This is an unpaid, unaffiliated review of the Ikea GENEVAD chair. This product can be found by clicking here.
UPDATE: Due to the popularity of this post, we made this YouTube video reviewing the GENEVAD leather chairs. We go over lots of detailed footage, popular questions & answers, & how these chairs have held up since we wrote this article. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel if you like what you see!
An Honest Ikea GENEVAD Reivew
I’ve had my eye on the Pottery Barn Turner Square Arm Chair for forever. FOREVER, I tell you! Okay, maybe more like six months. Either way, I fell in love with the modern, sleek leather chair the moment I saw it in Chris Loves Julia’s living room. Here’s the catch: these chairs are 2k+ a pop. Yeah. More than two thousand dollars per chair. Okay, so I wasn’t going to have one anytime soon. I figured we would put a little money away for a few years, and then splurge. Little did I know that the Ikea GENEVAD chair would come along and make my dreams reality sooner.
But… Ikea? Leather? Is that really a good idea? I was definitely skeptical, and $750 per chair (after shipping) was still a lot of money. Because our store didn’t carry them, I decided to wait. As fate would have it, my husband went right ahead and bought the first chair as a Christmas present for me. Guys, I screamed twice when I saw the chair. The first was a startled scream. The second was a squeal of pure joy when I looked closer and began to exam the Ikea GENEVAD quality. I never imagined it would be this good.
Ikea GENEVAD Leather Quality
As the Ikea GENEVAD product page states, the chair is made from full-grain leather. This is means the chair will develop a beautiful patina with use over time. (In other words, no need to baby it like I had to baby my old white chairs!) In case you’re unfamiliar, full-grain leather is widely considered the best, most luxurious leather. You can read more about types of leather by clicking here. Believe it or not, this is actually a better quality leather than Pottery Barn uses to make their Turner Square Arm Chairs, which utilize the next step down (top grain leather).
The feel of the Ikea GENEVAD leather is smooth, thick, and totally luxurious. I honestly still can’t believe that they’re from Ikea. While this retailer is known for super affordable (dare we say cheap?) products, even former Ikea workers will tell you that their more expensive items are of unbeatable quality, and come with rock-solid warranties. The IKEA Genevad chair is proof.
The Best Affordable Leather Chair is Ikea GENEVAD
With a quick walk around the Ikea GENEVAD chair, it’s pretty easy to see that they were directly inspired by the Pottery Barn Turner Chair. The cushion shapes, the seams… even the dimensions are nearly exactly the same as the extra-large, “Grand Armchair” PB version. The only downside is that Ikea GENEVAD only comes on one color. It appears to be nearly identical to the Pottery Barn standard color. These chairs are so loved, that Chris Loves Julia wrote a blog post with similar, more affordable chairs available at the time. However, the new Ikea GENEVAD option appears to blow all the others out of the water in terms of similarity, style, and affordability.
Clearly, we love our Ikea GENEVAD chairs more than we can even express. We’re so glad we didn’t blow all that extra money on the Pottery Barn Turner Chairs, and we now have an even-higher quality product as a result! We’ll be sure to keep you posted on how the Ikea GENEVAD chairs hold up over time. Even with our crazy mutts, so far, so good!
Did you find this review helpful? Be sure to check out our in-depth Ikea SEKTION kitchen system review, as well!
Disclaimer: We’re not professionals or experts on this topic, so all we can do is share our own personal experience in hopes that it helps you in your journey! We always recommend consulting with the pros directly.