IKEA’s New Sleeper Sofa Lets You Wipe Away Spills and Stow Away Clutter – Even Your Messiest Guests Are Welcome
From red wine spills and overnight guests to nowhere to put their things, IKEA's latest sleeper sofa has an answer for everything
We’re not supposed to eat or drink on the couch, but life is so much sweeter when we do it anyway. And with hosting season approaching, it’s not difficult to picture Auntie Deb spilling a freshly poured glass of Cabernet on your sofa. Perhaps it’s time to invest in furniture that can handle a little splish-splash.
The lesson: Don’t get mad at Deborah for being messy. Get IKEA’s new LINDÅKRA sleeper sofa, which not only features an easy-care cover (food and drink casualties can be wiped away with a cloth), but also conceals storage beneath both its playfully shaped pouffe and seat. If she’s staying over, you can entertain in the living room without her personal belongings sprawled across it, then convert that very same sofa into a sleeper sofa come nighttime.
No, the LINDÅKRA sleeper sofa doesn’t look remotely plasticky. Quite the opposite, IKEA’s wipe-away performance fabric, also available in dark gray, is surprisingly plush. While this style is a relative newcomer, it's already earned 4.3 stars across more than 100 reviews.
Unlike the ordeal of wrestling with a pull-out sofa (probably up there as a top-three hosting woe in its own right), the transformation is actually very effortless. Keep the pouffe connected to the seat, remove the back cushions, and there’s your bed. It’s especially smart for anyone hosting without a guest room, even if that stand-in space is a small living room itself. And when the LINDÅKRA isn't helping you host, the compact, gray-green design is genuinely chic enough to spend the rest of its life as an ordinary couch.
Oversized back pillows and a detachable pouffe that doubles as an extra seat or coffee table make the LINDÅKRA remarkably accommodating of fall’s many sitting, sleeping, and doing-absolutely-nothing obligations.
Just as easy to imagine as Auntie Deb's inevitable red wine spill is how useful that hidden storage will be after the holidays. Spare throw pillows, blankets, and whatever else you’d rather not see until next season can disappear beneath the seat. And when the occasion calls for more furniture, rather than less clutter, the pouffe detaches entirely, becoming an extra seat or makeshift coffee table as needed. One less piece of furniture to find room for.
Essentially, the LINDÅKRA is insurance against any potential family tiffs this season, and every Full House moment after. Nowhere to sit? There’s another seat. Run out of surfaces? You have a coffee table. Too many jackets for the closet? Under the sofa they go. Nowhere for Auntie Deb to sleep? It’s a bed, too.
Now, if only it could pick everyone up from the airport…
More IKEA Sleeper Sofas
IKEA’s sleeper sofas are a rather slept-on corner of the brand’s sprawling living room furniture empire, but there are a few gems worth waking up for.
IKEA never ceases to amaze with its ability to squeeze hidden storage into unlikely places, and the SKÖNABÄCK is another small-space triumph. Its sleek, mid-century-style silhouette conceals both a pull-out bed and storage for spare bedding, plus a mattress topper (which we recommend for longer stays). A classic way to accommodate overnight company without a guest room.
If your sleeper sofa lives in the main living room, it might be worth spending a little more on something sturdier. IKEA’s EKHOLMA, upholstered in soft-to-the-touch Kilanda fabric with a subtle mélange effect, has an unfussy elegance, with generously stuffed cushions everywhere – very Nancy Meyers. It also converts into a bed measuring a generous 63 inches wide, comfortably accommodating two adults. A surprisingly hard-to-find dimension in this category.
Too skinny to sleep an actual person? The NYHAMN might surprise you. Unlike most sleeper sofas, which all but require a mattress topper to be remotely comfortable, this one comes with a foam mattress and folds flat in seconds. An actually nice place to sleep, with almost no effort involved and, for your tightest spaces, none of the visual bulk you’d expect.
Love beautiful design ideas, expert advice, and inspiring decor trends? Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox.
