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IKEA FÄRLÖV sofa review – Premium without the price tag

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!

IKEA Farlov sofa in white linen replacement covers
IKEA Farlov in Pure Linen White slipcovers

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

Färlöv frame 3-seat section

Unlock the Farlov’s potential

Have you checked out the IKEA Färlöv sofa yet? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

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60 Comments

  • by Heather
    Posted April 9, 2017 8:43 AM

    Just tried it today and think it’s super comfortable. We are replacing our beloved ekeskog and I was thrilled to see another deep comfy sofa that doesn’t show leg (I have nothing against legs just matching is an issue:)). Please do the dark slip cover in the picture I would love to have one if it isn’t too expensive to ship to Canada!

    • by Chuck
      Posted April 10, 2017 9:07 AM

      Great to hear that Heather!

      We’ll definitely try to get covers in soon – but I think IKEA would be coming up with the dark-coloured slipcover not too long from now, so do look out for that as their prices are quite hard to compete with!

      Hope this helps!

  • by Patricia Williams
    Posted April 13, 2017 5:37 PM

    I would purchase this sofa if I knew you would be making a dark navy velvet cover for it. Is that being considered?

    • by Chris
      Posted April 13, 2017 9:40 PM

      Hey Patricia,

      Unfortunately we’re not considering a dark navy velvet at the moment, we do have a very nice indigo if I could tempt you into it? Alternatively, check out our Kino Navy as that’s gorgeous – I expect it’s exactly what you’re thinking of when you say dark navy.

      Had you have a chance to check out our samples? Here’s the link: https://comfort-works.com/en/fabric-samples/fabric-samples-24

  • by Emily Loverin
    Posted April 17, 2017 4:08 AM

    Thank you for the review! Need something to stage our rental house for sale and use afterwards in the basement for the kids. I was on the fence, but with different slipcovers on the horizon, I’m going to test it out this week in the store.

    Not sure how to sign up for the mailing list??

    • by Chuck
      Posted April 18, 2017 8:39 AM

      Hey Emily!

      No worries – sorry if the subscription box isn’t very intuitive, you can actually head over to https://comfort-works.com/

      Scroll all the way down to our photo and you’ll see the box to “Stalk Us” 🙂

      Hope that helps!

  • by LMH
    Posted April 18, 2017 12:14 AM

    Hello, I would buy this sofa if I knew I could get a washable linen blend slipcover for it. Is that on your radar?

    • by Chuck
      Posted April 18, 2017 8:40 AM

      Hey there!

      We’re definitely trying to get some new machine-washable linen blends in, is there any colour in particular that you’re after? 🙂

  • by KB
    Posted April 28, 2017 4:58 AM

    Here’s an idea: Not only sell custom covers for the Farlov and also sell a cushier new foam insert for the bench cushion . . . I’d so go there.

    • by Chuck
      Posted April 28, 2017 11:16 AM

      That’s a great idea actually!

      We’ve been tinkering around it for a while now actually, but packaging is a little bit difficult as foam is kinda bulky so shipping does get pretty expensive – ideally we’d want to make this complementary option as affordable as possible as well 🙂

      So we’ll still be working on this, hopefully we’d also be able to provide inserts soon as well.

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