Friends, I’m calling on you. The husband and I are at a standstill over which sofa to buy for our family room. If you would, scroll through our thoughts on each of the contenders, check out the mood boards we put together, and weigh in with a comment about which choice you would vote for.
In his corner, Vimle by Ikea: 
The Lowdown on Vimle:
- Cost (in the configuration shown): $799
- At this price, if it gets destroyed (by boys or dog or act of God) in the next couple of years, it’s not as big of a deal.
- Material: machine washable slipcovered polyester.
- I’m gonna be honest with you, I am absolutely NOT on top of getting dirty slipcovers (or anything else…) in the wash in a timely manner. This is a negative for the Vimle.
- At around $200, a back-up cover is super affordable.
- It could be hacked with some new legs to make it sleeker.
- A color this neutral really would go with anything.
- My husband: “It’s not very expensive. We have three small boys (a.k.a. Destroyers of Furniture, The Three Reasons Why We Can’t Have Nice Things, The Mess-Bringers) and are soon (apparently??) getting a puppy (!), who maybe will shred everything we own. And it’s cheap. Also you can store stuff in the chaise! Also, it doesn’t cost much.”
In my corner, Sven by Article:
Arguments for Sven:
- Cost: $2999
- While this may not be a lot for a leather sofa of this quality, it’s still more than double anything we’ve paid for a sofa before. And certainly a lot if it gets ruined in the next couple of years and we have to replace it sooner than we’d like.
- Material: Full grain Italian leather
- Beautiful, soft, buttery, WIPEABLE leather.
- Reviews say it’s dreamy and comfortable.
- Me: “It’s so pretty. I just really like it. And in case you missed it when I mentioned it before, YOU CAN WIPE SPILLS (or whatever) OFF OF LEATHER. It makes me happy to look at it. It’s the correct choice for our family — wait, for my heart.”
So with that said, here are the mood boards I created as mock-ups of our family room.
With Ikea’s Vimle sofa:
With Article’s Sven leather sofa:
So what do you think?? I promise not to try to get (too) upset if you don’t side with me. Give me your best thoughts and opinions — we’re moving in 10 days and I need to get this settled ASAP!
As someone who has the sven sofa I’m saying GO FOR IT!!! the ikea ones are so much cheaper feeling and looking hands down.
Which one do you have Amber?? I’m assuming from your go for it you must like it — tell me all of your thoughts on it! I need some details! 😉
I vote Sven ! The brown leather will hide stains so much better and like you said – so much easier to wipe up !
Yes, cleanable is always the best choice in a household with kids!!!
Hello!! I say get the expensive leather bc it will make you happy every time you sit on it or look at it…. and see if you can buy a guardsman warranty or something similar that is it gets chewed by dog or children they will come and fix it!
Hmm…I never thought about checking for a warranty against that kind of thing, great idea!
Definitely sven! We have an ikea one similar to your photo and I hate it! Just a hassle to clean! And I would never in a million years be able to pull off a beige sofa with kids LOL! My vote is sven + it’s so prettyyy 🙂
You’re absolutely right Amanda — I can’t pull it off either, I know if we end up with the Ikea sofa it will look gross in the first few days, lol! I’m Team Sven all the way, except for the part of me that is a little terrified our puppy will chew it to bits before our eyes…
Okay I LOVE the sven sofa. It’s basically what my sofa dreams are made of. That said, the dog we adopted just prior to our little one being born ATE THE COUCH – like literally distroyed the thing. We were able to curb that behavior, and eventually crate trained the pooch, but still. I have no idea what kind of pup you are gonna get and wether chewing will be a thing or not, but it is something that I would certainly keep in mind.
Thanks for the comment — even though it bums me out so much! Haha, but really — you’re confirming some of my worries. We’re getting a German Shepherd, and from what I’ve heard they are chewers. I have a friend who said she went through three (!) Goodwill couches when her German Shepherd was a puppy before he quit destroying them. I’m not sure I can handle buying a Sofa Of Dreams and watching it get eaten.
Ill be odd man out and vote Ikea! I like the look better and of course it’s cheaper! I’m all about a bargain! <3 Good luck with the move!
Thanks!! It really doesn’t look bad does it?? And with new legs added I think it would look pretty sharp even. I do wonder how comfortable it is, although I’ve heard some good things about Ikea couches.
I’ve heard good things about IKEA furniture too. And I think it looks great!
Im in the middle of looking for a new lounge for our house now so its good to see these styles etc to think about 🙂
Which style would you choose between these two?
I think i’m the only one who says- I LOVE the ikea couch!!! It’s a perfect neutral and at that price? GO FOR IT! Maybe even buy 2 (incase washing covers is just too hard- cause that’s how I roll)
My vote is for the sven! It is alot easier to clean something that is a wipeable leather then on a washable slipcover… this is coming from a mom with her 4th kid on the way and has a puppy that shes and has had accidents on our suede couch 🙁
Too late to help you – and I would go for the Ikea and buy a custom cover for it at Bemz.
Are you paying for it, or your husband?
Probably way too late to weigh in, but I strongly advise against a leather sofa, especially if you have children or pets. I used to have a leather sofa, and I hated it. First of all, they’re absolutely not comfortable to flop on, or to nap on, or to even sit on, unless you like sticking to your furniture in the summer, when you’re wearing shorts. Leather has to be cleaned and cared for constantly. Total PITA. If you have children or pets, be prepared to constantly be removing scratch marks. And good luck trying to get a pressure mark to go away. Also, you might want to rethink your idea that leather doesn’t stain. Some things are harder to remove than others (red wine, for example).
I don’t know much about the IKEA sofa, haven’t even tested it, though I’m considering it as a possibility for redecorating my living room. I like the idea of being able to buy a new sofa cover, in the event that life happens to the sofa or I just get bored with what I’ve got and want a change. In any case, if you can, I recommend testing the comfort of both your possibilities. You may find that one just isn’t as comfortable as the other, and that may settle it for you.
I hope you bought the IKEA. It’s got a 10 year warranty in case your kids destroy it, probably wouldn’t cover dog chewing but since you can buy just about every component to the couch separately and cheaply it’s a win! I just sat on one yesterday and did all of my research and bought it on the spot! Leather will scratch from dogs nails which isn’t smart and trust me I know from experience! I really hope you bought the IKEA!!
We bought the Ikea sofa and haven’t regretted it for a minute!
Really late to this post but I’m at a thrift store and Article donated the blue sven and dropped it off today with the tags still on. Was wondering if you bought it or not. They are only asking $450
Where do you live!? Do o need to move there!?
Which one did you choose?!!! I’m searching for a sofa for our newly finished basement and I just can’t decide if I’m going to hate the Vimle because it will look and feel cheap. I’ve read that the cushions lose their shape and you have to refluff a lot to keep it looking a consistent shape. I’d love to know what you chose and how it’s worked out. Thanks! Shauna
We bought the Kivik from Ikea. I haven’t regretted it for a minute — every time someone spills something or I see the kids using it as a playground instead of a sofa, I’m so glad we went with the Ikea option!
Where did you find the leather ottoman/coffee table and chair in the board with the ikea sofa? Love!!
Hi Holly! The leather ottoman is from CB2 and the chair is from Joybird.
What did you go with?? Also what leather ottoman and chair is on your mood boards? Thanks!
Hi Ashley! A little bit of a late replay here (haha), but we went with the Ikea Kivik. We have loved it!
Brian Gluckstein explains important aspects of sofa materials and durability in this youtube clip. He has more insightful tips than other sources I’ve researched.
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