Comfortable Ikea armchair
March 8, 2020 3:05 PM Subscribe
I want to buy an Ikea armchair that best meets the trifecta of affordable, comfortable, and small footprint.
I'm turning a corner of my office into a reading nook, and I need a chair. I want to order it from Ikea, since I'm placing an order for other items anyway, so I'm specifically looking for chairs from Ikea that you've had a good experience owning! I'd prefer not to spend more than a few hundred dollars. I mostly sit with my feet tucked up under me, so I have to balance my need to have space to do that with the fact that the space for the chair is roughly only 40x40 inches.
Chairs that I'm interested in include the Gronlid, the Muren recliner, and the Nordvalla. I'm also really interested in the Landskrona because the seat is larger, though it's pressing up against the limits of the space, but it has no reviews. But really I just want to know - if you have an Ikea armchair that you love, which one is it and what do you like about it?
I'm turning a corner of my office into a reading nook, and I need a chair. I want to order it from Ikea, since I'm placing an order for other items anyway, so I'm specifically looking for chairs from Ikea that you've had a good experience owning! I'd prefer not to spend more than a few hundred dollars. I mostly sit with my feet tucked up under me, so I have to balance my need to have space to do that with the fact that the space for the chair is roughly only 40x40 inches.
Chairs that I'm interested in include the Gronlid, the Muren recliner, and the Nordvalla. I'm also really interested in the Landskrona because the seat is larger, though it's pressing up against the limits of the space, but it has no reviews. But really I just want to know - if you have an Ikea armchair that you love, which one is it and what do you like about it?
We have a Strandmon and an Ekenäset - the former is way better suited to tucking your feet up. The Ekenäset is super divisive: I love sitting in it to knit because my back feels great but my husband is not a fan at all.
I haven’t sat on the Lanskrona chair but we have the two-seater couch, which is really comfortable and a nice deep seat. I think the arms might feel too heavy in the chair, for me, but the seat is definitely good!
posted by carbide at 3:42 PM on March 8, 2020
I haven’t sat on the Lanskrona chair but we have the two-seater couch, which is really comfortable and a nice deep seat. I think the arms might feel too heavy in the chair, for me, but the seat is definitely good!
posted by carbide at 3:42 PM on March 8, 2020
(Actually, it looks like the Ekenäset only got a brief outing in the US - it’s still getting updates in Europe - so it’s lucky I wasn’t recommending it for your needs!)
posted by carbide at 3:46 PM on March 8, 2020
posted by carbide at 3:46 PM on March 8, 2020
I have the Koarp and really like it, though I do mostly use it with an ottoman.
posted by kbuxton at 4:09 PM on March 8, 2020
posted by kbuxton at 4:09 PM on March 8, 2020
This may not apply, but I'm a fat person...or, a normal American...and the Ikea chairs didn't last with my weight on them. Hopefully, you're different from me.
In some ways, this in not a complaint about the Ikea furniture. At its prices, the Ikea furniture can't fit everybody.
posted by tmdonahue at 4:21 PM on March 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
In some ways, this in not a complaint about the Ikea furniture. At its prices, the Ikea furniture can't fit everybody.
posted by tmdonahue at 4:21 PM on March 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
We have two Muren recliners that get lots of use and are very happy with them. We have a preschooler and one member of the house is over 350 lbs and they're staying strong two years later.
posted by notjustthefish at 4:46 PM on March 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by notjustthefish at 4:46 PM on March 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
We have the Strandmon and love it. Three years, still solid. We have the accompanying ottoman too, though I often find myself sitting sideways with my legs thrown over one of the arms.
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:16 PM on March 8, 2020
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:16 PM on March 8, 2020
I've had a Muren for close to 10 years; I'm very happy with it. The seat and arm cushions have compacted a bit, but not enough to make it uncomfortable at all (for reference I'm about 240lb). To be honest I haven't used the recliner aspect of it very much, so I can't speak to that mechanism's long-term durability, but the upright position is nice - upright enough, but not too upright.
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:09 PM on March 8, 2020
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:09 PM on March 8, 2020
The Gronlid armchair is for the slender-bodied. It had the narrowest seat of all the ikea armchairs I recently reviewed.
posted by kitten magic at 7:16 PM on March 8, 2020
posted by kitten magic at 7:16 PM on March 8, 2020
I've been happy with the Landskrona armchair so far (1.5 years). It's wide and deep enough for curling up in a few different positions, the flat arms are easy to rest books on, and it's neither ridiculously squishy nor overly firm. I have the ottoman too, and I've found it to be a good addition, but it sounds like that might not work for your space.
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 7:30 PM on March 8, 2020
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 7:30 PM on March 8, 2020
We have the Vedbo, and my husband and I both liked it so much we got two the first day after we both tried it at IKEA. He's 5'8". I'm 5'2" if that helps at all. I'm not sure what you mean by sitting with your feet tucked up, but it is a very comfortable, but upright-ish chair.
posted by ellerhodes at 8:47 PM on March 8, 2020
posted by ellerhodes at 8:47 PM on March 8, 2020
we've bought multiples of the Strandmon over the past few years - small footprint, lovely chair - we use them with the ottomans
posted by ersatzkat at 9:15 AM on March 9, 2020
posted by ersatzkat at 9:15 AM on March 9, 2020
Nthing the Strandmon, especially with the footstool. I basically live in mine. It is very, very comfortable.
posted by Happy Dave at 4:17 AM on March 10, 2020
posted by Happy Dave at 4:17 AM on March 10, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by batbat at 3:23 PM on March 8, 2020 [3 favorites]