IKEA Friheten review – IKEA’s most popular sofa bed

The IKEA Friheten sofa bed has earned its spot on several of our ‘best sofas’ lists — and for good reason. It’s the ultimate all-rounder, nailing the perfect balance of function, design, practicality, price, and comfort.

At first glance, the boxy Friheten looks like your standard, no-frills sofa. But beneath that unassuming exterior lies a secret superpower: a pull-out section that transforms it into a full-sized bed in seconds.

And that’s not all — hidden storage gives you the perfect spot to stash bedding, pet toys, or any last-minute clutter you’d rather keep out of sight when guests arrive. Who knew a sofa could be this sneaky (and stylish)?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.History & slipcoverability
2.Function & practicality
3.Technical information
4.Assembly & disassembly
5.How good is it to sleep on?
6.Durability
7.In what ways can it be hacked?
8.Price
9.Verdict
10.Assembly guide

History and slipcoverability

Launched in 2015, the Friheten is easily one of the longest-standing IKEA sofa series as it’s still very popular and sold in IKEA worldwide. It doesn’t come in many colours, only in blue, black and shades of grey.

We usually can’t slipcover upholstered sofas, but we’ve managed to make one for the Friheten after bettering it again and again. So, if you’d like to purchase the Friheten but want a different look on it, we’ve got you.

Function and practicality

Although it is a sofa bed, its main function isn’t as a bed for sleeping. In fact, the IKEA Friheten sofa bed is usually just a temporary bed for guests to crash or when the heater or air-conditioning system in the room is broken.

Emiko, who looks after our Japanese market, says it’s great for her kids to have movie nights on Fridays. Naomi, who manages our marketplace, says when her relatives come over, the pull-out sofa bed works as a huge seating area for them to gather and chat with drinks in their hands, happily.

Technical information

The Friheten comes in two models. Although both open up to become sofa beds, there are some differences between them. The three-seater sleeper sofa without the chaise is less wide (225cm), but when it opens up as a bed, its seats are deeper than the one with the chaise (144cm) and there is no barrier on both sides of the bed.

While the Friheten sofa bed with chaise is wider (230cm), when it opens up, the depth is only 140cm and there’s a barrier on one side (back of the sofa). However, with this model, you’d still get a bed length of 204cm, minus one of the armrests as it is the same level as the seat cushion.

Assembly and disassembly

Our colleagues who own Friheten sofa beds mentioned that although the assembly and disassembly does take a while, it’s pretty doable especially when you’ve got two pairs of hands.

On the scale of ‘it took me five seconds’ to ‘it destroyed my relationship with my partner’, it is a solid ‘I broke a light sweat but I’m satisfied’.

How good is the IKEA Friheten sofa bed to sleep on?

Naomi has back problems so she likes that the seat cushion is firm. Some recommend using a mattress topper, but she doesn’t require one. Emiko only uses it as a spare bed when her A/C has malfunctioned and she finds the experience comfortable enough.

Durability

Having had them for two and almost four years respectively, both Naomi and Emiko have found the Friheten pretty durable. Except for some areas with very high traffic (especially during lockdown), the sofa bed is still pretty firm.

With time, the back cushions of the Friheten tend to go out of shape and saggy. Naomi fluffs up and reverses the cushions once a week so it retains its original form. Due to the longer use, Emiko’s seems to have gone out of shape with very obvious ‘I’m squashed’ signs on the bottom of the cushions.

Although the original cushion covers can be removed, there is an obvious distinction between the front and back, so you can’t reverse the cushions.

Fear not, we have a solution. With Comfort Works sofa slipcover — which includes cushion covers — the front and back side of the cushion covers are the same, so you can reverse it easily.

Our fabric options aren’t just limited to these, visit our website to see more.

Assembly guide

Download the guide below for assembly instructions:
IKEA Friheten sofa bed assembly guide

In what ways can the IKEA Friheten sofa bed be hacked?

If you’re planning to get the Friheten with the chaise, then you are in for some modification. You can assemble it on the left or on the right. It’s fun to change the sides of the chaise once in a while. Order our customisable sofa covers and you can change up the whole look and feel too.

Did you know, the old Friheten slipcovers that we made required the users to disassemble the sofa and reassemble it — and it was such a hassle! Not to mention that the slipcover had some issues here and there which made assembling the Friheten harder.

The good news is, our new Friheten slipcovers now require NO disassembly. The frame cover is made of only ONE huge piece that allows you to slip it on in one go! Keep in mind: You must know which side your chaise is on, because the main frame cover can only fit the chaise one way.

Price

With a selling price that starts from USD 749 and tops at USD 899, I think the Friheten is quite affordable. It helps that it’s well balanced in terms of function, design, practicality and comfort.

Verdict

When I popped the question, “Would you buy the Friheten again?”, both Naomi and Emiko said that they would. “My Friheten is impeccable,” Naomi notes. It’s because it does its job well at such an affordable price. Being a sofa and a firm bed that’s worth every penny, it’s very hard not to like the Friheten.

Verdict: 8/10

If you have very young, jumpy kids though, the Friheten’s seat cushions might not be the most suitable sofa for your family. Take a look at our Finnala or Holmsund review.

Ratings:
Comfort: 7.5/10
Design/Aesthetics: 7/10
Price: $$ (out of 5)

Currently the IKEA Friheten sofa bed is available in four different shades. If you want a stylish upgrade or a better sofa bed, Comfort Works has you covered.