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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Lizz
Jun 11, 2017Angela, do you have a link for the replacement foam?
I sat on this sofa today, found it supercomfi, nice one to watch TV on and fall asleep, for sure!
Chuck
Jun 12, 2017Funny you should ask about replacement foam Lizz!
We just wrote a post about it: https://www.comfort-works.com/news/where-to-get-replacement-cushion-foam-inserts/
Hope this helps :)
Lindsey
Jun 8, 2017Thanks for your honest & thorough reviews!!
Bel
May 13, 2017YAY!! I was just in my living room, looking at my Farlov (which I LOVE ❤️ btw) but thinking about what I want for the slipcover (because the fabric does leave something to be desired). So I started looking at some throw pillows and throws, to camouflage it.
Then, I thought, let me go read some more comments at the Comfort Works review, and here is the good news!! Oh my gosh! Now, which one to choose???? I am totally thrown for a loop now! Lol
Thank you for getting on this so quickly. We love this sofa. It is big enough for my tall husband to feel comfy and deep enough to be able to curl up on, and not even have to move my plethora of throw pillows, that I love on a sofa. Everyone who has seen it can’t believe it is IKEA and I believe it will become the cult favorite, maybe replacing the oft blogged about and most familiar, Ektorp!
So excited! Thanks again!
Chris
May 12, 2017We’ve just launched our own line of custom Farlov covers, check them out today if you’re interested :)
Paulla Dacklin
May 5, 2017I just bought two of the larger Farlov sofas for my beach house. Got rid of the hideous sleeper sofas in favor of something that you could actually sleep on. After much cursing surrounding the put together involving four adults including a pressboard failure whilst trying to attach the arm rest section, they look fabulous.
We purchased the two sofas with the beige slipcovers and one extra white, tried out one each to see which looked best. Concluded that the white looked best in our great room, but will keep the beige ones on for when the home is rented. So back to IKEA to purchase another white slipcover.
I am going to shorten the slipcover length so that it hangs about one inch past the bottom edge of the of the sofa so that the legs are exposed for a more modern and clean look. I plan on doing this myself using my home sewing machine.
I am not using the lumber pillows and have two fairly large down pillows and two medium down pillows that seem to work well for back support. I will use the lumber pillow fabric to create arm rest covers.If I decide later that lumbar pillows are a must I will buy lumbar down inserts and make my own pillows using either Pendleton a blanket or yardage.
The fabric is sturdy and already I had the opportunity to clean a the skirt that a guest managed to get chocolate cake on. I just sponged the spots with a damp washcloth that had a small amount of soap and it came right out. I love the fact that they can be cleaned in the washing machine. My trick is to put the slip covers on while they are still a bit damp which seems to help with the wrinkling.
I love the firmness of the bench seat and slept there myself to test the comfort.The bench length of 75 1/2 inches will work well for all but the very tall.I put a napped Pendleton blanket on the bench which softened the effect and was very comfortable. I will use twin sheets to cover the bench cushion when it is in use as extra sleeping.
The Farlov was a great choice for the scale and space of the great room and for the use as extra sleeping. A similar effect to the sofa used in my inspiration article, which came from PB. (Dec/Jan 2014 House Beautiful, “Global Vision “)
Very happy with the Farlov sofas.