I want to sink into my couch, not perch on top of it

November 3, 2022 12:21 PM

I have an Ikea FRIHETEN couch, which fits my space, folds out into a decent guest bed, and is generally fine. However, there isn't much padding/cushioning in the seats at all, and as a day-to-day couch I really wish it could be more plush and "comfy", for lack of a better descriptor. What can I do to accomplish this?

This post brought to you by my couch envy, after going to a "nice" furniture store last weekend and sat on a lot of comfy $5000 couches. I am willing to spend a reasonable amount of money on this and have the DIY skills of an enthusiastic amateur (but know absolutely nothing about upholstery or furniture construction). Links to any instructional videos or blog posts particularly appreciated. Thanks!

posted by btfreek to Home & Garden (8 answers total)

Honestly a couple slabs of upholstery foam sized to the seat cushions of the couch should improve things. You don't even have to upholster them on, just cover the couch with a throw or for a sewing challenge, sew covers with elastic on the bottom part (so they wrap around both foam and seat cushion). I'd get at least 4-inch depth, pretty dense.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:48 PM on November 3, 2022

I was going to suggest taking the cushions to your local foam dealer and having them put in softer foam, but after watching the video, it looks like there's barely any room for any cushion whatsoever. What if you got a memory foam bed topper and cut it to size and then upholstered it in a contrasting fabric? Also, add some pillows along the side.
posted by jonathanhughes at 12:50 PM on November 3, 2022

When i bought a couch three years ago, it was too hard for me. I ended up buying a mattress topper, a very nice soft comfy and quite expensive memory foam topper, and covered it in a fabric matching my couch. Because it is very heavy it does not slide off. For the L-shape you might need two toppers and cut one to size.
posted by 15L06 at 12:52 PM on November 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

This (randomly selected) Twin XL mattress topper is 38 inches wide by 75 inches long. Based on the couch dimensions given by IKEA, a twin xl mattress topper could be folded to cushion the back and the butt. You can try it out for a bit (maybe choose a 2 inch thick topper at least for the cushiness factor?) before decided to get a matching cover a la 15L06.
posted by spamandkimchi at 1:03 PM on November 3, 2022

I have this exact same couch and I feel the same way. It is great for my kids but it just never quite feels right to me. I have several thick blankets that I pile on to it and lounge on them. My biggest gripe is where the two halves meet: it creates a gap just large enough that I can feel it when laying down.
posted by gwydapllew at 1:16 PM on November 3, 2022

Do the cushions have zippers on the backsides? Often they do and you can take out the crappy foam inside and replace it with better foam. Otherwise.... yeah some sort of topper and wrap. Or custom made new cushions.
posted by zengargoyle at 3:13 PM on November 3, 2022

From the looks that sofa needs a LOT of cushioning to feel comfy, as it has almost no foam for the seating surface. I'd say, start with some sort of foam, not quite a yoga mat, but something close to that. Mattress topper is not a bad idea, if you can find foam ones that are thick but not that costly, as you *can* cut them up or fold them to repurpose them somewhat. May need to put some sort of a cover on them though. Or just find cushions that can fit the top of those.

A quick research doesn't show any "extra seating cushions" for the Friheten available on the market, and I'm not finding anything from Ikea Hackers either.
posted by kschang at 3:25 PM on November 3, 2022

Anything you do permanently to the cushions is going to make it an even less comfortable bed. My friends have this couch, and they piled it with high quality down throw pillows and keep a folded feather bed (which is basically a densely filled down blanket) on the seat part. Can confirm it is very comfy to both sit and sleep on with these additions.
posted by ananci at 5:45 AM on November 4, 2022