Ikea Söderhamn Sofa Review [Pros, Cons, and Hacks]

Ikea Soderhamn is a sectional sofa you can customize for office or living rooms. By comparison, it’s based on a lightweight design that is made to fit almost any type of room shape and dimensions. Soderhamn sofa reviews confirm its customizable design and its durable materials make it a worthy choice in the sectional modular sofa world.

This modular sofa is increasing in popularity at Ikea and many of those buying their first minimalist sofa is considering the purchase. The Soderhamn couch doesn’t extend but it works watching TV, for the living room, next to the bedroom’s bed, or as a backup office sofa.

Ikea Soderhamn sofa review – is it worth the money?

Available in 5 colors, the sofa impresses with its lightweight profile. You can assemble it and move it around without any help, although having another person nearby could prevent hardwood floor scratches.

Source: Flickr / Home Deco

Soderhamn design and customization

Most users love the customization options of this sofa. It works for various spaces such as next to walls as well as in the middle of a room. You can get it in the following options.

  • 3-seat sofa
  • 4-seat sofa
  • 1-seat section
  • Chaise lounge
  • Corner section

These final products can also be combined for a sofa that fits your space. All of the Soderhamn sofa sections can be further customized with Soderhamn armrests (about $50 each). The ultimate Soderhamn sofa is a 6-seat design, highly useful as a corner sofa for families.

However, the most popular Soderhamn reviews show this sofa is bought in a 3-seater sofa and chaise option. This is a setup that works great for the office.

When you’re simply too tired from working or from standing while gaming, you can lie down to relax and even take a nap on this sofa. Some even use it as a bed for guests. However, none of these options can truly replace a full bed due to the rather thin cushioning.

Assembling the Ikea Soderhamn sofa

It shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes to assemble a 3-seater Soderhamn sofa. This requires adding its legs which tend to be a bit less rigid than many would hope for. Tilting the sofa on its legs is not recommended as a result.

You need to add the pillows inside the covers. One thing users like here are the covers are removable. You can wash them as many times as needed and even order new covers from Ikea down the line.

Soderhamdn colors and materials

The Soderhamn sofa is made with polyester and nylon covers which makes it durable, but there’s a catch.

Not all Soderhamn covers last the same. Some last longer while others are simply underwhelming as this Soderhamn review shows. The basic cover is the most troublesome for durability according to reviews. The Finnsta and the Viarp covers are ideal if you have a room or an office where this sofa would be used intensely.

  • The Finnsta Soderhamn sofa cover lasts at least 25.000 cycles.
  • The Viarp Soderhamn sofa cover lasts at least 30.000 cycles.

The Samsta cover is, however, at least as popular as the Finnsta white and it can resist 40.000 cycles. The problem with Samsta is that it tends to look scruffed after a few months. However, this would also depend on how you use the sofa and who sits on it to be fair.

3-seat Ikea Soderhamn dimensions and features

  • 73 1/4” seat width
  • 27 ½” seat depth
  • 27 1/8” sofa height (from ground level)
  • 5 ½” height clearance for vacuuming and robot vacuums
  • Available on turquoise, white, dark gray, orange, and beige
  • Made with removable covers
  • Customizable with sofa sections, chaise, covers, and armrests (purchased separately)
  • Two small users can fit on one Soderhamn section
Source: Flickr / YoungRodela YoungRodela

Where to use the Soderhamn sofa from Ikea

The Soderhamn sofa might look fragile but it works even for sleeping. It’s the type of backless sofa that uses cushions for support so it doesn’t work as a sofa for watching TV for most people. However, it can be used next to a bed or in small apartments where its reduced bulkiness opens up your space a bit more.

It also works well with minimalist office designs as well as with minimalist bedroom ideas as it’s customizable. Its thin profile makes it look like a minimal sofa that is also modern.

Many of the Ikea furniture pieces today are inspired by mid-century designs. It’s not clear where the design of the Soderhamn sofa takes its inspiration from, but you can agree it works with almost any modern room décor.

Soderhamn Ikea reviews can be mixed (depending on the country you’re reading them in) given the thin cushioning. Many believe it to be uncomfortable. On a scale from 1 (firm) to 10 (soft), this sofa is probably a 3. This is what you have to keep in mind.

How much does the Soderhamn sofa cost?

A standard Soderhamn sofa without a chaise costs $599. The chaise also costs more than a couple of hundred dollars. Our tip is to go for the Ikea family card which gives you access to discounted prices. This membership doesn’t guarantee a discounted price, but the Soderhamn has been reviewed as the type of sofa that appears on discount a few times per year.

Another good part about its price is that it tends to be available in multiple options for multiple budgets. The more you increase your budget, the more Soderhamn sections you can add to your order. Expensive Ikea shipping might prevent you from ordering each piece at a time and we recommend saving up until you can purchase your sofa pieces all at once. Some even add alternative covers to the first order to avoid high shipping costs later on when it’s time for a refresh a few years down the line.

7 reasons to get the Soderhamn sofa from Ikea today

  • Made with a customizable design, this sofa feels more like a DIY project for your home
  • The lightweight profile is perfect for minimalist sofa fans (no more bulkiness)
  • Designed with the right profile for small spaces
  • Ideal in offices as an alternative resting place
  • Available with timeless cover options
  • Its covers are removable and washable to keep the sofa odor-free
  • Deep seat design recommended for tall users

3 reasons to look for an Ikea Soderhamn alternative

  • Thin cushioning is problematic if you suffer from back pain
  • Thin legs don’t recommend lifting the sofa at an angle (when assembling or vacuuming)
  • The low back design doesn’t make it the most comfortable sofa for watching TV

Conclusion

In conclusion, our Ikea Sodherman sofa review agrees this is a smart buy. The sofa is highly customizable and you can create one that fits your space, even when there’s not too much free room for a piece of furniture in your home. The final section of this post refers to further ways in which you can customize your sofa, especially for those who’ve already decided to buy it for their homes.

3 Ikea Soderhamn hacks

Ikea sofa hacks can’t be complete without a deeper dive into a Soderhamn couch. There are a few ways in which you can make the Soderhamn even more special

  1. Buy extra covers from other vendors

Did you know you can buy fitted covers for your Soderhamn sofa from other retailers? Check out Bemz Soderhamn covers for an endless choice of colors and materials. You can choose from linen, cotton, and even velvet covers to replace the nylon covers the sofa normally ships with.

  1. Buy extra covers from Ikea

At the same time, you can also get new colors from Ikea for your extra covers. Most of them are made to last thousands of cycles which means you will use them for years. Most importantly, they can upgrade the look of your room for a small fee.

  1. Wait for a discount

The Ikea Family membership is a good deal to get this sofa at a discounted price. However, you might need to wait at least a few months to see it on sale as many users recall. But this is more of an Ikea Sodherman hack that applies to almost all other Ikea products.