Okay, here's the deal: Last week I stumbled onto something pretty awesome, (to me), and as I'm sitting here writing this post, I'm crossing my fingers that I'm not the very last person to have found it. Because that would make this post pretty lame. So, I'm gonna go out on a limb and hope that my news is reaching at least a few who, like me, did not know about this pretty awesome thing before.
So here it is. Ready?
There is a site that makes over 200 slipcovers specifically for IKEA pieces.
Introducing for the first time on Chelsea's Garage, Bemz
I am a big fan of IKEA and have responded to many inquiries about where we got our living room sofa and chairs, (IKEA Ektorp collection). As someone who appreciates versatility and quick change-outs here and there, slipcovers are a great fit for me, (and my young and often sticky family). IKEA pieces are appealing because they don't look like traditional frumpy slipcovers. You can still get your clean and polished look. Only problem is...IKEA doesn't offer a great variety of slipcovers. You get your basic neutral solids, maybe a bright red and blue, and a print here or there, depending on the piece. Bemz literally has hundreds of fabrics to choose from. Their slipcovers are made for everything from sofas and armchairs to footstools, cushions, and even bedspreads, bed skirts, and headboard covers for the cozy upholstered look! They also let you order up to 5 FREE fabric samples to help you choose the right fabric for your home!
Here's a bit of eye candy from the Bemz home site. All pieces slipcovered in their own custom fabric...
The Bemz site also lets you 'try on' all the fabric options with the various IKEA pieces. For example, let's say I want to change out the white Jennylund chairs we have now in our living room:
I can try on a plethora of options!
The blue birds is my favorite. Hands down.
*They also have beautiful rich fabrics such as chenille and linen which take your basic IKEA pieces to a whole other level of sophisticated style*
You get the picture. It's pretty awesome, right!?!
And IKEA would probably disapprove of me spreading this around, but their pieces are ALL OVER CRAIGSLIST AND YARDSALES! So, if you find what you're looking for used, then you pay a fraction of the full IKEA price, (which is really quite reasonable to begin with), and then spend a little extra on a custom Bemz slipcover! We found our entire living room set, (Ektorp sofa and two Jennylund armchairs), on Craigslist by different sellers. Since we paid so little for the pieces, I wouldn't mind spending the saved money on fresh slipcovers that look made for our home and style....you know, when the time comes for a change. :)
So what do you think? Would you Bemz out your home?
Thank you for reading!
~Chelsea
This post was originally featured under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.