My Ikea Sofa Review – The New Froslov Sofa

We purchased our Ikea sofa a few months ago, and since sharing photos of it on Instagram I’ve often been asked where I purchased it. And it seems that people are usually surprised when they hear it’s from Ikea. I think it looks a little more refined than what people perceive is the typical Ikea sofa. This post provides a complete and unbiased review of this sofa after three months of daily use in our busy house of five. I hope this Ikea sofa review will help potential buyers, as the Froslov sofa is brand new to the Ikea line-up and before I purchased it, I was unable to find a single review of it online. This post contains my own honest opinion (I’m not affiliated with Ikea in any way).

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While I am a big fan of Ikea for affordable, stylish décor, I have to admit that I have never purchased a sofa from Ikea. To read about my top 10 Ikea finds, click here.  Over the years, Ikea has proven itself as a favourite source for affordable and durable sofas. The Ikea Ektorp sofa is one of the most popular and beloved sofas in its price category and there are many favourable reviews of it online. The Farlov is also rapidly becoming a fan favourite. In comparison with these two sofas, the Froslov is a little more compact and refined in appearance and, in my opinion, well suited to traditional or modern décor. My Ikea sofa review contains detailed information on the comfort, pricing, and durability/washability of the Froslov model.

Our previous sofa

The sofa we were replacing had been in our family room for 15 years and it held up very well. In photos, it still looked nearly new, though in person, the fabric was wearing very thin in places, and the cushions had lost some of their shape. Even more troublesome was that the joints of the sectional started popping apart on a daily basis, such that gaps would develop between the cushions and the individual sections would have to be pushed back together continually. However, this sectional sofa, which we purchased from a local furniture dealer, was a high-quality piece that was comfortable, durable and very easy to keep clean. It was made of green velvet that not only hid stains extremely well, but the cushion covers could be removed for machine washing.

New sofa goals

Before purchasing any new piece of upholstered furniture, consider the intended purpose of the piece, as well as the style. The sofa you choose for a basement rec room will likely be very different than the one you would choose for a living room where you will be entertaining guests. Consider comfort, price, dimensions, durability/washability and style.

For our new sofa, I was looking for a three-seater sofa close to 90” in width to fit perfectly into our family room. I wanted something comfortable enough for family movie nights, yet stylish enough for entertaining guests. My style for this part of our home is updated traditional with a little bit of farmhouse charm mixed in. I was also searching for a light coloured sofa, and something very affordable. We had less than half the budget to spend on this sofa than we did for our previous sofa sectional. Our small budget ruled out many options including local furniture stores, and some of my favourite well-known stores including Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, and Restoration Hardware.

Why I chose the Ikea Froslov

Once I had decided that an Ikea sofa was the most likely fit for our style and budget, I started looking closely at the line-up of Ikea sofas. I was initially drawn to the Froslov for its clean lines, perfect size, and neutral fabric choices. It was neither too boxy and modern nor too frumpy and overstuffed. The style is sleek and clean, with a few special details to keep it interesting. In particular, I love the sloped arms and tufted back. The lines of the sofa are typical of a mid-century modern piece. I also really love the colour, a light greyish beige that works equally well with grey or beige tones. It also comes in a perfect medium grey colour. The fabric also has a lovely fine weave that resembles natural linen. At just over 89” wide it also fits our space perfectly.  Since the arms are low and narrow (only 4 ¾”), this sofa actually has more seating area than our previous 92” wide sofa. I think this sofa would also work well for someone who loves modern décor or retro décor.

The Details

The Froslov is priced at $999.00 CAD or $799.00 USD, which is very affordable for a full-size sofa. In Canada, the sofa can be purchased here. Click here for the US site.

The Froslov is brand new (limited release in 2018) to the Ikea line-up, but you’ll find it in many stores across the US and Canada, and it can also be ordered online for home delivery. However, a few Ikea stores do not carry this sofa yet or the website indicates that the sofa is on backorder.

The dimensions are 89 3/8” wide by 38 5/8” deep (seat depth is 22 1/2”), and the back height is 34 ¼”. The Froslov comes in two versatile colour choices: Nordvalla Beige (a light grey beige) and Nordvalla Medium Grey (a mid-tone grey). 

Comfort

Seat depth

Let me first start by saying that I don’t like sofas that are too deep. I prefer a sofa where my back can be supported by the sofa back and my feet can comfortably touch the floor (for reference I’m 5’8” tall). This is probably the number one thing I look for when considering comfort. It is also why I had to eliminate another Ikea sofa from the running, the Farlov. I found it to be so deep that my legs stuck out from the edge of the sofa and I felt like a child sitting on a giant sofa. It may be nap-friendly, but I don’t find it very comfortable for sitting and chatting or sitting and watching TV. For our family, the Froslov has the perfect seat depth.

Cushion firmness

The second thing I look for in terms of comfort is the firmness of the seat cushions. I prefer cushions that have that sink-into-it feeling, which is usually accomplished with feather-wrapped cushions. However, that type of cushion is out of the price range for Ikea sofas, but I do find that the cushions are quite comfortable. The Froslov cushions are definitely not too firm and are actually more comfortable than our previous, more expensive, sofa cushions. I have spent several hours on the couch at a time working on my laptop and several hours watching Netflix, and I felt it was quite comfortable for both purposes. For it’s sleek and refined appearance, I’d say it’s surprisingly comfortable.

Stationary Cover

One thing I never considered in terms of comfort, but that I absolutely love, is that the sofa has what Ikea refers to as a “Stationary Cover”. This means that the seat and back cushions are attached to the sofa body so that the cushions never shift around. Shifting and sliding cushions has always been a little annoyance with all our previous sofas. As an added bonus, my 3 boys cannot remove the cushions and build forts (that they never clean up) as they did with our old sofa.

Compared to a Sectional

One thing I miss about our old sectional sofa is the corner spot, which provides a lot of back support if you want to sit in a semi-reclined position. I find with our new sofa if I want to lie down and watch TV, I have to lie on my side in order to view the TV properly. I don’t have the option of sitting in a cozy corner spot any more.

Durability

We’ve only had the sofa for three months, but the fabric is thick and durable looking. The fabric is a synthetic that looks and feels like a linen-poly blend. I’m very particular about fabrics, and I’m generally wary of thick synthetic fabrics because they can feel stiff and well, plasticky. However, this fabric is soft, pliable, and looks and feels like a high-end fabric. I compared it with a very expensive Belgian linen fabric I have and it has the same texture, weight, and pliability. However, it has a very slight sheen that the linen doesn’t have, and it’s also not as soft.

Washability

The one area where this sofa doesn’t get top marks in my books is the washability. The sofa cushions are attached to the sofa and the cushions do not have removable cushion covers. As well, the style of the sofa does not lend itself to using a slipcover. So, how do we keep our light coloured sofa clean, especially with three young boys in the house? Firstly, we almost never eat in the family room, except for popcorn on movie nights. I also make sure the boys wash their hands whenever they come in from playing outside and after mealtimes. So, the sofa is still in pristine condition. This week I did notice a mystery stain (looked like good old fashioned dirt), but I wiped it with a wet soapy cloth for a few seconds and it was gone, though the website indicates that the sofa should be cleaned with upholstery shampoo. I find that synthetic cushion covers clean up much more easily than natural fibres, but you could add a scotch guard finish to the sofa if you are really concerned. For long-term freshness, I plan to use our mini carpet/upholstery cleaning machine annually. I think this sofa will work fine for our lifestyle. However, if you like to eat meals in your family room or have pets, this might not be the sofa for you.

Summary

In summary, I think this is a good sofa if you have a classic modern or updated traditional style home, and if you prefer a sofa that is not too deep. It may not be suited to families that need removable cushion covers or prefer to use slipcovers. I tend to buy things to last, so I fully intend to have this sofa for the next 10 years. I will definitely post an update to this Ikea sofa review at the one year mark and perhaps beyond that. Hopefully you have found this Ikea sofa review helpful.

Check out how I styled this sofa for spring and summer. I’m really looking forward to dressing up this room for fall and the Christmas season. We were so much more limited with our old sofa because of the green colour, and it feels like a world of possibilities has just opened up.