As loyal blog visitor Jocelyn commented on the Scandinavian designarticle, there are actually companies that help you save your Ikea sofa. They create new slip-on covers to replace the old ones when the choices Ikea offer are too limited. I think that is just such a smart and clever business idea! Mind you, the new covers are a bit pricey, a few more D’s (or E’s if you’re European) and you can buy a new sofa all together, but still, I think they have gold there.
Two companies I found online are savemysofa.com and bemz.com
The first one to check is Holland based savemysofa.com. They have 28 different fabrics to choose from. They come in various colours and patterns to fit pretty much all flavours. With prices ranging between €220 and €380 one is left with one question… A new sofa with the most basic fabric in the Netherlands comes at €349, so one could wonder why spend all that money on a new cover when the sofa alone can potentially cost less? Good question, but come on, it’s fun! Plus, the choices at Ikea really are quite limited.
Fabric choices at Savemysofa.com
Let’s have my very own red three seater Ektorp sofa be the lab rat. It’s comfy, has the right shape to fit our house, and we like it. It looks a lot more worn down in real than in this picture though, and dog hairs really ruin your upholstery I can tell you. A new cover might not be such a bad idea.
It's extremely comfy so no need to get rid of it soon. Sorry bout the awkward picture angle by the way..
My sofa with Antibes Charcoal Grey
I do like the middle one... yet extremely sensitive with the light colour
Next stop: Bemz. They are based in Stockholm, and seem to be larger than Savemysofa. They also offer more alternatives and styles. However, they are on the whole a bit more expensive. Prices range between €189 to €475. Their site offers a search tool that allows you to search by price or lifestyle. But unless you were there for the brainstorm, you might not know if you are more Swedish Grace, Nordic Home or your average Archipelago. Or maybe you fit in to the Playground, Downtown, Bohemian Chic or Country Romance categories? Better to just browse all the price ranges and all the fabrics.
Panama Cotton Range
Bemz offers the possibility of having five swatches sent to your home free of charge. That is no luxury as colours tend to differ a LOT from what you see online. Also, the texture is hard to tell from a stamp sized online swatch.
It’s fun trying out various covers for your sofa though. Here’s mine with Urban Tapestry Real Red Panama Cotton.
Urban Tapestry Real Red
I do like the big floral patterns, but it might be a bit too much with our clutter. However, also at Bemz there are plenty of fabrics to choose from.
Just a few of the many options at Bemz
Home voyeurs.... a peek into homes 
thanks for mentioning Bemz! Let me know if you would like to have some more swatches to decide from. It might be wise to keep in mind that the Antibes charcoal grey fabric from Savemysofa is dry clean only. I know, I’m bias :), but I also have a couple of spoilt hairy dogs at home…
Sara from Bemz
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If you like those companies, but dont want to spend the price of a new sofa, go to zent-decor.com Same great service, but with prices for an Ikea 3 seater Ektorp starting at €102, great value too!!
There is also a German start-up producing great slip-covers for Ikea couches. I’m really happy with mine and I also received great service!
Check it out as well when you search for new slip-covers. 🙂
Greetings,
Steffi