Thankfully, there is still a great company, Comfort Works, that specialize in slipcovers--Ikea slipcovers at that. And they make them for the Klippan! We selected a swatch that was very close to our Lounge sofa (Ash is the color we selected in the top left corner) in the family room and it arrived yesterday. Right away I knew something wasn't totally jiving.
It was a little darker than I expected. But we slipped it on anyway--which, by the way, this cover was significantly easier to get on than our Ikea-bought cover.
And the texture of the fabric was seriously stunning.
But, and this a big BUT, after 6 minutes of staring at it and wincing, I knew what the problem was. The cover that we chose has cool undertones and our wall paint and area rug have warm undertones.
So, the light gray that we thought we were getting, actually looks blue in the space. Even more blue than it appears to be in these photos (how rare that something in our house looks better in photos!). I am still wincing about the whole thing.
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How do you get the slip cover to stay down? Mine looks like a tucked-in sheet.
I would be interested in purchasing the grey cover is you decide to go with white!
Raj, definitely still in the realm of possibility if you're comfortable with a nail gun or a large stapler. once the cover is separated from the sofa frame, just make sure the fabric are nailed back to the sofa - you can then get the cushion re-slipcovered, make sure the seat cushions have a lining with good friction (suede or velvet works best) so the seat cushions doesn't slip off when they're sat on.
I totally feel your pain. We bought some new sofas last year (without slipcovers) and the seat cushions started ripping exactly 3 days after the warranty expired. Now I have to figure out how to get the cushions off (they are attached permanently) and recover them somehow.
Thanks for the post Julia, your photos does the KINO so much more justice than shown on the website. Maybe it's cause I'm a big of grey hues, but I thought them rug + wall + the Ash grey look pretty awesome together! Looking forward to round 2 :))
Aww. So sorry! I totally know what you mean about sneaky cool and warm tones and the visual wincing. My husband thinks I'm just picky, but my eyes tell me when the tones are arguing. :P :) Good luck on the return/exchanging!!
Hi, I've been following your blog since a year now, and from Italy :-)
I like the one you chose, but by the way, this brand is making Ikea covers too:
http://www.bemz.com/en/?gclid=CNnrgoq7-bECFcuHDgodITQAzg
And there are special offers on discontinued sofa covers..not this model.. :-(
Good luck :-)
To be completely honest, I would love to get a saddle leather couch for the living room--but then we would be the people that bought 5 couches in three years. We're just trying to make it work for now. Hahaha.
You guys are so brave to get a white couch in the first place! I know it can be easily washed or reslip-covered, but STILL the thought just sends shivers up my spine. I know you don't eat in there, but I don't know, I'd be so paranoid of ANY thing touching it. Our grey/khaki couch has been a great color for us to mask the occasional pen marking or juice spill, but since it was a cheap-o couch from Costco, I just know that when the time comes to getting a nice new couch set, we will be itching for something a LOT more comfortable!! Like that one you guys have in the family room. STILL drooling over that.
I do love the texture of that slip cover though. Neat that companies are making slip overs for that style!
We have thought about dyeing, but we were hoping it would be lighter. Not sure if we could swing that. Still on the table though!
Have you thought about dyeing the slipcover? Maybe that could be an alternative to having to buy another one.
I don't feel completely confident DIYing my own slipcover. Eeeks! But, if it comes down to that--could be a fun challenge.
Bummer! Now that you have the new slipcover, anyway you could make a template out of the old white one and DIY a new slipcover yourself? The gray one could cover the sofa in the meantime while you work out the exchange process!
Ugh, ordering online can be so hard because things will not appear as they seem online in person. I hope you can find the right cover for the space! http://www.styleoyster.blogspot.com
it's really too bad that the color doesn't work because that slipcover is amazing! Sometimes its hard to see amazing texture over the internet, but if it looks this good in the pictures, I am sure its even more delicious in person. Totally understand the cool versus warm tones though. Such a bummer! Can't wait to hear about part two and what you end up with :)
I'm from Florence :-)
Melissa,
What part of Italy are you from? I have family in Torino!
hmmm... maybe this cool vs warm tones is why my house looks like a complete decorating disaster (at least in the rooms that are decorated)... clearly I can't distinguish between a warm & a cool tone... I think the slipcover looks great! (but I don't live with it)
Shoot - that's too bad! I can imagine what a let down it must've been after you had been waiting for it to arrive in the mail!! I got a ComfortWorks cover for my Karlstad in Lino Brushed a few months ago, which totally works for my space: http://thesweetestdigs.com/2012/06/21/review-comfort-works-karlstad-slipcover/. They initially sent me some samples to choose from and test in the room... maybe you could ask for some so the same problem doesn't happen again?
Good luck! Love what you're doing with the living room :)
Bummer! I love the texture, so it's really too bad it doesn't work. White leather should look awesome though!
That texture is TO DIE. I love it. Sad to see that it doesn't match quite as well as we're (I'm invested) wanting. White leather would be cool though!
I think it looks great. Ditch the current throw pillows and find something that coordinates with the warm undertone of the rug. I think that will pull it together nicely.