp Furniture

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With a house full of kids and animals, if anyone is qualified to write an honest review of Ikea’s Ektorp furniture (in white might I add), I can proudly say I am highly qualified. I have owned the Ektorp Series couch and chairs, with Blekinge White slipcovers, for over two years and wanted to share my candid experiences with you as I have had many of questions about my furniture choice from readers.

Two years ago, I ordered Ikea’s Ektorp Sofa and 2 of the Ektorp chairs from ikea.com as the nearest Ikea was 2 hours away. We had to pay $100 in shipping and there was a bit of a fiasco with receiving our order in a prompt manner, but once our packages arrived….assembly was super simple.

*Above photo from Ikea.com*

Some may call me cray-cray for choosing white living room furniture when I have 2 cats, 2 dogs and a 2 year old boy (with another boy on the way). Well, yes.. I am a little crazy, but there was  logic to my madness. You see , the Ektorp is of the slip-covered variety and washable. Plus, if for some reason washing the slipcovers didn’t do the trick, a pair of replacement slipcovers for my entire living room set (2 chairs and 1 sofa) would be under $200. And what were the odds that I would need to replace the entire set anyway?

My Ikea Ektorp Furniture After 2 Years of Use:

While the slipcovers are offered in about 9 different colors (including grey, red, beige, blue), I chose the “Blekinge White” , because I was dead set on having white furniture. There were actually two types of white fabric to chose from, “Blekinge White” and “Stenasa White”, and I went with  “Blekinge White” because it was cheaper…like $200 cheaper. From some casual research, I had also observed that the “Blekinge White” variety did better in the washing machine and was a purer hue of white. As I am looking on ikea.com now, it looks as though the “Blekinge White” may be discontinued. It looks as though the only white slipcovers now available are the “Stenasa White” and the “Vittaryd White” and from what I can tell, the “Vittaryd White” looks just like the “Blekinge White” that I own.

The “Blekinge White” fabric feels very durable and is similar to a cotton twill/ canvas. It is a “white” white.

*Above photo from Ikea.com*

Structure and Frame of the Ektorp Series After 2 Years

The furniture itself is very comfortable but smaller than the previous living room furniture we owned….the design is more sleek, streamline, and sits lower to the ground (this took some getting used to). In comparision to our old, more bulky furniture, the Ektorp set seemed oddly small at first, but I think it was just an adjustment to go from bulky furniture to more modern, sleek furniture.  As you can see from the ikea.com photo, there is not a ton of depth to the design (which was a positive for us as we owned a smaller living room at the time). It is also very light weight.

*Above photo from Ikea.com*

After two years of heavy use, the form and frame of the furniture has held up extremely well. The cushions have maintained their structure (no butt indentations or cushion deflation), which is highly impressive to me.  I believe the durability of the furniture is due to the firmness of the cushioning….which could be a drawback to some when comfort is concerned. But, in my opinion,  the Ektorp series is still comfortable. My husband even commented on how impressed he was with the comfort of the design.

Now about those white slipcovers……..

Blekinge White Slip Covers After 2 Years

You know how I told you the “Blekinge White” is a white-white? You are probably now looking at my personal photos saying ” Liar…looks more like cream to me.”

Well, while the slipcovers do very well in the washing machine, I will admit I do not wash them often…..I have maybe washed them 3 times in the 2 years that I have owned them. **Update 7-16-19: I changed my slipcovers to to Lofallet Beige. You can read that review by clicking here. **

In between my summer, spray tans rubbing off, my toddler’s peanut butter covered hands, dirty dogs jumping on the couch,  red wine spills and general wear and tear, I would say that although I have been able to get most of the stains out (with prompt application of Oxy-Clean spray and a little elbow grease), there were times I neglected stains and did not remove the slipcovers and wash them (which I should have). So, while the slipcovers are still white, they have become dingy in some areas, but not enough to bother me.

I read where another blogger has 4 boys and was able to maintain the pristine condition of her white slipcovers by washing them once a month with “Oxy-Clean” detergent and a little bit of bleach as needed.  I think if I would have put forth more effort into throwing them into the washing machine as she did, and not simply spraying the stains with “Oxy-Clean”, my couches would still be snow white.

On the rare occasion I do wash the slipcovers, I use a little bit of bleach and detergent. After washing them, I only let them get about 60-70% dry, before placing the overs back on the cushions.

All in all, I am extremely satisfied with my Ikea furniture. I would just warn those of you looking to purchase white slipvocers, that there is some effort required. …you need to be pro-active about stains and spray them with “Oxy-Clean” (I swear by this stuff and no one is paying me to endorse the product), remove the slipcovers and put in the wash.

Not only have they held up well, they provide a “Pottery Barn” look for less than half of the cost. Where just 1 sofa from Pottery Barn will cost about $1600, I bought my entire living room set from Ikea for $700. You cannot beat the price!

For your convenience, I have included affiliate links. That simply means if you click on one of the links and buy something, I receive a small commission, but don’t worry… you won’t pay a dime more.

***UPDATE 12-15-2016*** While I still have the white slip covers on my arm chairs, I have traded out the white sofa slip cover for a darker, more kid friendly color, Nordvalla Dark Gray, also available through Ikea (or you can buy it here ). While I was staying in the hospital giving birth to my second son, I had family taking care of my two-year-old. After getting home, I noticed a big yellow stain on the couch (which I assume was toddler urine). I sprayed it down with Oxy and washed it, but the stain would not come out. Therefore, I decided to go darker. I still believe the white will work with pets and kids, but the trick is immediately washing out the stain. *****

Below is a picture of the Nordvalla Dark Gray slipcover from Ikea.

(You can purchase the grey slipcover here)

****UPDATE 4-3-2019: I just wrote a follow-up review on my Ikea slipcovers. You can check it out here. *****

I hope this helped some of you with your purchasing decisions as I know I have had many questions on this topic.

 

Now get out there and design some good vibes! Please don’t forget to Pin!

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