I’ve spent more time than I care to admit wishing that IKEA Uppland sofas packed a little more personality. That the verdure-tapestry couch I’ve bookmarked didn’t cost $8,000. That the tried-and-true Hyltarp came upholstered in something – anything – other than Tallmyra, Hemmesta, or Gransel. IKEA is one of the best places to buy a couch for its affordability, but it's not the best place to head if you are looking for something unique.
Standardization is the trade-off we accept for clean lines and unseasonably affordable seating. But fellow Swedish brand Bemz riffs on that big-box logic with a simple counterproposal: keep IKEA’s machine-perfect dimensions and rethink everything else.
Bemz has been making replacement IKEA furniture covers since 2005, which means nearly every sofa IKEA has ever produced – two-seaters, sectionals, sofa beds, even discontinued models – can be fully reimagined. (If your sofa isn’t among their 208 possible dimension options, it likely never existed.) From there, you choose from more than 150 upholstery options across fabrics, colors, and patterns, and suddenly that once-inoffensive, anonymous couch starts to look completely custom.
So if you don't fall in love with at least one, that's on you – the options are not only numerous, but also very chic. At a presentation during this past New York Fashion Week, I drooled over a pair of blue-and-burgundy pinstriped sofas, so on-trend for the current season, I initially assumed they were bespoke. Had I not been a style editor – one who knows IKEA silhouettes perhaps a little too well – I never, not in a million years, would have guessed they were Upplands. But the curved arms gave it away eventually.
IKEA base, Bemz cover.
Fashion's who's who were photographed on them all afternoon, which felt telling. If this IKEA hack can hold up under the scrutiny of camera-flash-filled rooms with that level of taste, they’re doing something right. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Bemz has also collaborated with names like Patricia Rodi, or that most of their offerings rack up five-star reviews.
Candidly, as both an Aquarius and a picky style editor who hates sharing the same drink order as anyone else – let alone the most dominant piece of furniture in the home – I’d never seriously considered buying IKEA for myself until this.
Shop my favorite Bemz customizations for some of IKEA’s most popular sofas, or have a play and design your own to see just how far you can push pre-made.
Isn’t it romantic? One of many gems from La Maison, Bemz’s characterful new collaboration with interior designer Patricia Rodi, this print is a match made in heaven with a gently voluminous silhouette.
Ordinarily, IKEA’s Söderhamn is fairly bare-bones. This skirted cover, upholstered in a maximalist tonal pink Panama stripe, however, is anything but.
A contemporary silhouette meets the antique sensibility of this very-of-the-moment verdure tapestry–inspired upholstery. (If you’re tempted, it’s also available as a matching cushion cover.)
Everyone and their mother is currently chasing a leopard-print sofa. This one skips the several-thousand-dollar custom upholstery bill and gives you the grace of changing your mind when the next feral print takes over.
It’s easy to get swept up in the patterns, but don’t sleep on the solids either. From bouclé and corduroy to wool and the recycled velvet shown here, Bemz’s texture offerings are just as dreamy.
Bemz really does cover everything. This set wraps not just the base of the 3-Seat Söderhamn sofa, but the decorative cushions, too – all in this impossibly chic swirling pattern for under $500.
Spoiled for choice? Browse the latest interior design trends for inspiration as you conjure up your brand-new Bemz.
