13 IKEA hacks to make your sofa look a million bucks

Looking for the ultimate IKEA hack for your sofa?

If you own an IKEA Sofa and have become bored of how it looks, you’re at the right place. We’ll show you how to rejuvenate or hack your IKEA Sofa inexpensively.

Whether you’ve spilled wine all over the sofa or your cat scratched the entire armrest beyond recognition – there’s always a way to resolve this. It could be as simple as putting lemon juice and baking soda to get rid of a stain, or just using Sticky Paws to stop your pet from mutilating the sofa even further.

Alternatively, here are some other considerations:

Getting a slipcover

So there are probably two reasons why you’d be getting a slipcover:
– the sofa’s ugly or;
– you’re bored of how it looks

Either way, a simple slipcover would be the means to an end – let’s see how.

1. Get a skirted slipcover

With the Karlstad sofa cover, IKEA actually makes it nice and snug as each individual component (frame, armrest, seat and back cushions) has their very own cover. The custom long skirt slipcover we make however, feels like all that tension has been released – creating a very relaxed look for the Karlstad since the armrests and body are now covered by a single piece.

No one would even think it’d be IKEA 😉

2. Request for a leather slipcover

Traditionally, many people would think that a slipcover fits loosely over the sofa – that’s not true.

Leather slipcovers can actually fit quite nice and snug usually with good measurements, and a bit of velcro. The Karlstad sofa bed never came with slipcovers but we took the liberty of creating one for it. Of course, there’s the downside of having to disassemble the sofa but if you look at it – you know it looks good.

Because it’s able to fit so well, putting leather on takes it to another level.

3. Opt for shabby chic linen

Sometimes you want contemporary and premium. Many people know and love the classic IKEA Klippan sofa, even if they don’t know the name – they would have most definitely seen it at least once in their life. Check out this Klippan’s transformation to refresh your memory.

The sofa is cheap, to say the least. Put on a luxurious fabric like linen onto it and it instantly becomes a different sofa altogether. High school dorm to classy bachelor pad, just like that.

Personalising your covers even further

The slipcover is just the tip of the iceberg, but in a world where everything’s mass produced – anything custom made stands out very easily. Why get a slipcover that looks just like the ones at IKEA? Here are some other ways to make your slipcover more uniquely, you.

4. Custom seams, stitching and piping

While not exactly an IKEA hack, there are little accents we call customisations to subtly take a slipcover further.

Off the shelf, you have many fabric options but not many places are you able to specifically request for a different fabric for a particular part of a sofa slipcover. At Comfort Works, we like experimenting – a lot. Find out more what you can do with your slipcovers’ seams, stitching or piping here.

You may find different designs here that may or may not tickle your fancy but if it does – don’t be afraid to ask and we’ll definitely help you out where we can 🙂

5. Providing pleat preferences

When there’s no velcro on a slipcover, the excess fabric “a.k.a the skirt” is left empty. Like the Long Skirt Linen Klippan cover, it works if you’re going for a very clean, simple and minimalist look. However, a little bit of extra detail shows more intricacy and class. Essentially this is an IKEA hack that brings a lot more depth into the living space, depending on the style of pleats you’re going for.

6. Custom sofa arm pockets

Where’s the remote control?

You won’t ever have to ask that question anymore if your sofa slipcover has these customised arm pockets; fit magazines, an iPad – anything you want within reach really. It’s not an item on our site per se, but you can definitely email us to have it made nonetheless.

Accessorize with add-ons

Besides the slipcover itself, there are many other parts of the sofa which can be further personalised with a simple IKEA hack. The outcome: an entirely unique sofa.

7. Swap in some sexy, sofa legs

Did you happen to know that Comfort Works also do replacement ikea sofa legs too?

Well apart from making slipcovers, we thought why not change up the legs as well? Kindly note that not all IKEA models can have these legs attached however, if it’s anything besides the Karlstad, Klippan, Karlsfors, Klobo, Ektorp, Söderhamn, Solsta, Sandby, Härnösand, Stockholm, Säter, Ystad, Mellby – you might require a universal mounting plate available at Amazon.

8. DIY tufting made easy

If you’re into DIY projects, then our tufting kit will definitely bring a bit of fun for the weekend if you wish to spruce up a couple of pillows and give it a more classic look. This is the ultimate IKEA hack to making your sofa less IKEA, and more premium looking.

Drop us a note anytime if you want more tufting ideas and inspiration for your sofa.

9. Upholstery nails

This is not the for the faint of heart as it’s a larger step from DIY tufting – beware that this is going to be more or less as permanent as upholstery. Upholstery tacks/nails isn’t something we do but it’s readily available on Etsy, Amazon or any local upholstery shop really.

If permanency isn’t an issue for you, putting these tacks will literally add extra contrast to your likely dark sofa – works incredibly well with dark velvet fabrics or leather. Your sofa would look more like two million bucks possibly, another inexpensive IKEA hack worth trying out.

10. Add a USB charger onto your slipcover

Do you sometimes wish that your sofa was closer to the wall where you normally charge your phone?

That won’t ever be a problem if you choose to get one of our slipcovers with a built-in USB charging port. No more stuffing mobile chargers between your sofa seats or uncomfortably reaching over just to use your phone while it’s charging.

11. Turn your sofa into a smart sofa

You might be familiar with IKEA’s LED lamp that can wirelessly charge your phone. But what about being able to charge your phone with a sofa slipcover?

Well, now you can, with our newest customisation options, which include adding a wireless charger to your sofa slipcover.

The new wireless charging slipcovers effectively turn your standard IKEA sofa into a tech-enabled work of art that eliminates the need to get up from your sofa in order just to charge your phone every single time.

IKEA Hack: Bonus Features

Many of the above would exponentially enhance the look of your sofa aesthetically, but there are also other items that help keep your sofa sparkly clean, prolonging the lifespan of it for another few good years.

We did think of Scotchguard but feel that many people would have kids, pets and possibly allergies to the chemicals used so by protecting your sofa this way – it might end up harming your health. With that said, here are some more eco-friendly alternatives:

12. Multi-purpose wooden armrest trays

Our wooden armrest trays work best with square arm sofas due to the flexibility of the tray, making it incredibly multi-purpose. Whether you wish to use it as a laptop tray, armrest tray or a decorative table mat (caution: not heat resistant), it serves well very aesthetically.

13. Armrest protectors

However, if you wish to fully protect your arms we’ve got these new gears: armrest covers/caps/protectors. Check it out:

Takeaway

There you have it, 13 ways to hack your IKEA Sofa so it does NOT look like an IKEA sofa. Customising your sofa doesn’t have to be difficult, nor does it have to break the bank so hopefully these ideas have helped you out somehow 🙂

Are there other IKEA hacks you can think of to rejuvenate your sofa? Let us know!
Photo credits:
Upholstery tacks: artfactory.com