With the cost of living continuing to escalate, the IKEA furniture hack is more prevalent than ever and itโs a phenomenon that has been capitalised on by Melbourne based business The Styled Sofa.
Offering a range of custom, luxury slip covers for IKEA sofas, The Styled Sofa allows people to give their IKEA furniture a fresh and elevated look for a fraction of the cost of purchasing something new.ย The range of linen, corduroy and velvet covers are washable too โ what’s not to love?
An apparel designer by trade, The Styled Sofa’s Jenni OโCallaghan came up with the business venture when her own IKEA lounge needed a refresh. โThe idea came about because I have an IKEA sofa at home and while it was structurally very sound the cover really needed replacing. I started researching new sofas and thought it was going to be very costly to upgrade and I didnโt like the idea of sending my existing sofa to landfill,โ says Jenni OโCallaghan who launched the business in 2022 and has been very busy since.
And while IKEA do offer replacement sofa covers, Jenni was uninspired by the limited range of colours and fabrics on offer. โThere aren’t many options at IKEA and they are heavy on the polyester. By contrast we offer luxurious linens, velvet and corduroy.”
A whole new set of replacement covers for a three-seat sofa starts from about $400-to-$500 and the lead time for manufacture is about six-to-eight weeks. You can also order up to five fabric swatches from the site to assist in making a choice before purchase.
The formula is working with the business only just keeping on top of orders and positive feedback from customers on the daily. โIn this time of mortgage stress and cost of living pressures, we are looking to IKEA hacks for cost-effective ways to rejuvenate our lounge rooms without having to outlay for a whole new sofa,โ says Jenni.
The business has many repeat customers with many having purchased purchased two different coloured sets โ one for winter and one for summer. โI feel like itโs a sign of the times. Itโs a relatively cost-effective upgrade and the covers work to elevate IKEA products. Itโs IKEA but special.โ