2010-11-02

IKEA “Skogaby” sofas

When I saw these black leather sofas at the IKEA showroom in Dietlikon, I was immediately drawn to them. Their elegant, understated design appealed to me and I was happy to find that they are also very comfortable, and quite reasonably priced. With these sofas, IKEA has once more done what it does best—pared down a piece of furniture to its bare essentials. If you look underneath the sofas, you’ll see that they’re actually hollow! Even the cushions are partially hollow. It’s a clever design that saves material and reduces weight. For my purposes, they’re perfect. The “Rasken” bench is serving as a makeshift coffee table until I find one I like.

I want the style of my furniture to be modern, to balance the somewhat rustic feel given by the thick stone walls, arched doorways, and terra cotta tile. I think these sofas are a good start!

22 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Derek Brameyer said...

Hi Michael, can you comment on how well these sofas are holding up after months of use? I'm considering getting the larger couch for my new apartment, and am wondering how the leather is looking after some usage. I've heard that IKEA leather can sometimes crack quickly after purchase. Am considering going with the Skogaby or a fabric couch like the Kivik. Any info would be appreciated, thanks!

Michael A. Lowry said...

So far so good. The cushions show where they’ve been sat on, but it doesn’t look bad. The leather is quite supple, and shows no signs of cracking.

The legs of the sofas are made of black plastic covered in metallic paint. It looks okay but I’d prefer something a bit nicer.

Unknown said...

Micheal Hi, Spotted these chairs recently and will probally buy them soon. Please tell me is there a lot of assembly required? John.

Michael A. Lowry said...

They come almost fully assembled. All you have to do is put the legs on.

EDownie said...

It's August 2011 and it has been a while since you've had these sofas. Still holding up?

I'm also interested in buying some, but haven't owned leather before. Not sure what to expect in terms of cracking and care of IKEA leather.

And what type of climate do you have in Switzerland? I'm in Alberta, Canada where it's dry and we get very cold winters, but we'll have a humidifier in home.

Michael A. Lowry said...

They’re holding up just fine. It’s definitely not dry here in Zürich. You might need to take care of the leather more conscientiously in a dry climate.

Unknown said...

WARNING: In Canada, there is no warranty on the Skogaby series. I purchase the arm chair and sofa. Several months later I noticed some stitching coming apart on the arm chair and what is turns out to be is incomplete stitching(workmanship issue.) I called IKEA about this and they said Skogaby has no warranty. I thought he was joking, so they will not replace the arm chair, but they ended up offering to pay for the repair of the workmanship issue. Other than that, it's a nice leather furniture series and the leather very nice for the price; however, it is partly built from particle board. You get what you pay for>

dal524 said...

Hi Andy, im also from canada and would like to know how these couches are holding up now? thinking of getting them for my condo.

dal524 said...

how are they holding up andy? im from canada as well and am thinking of getting them for an apartment

Stephen Neckorcuk said...

Sorry for bumping an old post, but I was just at Ikea today and these sofas are at the top of my list! How are they holding up?

Michael A. Lowry said...

They’re still in good shape. I use the three-seater sofa almost every day.

Gemmy said...

Hi, I came across this blog while looking into SKOGABY sofas and I have been wondering how have they held up since this post? Are you pleased with the purchase? Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated!

Unknown said...

Hi I am interested if the sofa is still doing okay before I purchased them

Michael A. Lowry said...

They’re still in good shape.

Dora on Tour said...

Hi Michael, I know this is an old blog... Don't worry I'm not going to ask how the sofas are holding up! I was wondering, rather, if in your opinion it would be possible to remove an arm off the sofa so as to join 2 sofas to make a corner sofa. If the sofa comes as one complete piece I suspect not but it looks like the arms may be separate; however I'm also not sure if that would leave the corner with no leg support..!

Michael A. Lowry said...

It would not be possible to remove an arm without necessitating major reconstruction of the frame of the couch.

Dan Pritts said...

Hi, how is it doing now (October 2016)?

Thanks!

Michael A. Lowry said...

They’re still in good shape. I use them all the time.

dls2000 said...

Can you remove the seat and back cushions for this couch? Plus, how is it holding up?

dls2000 said...

Can you remove the seat and back cushions for this couch? Plus, how is it holding up?

Michael A. Lowry said...

None of the cushions can be removed. The sofas are holding up fine.