Archives for August 2017

Custom Slipcovers for my Ikea Armchairs

Custom Slipcovers For My Ikea Armchairs

I partnered with Bemz for this post. As always, all thoughts, opinions and Ideas are 100% my own.

Last spring I was on the lookout for a couple of armchairs for my living room, I never dreamed I’d be getting custom slipcovers for them! We had already replaced my ten year old Ektorp Sofa with a new one and I was about to replace my one Ektorp armchair for two new ones when I found this, the Farlov! It wasn’t even in the showroom yet but it was in the catalog. I loved the clean lines and it came with a white slipcover..so, I bought two, without actually seeing them in person! I was a little surprised at the size of these chairs as I was assembling them (they’re big), but the bigger surprise came when I opened the box to get at the slipcovers. Not to offend anyone who has these and love them, but I was so disappointed! I had expected a white cotton similar to my sofa slipcover but these had the appearance of a creamy polyester tweed..not the look I was going for at all. That’s when I decided to try out a company I had heard of who make custom slipcovers for IKEA furniture called Bemz.

I went on their site to see if they were making custom slipcovers for the Farlov yet, seeing how it was fairly new. I was so happy when they were and when I saw all the fabric choices, over 25o+ colours and prints to choose from, I was doing my happy dance! This is just a small sampling of what you’ll find on their site.

Bemz will send you 5 free samples to help you to decide on a fabric of your choice. This process may take a bit of time because there is so much to choose from.. and you may change your mind.. a few dozen times! I placed all my samples on the chair to see if that would help me to decide. I eliminated the greys and charcoals, as much as I loved them, they wouldn’t go with the rest of my decor. I also eliminated the stripes, it would have been too much pattern in such a small space. It also would have made it difficult for me to change/add different colour pillows with the seasons. I needed something a bit more neutral.

I ended up with these six, but I knew the denim floral would be too much in my small space.

I came up with a mood board using colours and textures I have in the room. Wood, white and brass together with my favourite blue and white paisley pillow covers.

I finally made it down to three and this is where I had to ask my friends on Instagram to help me! I asked everyone on IG stories for their top pick and most people chose the “brera lino duck egg” linen (the sample on the left). I decided I’d go with that one since it was in keeping with my coastal farmhouse/beachy vibe I love. But…you guessed it, I changed my mind! At the last minute I realized that although I do love the colour, I wasn’t sure how it would look come fall and then Christmas. How would I style it and work other colours around it? I decided to stick with my trusty neutrals and I went for this beautiful 100% linen called “brera Lino-natural”.

I love the natural linen! The custom slipcovers fit perfectly and are so comfortable to sit in. For those of you who want to try living with neutrals but the thoughts of crisp white slipcovers are a little scary, this is a great option. They come pre-washed and are machine washable. If you’re looking to cover a new or existing sofa, chair etc., they have something for every style.

The farlov comes with a lumbar pillow and they made a cover for that too. I also had them make a couple of throw pillows in the” brera lino duck egg” fabric that I had initially chose. I think they look great!

I think the slipcovers on my two farlov armchairs turned out beautifully and I’m loving the fabric choice…although I think any of those fabrics would have looked great! I’m kinda rethinking my sofa cover now..hmmm.Lol.

Blessings,

Kim

It’s Friday I’m In Love…Five Things On My Nightstand that I’m Loving

7:43 pm by kim 2 Comments

It’s Friday I’m in Love…Five Things on my Nightstand that I’m Loving

Happy Friday ! Welcome to the 2nd instalment of my new series “It’s Friday I’m in Love” Where I’ll be sharing things that have caught my eye during the week. I’ll be sharing anything and everything. From pillowcases to lipstick cases to blogs and spaces that I’m loving right now. I’ll be providing affiliate links when I can so that if you see something you like you can find it too!

Last week the hubby and I did a little Master Bedroom Update with paint. I’ll be sharing that soon! I wanted to update the things that I have on my bedside table and did a little “shop the house”. I took this marble tray that I had on my coffee table and used it on the nightstand. (It’s so amazing when you change the location of accessories from around your home and it’s like you’re seeing it again for the first time!) It’s filled with all the goodies that I’ve been loving this week. Some new and some old and reloved again!

Products I'm loving this week. Jo Malone cologne, Anthropologie Candle, The ordinary Skincare

Five things on my nightstand that I'm loving. Jo Malone cologne, Anthropologie candle, The Ordinary skincare

I found this marble tray at Homesense and have been using it on my coffee table to corral my candles. I thought I’d try it out on the bedside table and it looks just as great there too.

I love Jo Malone cologne and one of my very favourite scenst is Wild Bluebell. This is how their site describes it : “Vibrant sapphire blooms in a shaded woodland. The delicate sweetness of dewy bluebells suffused with lily of the valley and eglantine, and a luscious twist of persimmon. Mesmerising.” Yeah, what they said! I put it away every now and then to make it last a little longer, but I’ve definitely found it again this week and I’m in love again!

The Capri Blue Mercury Candle from Anthropologie is my all-time favourite candle, and that is saying a lot! These are pricey candles but worth every penny. It’s my “splurge item” that I never regret buying. They last for a long time and they can scent up the whole upstairs. They’re pretty to look at too!

Five things on my nightstand that I'm loving. Jo Malone cologne, The ordinary skincare, Anthrropologie candle.

My next two loves are these two product from Decium’s “The Ordinary” skincare line. If you follow me on my IG stories, you’ll know that I bought and have been trying out almost everything from this no frills, low cost line. I’ll be doing a blogpost on the line soon but thought I would mention these two stand out products. The Alpha Arbutin 2% has been working well at fading spots and improving overall skin tone. The Caffeine Solution 5% EGCG has actually worked in reducing puffiness and darkness under the eyes. I’m loving both of these and I’ll be sharing more about them and other products from the line in a post coming soon.

Five products on my nightstand that I'm loving this week. The ordinary skincare, Anthropologie candlee, Jo Malone Cologne.

What have you been loving this week?

Blessings,

Kim

I’ve included some affiliate links below.
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2779992″]

How to Wash IKEA Slipcovers

6:00 am by kim 32 Comments

How to Wash IKEA Slipcovers

One of the questions I get asked all the time is how to care for and how to wash IKEA Slipcovers. I’ve had slipcovers for almost twenty years now and I’ve washed quite a few and learned a trick or two in that time.

Let me start off by asking you to read the care instructions for your particular slipcover on the IKEA site. Different colours and patterns of the IKEA slipcovers are made from various fabrics and various mixes of fabrics and require different care.

My sofa is from the Ektorp series and has the ” Vittaryd White” Slipcover.

Care instructions from IKEA:

Removable cover
Machine wash, warm, normal cycle.
To be washed separately.
Do not bleach.
Do not tumble dry.
Iron, high.
Dry clean any solvent except trichloroethylene.

Product description

65 % polyester, 35 % cotton

My armchairs are from the Farlov series and have the “Flodafors White” slipcovers.

Care instructions from IKEA:

Removable cover
Machine wash, warm, normal cycle.
To be washed separately.
Do not bleach.
Do not tumble dry.
Iron medium temperature, max 300°F/150°C.
Iron on reverse side.
Dry clean any solvent except trichloroethylene.

Product description

59.5 % cotton, 24 % polyester, 16.5 % linen

I bought these Farlov Armchairs last March and I’ve washed them recently for the first time. I think they turned out great. I’ll share how I did both the farlov and ektorp covers.

I Always start by removing the main cover first and get that in the machine. While thats washing I’ll start wrestling with the seat cushions. I like the main cover to be the first piece on after the wash. (I start this process in the evening so that the covers have time to dry overnight.)
Remove the seat covers. This is not an easy feat and the whole darn process is like doing a workout to tell you the truth. But like all workouts, worth the effort when you’re done!
After I remove the covers, I always do up the zippers before washing. It just helps to prevent them from getting caught up and becoming damaged.
Next, I will do spot treatments if needed. I use the same detergent I use to wash the covers as I do to spot treat. I knew that chocolate fell somewhere!
If you’ve read the IKEA instructions they say not to use bleach and I very rarely do. I find it’s very rough on fabric. Usually I place the recommended amount of detergent and oxi-clean in my front loader first and then add the slipcovers. I wash it in a normal wash cycle but add an extra rinse to make sure they’re as white as can be.
This is where I’ve added my own spin to how to wash Ikea slipcovers. (This step is contrary to the IKEA instructions and you do so at your own risk!) After the covers are washed, I remove them from the washer and give them a good shake. Then I will put them in the dryer for 2-5 minutes! I put them on timed dry and check after 2 minutes. I’m basically letting the covers barely come to a warm. This works every time to relax the fabric. I do not leave them in any longer than that even if the dryer doesn’t feel warm. Any longer than that and you run the risk of your covers shrinking! Which they will and you will not be able to fit them back onto your furniture!
I quickly take them out, shake them again and race them upstairs. If its the cushion covers, I’ll lay them smoothly over the kitchen chairs while I put them on one at a time. If it’s the main cover, I get that sucker on asap and begin my smoothing process.
Lastly, I put the cushion covers back on and begin to smooth and stretch them out with my hands. This helps get out the wrinkles. It’s kinda like ironing with your hands!

This is before I do my “hand ironing”, notice the bottom of the slipcover:

My hand ironing thingy:

This is the after, notice the bottom wrinkles are almost gone:

Now that the covers are all on and smoothed out I place the cushions all around so that they stay smooth and they can dry evenly all around. It’s a bit of a mess and that’s why I do it in the evening. By the morning everything is dry and has stayed wrinkle free! Simply put the cushions back together and your good for another few months!

I hope this tutorial on how to wash Ikea slipcovers has been helpful to you! There’s nothing like having clean and great looking slipcovers every few months.

Blessings,

Kim

Archives for August 2017

Custom Slipcovers For My Ikea Armchairs

It’s Friday I’m in Love…Five Things on my Nightstand that I’m Loving

How to Wash IKEA Slipcovers

Care instructions from IKEA:

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