Slipcovers for Couches

Interior decorating can be fun and exciting, but it can also be expensive depending on the choices you make. Slipcovers for couches can dramatically reduce these costs. In addition to cost savings, taking this approach gives you a lot more flexibility to change the look of your room to suit the occasion.

The best way to approach selecting this decorating accessory is to look at the structure of the couch, to be sure that slipcovers will work. You not only have to think of the length, width and depth of the seating area, but the details such as the armrests or lack of them should be taken into account as well.

Because there is a wide range of slipcovers for couches available, think about the ideal look you would like to bring to the room. The fabric texture, color and weight will affect how well this item fits your piece of furniture.

These guidelines below will help you select the best slipcovers for your couch.

Relaxed or Form-Fitting?

There are two styles of slipcovers for couches; draped and contoured. The draped style produces a relaxed look. With this slipcover, what you have is a large piece of material that you can adjust to the shape of the couch, making it adaptable to a variety of couch styles. Using this style, the slipcover will be fairly easy to detect.

The contoured style is stitched to snugly fit the various parts of the couch such as the arms and backrest and works on specific styles of couches. When you use this style of slipcover, it easily mimics the original lines of the couch and presents a more formal look.

The exception to this rule is the couch that has wooden arms or backrest. In this case the appearance of a slipcover may lead to an unpleasant experience. The hardness of the wood underneath a soft slipcover may catch an unknowing guest who attempts to take a cat-nap by surprise.

Weave, Texture, Weight and Detailing

Fabrics that have a tight weave work best as a slipcover to disguise the color or pattern of the underlying material. Choose a color or pattern that has enough contrast to block out the color of the couch.

Highly textured materials such as tweed, damask, denim or twill keep your slipcover looking neat, because they resist wrinkling.

Every fabric has a certain weight and in general, a medium weight fabric will work well in conforming to the shape of the couch. If your couch is highly structured, using a heavier fabric such as velvet will work nicely. On the other hand, using a very light weight fabric on any style couch will be difficult to keep in place.

To bring out the fine details of your couch you can use braid, tassels, fringe, contrast welting or self-welting. Self-welting minimizes the shape of the couch where contrast welting will enhance the couch style. Choose your slipcovers for couches with these tips in mind for the best results.