Friday, September 23, 2011

Another Craigslist Purchase

In the family room, I had a white slipcovered sofa that was a craigslist purchase three years ago.  It's a nice-looking piece, but the slipcover was starting to get raggedy, and honestly, it's not too comfortable.  The cushions are feather-filled, but the seat cushions also have springs, which seem to be bent or something because it's very lumpy.


A few weeks ago I was browsing craigslist, as I often do.  I always search "IKEA", and this time an Ektorp three-seater sofa popped up.  These go really fast on our CL and I figured it would already be gone, but she had just listed it late the night before and I was first in line!  There were others after me who would take it if I didn't.

It was only $125, and I had some money from some ebay sales, so I grabbed it.


The red slipcover works well in the family room, though I do plan to eventually get a new cover.

There are a couple of mysteries about this sofa. I knew it was an older model, and it's definitely well broken-in.  But it is different from my Ektorp sectional and chair, and different from my friend Dixie's two-yr-old  Ektorp sofa.  (It is an Ektorp; the tag says so.)

First, the seat cushions are all foam, and the newer ones have a feather layer.  Second, the seat is deeper; I can sit normally in the new ones with my feet touching the floor, but not this one.  This is not a bad thing; while the new one is comfortable, this one is sink-in comfy-cozy.

I do, however, wonder if a new Ektorp cover is going to fit it.  I haven't tried switching a cushion cover yet, but you can see that the new brown one is wider and thinner than the old red one.


One possibility is that the sectional and sofa cushions are different sizes.  In fact, I just checked and the new sectional cushions are wider than the new chair cushion, so it stands to reason that sectional and sofa could also be different.  But Dixie has confirmed that her sofa cushions feel like my sectional, and not thick and cushy like the red sofa, so there's at least that difference.

Do any of you have an older Ektorp sofa for which you've successfully and recently replaced the cover?  I'm not in a rush to get the new cover, but at some point I'll chat with the IKEA helpline and see what they can tell me.

Oh, a couple of you asked what I was going to do with the spools I got last week.  I didn't have anything specific in mind, and for now they're just in the Coke crate that's on the coffee table.



5 comments:

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

Score! I bet it's frustrating to not know if a new cover will fit or not. Hopefully someone will be able to tell you. :)

dixie said...

I love the new red one. It is so comfy-cozy!!!!!! And it looks great in the room!

Anna said...

you got a great deal on that sofa! . So are you selling the other one with the white slipcover now?
I like the red slipcover, it looks good with the other decor you have in the room. I know they have a lot of choices in the Ektorp slipcovers at IKEA though, so hopefully you will be able to use one if you want a change.

Melissa said...

Awesome, Holly! I actually love the red. It already it going perfectly with your coke crate!

Anonymous said...

Holly-I used to have this version (bought in 2002/2003) and it was SO much comfier than my new Ektorp sectional which replaced it. I did buy new covers up until last year for the 3 seater, and they are a teeny bit baggy, but it just made it easier if they shrunk in the wash a bit. I never had a problem. I also have the 2002 Ektorp chair and buy new covers for it and haven't had a problem with that either. Looks great!