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.
Rae says
Hey guys, not sure if anyone mentioned it, but in case you’re interested, the Karlstad legs can be switched out for ones with an aluminum finish.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10118914
len says
Hi guys! Ok reading your blog has become… creepy to me. I feel like I am in the twilight zone. Let me give you a quick idea as to why- 1) we bought a dresser four our baby of craigslist and refinished it THE DAY you posted your blog about clara’s dresser. 2) we had our first baby in April 3)my baby’s girlfriend’s name is clara 3) we closed on our house in Dec 4) we just bought and assembled the Karl. with the aluminum legs… And that was just a couple of the things that came to mind.
what’s next?!
Emily says
This was one of my favorite posts. You guys make me laugh! Love the grey sectionals. I’m excited to hear how your Karl holds up. :)
Jessica says
I have the metal feet on my Karlstad because I found that the wooden ones it came from were not very sturdily secured to the sofa. I thought it was my not very good installation but the metal feet have 2 screws rather than one so it seems much more secure!
Kelly C. says
Curious how you got a deal of $89 for shipping? Every time I go and try to order things I end up with $250 – $350 for shipping! Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kelly,
They base their rates on distance and weight, so that might be making the difference. They were also having an after-holiday shipping sale, so it should have been $130 or something but it was a “shipping sale.” Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Julie says
I have the Karlstad sectional and we looove it! We thought about a pricier one, but we have two crazy dogs and little ones on the not-so-distant horizon so the price and ability to change out covers was a huge selling point for us. We have the Korndal brown but I’ve been thinking of a switch to grey…can’t wait to see how it looks!
Regarding the legs – I thought it would be genius to replace the legs with cute mid-century inspired legs I found on ebay. And I did. And it was a huge pain. But it looked awesome!! …the only problem was that I’m not sure such a big couch was meant to rest on little peg legs, and it started creaking and generally felt really unstable. I’d be wary about replacing the legs with non-ikea legs because I think the couch is engineered to stay standing on those unfortunately blocky birch legs.
So, we ended up staining the homely birch legs with a dark cherry/brown stain so they blend in more to the rest of our decor. It was a HUGE pain in the butt because the legs are made of some kind of weird compressed wood so the stain didn’t want to sink in, even after sanding. However, in the end after lots of patience and time to dry i’m pleased with the result. They’re still blocky but the color blends in and looks much more high-end than that trademark ikea light birch.
Rebecca says
We have a tan micro-fiber suede-ish sectional that is fairly comfy. My husband and I bought it for around $1k about 5 years ago. We now have two kids and a third on the way – one of which got a tossed in the air by Daddy a few too many times, and proceeded to toss her cookies all over it! Between that, the dog, the juice, the snacks, the tinkle accidents, good lord this thing looks horrid! The covers are not removeable/washable, and even after cleaning them with rug cleaner or various other cleaning solutions (Whatever we can find that will remove vomit odor – that’s the WORST!), they dry with a ring around where the stain was! Anyway, for the price, we’re soooo glad we didn’t spend more! I’ll look forward to hearing how your new sofa withstands the family, as we may be replacing this one sometime soon!!!
Love you guys! Good luck!
Annie says
Omigosh, just two days ago I decided on that same sectional! I already have the 3-seater sofa and LOVE it, except I got the Korndal fabric, which is kind of nubbly, and my then-kitten, now-cat destroyed the ends. (dunno if this link will work, but: http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs118.ash2/39261_566683369851_3002077_33053807_5560993_n.jpg)
However, I don’t like any of the Ikea covers to match this rug: http://www.homedecorators.com/images/items/large/l02142810.jpg
So I don’t know if I should pay lots of $$$ for one from Bemz, or if I should try dyeing the white cover.
Annie says
Oh also, the couch works as a twin guest bed when you remove the back cushions. It’s actually super-comfy as a mattress, and maybe Clara could have sleepovers on the couch in a few years!
Merris Tozer says
I have the Karlstad just the sofa, which I love, but as you mentioned, hated the feet that came with it. I searched online forever to find something better (wanted dark wood, tapered) and found some message boards with suggestions. I ordered some and they ended up being wobbly becasue they weren’t specifically designed for the sofa. In the end, I purchased the silver aluminum feet that Ikea also offers ($20 for a set of 4). They have a much sleeker shape. And I spray painted them a dark brown, matte finish. They look so much better and don’t stick out in the “I am from Ikea” way that the original ones do. Just a suggestion in your search for new feet, haha!
Merris
amanda says
I was going to recommend Macy’s until I saw you had already ordered one. I can’t vouch for them since I haven’t had their furniture (yet), but I’ve heard good things and they have a lot of beautiful sofas, including sectionals in the $1000 price range.
Lydia says
>and while we’re on that, isn’t that a little violent for a kids movie?
Yes!!!!! It gave me nightmares as a child.
I also remember vividly a scene in a Dinosaur themed movie where again the mother dies. That’s all I remember from both movies.
I think that’s a little too much for kids watching.
Jamie B says
The Land Before Time. SO sad.
Kelly Jain says
We LOVE our Karlstad, it has made it through the first year of our daughters life (sticky hands and messy faces) without a scratch, and it looks amazing! Good choice!
Mindy@FindingSilverLinings says
Hey guys!
We bought a greyish colored sectional from Raymour Flanigan. It’s the metropolitan from the Cindy Crawford collection. We always get props for the sweet couch when we have company. Plus the chaise lounge is the best seat in the house. It’s microfiber so when we plan on having a “beanette” it’s durable. Here’s what it looks like:
http://fisilis.wordpress.com/big-mamas-house/
Can’t wait to see what you decide on!
xo
Mindy
Brianna Link says
My husband and I had the Karlstad Ikea sectional for a bit over 2 years and LOVED it!!! Sadly, we had to sell it a couple months ago because we moved and our new living area wouldn’t accomodate such a large-scale sofa. Although it wasn’t a sleeper, it slept very well! So much room. Comfy yet firm. Durable. You are going to love your new sofa! The only bummer is if you got a fabric that is dry clean only (we did–korndal to be exact), it is $10 per cushion so it’ll run you a bit over $100 to wash the cushions. We live in Midlothian and shoulda had you over for a test run had we known!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Brianna,
We’re not sure if the fabric on your sectional was different than ours, but we’ve heard from others with the same dark sivik gray cover who have had luck washing theirs at home in the washer (in cold water and drying it on a tumble dry low setting) so we hope that works for us too! It’s how we washed all of our other slipcovers (from Rowe and PB) so we’re used to the whole undressing and dressing the sofa routine. Haha.
xo,
s
Rachel G. says
Hey John and Sherry! Never commented before, but I love your blog. I live right around the corner in Midlothian. While my style is different than yours, I still get tons of great ideas from you guys. I am preggo with bambino #1, also due in May :). We don’t know what we are having, but if I knew we were having a girl I would seriously be trying to completely copy Clara’s nursery. I have coveted it ever since your big reveal last year. Anyways, my husband and I moved into a new house a year ago and since then have gone through tons of furniture shopping. We have decided that we can no longer step foot in Sofa Design because we have been there so much that they recognize us, but we have never bought anything from them :(. Nothing against them, we have just found better deals elsewhere. One place I wanted to tell you about for future reference is Luxe (near Broad and Cox). We got a sectional and chair/ottoman from them last year and paid under $3k for it all. Not super cheap, but not super expensive either. And they have a ton of amazing fabrics to choose from. The furniture is made by Norwalk and we love the quality so far. We’ll see what kind of beating it takes once Baby G. gets here! Anyways, I ramble. Can’t wait to see what your new purchase looks like. Love the gray walls! All the best.
Rachel
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Rachel,
Never been there but we’ll have to check it out! Sounds fun!
xo,
s
Lauren says
Some things from Ikea look so…Ikea. but I really do love this sectional. It’s been on my wishlist for a while. I’m glad you’re getting the chaise too; oh the lounging to be done on it! I hope you really enjoy it! Let us know how difficult/easy (hopefully) it is to assemble.
Lauren from http://www.charlesandhudson.com
jbhat says
I am thrilled to pieces that you are getting this–and so soon! It’s going to look sooo beautiful in your living room. You are lucky that I am not just down the street. Otherwise I’d be coming over and plunking myself down for a visit.
jbhat
Stacey says
Do you have any experience with sofas from the Luxe store in Richmond? They have some nice sectionals.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Stacey,
Haha, you’re the second person to ask me that! See my response to Rachel G below.
xo,
s
katharine says
I have absolutely LOVED my Karlstad sectional – perfect for this stage of life. You won’t regret it!!!
Cassie says
We have the karlstad with chaise lounge if you have any other questions about it. After a year, we still love it. Also, just about two weeks ago, we replaced the slipcover with the sivik dark gray (presumably the color you got) so I can tell you all about that process. I will say, although it’s technically called a “slipcover”, changing it out wasn’t particularly easy and you basically have to disassemble the entire sofa. So heads up on that and be sure you keep the tools if you might want to do that at some point. :)
Krystal says
Congrats on the sectional! Growing up I always wanted one, but my mom hates them. My uber comfy sectional (found at Value City for $399!) was my first purchase when I moved out, and my mother has since seen the light and plans on getting one for her home too. Ahh, sectional love :)
Hilary @ My So-Called Home says
Ah I knew it would be gray! Good choice on the sofa, I’ve seen it used a few times around the blogosphere. The aluminum legs I think would be a bit too modern for your space. Think you’ll stain the birch legs the same color as the beams?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Hilary,
We have a few ideas for those legs. Stay tuned for details when we figure out which way we wanna go!
xo,
s
Amanda @ Out of Square says
I love the sectional and so glad to hear so many positive reviews! I agree with you that the legs are a little “eh” but that is certainly something easy to tackle yourself. My husband is a woodworker and while we make almost all of our own furniture, we don’t have the ability to create our own legs for furniture. We order all our legs from http://www.tablelegs.com. They have so many choices and they come in all different types of wood. Just thought I would throw that out there!
Check out http://www.tablelegs.com/Bun-Feet.aspx specifically for seating, etc. I am in no way connected to them, I’ve just had a positive experience!
Amanda Loren says
Hi S&J — love your site! Just an FYI,Green Front in Farmville, VA is an EXCELLENT place to score great furniture at a reasonable price. Everything is high quality and direct from manufacture. You can trasport the furniture yourself or have it shipped for a really reasonable price. I live in NY but always hit it up when I visit my mom in Charlottesville.
Erin says
We also went the Ikea route for our large corner sofa (our room is 25 ft long but only 12 ft wide, so the ‘U’ configuration, although I loved it, wouldn’t have given us enough space for a walkway on one side). We first checked out a Rowe slipcovered option, which was around $3,200, and then settled on the Ektorp corner sofa in Svanby green, which plays nicely against our grey walls and exposed brick. One item to note however, which I noticed as I was frantically pulling off a couple of our cushion slipcovers after spilling red wine on them – Ikea does NOT recommend washing, bleaching OR tumbble drying the slipcovers. They recommend DRYCLEANING them. Not sure if this is just a CYA note on IKEA’s behalf, but I washed them and air dried them anyway, and they don’t seem any worse for the wear (and the red wine came out!). I did think it was a little weird that a budget friendly place like Ikea would recommend drycleaning though –
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Erin,
We have heard that from a lot of other commenters! So good to hear because dry cleaning can get expensive!
xo,
s
Alissa says
Maybe you or John can cut out and stain wood to create nicer looking legs (similar to the legs on the townsend) that can “encompass” the legs of the Karlstad. To me, it’s the legs (sticks!) that make IKEA couches look cheaper and modular.
Just an idea!
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely have a leg-plan for Karl when he arrives! Stay tuned…
xo,
s
Kelley says
We had this exact Karl in the same fabric shown and we looooved it. Had to sell it when we moved to a house with a smaller living room, but still – great couch for the money. The fabric holds up great, too.
Sonia says
Thanks for doing my homework on the sectional hunt! Specially, since I didn’t have to endure a bloodshed with the tigers, or whatever in the wild it was you were refering to. It can be such an emotional rollercoaster, as you found out. Do you want to shop for a new smartphone by Verizon, next? :)
melissa says
when we were moving last summer i was determined to get a gray sectional for our basement. after looking around for a long time, my husband and i decided that gray wouldn’t look right with our gold, honed concrete floors and our existing furniture… so, while i love the chocolate brown sectional we bought, i am still slightly jealous of anyone getting the gray sectional i couldn’t have.
Mandy says
We recently a sectional similar style to the Karl with a chase added on. Ours shows less leg and is tan. We found it one weekend here http://www.thedump.com/ for under 1,200. My husband and I hardly ever agree on furniture and when we saw it we both fell for it. It also came with a 5 yr warranty, they will clean any stain or replace it, which is fabulous since we have 3 kids under 6 and 2 dogs. =)
Jennifer says
I can’t wait to see it all come together! And on a side note, you guys should do more video posts!
Shannon says
Congrats in your bathroom/mirror being on Apartment Therapy!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Shannon!
xo,
s
Margaret says
I love your blog…and so does Apartment Therapy, cuz you were featured in it! http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/bathroom/space-solutions-hanging-mirrors-over-windowsyoung-house-love-137627
Great work Sherry & John!
Margaret
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Thanks for the heads up Margaret. So exciting!
xo,
s
Abbie says
I went with the Karlstad sofa+chaise in the tufted charcoal gray wool: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70184996
It looks fantastic and has held up well. The other Karlstads in the showroom seemed like they got kind of lumpy looking after awhile, but this one holds its shape really well, thanks to the tufting.
Julia M says
Okay, this morning when I read this I teared up because we had to sell our big U-shaped sectional when we switched apartments. It was like it was part of our family. So tragic to see it go. My hubby and I both vowed whenever we buy our first house we’ll make sure a sectional fits. So, I guess what I have to say is “congratulations!” You have just added an addition to your family.
http://chrislovesjulia.blogspot.com
Erica says
Hey guys great choice on the sectional because Mr. Karl takes up place in our home too! I am in love with the “natural” slip cover option and its what we have… and I picked it out right before we found out I was pregnant! So… most likely we will be switching up slip covers in the near future, my baby boy is 6 months and hasn’t done any spitting up damage/koolaid/cheeto fingers as of yet…but I’m sure it’s coming! Just thought you should know Mr. Karl is a great choice and holds up well!
Sally says
I have this exact sofa form Ikea and its GREAT! It totally stands up to my 22 month-old-son’s daily milk and Cheerios spill and our lazy cat. Because its so dark it hides stains and always seems to look clean. The shape of the cushions have remained just as perfect as the day we got it 2 years ago. People always comment have great it looks in our mid-century styled home and are totally surprised when we tell them its from Ikea. We didn’t like the blonde legs though-so we spray-painted them black. Good luck with your new house- I love reading your blog!
Carol N. says
Love the sectional! I’m planning on reupholstering our sofa as it has good bones. I’m wanting to find a deep gray color to use and now I’m wanting to paint the walls Moonshine! Gray is one of my favorite colors right now – if it is a nice warm one like you did. And the gray beams will be tremendous!
Stacey says
Am I the only one singing “Sectional Hunting” to the tune of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” in their head?
Probably…
…whenever gray sofas are callin’
and my financial stability is leavin’ me
there is something I can do
I just head out to Ikea and check Karl out baby…
See?
Still just me, eh?
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah, love it!
xo,
s
Karen says
Great choice on the Ikea sofa! Love the dark grey fabric!
Another note of reassurance: We have a 15 yr old ikea sofa in a green plaid fabric that is JUST NOW starting to show a little wear, and we are not gentle on it, to say the least. It has survived masses of girl scouts jumping on it, a baby grown up to a teenager now, three BIG dogs (aka shed-monsters) and so much more. I am hoping to replace it soon, but it won’t go far, just to a lake house where we can continue to enjoy it. Best money we’ve spent on furniture so far!
Can’t wait to see pics!
Holly says
We love our Ikea sectional!
About 4-5 yrs ago we got the Ektorp in sage green (now discontinued…as always, once you fall in love with a color they discontinue it) and after 2 years purchased an additional set of slipcovers in RED for a festive change into the holiday seasons. (and BONUS, since our sofa slipcover style is skirted we store the other one not in use in two underbed storage containers right under the sofa…undetected and readily available!)
On that note we cannot recommend enough getting at least one other set of slipcovers. Wish we had done this for the sage green because now discontinued and 70 lb. dog x 4 yrs. of daily naptimes = very well worn sage green slipcovers. If not for peace of mind should anything happen and you can replace without worry but also for choice of changing out colors when you need a change.
The only complaint we have is the washing of the slipcovers. Yes, you can do it at home. Yes, it works (gentle cycle). However, wrinkle city. After insane amount of ironing we got a hand held steamer to use for all future seasonal slipcover changes.
Anne says
We also have the ‘Karl’ sectional and the loveseat and footstool. We love how cosy our living area looks and how my husband and I can both stretch out with plenty of room.
Can’t wait to see what you do with the rest of the room. :)
MarT says
Also, you have a great range of slipcovers for Karl available from bemz.com, if you want to make a big change color or pattern.
Jill Stigs says
This is the one I bought last March………..wish I could “inject” it with some more padding though.
http://www.vcf.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10153&langId=-1&partNumber=1076809&N=0&Nao=1&Ns=&Ntt=cobblestone&Ntk=si_all&Ntx=mode%2bmatchall&referrer=searchResultsPage
Angelisa says
How exciting! I cannot wait to see your new sectional…and what you do with the legs. My husband I got our microfiber sectional couch pre-baby. After 2 years of baby, I have to say our couch has seen better days. =( We’ve browsed furniture stores and have also felt our next couch would be a charcoal gray fabric. Ikea may have to be our next route. Not too big of an investment and less guilt if we chuck it down the line (which is likely with wear and tear and the addition of kids).
Great post and I can’t wait to see all your new improvements with the new home. Everything is looking great!
shereen says
Karl is for sure a good deal and a quality sofa!!! I had my heart set on Karl, and was ready to purchase, in the end he would have been a bit too big for my space, so I went with something smaller…but once we move to a bigger living space Karl will move in with us :)
Christine says
I like how the Karlstad is up on legs, unlike the other Ikea sectional. Most rooms, even big ones like yours, seem airier with just a little space under the furniture. Chunkier, darker legs might look cool on your sectional.
Barb says
Love your choice in sectionals…especially the color. Anxiously awaiting the pix to show us the reveal.
Mandy of Kini Style says
Can’t wait to see it in your space! Also, very excited to see what is in store to spice up those legs!