Not sure if you should get this sofa? Take a look at our updated IKEA Färlöv sofa review in 2022 before you make your decision!
If you’re too lazy to read, watch our video about the IKEA Färlöv instead:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. History, status check & technical details
2. Design & aesthetics
3. Comfort
4. Price
5. Slipcoverability & hackability
6. Overall conclusion
7. Assembly guide
History, status check and technical details
Launched in 2017, the Färlöv family consists of 4 models at the time of writing – the armchair, 2-seater sofa, 2-seater sofa bed and 3-seater sofa. The sectional seems to have been discontinued at this moment. As of now, the Färlöv is still available in the US, Great Britain and Australia.
The Färlöv is actually quite a huge sofa, with the 2-seater being 85 ⅞” (218cm) wide and having a deep seating of 25 ¼” (64cm). If you are planning to get it, you’ll have to take into consideration the size of the sofa that may not fit your space. The Färlöv is also a low-sitting sofa, so if your house is one with a low ceiling, the Färlöv should fit right in.
Design and aesthetics
The IKEA Färlöv sofa has been said by many to resemble sofas from high-end brands such as the Pottery Barn York Slope Arm slipcovered sofa collection and Restoration Hardware’s Belgian Classic Slope Arm Slipcovered collection. But, it comes with a price that’s 3 to 4 times cheaper! One feature that makes the Färlöv stand out is its beautifully sloped arms in comparison to many of IKEA’s boxy sofas with straight arms.
The IKEA Färlöv sofa is available in 2 kinds of fabrics and 4 colours. The first fabric is yarn-dyed with natural hints of flax so it gives more texture to the fabric. Although crisp, this material can feel scratchy to the skin for some people. The colours available for the Flodafors fabric are white and grey. The second fabric is velvet that has a soft surface, dense pile and reflective shine. This one comes in dark grey and dark olive-green and is a more comfortable fabric to lounge on.
Rating: 8/10
Comfort
While the sofa may be firm during your first few “sittings”, the seat cushions eventually soften a little over time. Similar to the Söderhamn, it allows you to sit all the way back while you enjoy a book, but it definitely isn’t as soft as the Söderhamn. Despite that, the Färlöv is still very good for lounging, even if you’re in the taller group.
Rating: 8/10
Price
Currently, the Färlöv 2-seater is priced at GBP329 in Great Britain, starts at AU$449 in IKEA Australia and US$799 for our American friends. Meanwhile, the Färlöv 3-seat sofa starts at US$949 in the US, GBP295 in Great Britain (crazy discount for the Flodafors White cover!) and AU$749 in Australia (only available in Djuparp Dark Grey).
It’s incredibly affordable compared to the Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware sofas mentioned in the previous section. If you’re a fan of the modern farmhouse trend but not about the price of luxurious sofa brands, then pick the Färlöv already!
Slipcoverability and hackability
With the limited slipcovers from IKEA, we bet you’d like more choices. Take a look at how you can transform the plain Färlöv by simply using slipcovers. Whether you want a snug fit or long skirt, the choice is yours. Did we already mention that you can choose from more than 70 fabric styles for your Färlöv (and other IKEA sofas) upgrade?
You could totally put a Pure Linen slipcover with pleated skirts on the Färlöv for a farmhouse look. Additionally, the sofa legs have the same old bolt size that’s used in many of the IKEA sofas, so it’ll be easy-peasy to swap out the sofa legs for something cuter. Done and dusted!
Overall conclusion
The Färlöv series from IKEA is for those who want to graduate from the basic Ektorp. While it’s a little pricier than many other IKEA options, its traditional shape is timeless and slipcovered style makes it easy to keep clean and really go the distance.
Verdict: 7.2/10
Assembly guide
Have you checked out the IKEA Färlöv sofa yet? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
58 Comments on this post
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Toni
Oct 20, 2017I’m an American living in Germany, and while couch shopping I saw the Farlov in IKEA last week. After shopping around at a few stores just to compare different factors, I decided to buy the Farlov 2+3 sectional.
I am 6 feet tall and my husband is 6’2″. He likes to relax in our living room and his chief complaint about our current couches is that they aren’t deep enough to be comfortable. Well, the Karlov sectional is plenty deep. I know he’s going to love relaxing on it.
Didn’t have any complaints about the cushions. Granted, I’m not a fan of the single cushion but if flatness ever becomes an issue I can either buy or splice together enough batting-wrapped foam to fix it. I also love that I’ll be able to wash the slipcovers. That was a definite deciding factor for me.
Farlov has a 10 year warranty, so I’ll definitely be updating it as time passes with different slipcovers. I’ve never bought an IKEA sofa before so I’m excited.
One more thing, it was actually a bit more than I wanted to pay, but I’m still pleased that it met all my needs. Can’t wait for delivery next week!
Rose
Oct 8, 2017I just bought the Farlov sectional and I found your site looking online for a blue velvet slipcover. I’m so sad you don’t have one available yet for the sectional style.
I loved the Farlov’s deep seats and shape immediately, but I’m less in love with the Flodafors White material. I have held back on buying an extra slipcover set for the Farlov so far. I asked the IKEA store rep about more options and she said they will likely introduce another option next year. I told her I wanted a finer, white material for summer with higher cotton/linen content and a cozy blue velvet cover for winter months and the IKEA rep told neither were very unlikely. Very disappointing news.
Nilo
Jul 12, 2017Ohhh we don’ t have it in Spain. Only for 2 and 3 places
Will it come?
Chuck
Jul 13, 2017Hey Nilo!
We do have the 2 and 3 seater sofa covers, is this what you’re looking for: https://comfort-works.com/collections/ikea-farlov-slipcovers
Let me know!
Lisa
Jul 4, 2017I love the look of the farlov, but am worried that it will be difficult to remove and wash the slipcover due to the length of the single bench cushion (I have dogs and kids, and will want to wash the cover with somewhat relative frequency). Can anyone give an opinion as to how heavy or difficult changing the cover is? thanks much!
Chuck
Jul 4, 2017Hey Lisa!
Personally I prefer changing one larger cushion cover compared to two smaller seat cushions because the bigger the slipcover, the higher the allowance normally :)
So while I haven’t had hands-on experience with the Farlov, I’d say it’s a pretty easy job changing the slipcover due to the way it’s constructed (1 x frame cover, 2 back cushion covers, 1 bench seat cover, 2 throw cushion covers).
Of course, it’s easier and better to have a friend or two to help – many hands make light feet after all.
Hope this helps!
Sarah
Jun 29, 2017Will you be making slipcovers for the sectional version? The fabric offerings are both nice colors but the texture feels cheap.
Chris
Jun 29, 2017Hey Sarah,
We will definitely add this to our collection, but once the sectional version is launched worldwide. Currently it’s limited to the USA. If you’d like, we could drop you an email once we do add this :)
Camber
Aug 30, 2018Can you please e-mail me when you do this??
Omar
Sep 10, 2018Hey Camber,
Sure, we’ll let you know once we start making covers for the sectional.
Erin
Aug 8, 2017I am also interested in the sectional slipcover. White is great for our beach house, but when we let it out to renters, we want something more practical than white. Based on the posts so far, it looks like you have lots of interest in the newest IKEA line of sofas/chairs.
Felicia
Aug 9, 2017Hey Erin,
Sure thing, we’ll definitely keep you in the loop if we start making the sectional covers :)