If you are anything like me, you probably have at least a few pieces of furniture in your home that hail from that gigantic blue-and-yellow beacon for bargain furniture hunters: IKEA.  Yes, I’d say there are a huge number of strangely-named sofas, tables, and chairs hanging around in many a home (what is an Ektorp??  of those in my age range and income bracket.  Unfortunately some IKEA furniture is also a hallmark of unkempt, smelly dorm rooms.  It has always seemed to me that you have one of two choices when it comes to choosing a slipcover for anything that you buy at IKEA–you can either go with something boring and safe (although sure to look pretty darn classy) or you can decide that you want your living room to look like a dorm room.  Maybe there are a few out there than can pull off some of the uber-modern textiles on some of these IKEA sofas without evoking memories of pot and old socks, but I’ve found that it is pretty hard to pull off! We have been the proud owners of several IKEA items over the past few years. 

We currently own several Ektorp pieces (corner sofa, chaise lounge, sleeper sofa) as well as some great dining room chairs from the older Henriksdal that I LOVE.  Although the corner sofa has worn a few different slipcovers through the years, most have been pretty boring–white, beige, etc.  dining room chairs orlandoFor larger pieces like that, I find that solid colors often duo work best in small spaces.  child's rocking chair etsyHowever, every once in a while I think I’d like to take things up a notch with a more exciting slipcover on a smaller piece, like a chair.  where to buy chair castersActually, we were thrilled to find our office chairs (the newer Henricksdal chair with the wider seat) to replace or mismatched ones in our office.  office chair prices in chennai

The black and white pattern worked really well in our teal jewel-toned office that we sprinkled with black and white accents.  Before we had these chairs, things looked pretty boring and jumbled.  Just for fun, I found this VERY old picture from while we were still figuring out what to do in the office:kitchen chair covers ikea (FYI I just love that there is a red sled on top of the bookcase; this must have been shortly after we moved.)  ikea dining chair metalAnyway, compare that to how it looked until recently, with the new chairs with black and white slipcovers: However, now that our office has to be located somewhere else in the house, these slipcovers just don’t work with our other color schemes (sniffle!).  Yet I’ve looked at all the slipcover options at IKEA for this chair, and they just seem so boring and limited. 

We actually already have white “alternate”slipcovers for these chairs for when these need to head into the dining room for larger dinner parties (usually there are only 6 chair in the dining room).  So we’ve been using a safe white one in the meantime. for someone who could make us a window seat cushion (see why here), I stumbled across a seller that does custom covers for IKEA furniture!!  How exciting is that??  The seller has lots of different fabric options and styles available; however, I didn’t see anything that was the exact combination of what I was looking for.  I haven’t made any decisions yet, but I’m really fond of this cover.And so much less expensive than replacing my perfectly fine furniture, or paying someone to upholster my pieces (trust me, I’ve considered it!). I forwarded these sites on to my sister with some suggestions.  She’ll be moving before too long and is looking to update her living room color scheme.  Sounds like she’s as thrilled as I am! 

Such exciting times for our well-loved IKEA furniture!  Has anyone else found good sources for  IKEA slipcovers?  Has anyone ever bought one from one of these sites? **Update: There are two others that have popped up since I posted this that are worth checking out!  Bloggers worldwide are turning IKEA's simple furniture into amazing custom pieces. Check out these 10 hacks and find out how to create the looks yourself. Interior designer Naomi Stein used IKEA's Ritva curtains to dress up a bay window in her home. Stein managed to create her own custom window treatments by adding fuchsia Greek key trim to the simple white panels. To create the look, she cut the trim into curtain length sections, making sure to include an extra 2” to fold over the edges before sewing them onto each panel. For more on how to recreate these curtains, go to Stein’s blog, "Design Manifest". A huge fan of campaign furniture, blogger Louisa DiLeone decided to make her own with IKEA's popular Rast chest, a three-drawer dresser for $34.99.

Using high gloss paint in a pinkish plum, campaign-style drawer pulls and brass flat corners, DiLeone created a gorgeous knockoff for a fraction of the price of an original. For more on how to make it, go to DiLeone’s blog, "For Chic Sake." By mounting two IKEA Akurum kitchen cabinets to an awkward wall in her home, blogger Molly Madfis created what she likes to call a “fauxdenza.” Before attaching the cabinets, Molly set them up on books and boxes to figure out the perfect height and attached a custom walnut slab on top. She suggests mounting the shelves first and then measuring for the wood since IKEA's measurements can sometimes be off. For more on how to make it, go to Madfis’ blog, "Almost Makes Perfect." To add a dose of glam to Ikea’s Vittsjö shelving unit, interior designer Jana Bek painted it gold. She had to paint hers by hand since she lives in a tiny New York City studio apartment and doesn’t have a yard. But if you have outdoor space, spray painting is the better way to go.

Be sure to clean the piece before painting. Since the Vittsjö is metal, Bek did one broad base coast to cover the surface and then a second one to cover the entire piece. For a super luxe look, use an acrylic gold paint for the base coats and this Krylon gold leaf for a textured finish. When spray painting, she likes to use Krylon’s metallic paint in bright gold. For more on how to make it, go to Bek’s website, Bek Design. To make her daughter’s Antilop high chair more stylish, blogger Bethany DeVoretransformed the legs with a few coats of metallic gold spray paint. For a pop of color, she added a homemade decal to the back of the chair with her daughter’s initials. For more on how to make it, go to DeVore’s blog, Dwellings by DeVore. In just a few easy steps, blogger Gina Morrison gave Ikea’s traditional Jokkmokk dining room table a major dose of style. To update the table, Morrison removed the legs and trim by taking out a few screws. Next, she used a sander before staining the wood with Rust-Oleum’s wood stain in sunbleached.

Her last step was to screw in hairpin legs she bought for $50 on Ebay. The entire project took less than an hour not including drying time in between two coats of stain. For more on how to make it, go to Morrison’s blog, Acute Designs. After blogger Sierra Gullan decided to use Ikea’s Malm chests as nightstands in her new apartment, she painted them black and placed white O’verlays on each drawer. Since the Malm dressers have a laminate finish, they can be tricky to paint. Sierra’s hack wasn’t easy but with these tips, you can recreate her look: 1. Prime the dressers. They’re made from laminate and priming will ensure they hold the paint. 2. Invest in a “smooth” roller brush. The quality is so important. You’ve already saved money by buying at Ikea, so spend a few extra dollars on a decent brush. It will make all the difference with the finish. 3. Be patient and wait for each coat of paint to dry. 4. Use liquid nails for O’verlays.

5. Add a sealant for an extra-chic high gloss finish. For more on how to make it, go to Gullan's blog, Posh Meets Pavement. To create a custom entertainment stand, blogger Amelia Warren attached threeBilly bookcases together using screws and painted the back black. Since most paints won't adhere to laminate, she used Zinsser's oil-based, odorless primer. Next, she attached decorative molding with finishing nails—she recommends pre-drilling your holes to avoid splitting—caulked the seams, then finished it with a coat of Martha Stewart's Talc, a near-perfect match to the Ikea white. For more on how to make it, go to Amelia's blog, House Pretty. Blogger Christine Dovey says this hack on Ikea’s Klubbo coffee table was so simple since all she needed was gold leaf, some gilding size and two brushes. First, she sanded the base lightly and applied the sizing medium. After waiting a few minutes, she applied the gold leaf piece by piece, using a dry brush to help it adhere.