Slipcover Success Stories

Have you used slipcovers to successfully transform a tired or dated piece of furniture? Were you pleasantly suprised about how easy the slipcovers were to fit? Have you saved yourself time and money by using ready made slipcovers rather than reupholster? Have friends or family commented about your beautiful new couch? Whatever your story, we'd love to hear from you. Please send us your story here. 

Success Story #1

I needed to find a cheap way of covering up the upholstery.  I tried covering the seats with throws, which worked OK until someone actually sat in them.  Then those lovely neat-looking throws hiding that awful upholstery ended up in a crumpled heap and the pink flowers were on show again!  I briefly considered asking my girlfriend if she could attempt to reupholster the seats, but then thought better of it.  It was then that my mom suggested slipcovers, something I’d not even heard of.

I did some research online and discovered that ready made slipcovers are fabric furniture covers that are designed to fit most standard sized sofas and chairs.  They are made from all sorts of materials, from denim to chenille, and come in a massive choice of colors and patterns.  Better still, they are really easy to fit and to remove – this is a big bonus if you have a party and your slipcovers end up with food and wine stains on them – you can simply chuck them in the machine and have them looking as good as new in next to no time.

Another thing that pleased me was the prices.  It’s possible to buy a quality sofa slipcover very cheaply, and many stores offer discounts if you buy a matching set.  I chose a set of neutral cream sofa and chair covers, made from cotton fabric.  I have to say I’m very impressed with them.  They were easy to put on and they have a smooth, snug fit  - they don’t seem to get creased and look really smart.  In fact, you’d never guess they were concealing that awful pink pattern underneath!  When guests come to visit they invariably comment on how nice my living room looks, and are always amazed when I tell them how little it cost me to give my furniture a makeover.

So, if you’re in a similar situation and can’t bare the sight of your mismatching assortment of seats, or you old sofa is looking worn or faded, then I'd certainly recommend using slipcovers."J. Turner, Wiltshire, UK

Success Story #2

“I just wanted to share with you what a wonderful discovery slipcovers have been for me.  Until fairly recently, all my furniture was secondhand – perfectly comfortable and functional, but not particularly nice to look at.  When I moved to my first apartment I wasn’t earning that much and couldn’t afford a new sofa and chairs.  Plus, being young and having a busy social life meant I had other things to spend my money on!  I often had friends round, and inevitably in the course of an evening someone would spill a beer on the sofa or drop pizza on a chair.  In those days, these things didn’t bother me too much and if I couldn’t scrub the stains out I didn’t much care.  After all, the furniture hadn’t cost me much.  Needless to say, my old furniture began to look a bit shabby to say the least.

Anyway, now I’m slightly older and wiser (!) I’ve bought a lovely new house and have actually begun to take pride in my homes appearance.  So much so that after all these years I’ve finally treated myself to a brand new suite – a lovely light blue 3-seat sofa and 2 matching arm chairs.  But now of course I would have a fit if anyone spilled their drink on my beautiful new furniture!  Fortunately, so far my sofa and chairs have survived unscathed, as with my student days behind me, I don’t tend to have wild drinks parties these days.  But, I’m still in touch with those old chums, and the thing they all seem to be doing now is having babies…

Don’t get me wrong, babies are great…but not so cute when they poop or puke on your pristine new sofa!  When one of my old friends announced she was coming to visit for the weekend and bringing her newborn baby with her, I went into a bit of a panic.  Obviously, I was looking forward to seeing her, but at the same time I’d spent a lot of money on my furniture and was worried about it being ruined by baby poop!  I mentioned my concern to a work colleague, who suggested I get some slipcovers. 

I’d never even heard of slipcovers until then, but I loved the sound of them.  I immediately got online and was pleasantly surprised to discover that not only were slipcovers nice and cheap to buy, they were fully machine-washable.  I wasted no time in placing an order for some pretty slipcovers made from a cotton stretch fabric that promised a snug fit.  Fortunately, they arrived just in time for the weekend of my friend’s visit, so I was able to test them out.

The first step was to get the slipcovers over my sofa and chairs, which was actually really straightforward and with a bit of tucking here and there, it was hard to tell I’d disguised my seats with furniture covers at all.  In fact, my friend was mortified when baby John decided to vomit over the seat of the sofa, as she thought it had ruined my upholstery!  I reassured her it was OK, ripped the slipcover off and chucked it in the machine.  Luckily I’d had the foresight to buy a spare set of slipcovers, so while the washing was on I quickly fitted another slipcover over the sofa.

Anyway, amazingly the stained slipcover came out of the machine clean and fresh as new and my precious sofa remained safe for the duration of the weekend.  I’m now a slipcover convert and will always make sure I remember to cover up my seats whenever I’m expecting guests – just in case!” A Happy Slipcover Fan, By Email