IKEA PELLO armchair: comfy for €29 but the cover wears out

IKEA's €29 armchair holds up to 90 kilos, but the cover doesn't

There's a piece of furniture that shows up in almost every Spanish rental flat, costs less than dinner for two and hasn't changed price in over a decade. The IKEA PELLO, an armchair with a screw-together frame and a washable cover sold for 29 euros, has gathered testimonials from users who have had it for 7, 8 and even 14 years without the frame giving way. The question isn't whether it holds up. The question is whether the cover does.

Is the IKEA PELLO armchair comfortable for long stretches?

The short answer is yes, with caveats depending on how you use it. Several accounts agree it's a chair designed for reading, watching TV or rocking, with a rocking effect that relaxes you and that some have even used to rock a baby to sleep. Those who've used it to eat or work at a table warn that the reclined posture is too laid-back for that.

The limit shows up with continuous use. Half an hour of reading is fine. Five hours in a row gets tiring, and some describe it outright as comfortable for the first five minutes and unbearable after half an hour. One user weighing nearly 90 kilos who has used it daily for seven or eight years sums it up: a recommended buy if you'll actually use it, clutter in the middle of the living room if not.

The weak point: the cover gets dirty, shrinks and sags

This is where consensus breaks down. The cover is washable and can go in the washing machine, which several owners confirm from experience. But others report that it shrank a centimetre after washing, that a stain wouldn't come out completely and that the headrest ended up wrinkled. The cushion, several warn, tends to flatten out and become direct contact with the wood.

The recurring alternative is buying a higher-quality cover, though the problem is that the covers available are usually for the POÄNG — its pricier sibling, with a solid wood frame and starting at 59 euros with cover included — and cost more than the cheap chair itself. Some have simply gone for the POÄNG after trying the PELLO and finding it low and made of cheaper materials.

Is it worth buying, or is the POÄNG better?

The POÄNG comes up in the conversation as the superior version: same function, better frame, more upholstery options including leather, and a flat board under the legs instead of the metal tube some find uncomfortable. The price difference, however, is significant: 29 euros versus 59-79 euros.

The most common argument for the cheap one is arithmetic. If it lasts ten years, the annual cost is under three euros. Those who bought it second-hand or rescued it from the street with a broken screw and fixed it for pennies are clear about it: it's the most budget-savvy purchase possible. Against it are the facts that long-term durability depends on how each person sits, and that in-store stress tests don't replicate the real-life use of a three-year-old hanging off the armrest.

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The matching footstool adds comfort, though it leaves your legs hovering when you use a blanket. The conclusion repeated by those who've owned it for years is that the PELLO delivers if you buy it with realistic expectations: a cheap reading armchair, light to move, easy to assemble in fifteen minutes and with a cover you'll have to replace before the chair itself. How many 29-euro pieces of furniture do you know that make it to fourteen years?