My IKEA Sofa Review: Gronlid Series
If you’re considering IKEA’s furniture collection, you will want to read this IKEA sofa review. I’m sharing my honest and real opinion on the Gronlid collection, how it’s held up so far, answering the most asked questions, and why we love it.
IKEA furniture can be questionable so if you’re anything like me, I love reading reviews to find out about others’ experience and do as much research as possible before pulling the trigger. When I was hunting for sofas I scoured the internet for reviews so I wanted to share a review of our IKEA Gronlid chaise in hopes it will be helpful to some and share what I wish I knew before purchasing.
I live over 2 hours away from the nearest IKEA so going to test out all the IKEA styles of furniture on multiple occasions was not an option. I did the next best thing by spending hours watching videos and researching online to decide if this was the right option for us and the best color to get. In fact, I bought the chaise through Omaha Modern where they pick it up and deliver it to you without ever sitting on it first.
Check out these other popular sofa reviews from IKEA:
IKEA Vimle Sofa Review (now the Finnala series)
Let’s jump right into it!
My IKEA Sofa Review: The Gronlid
*note: It looks like IKEA has renamed the line to Harlanda but it appears to be the exact same collection.
The chaise we went with is the Gronlid series in the sporda natural slipcover. We have the chaise but the sit, comfort, durability, slipcover and everything else is applicable to the sofa of the same collection.
The chaise is $580 in sporda natural. The Gronlid series comes with a large variety of different sofa configurations.
The reason I started looking at IKEA furniture is because it’s super affordable and most of their sofas are slipcovered. We had just moved into our new home and had several rooms to furnish and I didn’t want to spend a ton on furniture, especially since it was for our secondary family room, not our main living room. Our family room is also quite small and the layout makes it difficult to fit a regular sofa. I tried to find a small enough sofa that would fit but it just didn’t make sense with the layout of the room, so I decided a chaise that is still loungey but not as large as a sofa was the next best option.
The ability to take slipcovers off and throw them in the wash gives me peace of mind. In our first home we got a slipcover for our white sofa after it started looking dingy and it made me feel so much more relaxed because I wasn’t worried about stains or dirt. We have a large dog and as a puppy she was allowed on furniture, but we were very cautious and always had a blanket draped over the couch to protect it. As she got older she wasn’t allowed on the sofa anymore but the arms and front of the sofa still got so dirty. I have a steam cleaner I used to use every few months to clean our white sofa but after about a year there was no getting back to the white clean sofa it once was.
I don’t know if I will buy a sofa without a slipcover again because it’s soooo much easier to clean. Even spot cleaning our old white sofa didn’t work after a while because I was left with “rings” about the cleaned area which is why we ultimately decided to have a custom slipcover made from Comfort Works.
Overall, I am pleased with our purchase and haven’t regretted it one bit. Is it the comfiest piece of furniture ever? No. However, considering price and function I think it’s worth it and the added storage beneath the sofa is a bonus.
Size
When the sofa first arrived I was surprised how large it was in scale. Remember, I bought it online without seeing it in person. I measured it out in my room so I knew it would fit, but the scale and height of the seat was impressive. It’s definitely not a tiny chair. Oftentimes modern furniture can sit a bit low to the ground, but our Gronlid chaise sits quite high so it doesn’t feel like you’re on the ground which I like. Doing research and comparing the Gronlid to the Vimle series, the Gronlid definitely is a larger size with deeper seats. The chaise part is also long enough I can sit up and stretch my legs out without them hanging off the end. I really wanted something we could “lay down” on since a sofa didn’t fit and this large chaise makes it feel comfy and almost as good as a sofa.
The seat is wide enough that both Jordon and I can sit in the chaise together (it’s a tight fit!) if we want to snuggle and watch TV. We do have a larger living room where we have a sectional, our family room is just off the kitchen and there’s something about hanging around in the heart of the home so we do use this room frequently.
Hidden Storage
The chaise bench part actually lifts up and has storage all below the chair which is amazing! It holds quite a bit and it’s the perfect place to stuff extra pillows or blankets or toys. Ours is actually empty right now but this was a major selling point for the future when we need it.
Slipcover Clean-ability
Another bonus buying IKEA sofas is the ease of changing out slipcovers. Let’s say you are tired of your white slipcover sofa and you want a new look after updating your living room. No problem! You can buy a new slipcover for just a couple hundred bucks and you have a brand new sofa. The color selection isn’t amazing, but having a few neutrals to pick from is great knowing you have the option.
Slipcovers make so much sense for families with pets or kids because of how easy it is to clean. I’m naturally drawn to lighter colors in my home because I like the light airy feel. If you get a white sofa I think it should 100% be slipcovered simply for the ease of cleaning.
You can even dry IKEA slipcovers. Just take them out when they are slightly damp and put them back on your furniture and it’s like a brand new sofa again!
To be honest, I have yet to wash our slipcover because it hides so well and I haven’t felt the need. I vacuum it off every so often and it looks great 7 months later.
Fabric
I’m surprised how well the sporda natural slipcover color wears and hides dirt. It is a lighter beige color but it has some depth so it’s not too light. It camouflages dirt and isn’t high maintenance at all. I was a little worried about getting another light colored piece of furniture after our first white sofa and actually almost went with the sporda dark grey color. I was worried sporda natural was too beigey and dated looking. Sporda dark grey was out of stock so I decided to go with sporda natural and I’m so glad I did! Dark furniture may sound awesome because it hides dirt, but think of it like your black shirt – it shows every piece of lint.
One thing worth pointing out is the fabric is a little “scratchy” and not super soft and cozy. You get what you pay for so the fabric is not high-end when you pay a fraction of what it would cost for a high-end piece of furniture. The slipcover fabric is a cotton/polyester blend but it does look a bit like linen, it’s just not soft to touch. But the fabric is quite thick and does feel very durable.
The Gronlid (Harlanda) series also comes in a crisp white slipcover, a light gray, teal, and a red. Not a great selection and this is one area I wish IKEA would expand.
Comfort Works also sells slipcovers for IKEA furniture with tons of fabric options! Highly recommend them if you are wanting to spruce up your IKEA furniture or if you want a cool fabric like green velvet. BEMZ is also another slipcover company that has ones made specifically for IKEA sofas, I just haven’t used them personally.
Assembly
It wouldn’t be IKEA without spending a couple hours assembling furniture, right? When assembling, everything was quite simple and straightforward but I had a harder time getting the slipcover to fit just right. Specifically, over the long lounge part of the chair. I still can’t get it zipped up underneath where the storage is but you can’t notice it until you lift up the seat to access storage. Not a huge deal, but something to note. You can see it in the picture below the bottom of the slipcover is hanging down.
Comfort
Comfort is decent on the Gronlid series. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with it, I just wouldn’t call it the most comfortable seat in the world, but it’s good. The foam seat is quite firm and supportive but doesn’t have the “cloud like” feel where you sink in. The cushions do feel like they will hold their shape for a while because of the firmness. The chaise comes with 2 large back cushions that also have removable covers. They are a foam/poly fill and aren’t super cushy. I’m probably going to swap them out for a down-blend cushion because I think it offers a much more comfortable feel. Even all of our throw pillows have down blend inserts because they are so much more comfortable to lay your head on and I think their shape looks better. Plus, you can give them the karate chop 🙂
There really aren’t many things to complain about!
I have to admit that we are pleased with our IKEA purchase and the chaise overall was a great purchase and worth the price. If you are considering anything in the Gronlid (Harlanda) series you will not be disappointed. The Gronlid sofa would be an excellent choice that would last for many years.
If you would like to research the other sofas from IKEA, check out these detailed sofa reviews:
IKEA Vimle Sofa Review (now the Finnala collection)
