Lay My Hat

We have received a number of complaints that our sofa is not comfortable and too hard but is only 4 years old. Does anyone have any suggestions for replacing the seat cushions or for good value replacements for a new 3 seater? Thanks

Hi Rosehill, we go for Ektorp from IKEA, although a bit of a cliche the reason we go for them is that they have been around for years (so the design doesn't change)and you can get covers for them when the old ones are trashed. They are moderately comfortable (we have never had any complaints) and fairly robust, if you choose carefully you can also get washable covers.

I also use Ektorp.
My covers are a bit too light..

Another vote for Ektorp from Ikea - we have them at home and have had them for years. I find them comfortable and for the price you can't beat them - even though the cat tried his best to kill one of them. There is a dark grey option now.

We've had Ektorp from IKEA in our home for years.

My husband is fairly heavy in his wear on the cushions and covers but we've washed and replaced and still fine.

Another one here for Ektorp. We have the sofa bed which is a great "emergency bed" eg we had a family where the two sons each needed their own space (we only have 2 bedrooms) and they were really happy - one upstairs and one in the lounge.

Also, if you want other colours / patterns than Ikea's limited choice I can really recommend BEMZ.com. They have a huge selection of loose covers for Ikea soft furnishings. They're not cheap, but their sale prices are good. And also they have an excellent sample service. We revised our choice based on the samples they sent through.

I did make the mistake of washing one set and it still fits but now looks like a pair of slightly too short trousers! So we only use that one when we're using the cottage and the guests get "posh" - always dry cleaned.

SPJ: We looked at getting covers from someone other than IKEA - just for more choice really. We looked at BEMZ. Do I understand that their covers are dry clean only because I've always machine washed our IKEA covers with no problems.

Hi Gillian, you can wash Bemz covers. The temperature will vary depending upon which material you use. I could have washed mine on a cold wash, but remembering I'd been able to wash Ikea's covers on 40 I foolishly didn't notice the Bemz info. I don't think a cold wash would get mine clean enough, which is why I now dry clean.

SPJ: Thanks for that information. I wash my IKEA covers on 30 and they come clean enough. I have to soak my husband's chair cover in Vanish and Bicarb for a while first because he uses his hands on the arms to lever himself up and they get 'grease' marks over time. The soaking usually does the trick.

If we go for BEMZ covers I'll watch out for the washing instructions!

I thought most sofas get softer over time not harder. If the cushions have got that soft that people are sitting on the frame, then you can always get extra padding put in. We had someone come round, undo the stitching, push extra padding in and stitch it back up again. Didn't take that long.

Thanks all for your replies. The Ektorp does seem popular on here so will look into it.

It's a shame to replace a sofa that is only a few years old but the seat cushions have always been on the harder side and we have received quite a lot of comments on it from guests.

What about just changing the cushions. Either get new 'innards' for the existing covers or buy new cushions and cover in a contrasting fabric??

Thanks Gillian. Can you recommend anywhere that sells those? My only concern is it wouldn't fit or match the sofa itself.

Sorry, I don't know about suppliers in the UK.

Google? Amazon? Local Upholsterer/Seamstress?

I have 2 Ektorp sofas in the rental. The covers I like aren't available anymore which is a bit of a pain now if I only want/need to replace one, but I have occasionally found replacements on ebay (either new or 2nd hand, but good condition) and snap them up to have a backup set.

..... But at home I have a leather Chesterfield sofa, which my previous dog destroyed the leather seat cushions. I found someone on ebay who made replacement cushions with matching leather covers - just like new - at reasonable cost. I just had to carefully measure the old cushions that I wanted replacing (the 2 end cushions were slightly different from the middle one). A local upholsterer had quoted an extortionate price to do the same thing. So I would suggest searching on ebay for someone to make replacement cushions/covers and email them to discuss your requirements if that's what you decide.