| PHOTO FROM IKEA.COM |
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IKEA WINS AGAIN WITH THEIR VERY POPULAR POÄNG ARMCHAIR, one of my all-time favorite IKEA products
A good friend of mine bought two black leather IKEA POÄNG Armchairs years ago, and still uses them daily. They’ve held up extremely well. The leather looks perfect and the cushions, though the padding is possibly slightly worn, are still very comfortable.
When I needed some inexpensive leather armchairs, I looked around, but nothing compared to the value and quality of the POÄNG at this price-point, so I bought two of them myself. A few months have passed, and now I want a couple more.
The POÄNG, with the leather cushion, is a ridiculously good deal. If you enjoy being frustrated, try to find something comparable that is actually real leather. I tried myself, and failed. In my opinion, this makes the leather POÄNG one of IKEA’s best value products. Maybe the best.
If you want the POÄNG even cheaper, at least in my area, there are always some available on Craigslist, and they’re usually in good condition. I almost bought some on Craigslist myself, but, you know, those purchases can be difficult. Still, sometimes Craigslist does work out well for me, and it’s there for you if need be.
The POÄNG is also available with cheaper fabric cushions, but I haven’t tried them, so I can’t speak to their pros and cons. I needed something easy to clean, and I prefer the aesthetic of leather, so that was the obvious choice for me.
The POÄNG, broken down to what I consider important in a piece of furniture:
- Assembly difficulty: Very Easy. There are no difficult aspects to this assembly.
- Assembly time: Fast. IKEA furniture is pretty much always comprised of more pieces than I expect, but this one came together very quickly.
- Quality of materials: Good.
- Frame: I have no idea what type of wood the frame is made out of, but it’s heavy enough, and feels feel solid. It’s also very springy. I believe there must be metal in the construction as well, because my five-year-old regularly jumps off the arms of the chair, and it doesn’t seem to mind a bit.
- Cushion/pad: IKEA says the black version I got is “Dyed through top-grain leather with a treated, embossed and pigmented surface”. Basically, it’s real leather. There are lots of “leather” armchairs available online that are not actually leather, instead being some kind of leather-coated fabric or faux leather. The POÄNG, on the other hand, is legitimate leather. For the price, I haven’t found anything that remotely compares to the value you get from this chair in leather.
- Total weight: Around 25 pounds, so it’s not too heavy to move around when you need to, but weighs enough to stay put during normal use.
- Comfort: Very good. I’ve spent many hours sitting in these chairs, and they are very comfortable due to good padding and the laid-back seating position of this chair. The only possible improvement in this respect would be making the chair bigger and adding padded arms. Still, this chair is comfortable enough to sleep on if you have a pillow. It’s not my first choice for non-bed sleeping (that would be the IKEA KIVIK), but it’s worked in a pinch, and wasn’t terrible.
- Durability: Excellent. A friend of mine has had these for years, and uses them daily. They still look good and are comfortable to sit in. Really, what more can you ask for, especially at this price-point? Also, if push comes to shove years down the road, you can buy a replacement cushion separately.
- Finished product aesthetic: Good to great. There are tons of different POÄNG cushion/frame color combinations available, and some of them are really attractive. I personally purchased IKEA’s “black-brown” colored frame, which is a low-gloss basically-black finish that a lot of their furniture is available in. Most of my IKEA furniture in this finish, and it’s a great “safe” option if you don’t want to worry about a more challenging color palette. I got the more boring black-on-black color combination because it’s easy to match other furniture with, and I have small children who would likely stain the more interesting colors. Despite the basic nature of my chosen color, I still think it looks very good.
VERDICT: Great product, great price ($159 for the frame and leather cushion combination at the time of writing this), great buy. I highly recommend it, especially if you’re looking for inexpensive, comfortable, easy-to-move and easy-clean living room furniture. Great for having company over, playing video games, or watching TV. My wife sits in this chair every day while nursing our infant, as well.
IKEA includes allen wrenches required for chair assembly with this product. Though not strictly necessary, I’d also recommend grabbing a rubber mallet to make your build a little easier:
