August 2017 — Comfort Works Blog & Sofa Resources

[sg_popup id=”3″ event=”onload”][/sg_popup]We briefly reviewed the Lugnvik a while ago when ranking the best sofa to replace the Manstad and the Lugnvik was not the winner.

Aesthetics

I think that design wise, IKEA wanted to keep it simple here, this isn’t really the kind sofa with a Wow or OMG-what-sofa-is-this reaction. It is not really surprising since IKEA doesn’t go crazy when designing sectional sofas, the only exception would be the Moheda with its classic english round arms (also reviewed in our Manstad Clones post).

The Lugnvik sofa bed is currently available in 2 colors only: Granån Black and Granån Red, but don’t worry about the lack of color choices, this wouldn’t be an issue anymore since we are launching our Lugnvik custom slipcovers very soon, so stay tuned :)

Score: 7/10

Practicality:

Compared to other sectional sofas from IKEA, the Lugnvik is bit different and tricky at first when it comes to converting it to a bed. When first pulling the seat towards you, you will get access to the storage first, in order to complete the transformation of the sofa into a bed, you need to fold the back frame downwards. What I like about the Lugnvik is that the chaise is modular and you can easily put it on a left or right configuration, whatever floats your boat :)

Although the Lugnvik is a sofa with a dual function (storage/bed) which makes it very practical, you cannot unfortunately get both functions at the same time, it sucks to know that you have to move from the bed every time you want to access the storage compartment.

Score: 7/10

Comfort

Here comes the part of testing the Lugnvik, the seating is pretty comfortable but not as deep as we expected it, we liked the height of the armrest, not too short and not too tall. But the pillows are really thin which gives you a feeling that they are non-existent and will definitely cause you back pain if you lay on them for more than two hours. We highly recommend buying or having additional pillows in order to get enough back support.

The Lugnvik bed isn’t really spacious as there is only enough place for one person. Personally, we wouldn’t use this bed for an everyday use, it’s best for a guest room if you invite friends every now and then, especially drunk ones :)

Score: 5/10

Ikea Lugnvik in Black – Photo credits: IKEA

Price

Costing $499 in USA, €349 in France and $649 in Australia, the Lugnvik is cheaper than most sectional sofa beds from IKEA, and looking at all the functions it has, the Lugnvik is suitable for students and is definitely a sofa to consider if you have have a low budget or a small living space. When talking to some of our customers who own a Lugnvik, they wish it was less cheaper since it doesn’t offer the most durable and comfortable pillows and bed.

Score: 6/10

Conclusion

Well to be completely objective, the Lugnvik sofa bed is exactly what it is – nothing more, nothing less.

Does it allow you to sleep on it? Yes. Is it comfortable, nice to look at or affordable – that’s where it becomes more of a grey area.

Here’s our verdict in summary:

Aesthetics: 7/10
Practicality: 7/10
Comfort: 5/10
Price: 6/10

Overall Score: 6.25 /10

We hope this review helps you better with your Lugnvik sofa purchase. Let us know what you think in the comment section, we would also love to hear your experience if you already own a Lugnvik :)

Slipcoverability:

We thought of giving this sofa another chance, since it’s actually quite popular and many of our customers have asked for us to create a slipcover?

Lugnvik sofa bed in Kino Khaki slipcovers from Comfort Works

Generally, slipcovers cost should always be divided into three parts:
1) The cost of fabrics
2) The cost of labour
3) Shipping / Transport

In most cases and for the purpose of production only, we can take shipping out of the equation for now.

Having said that, let’s see what goes into each of the components.

Cost of Fabrics

The first question you need to ask here is “How much fabric is needed to make my sofa slipcover?”.

Needless to say, the more fabric used the more expensive it would be.

This is why so much detail is needed when making a slipcover – down to the pleats and piping used.

In Australia and similarly in the United States, the cost of fabrics start from between $20 to $40 a metre. This means a loveseat that requires roughly around 10 metres of fabric would cost between $200-400.

The thing is that fabrics do not make up what slipcovers cost entirely.

In fact, what sets each retailer apart is how much they charge for labour and these can vary quite a bit depending on who you end up having your custom slipcovers made from.

Slipcovers Cost – Labour ONLY

In 2016, we spent a bit of time working directly with upholsterers from Australia and the US. we found out that labour is charged as low as $800 and can reach up to as high as $1200.

Add the cost of fabrics and shipping to that and it’s equivalent to buying a new couch ($1000-$1600)!

Nope, money still not growing on trees

But is this truly the case, and is there no way of getting a more affordable solution?

There actually is, and that’s getting custom slipcovers made online.

Finding Affordable Slipcovers

Comfort Works always had the vision of making slipcovers personalised to your tastes while not costing an arm and a leg. This started with IKEA sofa covers, and more recently we found ourselves managing to save more sofas in the world.

Getting custom slipcovers from online shops is really nothing new, here are some that have been around even before Comfort Works:
– Slipcovershop.com (USA)
– Needleandshears.com (USA)
– Slipcovermaker.com (West Michigan, US Only)
– Potatoskinstoronto.com (Canada)

As we Google around though, it seems that there hasn’t been a supplier that’s from Australia that does this – guess we’re the first :)

But the initial question remains unanswered – how much do slipcovers cost, if purchased online?

If were were to compare with the the above e-stores including Comfort Works, it would be around US$500 on average to get a sofa fully recovered with the most basic cotton fabrics.

You’ll be able to spot a few “starting from $300” cases but after taking everything into account from seat/back cushions and pleats/piping – US$500 is a conservative price. If you were to go for something premium say, a linen blend then it could go up to around $900 – but it shouldn’t go beyond a $1000.

Liege Biscuit Custom Slipcovers for Lovegrowswild

It’s always advisable to get synthetic blends as these are a lot more durable than 100% cotton, despite being a bit dearer. After all, if you’re spending hundreds on a product that enhances the centrepiece of the living room, you should get something timelessly beautiful right?

Now that you know how much slipcovers cost, discover how slipcovers are made!

Happy designing :)