Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Renew Ikea furniture with Bemz


Did your know that you can renew your Ikea furniture by getting new, washable covers from Swedish company Bemz? All you have to do is to know the name of the Ikea model and pick out your favorite fabric. No need for taking measurements or any boring stuff like that. Just order, remove the old cover and slip on the new. Simple as that!

Take the old Tomelilla armchair pictured above. I've had it since I bought it second-hand seven years ago. It's a tad big for my tiny apartment, but I decided to keep it for a while longer due to the facts that it's both very comfy and it's got wheels. It's easy to move over to the sofa area when I have guests. The original cover from Ikea was once white, but over the years it has become both yellowish and washed out. Time for a new one.

From Bemz you can order fabric samples for free:


They have a huge selection of fabrics, colours and patterns, both their own design and from other designers. As I have just bought a new sofa from Ikea, a Karlstad in a fabric called Korndal Medium Grey, I was looking for something to go with it:

(Photo by Ikea)

I was particularly taken with a fabric from Designer's Guild called Castellar Indigo, which has some grey in it:


However, upon seeing it on a photo from the Bemz blog, I realized I'd rather use that particular fabric for cushions than for a whole chair, as the chair needed something to make it look less conspicuous since it's so big:


So I went with white and silver grey vertical stripes. They're supposed to be slimming, right?


A closer look:


From I made the order with Bemz and until I received my new cover it took about 3 weeks. Impressive, as they're sewn to order. And the total price, inclusive of shipping and taxes, was only a fraction of what it would have cost me to get a completely new chair. Isn't that just so neat?

It looks fab with the sofa, too. But as the refurbishing of my living room isn't completely finished yet, you'll have to wait for a little while longer until I can show you the whole "new" room. Hope it won't be too long!

17 comments:

  1. holy crap, this is brilliant! and I'm loving the new look you went for. bold, but not overbearing.

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  2. I have heard of this company but its great to know of someone that has used it and is pleased with the results... LOVE your chair. I rather like the sound of their Belgian linen covers. What a fabulous company... xx

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  3. thats brilliant! its like a brand new chair and i love the colour you've chosen

    xo

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  4. Love the stripes!! What a fantastic pick for a cover! Our IKEA sells covers too, but not as pretty as this I don't think .

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  5. Thank you for the kind words and positive feedback! I love the way you walked your readers through the whole purchasing process from swatches to final product. Brilliant. I look forward to seeing photos of your whole room :)
    Christie at Bemz

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  6. Looks great! I do love IKEA. Smart idea.

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  7. It looks fabulous! I like IKEA furniture quite a bit.

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  8. it looks great!
    lovely furnitures make our home more comfortable for us
    you check my post on my blog if you like to

    sweets from Bali
    Dias

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  9. Hello my sweet friend.
    I had no idea!
    Love the fabric you chose and the outcome.
    You are so good in decoration.
    Can't wait to see the rest of the room.
    xx

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  10. What a fabulous idea...I love the stipes and the fact that it helps you customise your furniture. Just brilliant!

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  11. I HAVE heard of them...good to know the quality is good too!

    Love your stries!

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  12. wow,,ur article increase my reference in interior
    would u visit mine
    we can follow each other and be a friend :)

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  13. thanks for replying my comment :)
    yes,i was very happy to choose that beautiful shoes! :)
    check out my newest post! I hope you like it :)

    sweets from Bali
    Dias

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  14. Your chair looks fab - I love your fabric choice. I have been pleased with Bemz, too... I got some covers for our dining chairs. At that time, the cost of shipping to the USA was very high, but I believe they have now folded that into the cost of the product. (Not sure if that's a good thing or not!!)

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  15. That's looks amazing! Such a good tip - thank you!

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