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staceyneil

Textiles over couches - does it work in real life???

Stacey Collins
10 years ago

So we have this Ikea couch that we hate. It looked great in pictures, but it's just cheap-looking in real life, plus the seat cushions are always sliding forward and the cushions are dirty and just UGH.

But with debt from uninsured medical expenses, and a kid entering college in the fall, there's DEFINITELY no budget for a new couch. I'm looking for a stop-gap measure we can live with. We recently finally finished our living room renovation, with built-in bookshelves, and it's a crying shame not to be able to love the room we worked so hard on.

I absolutely love the look of ethnic (vintage) textiles covering some of a couch -see examples below- but I'm wondering how it works in real life.

We have a teenager who spends a lot of time on the couch... is it always going to look awful and rumpled? Do you have to continually straighten it out? Does this look only really work for furniture that isn't used much?

It probably has a bit to do with how thick the textile is. I was looking at susanis, but now I'm looking at Indian "kantha" blankets, which are a good look for our room and cheaper than susanis.

Any advice??

Comments (10)

  • always1stepbehind
    10 years ago

    I LOVE the look and the idea. My first thought is that the top would keep pulling down everytime you sat down unless you were able to secure somehow.

    You could possibly just try something on the seat of the sofa or separate blankets/throw, one on the seat and one on the backrest area secured.

    Just an idea but I love you inspiration pictures.

  • Fun2BHere
    10 years ago

    I think whatever you use will need straightening all of the time, but that's okay if it makes you love your room again. You already have to straighten the cushions up after use, so adding a textile won't add that much more work. Any chance you could train your teen to do it?

  • patricianat
    10 years ago

    When I used textiles on my sofa, I did it just for layer to create "another layer" for decorating. It depends on how much use there is. I expect with a family, it would need to be straightened and folded frequently. We rarely sit on the sofa, only when we had guests was it a problem. When the grandchildren were here, it got "mussed" up but so did everything else.

  • shanghaimom
    10 years ago

    I've had one of those kanthas over our sofa to protect in from our dog. Not only does she shed, but she takes bones up there and leaves bone goo.

    The kantha pulled the back cushions down every single time someone sat down. It also didn't stay put AT ALL. I was adjusting in every time I walked past. Always bunched up. I really thought the kantha, being sort of a heavy quilty material, would have stayed put a little better. It certainly would be MUCH better on a tight-back sofa frame.

    The look was great, though. If you could figure out a way to secure it, the weight of the kanthas is really nice for a sofa cover. They wash up nicely, too.

    You might be able to keep the cushions from sliding out so much with some large squares of rubber shelf liner or cut-down rug pads.

  • camlan
    10 years ago

    For the slipping cushions, try cutting up a non-slip rug pad or the non-slip drawer liners and putting the pieces under the seat cushions.

    There are some companies out there that make slipcovers for Ikea sofas, so the options are greater than just the slipcovers from Ikea. Google the name of your sofa and "slipcover" to see if anyone makes slipcovers for it.

    As for the fabric on the sofa--a lot is going to depend on the fabric on the sofa and what you want to put over it. Some fabrics are more slippery than others, and will therefore move and shift around more.

    Thicker, heavier fabrics tend to stay in place better. Fuzzy fabrics tend to cling a little to other fabics and will stay in place a little better. A heavy quilt will stay in place better than a sheet, for example. But the fact is, if the fabric is sat on, it will need rearranging at some point.

    If the back of your sofa faces a wall, you can pin or Velcro the edges of the fabric piece to the sofa. That will help to keep it in place. Even if you don't do that, make sure that the fabric hangs down in back as far as you can make it--the length will add weight and help to hold it in place.

    Another option to help change the look of the sofa would be to cover just the cushions. Even if you can't sew, there are a lot of tutorials for no-sew cushion covers on the internet. I've linked to one below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: no-sew cover

  • Stacey Collins
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for the input! shanghaimom (by the way I have always loved your kitchen!) and camlan: that's a great idea about the rug pads under the cushions!

    camlan, I have looked at those Ikea-cover companies. They have some nice fabrics, but I'm not willing to invest another >$200 in a couch we just don't like. For what it's worth, it's the karlstad.

    This shape and metal underframe, but in a (very nice but easily dirtied) off-white linen fabric:

  • ineffablespace
    10 years ago

    If you get something pretty long, like yard goods that give you the look you want you can

    Attach it to the underneath of the frame at the back.

    Drape it up over the top of the sofa, down the front of the back cushions and down onto the deck with the bottom cushions removed.

    Cover the deck almost to the front and fold it back up on itself over the back, then replace the bottom cushions and wrap the bottom cushions and tuck a healthy amount of length under the cushions.

    It won't shift nearly as much, but you need several yards of fabric. You can also put a yardstick or a thin piece of PVC pipe down the crack of the sofa between the back and the deck with the fabric underneath it to hold it.

  • Georgysmom
    10 years ago

    We have lots of consignment shops where I live. You have to visit them frequently because furniture comes in daily. Perhaps that would be an option for a reasonably priced sofa. I have friends that have beautiful homes and have found some really nice pieces at these shops.

  • lazy_gardens
    10 years ago

    The seat cushions are always sliding forward and the cushions are dirty and just UGH.

    Well ... time to learn to recover cushions and do a slip-cover for the rest of it.

    To keep the cushions from sliding forward with a slouchy sitter you can do several things:
    1 - sew velcro strips to the top of the base and the underside of the cushions
    2 - sew 3 or 4 clips (the sort of plastic ones used for outdoor gear) to the cushions and the matching piece to the base,

  • Stacey Collins
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hi lazygardens,

    Trust me, I know how to reupholster and have done so several times before... but this couch is absolutely not worth the time and yardage needed ;)

    I'll try some of the ideas to keep the cushions in place, though. Sounds like a great option!

    Stacey