IKEA slipcovers upgrade: Kat’s office lobby gets a facelift

ikea slipcovers sofa makeover

Changing out the dark blue IKEA slipcovers does wonders for this dark, narrow space.

Whenever I walked into my bestie’s office, I think, “This place can look so much better.”

The office reception is long and narrow. Not that I minded the size but the space felt dark, bare and unfinished. Almost like they ran out of decorating steam, pushed a couch against the wall and called it a day.

So when Comfort Works reached out on a possible collaboration, I thought, “Yeah, why not makeover Kat’s IKEA KIVIK sofa with new slipcovers and update the space as much as we can?”

Here’s the office reception before we got to work:
office makeover before

From IKEA, they have a KIVIK two-seater in Hillared dark blue slipcovers and a NOT floor uplighter. Beside the sofa, a glass side table. And wall-to-wall carpet tiles in patterned grey.

office makeover before

We didn’t want to spend too much on new pieces, so kept the lamp and side table.

The goal was to style the place up to be brighter, more cheery and welcoming.

Ordering new IKEA slipcovers

First thing I did was to explore the fabric options for the KIVIK 2-seater on Comfort Works. There were so many choices, ranging from heavy duty fabric to wool to leather.

I picked a few that caught my eye and ordered samples. Always order samples because you can’t trust the colour on your screen. And of course, you want a feel of the fabric.

comfort works IKEA slipcovers

Soon enough, the samples landed in my mailbox.

comfort works IKEA slipcovers samples

And we found Kino Frost to be the winner. It was a textured light blue in heavy duty fabric. The fabric is hard wearing so it’ll stand up to years of abuse in the office. And we hoped the lighter colour will brighten up the space considerably.

Now, I thought choosing the fabric and colour was it. But noooo, Comfort Works has so many more customisation options. Seriously, your sofa can be totally fancied up, if you want.

First, the slipcover style. This basically covers two things: 1. Different fit (snug, long or short skirt) and 2. Seams (minimal seams, matching piping or contrasting piping).

Styles for IKEA Slipcovers:

  1. Urban: Snug fit with wrap-around cushions for minimal seams.
  2. Modern: Snug fit with matching piping on the cushion covers and armrests.
  3. Minimalist: Wrap-around cushions for minimal seams and skirt.
  4. Classic: Matching piping on the cushion covers and armrests, with corner-pleated skirt.
  5. Scandi: Wrap-around cushions for minimal seams and corner-pleated skirt.

I know that’s a lot to take in so here’s a handy guide on the different styles available.

We went with the Minimalist, as we preferred a more streamlined look. And we wanted a slipcover that was easy to put on and take off for cleaning. With the skirt, we won’t need to disassemble the KIVIK to put on or remove the slipcover. (The snug fit would be fitted as per the original IKEA KIVIK slipcover.)

One thing to note when ordering your slipcover, there may be sizing discrepancies internationally, so you may need to verify the sofa measurements. So for our KIVIK, we needed to provide the sofa width between the armrests. But no worries, the good people of Comfort Works will walk you through it, if necessary.

Then, 2 weeks later, this goodie bag arrived.

Comfort Works bag

So let’s get the makeover going.

Adding a burst of colours

We felt that the wall behind the sofa was way too bare. I reached out to my friend, Nadya of Artisan Malaysia and asked if she could help us out.

She provides an art concierge service whereby she’ll take a look at your space and recommend suitable artwork based on your tastes and preferences. Purely as a personal favour she lent me 3 pieces to test out at Kat’s space. Thank you, Nadya.

Artisan Malaysia oil paintings

And then this was how it all came together.

Installation was pretty easy. Basically, we just pulled the slipcovers over the body of the old IKEA KIVIK slipcover. Then, replaced the ones on the cushions. And that was that.

15 minutes was probably all it took. Then, it was time to add a few accessories to liven up the place.

And here’s the after:
Comfort Works IKEA Slipcovers

A closer look at the colour and texture of the fabric. Kat loves the lines. So do I.

Comfort Works IKEA Slipcovers

And the excellent stitching. No issues with size whatsoever. The slipcover fitted perfectly.

Comfort Works IKEA Slipcovers

And then, armrest covers! These are life savers. Just remove them to wash when soiled, without removing the entire slipcover.

Comfort Works IKEA Slipcovers

There are some creases here and there on the cushions where they were folded but I believe they’ll flatten out with use. (FYI, I did not iron the slipcover at all before putting it on.)

The Kino Frost fabric felt a little rough but that’s what is to be expected of a tough, durable fabric. I hope it will soften over time. We’ll see.

Up your sofa game

There was more in our goodie bag. Comfort Works also sent a range of interesting accessories and kits to complement our sofa.

Armrest tray

armrest tray

The armrest tray is such an excellent idea. It’s slats of wood (held together by fabric underneath) that drapes over the armrest. Works especially well for larger armrests like the KIVIK. If you don’t have space for a side table, this is the perfect solution.

Built-in USB port and wireless charging

Comfort Works also included a built-in USB port and wireless charger with our IKEA KIVIK slipcovers. The port is built into the main body of the slipcover itself. (You can catch a glimpse of it at 0.08 in the video above) And a pocket on one of the armrests where you can slip your phone in and charge wirelessly.

built in sofa wireless charger

Unfortunately, neither Kat nor I have a Qi enabled phone. (Yes, we are outdated.) So we weren’t able to test out this feature. But I love this idea. And when I get a wireless charging cover for my phone, I’d let you know how it goes.

See how it works in this video.

All-in-one tufting kit

They also sent us a tufting kit which we didn’t use because Kat is dead set against tufts. The kit has all you need to tuft — fabric-covered buttons in the same fabric as your sofa, one 20cm tufting needle, chalk, measuring tape, twine and a pair of scissors. They made it so convenient if you plan to tuft your sofa.

Comfort Works tufting kit

Maybe I’ll find another project for it. Nothing goes to waste here.

Along with this KIVIK sofa slipcover, I ordered slipcovers for my battered as-is IKEA EKERÖ armchair.

IKEA sofa slipcovers upgrade

You can also watch the sofa makeover on my Instagram stories.

Sources:

This post is in collaboration with Comfort Works. Besides, IKEA they also offer slipcovers for Pottery Barn, Muji, West Elm, Crate and Barrel and custom orders.