The lovely and talented Caitlin emailed to say she was inspired by this old post and took a sharpie to her IKEA slipcovers. Talk about bang for your buck! And I’m really liking the more open pattern she went with here. It’s a little more subtle. (also much easier to pull off!) The rest of her home is so lovely. Check out her full house tour here. PS Caitlin mentioned she has a new color in her Deco pillow line – mint. I recently took a little road trip down IKEA (the nearest being 2 hours away) to pick up a second EKTORP sofa! I purchased my first Ektorp two years ago and really love it. In that time I've been asked about the sofa by lots of friends, both online and in real life, so I'm here to give a comprehensive review of my experiences. Here's the lowdown on why I love this sofa series: 2) Nicely tailored slipcovers (that don't look like slipcovers) in a variety of colors 3) Slipcovers can be removed & laundered 4) Easy to assemble 5) Good quality that stands the test of time
The EKTORP series offers a full size sofa, loveseat, arm chair, footstool, and sectional options. I've owned the sofa, footstool, and until recently, two armchairs (which I sold in order to make room for another full size sofa). Each piece of furniture is purchased separately from the slipcovers, allowing you to easily change out the look as well as remove the slipcovers to wash when needed. I haven't had to wash mine yet but I've read lots of other reviews from people who have and say it's quite easy. The slipcovers vary in price depending on the color and material you choose. For the combination I chose I paid $499 for each sofa (without tax). I chose 'Nordvalla Gray' for my slipcovers because it's dark enough to hide everyday stains and I just really love the color gray! My second choice is the basic white, which I've read is really easily laundered, and this is the least expensive of the slipcover options. What I really like about the slipcovers in addition to their washability, is that they don't look like your typical slipcovers.
They are tailored very nicely with a piping detail so they fit the couch frames perfectly. In fact, most people don't even realize they are slipcovers when viewing the set in person. The Nordvalla gray cover is a very thick material, almost denim like, not as soft as the white slipcovers but very durable. Let's talk assembly...they are SUPER easy to assemble. I put mine together by myself in about 20 minutes (including putting on the cushion covers). The frame comes as one piece, with the back folded down, and the arms and feet are unattached. First you pop up the back of the frame, then attach the arms, then the feet, then add the slipcover to the frame... Finally, you add the slipcovers to each individual cushion and then you're done! What I like about these covers and cushions, is that they are reversible so you can easily rotate the cushions for even use and wear. Every so often I rotate my cushions so that I don't have a 'dent' in the spots that are sat on most often. I think this has helped keep the life in my cushions.
Because I bought my first Ektorp sofa two years ago, I have a side by side comparison of the 2-year old sofa set next to the brand new sofa. The cushions on the new sofa definitely have more 'fluffiness' to them but I'm really pleased with how well the older sofa has held up over time... The arms of my older sofa don't have any pilling yet, but I would imagine over a longer period of time they might. Also, it's important to note that I don't have any kids or pets jumping on my sofas (other than the occasional visit from friends) every day so my furniture is gently used. However, in all of my research on this series before purchasing, I read countless reviews of people with kids and pets who raved about the durability/washability. For further comparison purposes, in the photo above, the sofa on the left is the older one and the one on the right is the brand new sofa. I combined two of the Ektorp sofas in addition to an Ektorp footstool to form my own 'sectional'! I get compliments on the sofas very often from guests visiting my home and many are surprised to learn they are from IKEA!
They are comfortable to sit on, not too firm, not too soft. Overall, I highly recommend this affordable, durable, and good-looking furniture set! Teal Pillow Covers: IKEA Tan pillows: Home Goods Curtains: IKEA (but I painted on the blue stripes) Coffee Table: vintage from Goodwill and painted white Trellis Rug: Rugs USA Paint Color on Walls: Horizon by Benjamin MooreThe wrong chair = real health problems. (Total read time: 8 minutes) In this post I’ll cover how I identified the best high-end chairs in the world, which I ultimately chose, and the tangible results that followed. In January of 2005, I found myself on a veranda in Panama after the usual afternoon rain, dreaming of the upcoming year and reflecting on lessons learned since leaving the US. Maria Elena, the matriarch of the Panamanian family that had adopted me, sipped her iced tea and pointed at my bruised feet: “Tim, let me share some advice I was once given. Buy the most comfortable bed and pair of shoes you can afford.
If you’re not in one, you’ll be in the other.” I followed her advice upon returning to CA and the results were sudden: Plantar Fasciitis disappeared, as did shoulder impingement after switching from coil-spring to foam-layered mattresses. But what about chairs? On January 4th, 2009, I tweeted out the following: “Is the Aeron chair worth it? http://tr.im/2uxd Do you have any fave chairs for extended sitting and writing?” Even though I’m financially comfortable now, I didn’t grow up spending a lot of money, which I’m thankful for. To this day, I’ve never paid for first-class airfare for myself. Not that it isn’t worth it — I just can’t do it. Similarly, I had trouble believing a chair could possibly be worth $850-$1,200, but my back pain led me to pose the question to the omniscient Interweb. More than 95% of Aeron users replied with “yes, absolutely”, but it wasn’t the only chair with a cult-like following. Four of the five are manufactured by Herman Miller (HM) and Humanscale (HS).
Prices are from Amazon, as are the star reviews, but discounts of $200-400 can be negotiated with dealers. Both eBay and Craiglist offer similar discounts. In descending order of popularity: 1. Aeron (Fully loaded) (HM) – $879 (1 review; average review: 5 stars) Used at NASA mission control and tech start-ups worldwide.2. Mirra (fully loaded) (HM) – $829 (14 reviews; average review: 4.5 stars) Note: the Herman Miller sales representatives I spoke with preferred the Mirra seat feel for shorter legs vs. the Aeron. Easier to adjust: Mirra is about 9 revolutions from loosest to tightest settings; 3. SwingChair – $495 Recommended by a strong contingent of writers, including one of my favorite visual storytellers, Kathy Sierra. I like the design concept, but I would suggest other forms of “core exercise”. 4. Liberty (HS) – $899 (6 reviews; average review: 3.5 stars) 5. Freedom Task Chair with Headrest (HS) – $999.99 (1 review, average: 4 stars) Used at the FBI and by other governmental agencies with three-letter acronyms.
6. Embody – $1,800 list price (negotiated with dealer: $1,200-1,300): Basis of chair design – sitting is bad; Even in locked position, it still has some backward flex at the top position. No forward tilt option. For personal testing, I also added a Swiss-ball chair (Isokinetics Balance Ball Chair – $75) to the mix, as seen below: Surprisingly, the Isokinetics chair is more comfortable than most fixed chairs I tested, though there is some minor… ahem… testicular compression that isn’t nearly as pleasant as it sounds. If you don’t have jewels to worry about, this chair could well be an ideal cost-effective choice. The chair I most wanted to test was the Mirra, which seems to have the best combination of price point (bought used or via eBay) and multiple 5-star reviews. Not to mention it’s also the name of one of the best BMXers of all time. In the end, I bought a used C-size (technically a bit too large for me) Aeron for $450 on Craigslist. I’m impatient and didn’t want to wait over the weekend to schedule sittings for other Herman Miller chairs with a certified dealer.
Once I have some conclusive comparable data, I want closure.I’m 5′ 8″ and 170 lbs., but the C works with no problem. 1) The lumbar support is — by far — the primary determinant of comfort or pain. I’ve lowered this adjustment and found that maintaining the natural S-curve through pressure on the lower back is what prevents pain most consistently. Comfortable sitting time is now 7-8 hours vs. less than 2 hours, with no ill after-effects. Sliding lumbar support on the Aeron. 2) Seat height (and secondarily, depth) will determine the rest. If the flats of your feet don’t make complete contact with the floor, you will move your hips forward and slouch, eliminating the S-curve in the lower lumbar. If your seat is too low and your knees are above your hips, you will shorten the habitual range your hip flexors (negative neural adaptation) and end up with severe lower-back pain. Aim to keep your hamstrings parallel to the floor, and if the seat is too long for your femur (thigh bone) — as is mildly the case with my C-size Aeron — just separate your knees a bit.
If you’re not wearing a tight skirt, I’ve found a basketball of space between the knees to provide the best lateral stabilization, which reduces torso fatigue. Take off heels when sitting at a desk, lest you end up with hot calves and Quasimodo-like posture. Not good for mating. If you are wearing a tight skirt, I suggest taking up the Japanese tea ceremony and sitting on tatami side saddle. It’ll be more comfortable than crossing your legs all day.True, I’ve thought more about chairs in the last few weeks than anyone should, but I do it to save you the trouble. Benefit from my OCD so you can obsess on other things. 3) Using a 3′ long and 6″ diameter foam roller three times per day for 5 minutes can eliminate persistent middle-back pain from mediocre chair use; conversely, it can extend your comfortable sitting time by 30-40%. Knowledge workers often log more ass-in-seat time than sleep. Coders, in particular, are often subjected to a steady diet of Mountain Dew and hunching for 12+-hour marathons.
I don’t put in these hours, but I found myself with severe mid-upper back pain from using a non-adjustable chair and craning over a desk that was too low, even for 30-60 minutes per day. Two doctors suggested various therapies, but a quick experiment (placing a laptop on top of a dresser and writing while standing for two days) proved that posture was the problem. In less than a week following my switch to the Aeron, all upper middle-back (lower trapezius, rhomboid major) pain disappeared completely. The results: better output during work and writing, faster and deeper sleep, and a huge smack on the forehead. Why the hell didn’t I do this earlier? In my case, was it worth it at $450? Particularly looking at the value of time per hour and the lost income due to doctor visits, massage, etc., this is $450 I should have invested years ago. Odds and Ends: Twitter Giveaway WinnersThe travel bag and Fujitsu color travel scanner are gone. More giveaways coming here this week…