Small Space Loveseat that Fits in Your Car

I recently moved into a small studio apartment and needed to furnish the corner that I deemed the sitting area so my friends wouldn't be required to saucily sit on the edge of my bed when they came over. That's what grand pianos are for.

I had a few requirements for my potential piece:

Cute: I didn't expect Eames, but stains, odors, bad juju, and just-plain-ugly were all deal-breakers. 

Petite: My place is 340 square feet and sits at the top of a narrow staircase, so it was apartment-sized or bust. 

Moveable: New city, no friends to bribe to help me move (yet), so I needed to be able to move it by myself. Possibly via public transpo. 

Affordable: A bargain would be nice. And in my case, necessary.

After a bit of searching, some new pillows, and some spray paint, I came up with this...

Admittedly, the lack of effort that this settee DIY project required makes me think that I can't technically call it an "IKEA hack", but it is from IKEA and I did add a little flair - AKA spray paint - to it.

✔️ Cute

When I went into IKEA to check out the Knopparp, I felt that the fabric looked better in real life than in the pictures online, but the white metal legs left a bit to be desired. They wouldn’t mesh well with my other decor and they gave off the distinctive IKEA vibe.

The yellow version of this settee looked better with the white legs, but I wasn’t ready to go that bright, so I purchased the gray version and a can of Rust-oleum Bright Coat Metallic Finish in 7710 Gold.

---

DIRECTIONS 

• Before assembling the settee, find the pieces with the little rubber-ish rectangles. These are your legs - woohoo! I only treated these pieces, as they are the only ones that can be seen once the settee is assembled.

• I completed the rest of this DIY outside, as it provided unlimited ventilation and sped up the drying processes. I strapped on a mask (okay, I tied bandana around my head to cover my nose and mouth), grabbed some 100 grit sand paper and roughed up the legs. Once they were rough, I wiped them down with some baby wipes to rid them of dust.

• Shake shake shake the spray paint for a minute. I also like to shake the paint throughout the process. With the legs balanced upside-down and the can about a foot away from them, I sprayed the first coat of paint. I began spraying before I hit each leg and finished spraying outside the length of each leg.

• After about 10 minutes, I applied the second coat. After 10 more minutes, I applied the third (and final) coat.

• It probably wasn't necessary, but I left them to dry overnight and attached the legs in the morning.

• I ended up slightly scraping one of the legs during the assembly process, so opened the windows and did a little indoor touchup, using the box it came in to protect my floor.

---

✔️ Petite

Measurements

Width: 47"

Depth: 30"
Height: 27"
Seat Height: 15"

✔️ Moveable

Some assembly was required, but it was quick and easy - about 20 minutes - and it was totally worth it because it came in a small box that I was able to throw it into my Uber!

Box Details

Width: 12"

Height: 10"

Length: 44"

Weight: 40 lbs

✔️ Affordable

Knopparp Loveseat: $99 at IKEA

Fjadrar Pillows: $5.99 each at IKEA

Vigdis Pillow Cases: $7.00 each at IKEA

Spray Paint: $12.30 (I think I used less than half the can) 

Total spent: Less than $125


The pillows are a tad plain, so I plan to do a little something to jazz them up, but this budget-friendly little loveseat is great for my studio. I liked it so much that I bought one for my office too! There are some negative reviews floating around about the Knopparp being uncomfortable, but I actually like that it isn't too cushy. I wouldn't plan on using this regularly for afternoon naps, as it is somewhat bench-like, but I have dozed off on it after a couple brunch mimosas!

Before: Stock White Legs

After: Gold Legs