Ikea—the name itself immediately calls to mind several associations. It’s a furniture store. It’s a global brand. It has a wide range of furniture such as daybeds, recliners, and more at affordable prices. It almost has everything every homeowner needs. In fact, if you’re in the market for a new sleeper sofa or sofa bed, Ikea furniture has variations that may attract you.
These are the reasons why Ikea has enjoyed continual worldwide recognition. However, as affordable as a piece of furniture from Ikea may be, Ecosa offers a formidable alternative. If you want a premium sofa bed experience that’s worth your investment, the Ecosa Rio Sofa Bed can be for you, too.
Head-to-Head: Ikea’s Friheten and Ecosa’s Rio Sofa Bad
In the sofa bed range of Ikea products, the Friheten corner sofa bed is king. It trumps the Flottebo, the Kivik, the Lycksele, the Vimle, and all the rest. In 2018, news.com.au reported that the Friheten was the best-selling modular sofa of Ikea. Reviews also tout the Friheten as one of the best Ikea sofas or best sofa beds in their lineup. Even redditor Tokokono posted that the Friheten is Ikea’s highest selling couch.
What’s to love about it? Buyers and reviewers have a number of perks to share, although others have their fair share of subpar experiences. This is where the Ecosa Rio Sofa Bed comes in. The Rio has a number of strong points that may exactly be what you’re looking for in a sofa, and we’ll talk about those points as we go along.
How Affordable Are the Ecosa and IKEA Sofa Bed Options?
Let’s get it out of the way. First and foremost, the Ikea Friheten has more affordable prices compared to the Ecosa Rio. Depending on the variation, you’ll pay anywhere between $799 to $949 for the 3-seater Friheten, back cushions and cushion covers included. Although you can get it without the fabric slipcovers, the Ikea Friheten has a $799 price for the Skiftebo blue and dark grey colours. The fabric Hyllie beige and dark grey are both at $899. Lastly, the Bomstad black leather sofa costs $949.
Aside from the standard 3-seat sofa bed, you can get the Friheten in other configurations like a corner chaise sofa bed. This variation has the same colours as the standard one, but with prices of $899, $999, and $1,099 for the different colour options. There’s also a 4-seater sectional configuration in dark grey and grey for $997 and $1,097, respectively. Since the Ecosa Rio only goes up to the standard 3-seater form, only the standard 3-seater of the Friheten will be used in the succeeding comparisons too.
In any case, you will need to invest a bit more with the Ecosa Rio Sofa Bed. For the bigger 3-seater, you’ll have to shell out $1,700 after the discount. For the slightly smaller 2.5-seater, it’s discounted price is $1,560. For colours, you get to pick from minimalist beige, light grey, and dark grey.
The table below should give you a quick summary of all the prices mentioned above.
| Ikea Friheten | Skiftebo blue Skiftebo dark grey | $799 |
| Hyllie beige Hyllie dark grey | $899 | |
| Bomstad black leather | $949 | |
| Ecosa Rio | 3-seater | $1,700 |
| 2.5-seater | $1,560 |
With these prices, the Ikea Friheten easily wins, but don’t count the Ecosa Rio out just yet.
How Are They Assembled?
For assembly, customers highly appreciate simple and easy directions. What good is the versatility of a sofa bed if it’s hard to assemble? This is where things get complicated for the Ikea Friheten.
The standard Friheten is packed in two boxes. Once you take the parts out, Ikea requires you to have a friend or family member with you. Yes, it says so in the instruction manual. In fact, doing the assembly alone may be dangerous. You also need a soft surface, tools, and the instructions from the manual. If you get stuck on any step, you can call Ikea for help.
As for the Ecosa Rio, assembly will take 5 to 15 minutes. Simply take the armrests and main body out of two boxes. Screw the four feet on the main body. Attach the arms by sliding them down the hinges of the arms and main body. Here’s a quick Ecosa tutorial to show you how to follow the directions above. Now, you’re done!
How Do the IKEA Friheten and Ecosa Rio Convert from Sofa to Bed?
Once you’ve assembled your sofa bed and placed it in your living room or guest room, anyone can sit on it or lie in it anytime. The Friheten has a pull tag hidden under the front. Tug at it and half of the bed will roll out, opening a storage space where the seat cushions used to be. You can store the back cushions inside. Your next step will be to pull the backrest down to cover the storage space, and you now have a bed.
As for the Rio Sofa Bed, just lift and pull out the backrest. The back and seat cushions readily lay flat to make a bed. In the guest bedroom or any living space, going from sofa to bed with the Rio is easy.
How Big Are the Bed Forms?
The Friheten pulls out to be a double bed, which can be enough for two people. In comparison, the 2.5-seater Rio also becomes a double bed, so the two products roughly have the same size. The smaller version of the Friheten is a double-sized bed too. With these measurements, you can use double-sized fitted sheets to cover the Friheten in bed form. In the meantime, the 3-seater Ecosa Rio becomes something in between a queen size and a king, but king-sized bedding will work best.
What makes a Friheten and a Rio?
Now, for the meaty part. Comfort is essential in a couch, just like a mattress, and the kind of materials used is even more essential. According to the Ikea website, the Friheten uses a polyurethane foam with polyester wadding for the seats and sides, while the cushions have polyester fibre balls. The frame uses a combination of plywood, particleboard, and solid wood. Lastly, the fabric covers are made from 100% polyester. In terms of sustainability, Ikea provides no information. It only aims to have all its materials ethically sourced, recycled, or renewable
In contrast, the Ecosa Rio Sofa Bed uses CertiPUR-US® certified polyurethane foam. The certification means that no harmful chemicals were used to make the foam layers, resulting in low volatile organic compound emissions. In turn, the frame is FSC® certified wood. It means that the timber to make the sofa frame comes from forests that are responsibly managed.
In addition, the fabric cover of the Ecosa Rio is special. The material is 100% polyester but recycled by OceanCycle™. The process of making the fabric starts at the ocean and its vast polluted waters, which include plastic bottles. These bottles are collected and broken down to make polyester. About 400 plastic bottles are upcycled to cover one 3-seater Rio, and 300 for the 2.5-seater. It’s an eco-friendly technology that actively cleans our precious oceans. Add to that recyclabe zippers and compostable tape. It’s a completely sustainable piece of furniture.
How Comfy Are They?
With the materials out of the way, it’s time to evaluate actual comfort. What do people say? The Ikea Friheten has a firm level of cushioning. One reviewer admits, however, that the firmness level won’t be for everyone. He recommends trying it out in-store first to gauge actual comfort. If you do get a Friheten, the reviewer suggests using it only when needed for a spare room.
According to redditors who have bought the Friheten, they wouldn’t use the sofa bed on a daily basis. They find it quite uncomfortable, although adding some throw pillows apparently helped. Some experienced sagging after a year or less of regular use, while others made it last for 2 years or more with occasional use.
On the other hand, you get a medium-firm level of support from the Ecosa Rio Sofa Bed much like the memory foam of the fan-fave Ecosa Mattress. It can be comfy, especially for heavier persons. However, for lighter individuals, it may be a bit too hard, yet you can spread a mattress topper such as the Ecosa Topper to soften things up. In any case, although Ecosa doesn’t have a physical store like Ikea does, you can still try out the Rio Sofa Bed in the comfort of your own home thanks to the 100-night trial period. More on this trial period in a little while.
What Discounts and Offers Can You Enjoy?
As of now, Ikea offers no deals for the Friheten specifically. You may be able to find it at lower prices during big sales. You can also apply to Ikea Family to enjoy members-only discounts. Nonetheless, the Friheten already rests at highly affordable prices. Plus, you get a 10-year guarantee, and you can have it delivered to your home for extra fees.
It’s different from the Ecosa Rio Sofa Bed. Although it has a premium price for a premium experience, the Rio already has a 20% discount applied, which brings the regular prices of the Rio down to $1700 and $1560. If you also purchase on or before May 8, Ecosa bundles up 1 free silk pillowcase worth $89 when you spend more than a total of $450.
When you purchase the Ecosa Rio, and you live in one of the five metro areas, you can have the sofa delivered straight to your door for free. The areas covered are Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. The delivery could be as fast as 4 hours. Once in your hands, you enjoy a 5-year warranty on your sofa.
You also get a 100-night trial period as mentioned earlier. If it’s not to your liking, you can have it returned within the trial period to Ecosa. Once the product has been collected, you will be entitled to a refund.
For Furniture That’s Eco-Friendly, Try Out the Ecosa Rio Sofa Bed
The Ikea Friheten is an affordable sofa bed choice for those looking for basic furniture that meets their immediate needs. However, aren’t comfort, durability, and sustainability important, as well? Meeting these criteria, the Ecosa Rio Sofa Bed is a solid premium alternative for those who don’t mind spending extra for a more durable, more comfortable, and more sustainable piece of furniture.