We recently went on a sectional hunt. Maybe this post would have been more entertaining if we channeled National Geographic and sprung for an Australian voice over artist to say things like “they wait in the brush, as the giant wildebeast sectional approaches” or “slowly and stealthily, the panthers Petersiks stalk their prey.” Oh well. The point is that we searched high and low for a new sectional. We didn’t just look around these here parts (now I’m getting all southern on you). We took a road trip all the way up to DC (2 hours north) to drop in on the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams store along with a huuuge Room & Board showroom (four levels and 3,600 square feet of furniture = heaven, at least if you’re me). Sadly the trip ended with us falling in love with a few gorgeous things that we couldn’t afford, namely this ginormous and oh so comfy sectional in a rich charcoal gray fabric:
But the ginormous and oh so scary price tag of $4,496 (before our “custom fabric choice” plus tax and delivery) scared me more than the scene where the mom dies in Bambi (and while we’re on that, isn’t that a little violent for a kids movie?).
We know that when it comes to a sectional, we definitely want something comfy that will last while holding up to all sorts of insane kid-antics (growing up we used to shoot our sofa at point-blank range with everything from nerf balls to rubber bands, and that’s only the beginning of the torture that thing endured). And we know that a high price tag from one of the two amazingly reputable companies mentioned above would surely factor in things like quality construction and premium materials. But after a lot of debate, we decided that with a pooch and a baby (who definitely both give our current slipcovered sofa what can best be described as a workout) something swanky and un-slipcovered (even in a dark color) might not be the best match for our family at this point in our lives. Especially with such a high cost attached. See, we want this house to be all about living. With an emphasis on large casual family gatherings. We don’t want to live in fear that a nephew of ours might pierce/stain/otherwise maim the 5K sofa every time we have people over. And we definitely don’t want to beat ourselves up every time the dog gets past us with muddy paws or the baby shows us her previously swallowed green beans after a rigorous dance interlude with daddy.
So off we went to two local sofa retailers (we’re very satisfied with our white slipcovered Rowe sofa and our green Rowe sleeper sofa, which were both purchased locally from a store called Sofa Designs). We figured we’d probably end up with a Rowe sectional that we’d love for years to come, and fell in love with this one in particular called the Townsend:
But the price tag (over $3,200 without tax and delivery) definitely caught us by surprise, especially given that our other two Rowe sofas were under 1K. I guess we expected to pay around 2K or even 2.5K (since a sectional is kind of like two sofas put together). But over 3 times the price still felt pretty high. And it left us wondering if a $3,200 sectional (also without removable slipcovers) would feel any less precious and “untouchable” than a 5K one. For cheap-os like us, that’s still a huge chunk of change.
And you guys know that we had been considering this Ikea sectional as well (seen here in this mood board of yore)…
…so that was on the table when we made another pilgrimage to Ikea just to sit on things and check them out in person. Which is when we discovered that the sectional that we had been eyeing seemed a bit too small for our giant 25′ x 15′ room (and the last thing we wanted to do was buy a cheaper sectional to save money that ended up being wrong, which would still be a colossal waste of funds). But then we saw Karl – er, the Karlstad:
Pardon this picture of Karl, since the one we’d get would also have a chaise added on to create a big U-shaped place to flop down and watch TV, play games, hang out, etc (it would be shaped exactly like the Townsend by Rowe that we pictured above). And we’d do a little leg-sprucing since those raw birch ones don’t really do it for us. But anyway, Karl was everything that the other Ikea sectional wasn’t. He was large and in charge- the perfect oversized dimensions for our oversized room (and supersized family- when we get together for something casual there are at least 16 people in one place). Plus Karl is 100% slipcovered (which means nothing is nearly as scary since the cushions and even the arms and base can be laundered – or even replaced for a few hundred bucks if we want to switch colors down the line). It’s also funny how similar he is to the 5K Room & Board version that we loved.
And the price for this giant sectional plus add-on chaise lounge (which will create a huge family-friendly hangout zone in our cavernous living room) was just… wait for it… $1,248. Basically just a few hundred dollars more than we spent on our white Rowe sofa, but it’s three times the size. Literally. We had to tape off the outline of the sectional on the floor just to make sure it would fit. And once the tape went down on the floor we started getting excited. It would be giant and perfect for our huge family. And best of all- not too precious! Bring on the ice pops and fruit punch.
But we were still nervous that it would look bedraggled in a year or two, or might not hold up to the whole “dog + baby = mess” equation. So we did a good amount of googling around for reviews and write ups. We were thrilled to find that pretty much everyone had great things to say about Karl (although a few people didn’t like the sleeper version of him, since it was hard to operate, but that’s not an issue because that’s not the one we’d get). And then it happened, we remembered that Anna over at Door Sixteen actually purchased a Karlstad sofa after her pups had ruined her fancy Room & Board one (read all about that here).
It was all the affirmation that we needed to hear. Anna’s sofa is holding up really well over two years later, and she says she is very happy with her choice. Plus knowing that she’s a gal of style who lives with real-life wear and tear (thanks to her dogs) was the last “sign” we needed to pull the trigger.
So we went for it and put in our order a couple of weeks ago. We just hadn’t bothered to mention it since Ikea’s delivery schedule doesn’t have it arriving until Feb 4th (update: it might arrive a bit sooner than that- woot!). We’ll definitely share photos as soon as Big Karl (yes that’s a Cougartown reference) gets here. Oh and we got it in the same “sivik dark gray” fabric as Anna (we looked at all the potential swatches at Ikea in person and it felt nice and durable – and not too nubby, so Burger’s claws won’t be able to dig in and create little loops). So excited. Anyway, that ends the big sectional hunt. Australian announcer, take us out:
The antelopes dash into the jungle, grateful to have survived the harrowing lion attack (aka: The Petersiks happy dance into the living room, grateful to have survived the harrowing sectional hunt).
Fade to black.
Psst- Want an update on Karl now that we’ve had him for over a year? Here ya go.
Liz says
The Townsend is my favorite because of the low arms- too bad it’s so expensive! I always lay my head on the arms of the couch and something like the Karl just wouldn’t quite work for me. That seems to be a theme in most sectionals I see- super high arms.
Rochelle @ Princess Hotcakes says
After much searching and a few crushes at Danie we too fell in love with and purchased the Karlstad in white leather and absolutely adore it! Our favorite feature is that the chaise lounge can be rotated from either side. :) My only qualm is that the feet are ugly! ;)Congrats!
Emily says
Off the subject here, but I am a fairly new reader, and I really enjoyed reading all the posts for your old house. They used to be grouped together under the “topics” tab, and I could read all the posts pertaining to each room -kitchen, bathroom, master bedroom, etc. That appears to be gone now, and I’ve looked through the site but can’t find the posts grouped by room anymore. Perhaps I’ve missed it if it was moved? If it’s gone, I would really vote for bringing it back – it was such a handy way to see how each project went down.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Emily,
The site was crashing from having too many categories so we sadly had to retire those individual room ones from the old house. You can still use the Projects page or the Archives Tab or the search bar to hopefully hunt things down though. So sorry for the inconvenience! We just have to keep the site from going down for hours on end!
xo,
s
Andrea B says
Very nice.
What I’d like to know is if any sofas were harmed in the filming of this movie. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Andrea,
Not on our watch. Haha.
xo,
s
tara says
hey john and sherry, love the sectional you guys chose! i bought the rowe monaco 6 months ago, and we chose a dark charcoal grey fabric, and it also has a chaise. we absolutely love how it invites family and guests to come lounge. so far, we are happy with the color, though i am noticing some batting fibers sticking through the fabric a bit. we too wanted to make sure that the sectional we bought would be very durable, as we have two very active little boys. they love to play on, around, and jumping off the sectional. it is the perfect family piece of furniture, in my opinion!
michele says
my sister has two karls, an 85 lb boxer, and a one-year-old. she loves those crazy couches.
Gwen says
We just bought a BEAUTIFUL new sectional from the Room Store and got a great deal on it. We are IN LOVE. It’s cream/white but for $100 we got a 5 year stain warranty on it. Check them out!
Kit says
Hey Karl….purrrrr…..can’t wait til Ikea comes to Denver.
Tanya says
Yay! I love a happy ending. My (inset expletive) sofa has a darn hole that the warranty flipped the bird to. I’ll be sofa hunting soon, I suspect. I love hearing that the Ikea version is holding up well. Sometime I eye Ikea suspiciously, but I’m often pleasantly surprised.
~Tanya
dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com
Pattie says
MY LAND IS New York.Even though I live in Chicago now, Yonkers NY will always be my land.
What do I love most about it? The memories of growing up there.
Jody says
I love you guys! No one ever talks about the real life dilemas of having kids and pets on your sofa/furniture- I have both. My current sectional was abt $3000 and it looks terrible!!! The cushions are all broken down and the fabric is picked all over from Walter’s (Boston Terrier) nails! I really dis-like it and loved the look of the IKEAS way better when I purchased it. Darn- I want the IKEA one now!!
erin pearce says
i’ve been eyeing the karlstad for a while, but ikea is 2hrs away… some of the ikea couches seem to have low backs, how does the karlstads back feel? we live on our sofas, so we need something comfy!?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Erin,
It feels super comfy! We loved sitting on it in Ikea. Almost didn’t want to leave! Lots of other commenters seem to share the sentiment that it’s comfy (so glad to hear so many people raving about Karl!).
xo,
s
Nichole@40daysof says
Even though you hadn’t talked about it in detail, that’s exactly the sectional I though you would end up with. :) It’s going to look great! Love Cougartown!
http://40daysof.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/fat-tuesday-volume-iv-fashion-edition/
meg says
We’ve been thinking about the ikea kivik (the one in your original mood board)but haven’t seen it in person yet. What was your opinion of it for a space that’s much smaller than yours?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Meg,
It was chunky and cozy- just not big enough for our room- but it seemed really nice for a smaller space!
xo,
s
Michelle Kersey says
congrats!!!! My husband and I have talked about getting a sectional for our house too… I really want a chaise.
I’m sad to report… I’ve never been to IKEA. There’s one a few hours from me, but oh man… I think I would be in trouble there. :)
Can’t wait to see the room all put together! *and follow you on the rest of the house journey too!*
Meghan says
We have the sofa from your mood board, the Kivik with chaise. We have a small living room, so exact opposite dilemma. We have been really happy with it: the slipcovers we just wash in cold and dry on low, and actually, they seem to come out looking better each time- more tight fitting and smooth on the cushions. And it’s super comfy! Enjoy Karl!
Ali says
Great choice! I bet you can’t wait for your Karl delivery!
~ Ali
sarah says
Hey, I know you’re really focused on VOCs in paint (and I am, too, and appreciate all of your ideas and experiences in this area) – do you have any concerns about the particleboard/fiberboard/plywood/synthetics in Ikea furniture? I haven’t done the research myself – curious if you have. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah,
In an ideal world everything in our house would be made from sustainable wood and organic materials, but we just try to do our best and choose things based on quality and price and function and go green whenever we can. It’s a balance thing with us, we just try to make smart choices and balance those out with economical ones that we can live with. We refused to settle for anything less than an eco friendly crib, rug, and mattress for Clara’s nursery. But when it comes to furnishing the rest of the house we plan to bring in everything from solid wood secondhand pieces (which are super eco-friendly and free of any synthetics of off-gassing concerns) to big box finds that fit the budget and meet our needs (like our Ikea sectional, which is probably made by a lot of green standards since Ikea is a very earth-friendly company, but definitely not as pure as something for about 5x the price from an all natural sofa vendor). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
linda says
you’re going go LOVE karl! we have a karlstad sofa and it is SO comfy! we haven’t had ours all that long so i hope that it holds up well! (our cats love sleeping on it!)
Jennifer says
Love it! We are on the hunt for a new sofa, but don’t have the room for a giant sectional (yet). The regular Karl sofa seems expensive for what it is, but the sectional seems better priced for what you get. Back to the drawing board!
Jody says
I was wondering- Are the cushions attached to the back?- I have trouble with mine( NOt IKEA) as they are always slipping and are very broken down in the center- But I do have two teenage boys, teen friends, husband and animals living on mine!!!! LOL
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jody,
Nope, they’re not attached but they seem to stay in place really well. The ones in the showroom didn’t wiggle after millions of buns were on them. Haha. Other Karlstad owning commenters seem to love theirs as well!
xo,
s
Rachel @ The Avid Appetite says
I’m also in the market for a sectional! My worry with Ikea though is the comfort level. Did you do an in-person seating/laying test?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Rachel,
Oh yes, scroll back for more info. We think it’s super comfy. Can’t wait for it to come.
xo,
s
Jenn L says
Congrats on the new sectional sofa! =) I think getting a slipcovered couch is a great idea for a kid friendly doggie friendly home <3
xoxo
Jenn @ Peas & Crayons
Kaitlin says
Congrats! You made an excellent choice. We also just purchased the Karlstad sectional for our new home (although we bought it in the Linnyard Natural). So far it has held up wonderfully to our 11 month old son and pooch (and a sometimes messy husband). Although I will give you fair warning that trying to match the cushions with the correct cover and subsequently stuff them only to find its not a right fit (and then start over) is quite a frustrating task. I told myself the frustration was worth the money we saved over another sofa :o) Good luck!
Kelly R says
Hi guys! I bought a Karl a few years back – it was a very comfortable couch but didn’t last as long as I’d hoped. I loved the size, shape, and price(!), but the couch began to sag in the middle after a few years; the beams supporting the couch had bowed downward. I don’t have children or pets and don’t think I was particularly hard on it (though it did go through a few moves). Has anyone else had this issue?
I hope this doesn’t happen with your Karl!
Amy Lee says
My LAND is California. It’s where I met my husband and where we now live together, even though I’m from Ohio and he is from New Mexico.
But if you choose me, I’d like to select the New Mexico pillow just for him.
BTW, I LOVE your site – it provides so much inspiration and I want to go around and redecorating my house. But I just had a baby (I believe a month after Sherry) and so I’m preoccupied most of the time. =p
Courtney says
My husband and I have dreams of buying a sectional in the future and we loved the Ektorp at Ikea. Karl felt too low and didn’t support our backs. Did you check out Ektorp during your search?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Courtney,
Yup, Ektorp is their best seller so of course we had a look-see. It’s not as modern of a shape with the curved arms and the skirted bottom, so it wasn’t for us – but it’s certainly a lovely option and quite the crowd pleaser if you’re into the traditional lines and plush shape!
xo,
s
Maky says
Congrats on Karl, you guys! I’m totally partial to the Kivik myself, but it’s all still in the family, isn’t it? The IKEA family, that is! ;)
Love the Cougartown shoutout… such a cool show! :)
Claire says
We were looking at the Karlstad sectional ourselves when we replaced our old regular sofa. We ended up getting the Tillary from West Elm instead (they were offering it for 40% off!) which fit our (much smaller than yours) space perfectly AND sleeps two people, together or separately.
Erin says
Totally random but I finally read that this is your full time job! I was always thinking you all must never get work done at work. :-) Anyway, congratulations and being able to do what you love and do it together. LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog.
Laura says
I love the dark gray slipcovers the best (couldn’t imagine getting white ones! and the beige is blah) but would the dark grey go with Wishes wall color?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Laura,
Yup, they’re both neutral colors so they’d work together beautifully!
xo,
s
Caryn says
Yay! Exciting to see how it all comes together. We have the Karlstad in the same swatch and love it! We debated a PB sofa for a long time as I was working there at the time and could get the mondo discount, but in the end we were afraid of our dog, and friends’ kids, and our future kids massacring the expensive beast. We love the couch and it’s going strong after 2 years. My favorite part so far is being able to just swipe my hand and get dog hair or anything off of it. Can’t wait to see pictures of it in the room!
MS says
Great choice! We’ve had the Karl since early 2008 (without the chaise, but are considering moving it to our basement and getting that chunk added) and love it! Super comfy, plenty of space and super easy to reconfigure. We had the short side and long side reversed at our old house and then switched it when we moved for our new living room.
Just a head’s up…it arrives in LOTS AND LOTS of boxes. So like all Ikea furniture, it is assembly required, but easy assembly. My mother in law accepted delivery and asked the guy 400 times, you’re sure this is a sofa, right?
Laurie says
I am SO loving the new house challenges and darker, bolder choices.
Couldn’t aspire better than Anna for style and practicality references (or cougar town for pop culture ones). Great job guys, can’t wait to see it.
Tiffany says
I know exactly how you feel. I have also been looking for a gray sectional. Here’s an idea. Do you know anyone that works at Crate and barrel? They offer a 40% discount off furniture. They have very nice sectionals.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Tiffany,
We found (and ordered) The One already! Check out the bottom of this post for details!
xo,
s
Meredith says
i was going to tell you to check Macy’s furniture store. we got their Bradley sectional a couple months ago and LOVE it. you can have it custom made in any color (they do have a charcoal) and you can add as many pieces as you want to make it whatever size you need! i checked their website and looks like they do have a macy’s furniture store in richmond (which i think is where you are?)
here’s a link but it only shows it in the standard colors, not the custom ones: http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=481148&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results
they have lots of other great furniture there too!
Becca says
I am also thinking of using the Karl, but hate those legs. However, while googling, I found this genius idea: http://www.ourmidcentury.com/2010/11/our-karlstad-sofa-hack.html
I am in LOVE with their “mid century modern” legs. AND, they’re like $4 a pop. Awesome.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Becca,
We definitely have plans for a leg makeover when it comes to Karl! Stay tuned…
xo,
s
Whit says
Thanks for the props, Becca! We love our Karlstad. Our pets have already done a little damage, so the slip cover is so great! Thanks for checking out our blog!
ourmidcentury.com
Meghan says
We just got a gray sectional delivered a couple of days ago…I was nervous that it might be too dark, but I love, love, love it!!
http://cheekychicstudio.com/2011/01/25/comfy-smofy/
Holly says
Meghan – Saw your pics…where did you get your sectional?
Rebecca says
I’m surprised I’ve seen no love for the Tylosand IKEA sofa in any of the comments. We have the 3-person couch, 2 single sections, and 1 right hand chaise. We have it in the Sand b/c that is the only cover that is machine washable. We originally had just the sofa in the brown cover when we lived in a small apartment. That is definitely one of the big advantages to any sectional, you can add on later! We actually were going to get another set of Sand covers (after 2 years with two 60 lbs dogs ours have some wear but mainly I have found that I’m less likely to wash them (unless they get soiled) if I have to wait for them to line dry), but now I’m intrigued by Bemz so that I can change up the color whenever I feel like it.
Kendall Goslee says
Good for you for finding the perfect couch. It took us 2 years to finally pick ours, but it was well worth the wait. Now we can finally get on to painting and decorating.
Kimberj says
Have you considered hunting down a vintage one and having it recovered? We bought an amazing 1960’s sectional with down stuffing in a woven cotton fabric with 2 tables for $1000. Its in perfect condition and was a custom piece back in the day. Even if we recover it someday (doesn’t need it for now) we’ll still have less than $2K in it. We also bought a couch and a chair for $5 each and spent about $600 reupholstering both including fabric. A designer told us that with the brand name, stability, and quality of upholstery we probably saved ourselves about $2400 by doing that as opposed to buying new.
Another option is to find an Arhaus Furniture outlet store and buy one there. They have sectionals for about $900 that originally run $3K and up. We bought a $4000 entertainment center there for $720. It would be worth the trip and a U-Haul truck rental. I know you guys are all about the budget and so are we :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kimberj,
We did! We kept an eye out at thrift stores and on craigslist but sadly it was rare to find even an L-shaped secondhand sectional, let alone a u-shaped one that we wanted. Great idea though!
xo,
s
Wendy says
I’m curious what you will do to spruce up the legs – I love IKEA furniture but those legs, ahhh those legs! On some pieces they’re just blindingly awful. Can you share what you plan to do, or will that (hopefully!!) be in a future post?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Wendy,
We have a few different ideas so we’re waiting until it arrives to figure it out. Will post details as they occur!
xo,
s
Amanda says
Funny thing… the IKEA sectional couch you post is just now in a house tour on Apartment Therapy. FYI. :)
-A
Adrienne says
I bought the same fabric Karl a few weeks ago on craigslist for $300. It looked navy in the guys apartment but looks gray and sophisticated in ours. We bought the metal legs and it looks great. I was scouting other sofas but with our house needing a new sewer line went for this. It looks great and my 2 year old can climb up no problem! Jealous of your biggie…
Newness says
ooo! I like Karl! He’s a looker. I am also in agreement on some new legs for that bad boy. Can hardly wait to see the after pics. I’m starting to feel crazy for initially wanting to get rid of my big soft sectional. It’s been holding well with my “energetic” now 9 year old jumping all over it and practicing karate moves for the last 3 years. I should leave well enough alone.
Val says
We have an Ektorp sectional and it has survived multiple events that would have spelled “sofa-apocalypse” for a lesser piece of furniture. Great Dane, husband with chili, nieces and nephews of all ages, really heavy uncles “perching” on the arms, and house-sitter/best guy friend with beer and salsa. It’s more or less indestructible. We’re really happy with it, so I’m sure the Karl will treat you right. You’re lucky to live close enough for delivery — getting that beast home on our own was harrowing, to say the least.
Laura says
Hey you guys,
Just wanted to say I love the site, and think you’ve made a great choice with a sofa from Ikea.
Mine (not Karl, now discontinued) is probably nearing 20 years of use, and it’s never been comfier, and although I did recover it myself last year, if the original covers hadn’t been white, it would probably have been fine!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Laura,
Wow! 20 years is awesome! We’re psyched that Karl has a ten year warranty, but if he lives to be 20 we’re throwing him a party!
xo,
s
Erin says
We got our charcoal grey sectional (with chaise) at Costco for just under a grand, and since it’s got the microfabric stuff it is just wipe and go when our three-year-old spills on it. It’s awesome. I hope you enjoy your new sectional as much as we do ours!
Meredith says
I have had a microfiber sofa for 8 years and I take off all the cushion covers and machine wash them! I decided to give it a try with one of throw pillow covers I wasn’t using. I have spot cleaned successfully and it does well. but the seams and deep down dirt and dinge – washing it makes all the difference in the world. I convinced my sister to try it with hers and she was amazed – she thought it was clean but even her husband said it looked brand new. I wash them on cold and put them outside to dry. ( I am in AZ – they dry fast.) Then I just zip them back on – easy peasy. The only drawback is I have attached back cushions and I wish I could take those off. The seat cushions take the most abuse. My sister can wash all of hers and it is amazing. I am thinking of cutting mine off the back and altering the backs of the cushions just so they can be removable and washed.
Tanya says
Wow Meredith that’s awesome. I have a microfibre couch which looks a little worse for wear and I had no idea I could wash it. Its removable too! You’ve made my day!
Cristhian says
This one isn’t as cheap as the IKEA one but… it looks gorgeous and not a bad deal. The only problem is that I think you don’t have this store in the States… (or not yet).
http://www.maisonsdumonde.com/UK/en/produits/fiche/7-seat-corner-sofa-in-slate-grey-loft-50180588.htm
Rae says
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10118914
Sara @ House Bella says
Wow, that was the price with shipping and everything? Amazing! Or are you ordering it into the store?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sara,
That was the price without shipping (since we listed the other sofas that way we wanted to keep it consistent). It was $89 for shipping on top of that. So not bad for all that they’re sending our way (it was actually a lot cheaper than the other shipping prices we were quoted, even by the local company).
xo,
s