Ekornes Stressless Chairs and Sofas

Chance are you don't buy a lot of products from Norway. But modern-looking, crisp furniture is probably one of Scandinavia's most popular exports. Ekornes designs and builds its furniture in Norway -- its main brand is the Stressless line of chairs, recliners, loveseats, and sofas which it has been making since 1970 (when Stressless was patented). Originally they focused solely on the Norwegian market, but in 1980 they started their sales campaign in the US, and the US has been their biggest export market ever since. Some of the chairs look a little like fancy leather barbershop chairs - they are supported on a pedestal, as is the ottoman footrest. Apart from clean, modern designs, what sets the Ekornes apart from other chairs is their reputation for comfort and ergonomic design. Unlike regular recliners, Stressless chairs offer 2 or 3 different sizes (S, M, L) that vary the width and height of the chair to accomodate a variety of body sizes -- after all, a 5 foot tall woman and a 6 foot 3 inch tall man would probably not be comfortable in the same generic chair.

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Another hallmark feature of the Ekornes chairs is the Glide wheels -- basically the chair reclines by sliding along metal bars on the saide of the chair. A Glide wheel can be loosened or tightened on each side to match your body weight -- when set correctly, just by slightly shifting your weight or leaning the chair will move forward or back almost effortlessly to keep your body properly aligned and comfortable (plus the chairs swivel a full 360 degrees). And instead of a connected foot rest, Ekornes recliners have a separate ottoman that you can position just where you want it for the right fit. The newest ottomans even have an automatic glide function to adjust their tilt angle as the chair moves. The chairs also come with accessories like snack trays and laptop trays that attach via metal poles to the side of the chair. They also make Stressless sofas in high back (more like the chair style) and lowback designs (more like a traditional sofa). In the 2 or 3 seater sofas, each seat is individually adjustable and reclinable, something you don't find in most other couches.

Ekornes Stressless Furniture Catalog - Finding an Ekornes Dealer

Ekornes makes a lot of different models and sizes of chairs, and all the names can get confusing. One thing that helps is to have a furniture catalog to browse through and refer to. Fortunately, in this age of electronic documents, Ekornes is nice enough to have their furniture catalog online. You can download the PDF file here, or visit their webpage if the filename has changed or is updated. When I was looking for an Ekornes recliner chair, I realized that not everyone carries these chairs at their furniture stores. I could only find 1 place within 20 miles of me that had them on display. Again, their website is the place to go for an Ekornes dealer locator. Just punch in your ZIP code and it will display dealers closest to you that carry Ekornes Stressless chairs and sofas (you can also call 1-888-EKORNES for dealer locations). When I did a search for my area, they displayed only a single dealer, and it is not even the one I shopped at, so you may need to dig a little deeper and do a Google search for Ekornes in your city, and hopefully some smart retailer is either buying a Google ad on the results page or will appear in the search results. As mentioned above, try the phone number if you can't find anyone nearby. Two good websites that offer plenty of pictures and pricing information are: EuroFurniture.com and LifestylesFurniture.com.

Best Selling Ekornes Stressless Chair Models and Sofas - How Much Do They Cost?

Keep in mind that almost all of the Ekornes chairs come is a variety of sizes, so you may see what looks like the same chair under a different name. For example, the generously cushioned and padded Tampa, Reno, and Vegas chairs are all the exact same design and look, only the Stressless Tampa is the small model (29.5" W) while the Reno is the medium and the Vegas is the large (34.75" W). Same for the Stressless Diplomat, Consul, and Ambassador family. Same for the Colibri, Wing, and Eagle models. Same for the Chelsea, Mayfair, and Kensington models. Same for the Vision, Dream, and Spirit. You get the idea. The main difference in the various models is look - after all, these expensive chairs are sold as fashion and style objects in addition to being comfortable places to sit. Some have a more modern look, some have a more relaxed look, but they are all built around the same design. So find a dealer (see above) and visit a showroom where you can see and sit in 10-15 different chairs to find the right size and model that suits your needs. You'll want to compare the various sizes to see which one fits your body the best -- some people like the feeling of being held close in their comfy chair, some people like more room to squirm around. Of course one of the constant questions we get is, how much do Ekornes chairs cost? And are Ekornes chairs the most comfortable chairs out there? Each chair comes in a number of leather surface options, which can affect the price. For example, we saw the Ekornes Stressless Vegas chair in Paloma leather for $2400, while Royalin leather was $2900. The large Stressless Jazz in Royalin leather was between $3900-$4500 depending on leather type. The lower end Mayfair (M model) runs around $2000, while the larger Kensington in the same family is just $100 more. The cheapest Ekornes chairs are the Consul (around $1500), Alpha ($1600-$1800), Ambassador ($1600), Atlantic ($1600), Taurus ($1900), Pacific ($1800), Orion ($1800), Colibri ($1800). The more expensive models run into the mid $2000s, while the Jazz line mentioned above is the most expensive. How much do Stressless sofas cost? Let's go through a few examples - the 3 seater Pegasus highback runs $4700-$5700 depending on leather, while the smaller two seater loveseat goes for $3700-$4000. The Buckingham lowback 3 seater goes for $3800-$5100. The Arion 3 seat highback goes for $4600-$5600. So when you compare these prices to other leather furniture, you quickly see you are making a pretty big investment when you fill a room with Ekornes chairs and sofas. As to comfort, personally I've had a Ekornes Vegas chair for about 3 years now. Construction and materials wise, it is very solidly built, nothing has fallen apart or even shows any sign of wear. Overall, it feels great to sit in, though I can't swear that it helps align your spine or do anything else another recliner couldn't do. Make sure you have room for the ottoman -- most recliners have built-in footrests that tuck out of the way when not in use, but the Stressless ottomans are always out there, meaning the chair and ottoman takes up 50%+ more floorspace than a conventional recliner. Our suggestion is to spend plenty of time in a showroom really getting the feel of the chair or sofa you are interested in -- bring a book and read for 30 minutes and see how it really feels in terms of comfort before committing thousands and thousands of dollars on a piece of furniture.

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