Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

Decor

This Little Couch of Ours

October 8, 2012
Our Ikea Klippan 4-seater couch is turning out to be not quite the easy-peasy couch we thought it was when we bought it last year.  Granted, it was only $400, which is in no way pocket change, but for a 4-person couch.  It doesn't get much cheaper.  In that $400, was also included a white slipcover which is somewhere in the garage.  The thing is toast.

We washed it a lot--because it was white, we had to--but it still held onto stains and with each wash a new hole showed up, until one fateful wash, there was a hole right on the middle of the couch cover.  No bueno.  So we're using it for a dropcloth now.  We later found out Ikea discontinued their Klippan 4-seater all together, without even a head's up, so we teamed up with Comfort Works to outfit our couch with a new slipcover.

First, we went with a Kino slipcover. The fabric was so choice and the fit was perfection but the color turned slate blue in our darker digs which we weren't digging...at all.

Because Comfort Works custom makes each slipcover we weren't sure if we were going to be able to return it, but fortunately we were (on our own dime).  To be sure we weren't going to make the same mistake again, we ordered a slew of free swatches to test out in the room and Chris landed immediately on the white leather one.  He deemed it "The safest."

When it arrived last week, I panicked and sent this photo to Chris:

It was ill-fitting and really, really wrinkly. I could feel his panic from across the county (he was in Philly on business) with a simple "ekes" response. Over the next couple days, the leather smoothed out a little bit as I continued to tuck and tuck and pull and tuck.

One perk of the leather is it is completely wipeable which makes us breathe a lot easier when thinking back to our last, poor, shredded, over-washed, white slipcover.  Also, the leather is super, SUPER soft, which was a happy surprise from bicast leather.

As for the color, it is...bright.  Even whiter than our fauxdenza cabinets.  I am sure our deep dark walls are making it appear even brighter than it would against a lighter shade.  But, let's just say, our eyes are still adjusting.  We are still used to seeing our nude, natural Klippan so it might take a few days.

The wrinkles have eased up over the weekend (thankfully!) and I am hoping that with a few more days of tugging, the fit will be more glove-like.

Through all of this, Comfort Works has been a peach.  We love the idea of taking a basic, cheap sofa and revamping it and giving it new life or at least a better wardrobe.

That being said, we're saving our pennies for a forever couch (at least one we can hang onto for a decade or more!) for the living room.  After buying our Lounge sofa for the family room, we are starting to understand why sometimes it pays to invest in a good, quality piece of furniture. I've got my eye on a really, beautiful couch, but the Klippan will have to do until I can convince Chris we should splurge.  Hehehe.

How was your weekend?  How was the rest of your week last week?  Thanks for letting me slip out for a few days to take care of things.  Everything is just fine over here--some things are just more important than home decor.

We are so grateful to Comfort Works who provided the slipcover for us to review, but did not pay me to write a positive review, if that wasn't obvious. ;)  All opinions are my own. 

filed under: 
— Hide Comments
+ ShowComments
What do you think?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. I have two Klippan 4 seater sofas I am going to sell. I am in Florida. If anyone wants to drive to get them - contact me! :D This would include the sofa, the black slip cover, plus an additional black slip cover - and I have TWO complete sets. :) mitzigee at g mail dot com

  2. I love these sofas and sadly enough The 4-seater klippan is no longer sold here. So if you haven't gotten rid of it yet I'd be more than happy to help with the funding of a new sofa for you.

  3. Also, you have to decide the specific areas of your body to focus on. A short dress can look amazing on a
    woman for an exciting night out on the town. The cocktail dress is one of the most versatile garments available to women.

  4. Good day! This post couldn't be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my good old room mate!
    He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this write-up to him.
    Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!

  5. I love your decor, but I'm honestly not a fan of the couch shape or the slipcover. Even though I know it's leather, it looks like it is covered with a sheet (no offense, comfortworks). Sofas are super expensive...we are just getting a decent one delivered tomorrow after having an Ektorp Ikea one for 10 years. Maybe move the ikea one to a playroom or buy a new Ikea-made slipcover? We bought the Ektorp cover in gray for our old sofa and it looks quite new. It's finding a new home in our house where the kids can destroy it.

  6. Lady, you've got to find your couch on Craigslist! That's what we did - a $1,200 Room and Board sofa for $600. And it was only used for a week. A week! Aye, those crazy rich Chicago folk (gotta love them).

  7. I like it! One trick I've learned with slipcovers is to wash them and dry them until they're almost dry but still damp, then slip them on your cushions and let them air dry. This gives you a really tight fit without any wrinkles! I don't know if you could do that with a toddler running around but it's something to consider if the wrinkles don't ease up anymore :)

What We're

Loving

Right Now

What We're

Loving

Right Now

Looking for our favorite things? A place to shop our home room by room, or just catch up on what Julia's wearing / loving right now? Browse the CLJ shop
Shop All

Love Stories

Love Where You Live

In an industry that often feels designed to make you discontent, we want this to be place you come for inspiration, ideas, and encouragement to make the space you're already in feel like home.
Read All Posts
let's break this thing up

BROWSE BY CATEGORY

01

Portfolio

Befores, afters, mood boards, plans, failures, wins. We’ve done a lot of projects, and they’re all here.
read more
02

Projects

We have a long-standing relationship with DIY, and love rolling our sleeves up and making it happen.
read more
03

Design

Even when you don’t want to rip down a wall, you can make that space in your home better. Right now.
read more
hello world!

looking for inspiration?

The Marcum family dressed as characters from the classic edition of Clue: The Game.
Entertaining

Our Halloween Family Costumes 2024: I'll Give You One Clue

It was Professor Plum, with the knife, in the Conservatory. Happy Halloween from Clue characters: 1986 edition! Shop Costume Inspiration Over the years, we've dressed as everything from dolls and monsters to Peter Pan, E.T. characters, and The Wizard of Oz. But in the last several years, one of our kids has usually chosen our costumes. If you look back, you […]
Wayfair Holiday Christmas collage round up
Decor

The Best Holiday Finds at Wayfair

This post is sponsored by Wayfair We bought this gorgeous, extremely realistic tree from Wayfair in 2019. It may be my best Christmas find ever because it has moved across the country with us, and it's the first thing we decorate every year (and that last thing we put away when the season is over). […]
product lines

Meet the New Chris Loves Julia x Loloi Pillows for Fall 2024

With the Chris Loves Julia x Loloi Rugs launch this season, we just had to add some new pillows too! For this collection, like all of our lines, we designed the pillows colorwise and pattern-wise to all work together. But there are some fun surprises too (including new floor pillows and a brand-new ruffle pillow […]
Outdoor dining table scene in front of ivy brick wall with a beautiful beige geometric outdoor rug
product lines

The Chris Loves Julia x Loloi Rugs Fall 2024 Collection

I can't believe this is our fourth year working with Loloi! For this season's rugs, we are bringing in new styles that haven’t been seen before, which is really fun. It's also exciting to be able to expand popular collections like the Jules rug, which offers beautiful vintage-style rug patterns at an affordable price. For […]
Learn With Us
Want to do what we do? Get the tools, mentorship, and training to be a Good Influencer professionally.
Learn More
Looking for Something?

SEARCH THE BLOG

We've been doing this since 2009 and we've posted a whopping 24145+ blog posts and counting. You might need a little help searching, huh?

Can We Send You Our Love Letter?

Another way for us to stay in touch! Joining our weekly newsletter gives you access to exclusive content, never-before-seen photos, your questions answered, and our favorite DIYs. Sign up below!

hello world!
Follow Along on Instagram
Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations
© 2024 Chris Loves Julia, LLC
PRIVACY POLICYTERMS & CONDITIONSAFFILIATE DISCLAIMERSITE CREDITCOMMUNITY GUIDELINES