Recently I was contacted by Comfort Works, an Australian-based Slipcover company, about reviewing a slipcover for FRIHETEN sofa bed. You probably remember my FRIHETEN sofa from my husband’s “Man Cave.” We bought ours in grey a little over a year ago and while it is still in great condition having another option is always a plus, especially in a family like ours that moves every two to three years. While the FRIHETEN in grey has worked great for the “Man Cave” in this house it may need to serve a different room in our next home. So when Comfort Works offered to supply a brand new slipcover for me to review I jumped at the chance.
I have always been a huge advocate of slip-covered furniture. They are great for anyone with pets or children who may need to clean their upholstery often but they are also great for people like me who change homes or just change their minds. Of course, the next big step for me would be to decide on a fabric. Let me share how the whole process works.
I started by going to the Comfort Works website and selecting from the menu “Custom Ikea slipcover”. I chose my FRIHETEN but there are thirty-five different Ikea sofa slipcovers, as well as slipcovers for Ikea chairs, and ottomans. They also do Pottery Barn Basic slipcovers and custom slipcovers from your own measurements at a fraction of the cost you would pay elsewhere. As a seamstress who has made slipcovers and purchased them from others, I was amazed by the pricing at Comfort Works. Slipcovers require a lot of fabric and a lot of work so for a good quality sectional slipcover to start as low as $349, I was impressed.
For the FRIHETEN there are two slipcover options; the loose-fit and the snug-fit. The loose fit is fitted to either the right or left-hand chase but the snug fit will work on either configuration. It does require you to disassemble the sofa when you put the covers on which could be a negative for some. The snug fit option is also slightly more expensive but for my vagabond lifestyle, I liked having the option to switch the layout if necessary. I also like the snug fit because it looks more like upholstery than a slipcover.
Once I decided on my slipcover style it was time to choose the fabric. With fifty different options including three in leather, this was the hardest part (that’s right leather slipcovers are an option.) Fortunately, Comfort Works will provide you with eight free fabric samples, and to help make the decision easier the website also shows many of the samples as they would appear on the sofa.
I chose my favorite fabric samples including two in leather which arrived via airmail in just a few days. The airmail option does cost extra but the cost is rebated when you order your slipcover. Regular delivery of your samples is free but takes a bit longer so if you’re in a hurry the airmail option is well worth it. Here are the samples I ordered.
The leather options I received were amazingly soft, high quality, and quite pretty. One was a very dark chocolate brown and the other a black. Unfortunately, I was not wanting to go that dark so I decided against those two.
The two lighter natural swatches are nice but I was concerned they would require more frequent washings. Since the snug fit requires some dis-assembly to install I think they would be more work than I wanted to deal with even though a white sofa is quite pretty.
Eliminating those two left me with three colorful favorites.
l love them all for different reasons. The navy blends easily with the existing man cave décor and the green is the same color as some of the other upholstery in my house so you know I am already a fan of the color. But if I am going to be honest, the orange jumped out at me as soon as I opened the sample envelope. I have been crushing on orange for a while now so it was no surprise that I loved it the moment I saw it. The fun part is because I am choosing a slipcover I can pick something I may not be brave enough to choose for the upholstery. While the orange may be a temporary crush I can feel confident knowing I can switch it out later if I change my mind or my house.
Kino Orange it is!
All of this decision-making happened a few weeks ago and I am excited to share that my slipcover is just about ready for shipping and should be arriving very soon. Stay tuned for the big reveal and my review of my Comfort Works FRIHETEN slipcover.
While I wait I’m thinking a little throw pillow fabric shopping may be in order!
