Hello AT,
I have a bright orange Ikea Allumerum sofa, whose cover has seen better days (picture of a fresh and clean sofa at left.) I bought it 3 years ago, and it's now covered in seemingly unremovable cat hair and spotted with paint stains.
After washing the cover, the fabric warped and shrunk so that the cover not longer closes in the back. Any opinions on whether it's worth reupholstering a $300 sofa with $200 in fabric and a few hours of sweat? Any recommended premade covers?
Thanks! Amy
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Dear Amy,
Tough one. Ikea makes their stuff so affordably that what you don't get is a long lasting life. that said, we would support reupholstering with a better fabric, but not spending too much money on the fabric. You can great great fabric at discount prices at these places.
Also, because the cover is removable, that means it is super easy to recover. All you have to do is take the cover off and have a tailor or yourself copy the pattern exactly by tracing the existing cover.
We would go for it and send us pics afterwards.
Anyone else?
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Comments (33)
You can just buy another cover at ikea, which amortized over its 3+ year life, will come down to a buck or two a month. That's the beauty of ikea.
Also, why not just buy a new sofa if the same one is still $300 and start with a fresh everything? By the way, I'd wanted this sofa a few years ago and my husband talked me out of it. Is it comfy? Because I might need an inexpensive one and if this one is comfy, I'll get it. Please let me know. Thanks, and good luck.
You could also get a great duvet (comforter) cover and split it - Not too much sewing and there are some fun designs out there. Washable too!
I have that same sofa, with the now discontinued green cover. I washed the cover and air dried it and it fit back on just fine - did you put it in the dryer?
It would be pretty easy to reupholster because there's only two pieces (plus pillows) to do
This hint probably is no good in this particular case, but http://www.bemz.com/ - a swedish company who specialize in covers for IKEA furniture. Nice and simple way to make your IKEA furniture more personal :)
Good luck!
Hmm. I think it's worth it to reupholster it, but I woud DIY it. Or just get another, Ikea, cover. It shouldn't be too expensive to recover it yourself without too too much cost though, especially if you own a sewing machine already. Shop around for cheap fabric in the garment district or wherever you get cheap fabric in NYC. I happen to think it would look gorgeous in a light (not pastel, but warm spring-y) blue.
I am mulling over an Ikea reupholster myself. I have the Klippan sofa, had someone sleeping on it for a few days, and they got it all dirty (it had its slipcover off.) Grr... I can't seem to clean it well enough. I hate how the slipcovers from Ikea fit on it, so I'll have to make my own.
Fantastic fabrics on the cheap: http://www.contemporarycloth.com/
Be sure to check the sale fabrics for the best bargains.
Everyone, thanks so much for the comments. Maxwell, thanks for posting my question!
Jackie, this sofa is incredibly comfortable for sleeping. It's also rather nice for lounging, though it benefits from pillows, since it's too wide to comfortably lean against the back. It's up to about $400.00, though now.
Looks like I'll be hitting up the fabric stores this weekend (unless I find a great, sturdy, duvet cover first — thanks SJC). The idea of stitching in 36" zipper is a little intimidating, but…
Promise to post photos, whenever I finish.
arielbl, it's been awhile, but yes — this genius put it in the dryer (on low, but still…).
Another great fabric source online for reproductions of styles from the 40s through today: http://www.reprodepot.com/index.html. With added bonus of being really cheap!
amy - use velcro - i have done this before, much easier than a zipper. bed,bath and beyond have a large selection of duvet covers (altho nowhere near as many and as cheap as the UK!)and crate and barrel have some cool marrimeko ones.
Hi Amy-
You wouldn't really have to reupholster it - just have slipcovers made. Try to find a seamstress - it's basically making two tubes - simple work for one trained in that area. Fabric cost is up to you (and you could even have seasonal versions made). The couch is worth keeping.
Hi Amy- You wouldn't really have to reupholster it - just have slipcovers made. Try to find a seamstress - it's basically making two tubes - simple work for one trained in that area. Fabric cost is up to you (and you could even have seasonal versions made). The couch is worth keeping.
If you do make (or commission) new slipcovers, prewash the fabric so you'll never have the shrinkage problem again. It's such a pleasure to put freshly-washed covers on furniture...I always feel as if I'm getting away with something.
Amy: Thanks for the comfy info. I've always liked this sofa. Its modern, simple, and Ikea is good enough for me until I am able to afford my dream $6,000 sofa. At $400, I might just get it. It was the bed aspect that interested me most.
Hope you found a solution to the cover problem.
prewashing… …so obvious, but I likely would have skipped that step. Thanks Claudia!
I have the same couch and I never actually bought the included slipcover when I got it- they don't last super long, but we just buy extra-long twin sheet sets to upholster it. Use the fitted sheet on the big seat cushion and just staple gun it tight to the bottom. Then cut 1/3 off the regular sheet and use it on the bolster. It's not the "richest" fabric, but you can get sheet sets for really cheap and change it up whenever your mood suits you. I've had it for 3 years and I thin kit's been 6 different color combinations at some point.
Amy,
Did you try ironing the cover with a good steam iron and a lot of pulling? That can often make the difference between something fitting or not, after it has seemingly shrunk.
we have the same problem Amy and would love to know if you've inquired with Ikea about ordering the slipcover separately?
I used the chatbot (Ask Anna) at IKEA and she (it) said that slipcovers are not shown on the site (duh) and to contact the local store. There's stuff in the store that isn't online or in the catalogs anyway, so who knows what treasures await you in the slipcover department?
I sent them an email, which will go to one of the two stores nearest me, and hopefully I'll hear back soon. You can do the same thing, to your own local store.
I have the same sofa that I purchased from Craigslist. The green didn't go with my living room, so I purchased the gray slipcover separately at Ikea for $150 (very recently). They did say, however, that the sofa had been discontinued. The salesperson first told me they were out of the slipcovers, only to find that when she actually checked the stock that they still had some left.
Also, I've seen them on ebay. (Maybe I should put my green one up there!)
PS - Good tips on the prewashing and sheet options!
I just got off the phone with IKEA and they said that the Emeryville, CA store has both the grey and beige covers in stock for $89.00 each. You can see both covers on the sofa online here:
http://tinyurl.com/9lpjv
You can't buy them online, though, you have to check with the local store to see if they are available and how much they are charging. As usual, prices vary by location.
The Dark Grey is very serene. Will be a BIG change from the orange. And there will be a new catalog out pretty soon, around June or so, look for new colors then, as well as colors for the holiday season.
And the name online and in the catalog is ALLERUM.
I have an Ikea couch thats held up for over 6 years. Its still great, but the bright blue color hasn't kept up with my changing style. Its a slipcover that doesn't look like a slipcover. I love the couch, and would love to update it.
I don't want to actually reupholster the couch, just duplicate the cover.
I can't seem to find anyone willing to do it, and am to intimidated to attempt it myself. Any suggestions? References?
Try an ebay search for an Ikea slipcover for your sofa. They have lots of them available in many different styles and colors. Good luck.
Fingers crossed that my attempt at including a photo of my Ikea chair recently purchased on craigslist and recovered by me is successful.
A version of this chair is currently in the online Ikea catalog but with a blond frame (I like the white much better) and a black cover with tan circles that I didn't like at all.
This one, I am told about a year old, had a solid tan cover which I liked better and always intended to cover myself, as I sew and quilt.
The blue and white cotton chintz was left-over from the 25 yards I purchased a couple of years ago at $1.00 per yard (yes, I said ONE dollar) at my favorite bargain fabric place in Spanish Harlem. That volume of fabric was great as I was teaching myself how to make slipcovers and I could afford -- literally-- to make mistakes and redo. And still I had 6 yds left!!
The pillow was created with additional fabrics found at my same source (104th and Third) although they cost $1.99 a yard and were remnants.
Sav-a-thon stocks a limited variety of fabrics, some frankly revolting. But as a quilter, I appreciate a good-quality cotton and I always find great buys there. I go frequently because you never know what they will have.
Oops. It didn't work. I included a URL from photobucket where I had uploaded the image. Sorry. I tried.
Head to http://www.bemz.com/
don't copy the pattern exactly. the original cover is obviously too small for the sofa now, so you would need to make a new cover bigger.
You can go at www.weuweu.com and send your requests to customerservice@weuweu.com
Lol, I started typing in a comment but realized it's been a couple of years since this post is up. =) Nonetheless, I get super excited with custom items and cant help but notice that there seem to be plenty of options - Bemz, WeuWeu and Comfort Works!
So for anyone else out there looking to save their ikea sofa, you know where to look =) good luck
Dear stu23!
You registered here just to post all your comments about our company? We know you upset because you didn't receive your order, we didn't have fabric in stock and we apologised to you, you received a full refund. Why you didn't write about that? We wouldn't turn off our email customerservice@weuweu.com, just because of $95, which you received back already. Our email is only the way we communicate with hundreds customers all over the world. Sorry, I forgot to mention our phone number, you can reach us at 1(347)-533-7585.
Dear apartmenttherapy,
You do not have to stay away from WEUWEU Inc. Our company registered in New York. Our office and sewing studio are also in New York. And we produces slipcovers to fit IKEA furniture. All our fabric suppliers are greatest US companies, and we proud to work with them.
You can read emails from our customers:
" I received my order of the couch cover today. I apologize that paypal took
the payment from you. I am very pleased with my order and I will be happy
to re-pay you for my order and shipping." Lindy, Australia.
"Just wanted to let you know that I put it on the sofa and it fits perfectly
and looks beautiful!! I am so pleased with the fabric, the workmanship
and the fit. Thank you so much!! I love it!" George, Texas.
"Got the slip cover it looks great! Thanks." Andreas, PA.
"Dear weuweu-Team
The slipcovers are arrived today - perfect!
All the best..." Mark, Switzerland.
"We received our delivery on Saturday and we're very pleased with the product. Thanks very much for your extra efforts." Emily, NY.
Dear WEUWEU customers!
Please, do not worry about your orders, you will receive them, we promise!
WEUWEU Inc,
www.weuweu.com
customerservice@weuweu.com
t. 347-533-7585
The slip cover for IKEA's BEDDINGE series couch is a perfect fit for the Allumerum series couch and for about $79USD, it's the most cost-effective option as well! - @scrirc
Don't worry about weuweu, they are great and very friendly. I received new cover for my sofa and I really love it. Do you want to see it? http://www.flickr.com/photos/69323970@N04/6302058019/in/photostream