Oh, Ikea.
The Swedish homeware mecca offers sleek, modern, affordable – and sustainable – design that will work in any interior setting. And don't for a second think that furnishing your home with lots of Ikea will make it look boring or same-ish as everyone else.
Nope. You just don't have the right tricks up your sleeve. Yet.
Having worked in interior magazines in Norway for
years, let me tell you this: Even the most stylish of design-bloggers and Scandi design enthusiasts rely on Ikea – they are just using a nifty styling trick you never knew about. Until now.
Enter
Bemz.
A Swedish (obvs.) company that designs covers to fit
any Ikea sofa, armchair, chaise lounge, foot-stool or headboard you might have. And the best bit? They are not only insanely chic (think fabulous velvet or Missoni- or Liberty-esque prints), they are also total steal. As in; far cheaper than investing in a new piece of furniture anyway.

Just look at this Ikea Nockeby sofa – made SO much chicer by the velvet cover from Bemz.
Having known about this nifty little hack for totally transforming your Ikea furniture for
years (as in, you'll hardly meet a Scandinavian person who
hasn't up-styled their Ikea sofa with a Bemz cover), I was recently baffled to learn hardly anyone here in Ireland had even
heard of this company.
Get. With. The. Programme.
Just to give you a little taster, here are some amazing Ikea/Bemz transformations – just to get you to see just how fabulous this hack really is:

Because, PINK.

Love this chic yellow cover for the classic Karlstad armchair.

Just look at how much cooler this Kivik sofa looks covered in green velvet?

Just check out Klippan for instance:

Got a Klippan sofa at home? Look what a velvet cover can do it it!

Peachy perfection, if you ask me.
This is how it works
Ordering a new cover for you Ikea piece from Bemz could not be easier.
Just hit
the site, find the Ikea furniture you are looking to get a cover for – there is a handy drop-down menu that will let you search by the name of your Ikea item, whether you have a Karlstad or a Kivik, and fill in any additional information, as in, whether you have a two- or three seat sofa, for instance.
Once you have selected your model, you can now browse the
vast collection of fabrics and patterns available – and then, when you find your favourite, hit add to cart.
Now all you have to do is wait for your purchase to arrive – before inviting everyone you know around to admire your (practically) brand new piece of furniture. Go you, you little trend-setter!