Even the legs make a HUGE difference.

Hmph. I'd love to spruce up my Karlstad, but its nasty-chemical foam turns all upholstery into an orange-blotched mess after about a year. Poor form, IKEA! Poor form.

Wow, I've gotta figure out how to do that button tufting!

I think the reason most people replace their sofa (unless they have $$ to blow) is because it's gotten dirty, torn, and/or broken...not because it doesn't match the new carpet or something.

After noticing that sofas are among the most common items being desperately unloaded in Craigslist's "Free" section, I decided a long time ago to avoid them. I would rather have several interesting , comfy chairs than a couch.

Then again, I watch TV in bed and not everyone likes to do that, so different strokes...

Love what the tufting does for this sofa. Neat idea.

am i losing my mind or did AT publish a post featuring this hack (and using this exact photo) in February?

@tinystudio - I daresay: poor FOAM! (couldn't help it)

You could restuff the cushions. My grandmother had her sofa restuffed with spring core cushions and her 80-y-o sofa is now better than ever. Might be worth the investment.

@laurainboston: They sure did.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/before-after/before-after-adding-mid-c-style-to-an-ikea-karlstad-sofa-138736

@just_kazari my point exactly. And by the way, a good sofa costs more than a week's salary and I don't have expensive tastes. Maybe I just need to get a better paying job.

@laurainboston you are not losing your mind. I remember this post from a few months back as well.

Those of us who don't live here daily appreciate the occasional repeat post. Especially when it is a sweet IKEA hack...

What a difference! Great idea! I'd do this if I was thinking of a new sofa for sure. I found a great vintage sectional for my place though.

a week's salary! i wish!

Ikea actually offers the sofa with tufting, in the dark gray though. My current sofa will be hitting CL next year...two kids have been a bit rough on it (though I did wash the cushion covers in the machine with AWESOME results) Plus...I'm stinking tired of it!!!

I have the sectional version of this couch and got legs custom made (similar mid-century style). It make all the difference in the world.

For $20 (US), you can get semi-Midmod legs for the Karlstad: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10118914

I live in Los Angeles. I have bought my last two sofas from Sofa U Love. I love that I can go back at any time and order a new slip cover. It's much cheaper than buying 20 yards of fabric & paying someone to make it.

Ah, Kind of getting sick of the re-posts, Apartment Therapy!

My handsome Blake sofa from Macy's cost me $540...not even half a week's salary for a decent sofa.

One word: Reupholstery.

It is eco-friendly, can give you a great new look. It does not have to cost a fortune and it is not as difficult a skill to learn as you would think. there are great DIY resources available such as:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370493830872?refid=store
And discount fabric sources such as:
http://www.restorationfabricsandtrims.com

I like the tufting and the legs and pillows, they look great, but if you want to change the basic color, fix a sagging sofa, or update your decor, don't be afraid to try reupholstering. I figure if I can do it, anyone can...

I agree with just_kazari. Most people who replace their sofa do it out of necessity. Believe it or not, Salvation Army is really picky about the sofa. It won't even take sofas that are used but still useful to most people.

A week's salary wouldn't even buy me an Ikea sofa.

...Luckily I have an awesome thrift one.

Had an expensive sofa that kids ruined in 10 mos. Fabric paint works wonders & can create different textures. For me, it worked well to incorporate other colors.

Well, while I do think that most people replace their sofa if they really do have to, I can imagine that there are some people who bought an Ikea sofa as students (and pretty much everything else from Ikea) or when they just moved out or something and a few years later they think they have to upgrade their funiture. I remember having read a few times on house tours, that people feel they have too many pieces of Ikea and that they want to slowly upgrade to better stuff. So this might be a good idea for people who feel like they live in an Ikea showroom and want to change that, without getting rid of their Ikea sofa. Also, it might open your eyes to more possibilites, like, maybe you can find the Ikea couch on craigslist for free because it has a few stains, buy a new cover at Ikea, add the buttons and legs and you have a customized couch who didn't cost you a lot?

The IKEA Karlstad has been one of the best sofas we've ever had. We did have the means to buy a more expensive piece (we hemmed and hawed over the Petrie at Crate and Barrel), but having three cats, we decided on the Karlstad, instead.

Change up the colour: Bemz.com makes excellent slip covers for the Karlstad in a zillion colours!

New Legs: Uncle Bob's Workshop on Etsy makes mid century modern styled dowel legs especially for the Karlstad. (they screw right into the existing holes in the frame).

Armed with those two things, the possibilities are endless!

Here's a photo of ours: http://www.flickr.com/photos/k2yhe/5913898795/in/photostream

@tinystudio - i work at ikea. and while i don't work in the returns department, i remember someone returning a couch because the foam was bleaching/staining the upholstery. now, i'm uncertain if the customer returned the product within the 90 day return policy, but i believe this issue falls under a manufacturing defect. karlstad has a 10 year limited warranty: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/customer_service/warranty.html#6

not sure how long ago you made your purchase, but it would be worth investigating.

@tinystudio, we had the same problem with our Karlstad and discoloration. If you google it, you'll see that we aren't the only ones.

http://www.ikeafans.com/forums/living-room/25316-karlstad-sofa-cover-discoloring-3.html

I took my discolored covers and the receipt for the sofa back to Ikea and they gave me brand new Sivik dark gray slipcovers for FREE. I do think eventually we will have the same issue, but for now it's a million times better.

Indeed, as someone else has already commented, "A week's salary : I wish!" We're holding out, looking for the couch of our dreams after having lived with and loved and mistreated (um...there was an accident with vinaigrette) our old one for more than 13 years. I can't find anything I like for under 1200. I earn 700 more than that. We're talking NEARLY a MONTH'S salary. Are readers such as I really in the minority?

i used the same legs of ourmidcentury, except 6" ones instead of 8" ones. however, i must admit, i love that ikea now has a metal underframe for karlstad: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80185165

@zsuzsi I expect you're in a common situation, but you're not the people that most sofa sellers are "marketing" to. Most of them aren't trying to sell you one couch - they're trying to convince you that your couch is outdated a year later, and should be replaced.

That assumes a little more cash to spend. Or debt.

AT isn't bad about telling us to run out and replace our stuff (most of the time), but as we've seen in their lists of "budget-friendly" items, they still seem to assume they've got that same decorating audience sitting solidly in the middle class.

This looks like a great idea. Would the legs work with the Klobo or Knihult? I can't quite bring myself to get the Karlstad considering my totally broke grad student income.

Also, I wish this was a week's salary to me...Try more like almost an entire month's salary.

Although the image on the posting looks nice, I doubt that these DIY changes will make an IKEA couch look more expensive than what it is.

I would rather get a nicer couch even if it took me a few months to save for it.

They spent "$740 on the whole look". Including the tufting, the couch, and the cover. Or they could have just bought a $740 couch!

Looks nice but it's still IKEA! I was going to drop the expression 'you can polish a t***' but on Mythbusters they proved that, in fact, you can - as is the case here.

Of course it still remains a t***.