IKEA Norsborg sofa review

After the discontinued Karlstad, many speculations have been made as to what its successor would be. Some have speculated the Landskrona, which is surprisingly similar to the Karlstad but it was only available in bycast leather.

Today, we’ll be reviewing the latest hybrid sofa that’s a cross between the Karlstad and Kivik – the IKEA Norsborg.

Quick Rundown ‘n’ Overview

So just like the Kivik and Karlstad, and as a potential successor to the Karlstad, you can definitely expect it to be another modular sofa with many pieces that can be separated and/or combined to create various configurations.

The Norsborg currently boasts 12 different options on their site, and is available in most countries across the world.

I might even consider getting a dual chaise lounge combo for movie nights but let’s weigh out the pros and cons first shall we? 🙂

Aesthetics

The IKEA Norsborg only comes in 5 colours: Edum Dark Blue, Edum Light Blue, Finsta Dark Grey, Finsta Red and Finsta White.

Pretty generic colours that would be fairly well received by the public I reckon, but I’m a little skeptical on the Red.

Moving on to the legs, I’m actually pretty happy how they offer these modern-looking rounded wooden legs as well as the grey cylindrical ones. Personally if I’m going for something contemporary I’d say the Norsborg fits into any current living space quite well.

However pulling off a vintage look might be a bit tricky.

Comfort

At 5’5″ (165cm) I’d say the first thing I noticed when I sat on the loveseat was the deep seating. I’m short, no doubt about that – but compared to the Kivik, I didn’t like how the seat cushions were so solid. It just didn’t feel comfy and I’d say my feelings were as comparable to Jeremy Clarkson’s when he drove the Perodua Myvi.

The armrests were a bit high compared to the Kivik so I’d say it loses some points there as I can no longer sit on the armrests without feeling as if I’d break it.

In terms of comfort overall I expected a little more. I mean look at it, wouldn’t you be thinking “Oh my God it’s so fluffy I’m gonna die!” too?

Not depressed, just disappointed.

On a good note though, I believe this is the sofa for those with a height advantage. Structurally it also felt pretty solid, so I think that’s where the trade-off happened.

Price

So here comes the determining factor for most people. In the US, the Norsborg sofa (3 seater) starts at US$499, but if you were to go for the Finsta Dark Grey it’d be US$599.

Comparing apples to apples with a Kivik Sofa in Dansbo Dark Grey at US$549, I would personally be happier with a Kivik – but that’s just my two cents.

Meanwhile replacement slipcovers vary depending on your configuration, but we make Norsborg sofa covers (3 seater) that start from US$339 in 100% cotton. Not bad for a whole new look!

Hackability

Okay I’m probably biased because I’ve always liked the Kivik, and this review was supposed to be about how the Norsborg supposedly replaces the Karlstad so I apologise for digressing.

IKEA seems to have made something new with this sofa, which are the armrest pockets at the side.

Pretty handy! Now you can always have your magazines, remote control and iPad close by your side 🙂

Note that this applies to ALL Norsborg sofa armrests though, so if you have seen the U-shaped sectional you might want to think it through carefully. If you lean towards a simpler, minimalist style, I’d recommend opting out of the armrest pocket option if possible.

But wait, there’s more! You can swap the legs out for some super slim mid-century inspired sofa legs which fit the Norsborg sofas for a different look.

Last but not least, we did a little hack recently (in 2017) where a custom asked if it was possible to make a long-skirt version for the Norsborg. We tried and this was what we got:

Overall Conclusion

All in all, I know this was quite a bit so here’s the short version:
– Aesthetics: 7.5/10
– Comfort: 6/10 (Durability: 7/10 arguably)
– Price: 7/10
– Hackability: 8/10

It’s not the most comfortable sofa out there from IKEA generally but it isn’t too bad a sofa. If you’re after a very Scandinavian looking sofa and wish to impress friends without them staying too long in your home – this is the sofa to get 😉

Hope you’ve found this review helpful and if you did, don’t forget to share it 🙂

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