A nest to curl up in

Staying in is the new going out! Pushing all the sections together creates a nest for family to pile on to and get comfy in however they like – lying down, sitting up or cuddled in the corner. Fiona, Bobby and their son Stanley (3) have only been living with their new VALLENTUNA sofa for a few months… ‘It already plays such a central part in our day-to-day life. We’ve fallen asleep on it a few times!’ says Fiona.

Do your own thing

For those times when everyone wants to do their own thing, but together – reading, checking on emails, watching TV, listening to music (we’ve all got a different gadget for each) – we arranged the detachable backrests back-to-back down the centre, and added a stand-alone section for that extra bit of privacy and personal space.

Host a casual gathering

This one’s made for socialising, with lots of opportunities to sit in different spots and move around the two or three units. ‘We love hosting laid-back dinner parties, but our old sofas weren’t very big. Now, we can see the party moving from the dining table to the sofa during the course of the evening,’ says Bobby. (Removable and washable upholstery means that you’re covered for any unexpected spillages.)

A home cinema hang-out

This one works a treat for weekend movie marathons. We moved the sections together and faced the backrests towards the TV screen. Now, it’s time to lean back and press play! ‘This set-up is ideal for me as I’m tall and can stretch my legs right out,’ says Fiona.

A sofabed for guests

Including a sofabed section makes it easy for guests to stay over. It took Fiona and Bobby just a few minutes to fold the section out and convert the sofa into a bed. When the bed’s not in use, store away bedlinen and pillows in the footstool’s built-in storage. ‘It’s ideal for friends and family, but it even gives us the option to sleep downstairs if we decide to,’ says Fiona.

How’s life with your new sofa?

How different is your new sofa from your old one?
‘It’s a big change! We used to have two separate two-seaters. When the old sofas were delivered, we had to get them winched through the window of our top-floor apartment as they didn’t fit up the stairs! Having the new sofa arrive in individual boxes made life so much easier. We carried them up the stairs and assembled the sofa ourselves – no cranes needed.’
How have you settled in with the sofa?
‘It feels like it was made for our home! When we chose the sections (eight in total – four seats with backrests, one corner unit with backrests, two bed sections and one footstool) we measured everything to make sure it was a good fit size-wise. We’re well-accustomed to the sofa now, and have each found our favourite spot, especially Stanley. But we’re still open to changing things up – it’s good to have the option to be flexible.’
Have you been experimenting with different set-ups?
‘On a few occasions, I’ve sent Bobby out for half an hour (he’s obsessively tidy!) so I could have a play around and surprise him with a new set-up. The sofa sections are lightweight which makes it easy to move them around on your own.’
What set-up do you have at the moment?
‘For now, we’ve settled on L-shaped!’

We love to see our customers get creative with our products. Go for it! But please note that altering or modifying IKEA products so they can no longer be re-sold or used for their original purpose, means the IKEA commercial guarantees and your right to return the products will be lost.

Made by

Interior stylist: Carl Braganza
Photographer: Polly Wreford