Long skirt or snug fit slipcovers?

Whether you’re looking for a custom made slipcover or just want to update your IKEA sofa, something you’d want to consider is the way the slipcover fits. Something we always ask our customers is:

Would you like your slipcover to have a long skirt or a snug fit?

It seems like most people need inspiration for the various options available on their own slipcover, so perhaps further information will help you out!

If your sofa already has a slipcover and it’s not from IKEA, it’s probably already in a long skirt style. We use this term to describe slipcovers which aren’t attached to the sofa at the bottom, or some people would call it a “Loose cover”. Many conventional slipcovered sofas are made in this style from familiar brands such as Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and Crate and Barrel.

Crate and Barrel Lounge II Petite Slipcovered 83″ Sofa Pottery Barn PB Basic Slipcovered Sofa Restoration Hardware Belgian Slope Arm Slipcovered Collection

Looking at these above, you’ll notice that they all have long skirts that reach the floor, hence the term “long skirt” slipcover. Pleats are also a common feature on long skirt slipcovers, whether they’re just at the corners like the IKEA Ektorp or have multiple pleats like the PB Basic, but some may opt to get slipcovers customized without pleats for a sleek look. Some slipcovers may be an inch or two shorter to expose the legs, but they can still be considered to have a long skirt.

On the flip side, you have snug fit slipcovers. Many conventional sofa brands such as the ones mentioned above don’t make slipcovers in a snug fit style, which is a shame because it gives you a more sleek, contemporary look while offering the practicality of pulling off the slipcovers and throwing them in the washing machine. That’s pretty much getting the best of both worlds!

However, we can confidently say that IKEA is the one brand that brought snug fit slipcovers to the mass market. Just look at these sofas:

Ikea Norsborg 2+2 sectional Ikea Stockholm 3 seater sofa

These are just a couple of the many IKEA sofas we make slipcovers for. They may look upholstered with the neat and tidy look and exposed legs, but the secret to these is just smart design: it’s just a strip of Velcro on the base of the frame. The corresponding slipcovers have the matching side of Velcro so that when the sofa covers are installed, you just press the Velcro together and you’re all set.

 

1) What if you have a regular sofa with exposed legs but you like the look of a long skirted slipcover?

If you have something like this:

Ikea Karlstad 3 seater sofa with original Isunda Grey covers

Just customize the slipcovers to have a long skirt so you’ll end up with something like this:

Karlstad 3 seater with custom long skirt slipcovers from Comfort Works

 

 

2) What if you want to save your upholstered sofa but want slipcovers à la IKEA sofa covers, i.e. snug fit?

Exhibit A: An upholstered sofa which we can create custom slipcovers for

Let’s say you have a sofa with legs slightly exposed and you really, really don’t like the loose fitted, long skirt style of slipcovers. You like the contemporary, neat, almost upholstered look and don’t mind fiddling around with a staple gun or hot glue if it would help you achieve the look you want.

(We previously covered this topic in our blogpost: How to fix my leather Klippan sofa)

Step 1: Get in touch with us to get a custom slipcover and we’ll guide you through the measurement process. We’ll also ask you to measure the height of your sofa legs 🙂

Step 2: Receive your custom slipcovers with velcro sewn inside, and put the slipcover on your sofa.

Step 3: Get some help from a friend and gently flip your sofa onto its back, with the frame slipcover on. Fold the velcro strips on the slipcover down, and mark with a piece of chalk where you’ll have to install the other side of velcro.

Step 4: Staple or glue the matching strips of velcro to your sofa frame.

DIY strips of velcro to the underside of sofa

Step 5: Attach the velcro nicely and turn your sofa the right way up. And there you have it, a snugly fitted slipcover for your old sofa!

Photo sent in by a happy customer!