Comfort Works FRIHETEN Slipcover Review

Full disclosure: Comfort Works provided me with a FRIHETEN slipcover for this review but there was no paid compensation. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post does contain affiliate links.

You may remember about two weeks ago I shared that I was contacted by Comfort Works(affiliate link,) an Australian-based slipcover company, about reviewing their slipcover for the Ikea FRIHETEN sofa. In my last post, I shared how the ordering process works and my fabric choice, Kino Orange. Well guess what guys, my slipcover has arrived and I couldn’t be more pleased. I chose the orange for a big change and I got exactly what I was looking for.

What a big change from before, I switched out a few accessories and got a totally new look.

The slipcover arrived just a few weeks after I placed my order and was well packaged in its very own storage bag. A great presentation when opening the box.

In the bag are all the slipcover pieces neatly folded and each piece is well labeled with a tag on the inside seem that says which part of the sofa it should be used on. Genius!

The minute I pulled the slipcover out of the bag I fell in love, the Kino Orange was perfect. I was also impressed with the quality of the fabric, I could tell it was durable and did best of all it had very few wrinkles even after being boxed and shipped. The slipcover was also very well made, the seams are sturdy all the raw edges are surged to keep it from doing any unraveling in the wash.
Although it was a little more work to install I chose the Snug Fit slipcover because I wanted to have the option to change the chaise from left to right if I needed to. I also loved the fact that the Snug Fit looks like new upholstery, not a slipcover. In the end, I did not have to take the FRIHETEN completely apart, just remove the arms and back so the new slipcover pieces could slide over.

The install was fairly simple, the hardest part being disassembling the sofa. My only complaint was that it would have been be nice if the slipcover included some instructions, not detailed but at least a note that each piece is labeled and the screw holes have to be cut by the installer. I emailed my contact at Comfort Works (affliate link,)to find out about cutting the holes and she was very helpful but if there had been some instructions included I would have been able to get right to work.

The install is pretty straightforward. Most of the pieces fit over the sofa parts like a fitted bed sheet. It does require a little push and pull adjustment to get the seams lined up with the corners but it’s not rocket science. Alone, I was able to disassemble the sofa, install the slipcover, and put it back together again in under an hour. So not a huge project and probably even quicker if you have a helper.
Here is and video of the install where you can see exactly how it all works.

So now that the sofa looks pretty and new I guess you want to know what I think of my new slipcover, this is a review after all.
First the good stuff…
As I said the quality of the slipcover is exceptional and the pieces fit as described “Snug” on the sofa, you would not know by looking it was a slipcover. I love the fact that it looks like I had the sofa re-upholstered.

I chose to add cording to my slipcover which I think adds to the upholstered look and makes the sofa look more expensive. The additional detail is a step up from the Ikea streamline seams and gives the sofa a more traditional look.

I also love that the new back cushion covers are full fabric on both sides, for some reason (money probably) Ikea chose to skimp on this so the cushions cannot be flipped. Now if one side gets soiled I can flip it over until I have time to get it in the laundry.
Now for the bad…
Well actually I have to admit there was nothing really bad just a few things I might change to make the slipcover better.
There were only two things I see that could be improved upon on my Comfort works FRIHETEN slipcover and both are very small. The first being that the piece that Velcros around the lower part of the sofa pull out could be a little tighter. I had to pull my Velcro to the very edge of where it would attach and it still seems a little loose which makes it wrinkle some. With the rest of the sofa looking tight and upholstered I would like this piece to look tight too. Since I sew I think I might add another strip of Velcro along the edge of the existing so I can tighten it a bit.

The second issue I found was on the bed compartment cover. This piece is optional so this would only apply to those who bought the cover and would only be seen when the bed is pulled out but I wanted to address it since it is an additional charge. The design of this piece is different from the sofa cushions covers in that it only has elastic on the front and sides, not the back. Unfortunately, that means it does not fit securely around the back part of the bed cushion and causes it to pull at the back revealing the original sofa fabric. I am sure this is done so that the bed mechanism still works properly but it would be nice if they could add a Velcro tab or a strap that goes around the back that would keep this cover secure. As I said, this is not a big issue since this would only be seen when pulling out the bed but if you’re paying extra to order this piece it is because you do care that the pull-out matches.

Here is a view of the full bed compartment with the slipcover on.

I am extremely pleased with my new Comfort Works Snug Fit FRIHETEN Slipcover. I would wholeheartedly recommend Comfort Works Slipcovers to anyone who has Ikea or Pottery Barn Basic furniture but also anyone looking to have a Custom Slipcover designed. The customer service at Comfort Works was great any question I had, they were happy to answer. The shipping was fast and I had a brand new slipcover in just a few weeks from start to finish. And most importantly the quality of the Comfort Works slipcover is exceptional and the price cannot be beaten. (affiliate links)

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