How to Select the Right Cover for Your Couch

Worrying about getting your newly bought sofa stained by kids and pets while you are out? We’ve all been there! If images of your ruined couch haunt you during office hours and beyond, it’s high time you got yourself sofa slipcovers. These come in handy to release you from the burden of reupholstering your couch covered with stains, pet fur, and dirt without paying top dollar.

In case you have a sofa that visually belongs more to a dumpster than a living room, sofa slipcovers are also great for giving your tired couch a little face-lift. Follow these simple tips and tricks to select the right sofa slipcover and leave behind all of your furniture-related worries! 

1. Research available options and styles

Before purchasing a sofa slipcover, prep yourself by doing preliminary research on the available options and styles. Start by asking yourself about the designated purpose of the sofa slipcover, whether it has to protect your upholstery from accidental spills and stains or it needs to be scratch-proof since you’ve got a bunch of pets at home.

If you are selecting a sofa slipcover for a total makeover of your room, consider colors, shapes, and textures that would either match your current interior or accentuate your new styling endeavors.

Pay attention to the properties of the sofa slipcover fabrics. In case you are getting a slipcover to save time spent on chores, opt for machine-washable ones. For allergy-prone individuals or new parents, hypoallergenic sofa slipcovers are a feasible option. 

2. Measure the size of your couch

Most of the sofa slipcovers sold online come in a standard size, however, it’s always a good idea to double-check whether your sofa fits into the sizing chart of a particular slipcover producer to avoid frustrations.

Consider the shape of your couch and whether the chosen slipcover covers some of its wooden parts to ensure a more pleasant feel. Still, if you want to be on the safe side regardless of whether you know the exact size of your sofa or not, resort to stretch sofa slipcovers.

For better results, measure the length of your sofa from the outside of one arm to the outside of the other arm including the width from the front of the couch to the back. Proceed with measuring the width and length of arms, cushions, and any other parts that require covering. Write down your measurements. 

3. Choose fabric material

The next thing you need to do is to decide on the sofa slipcover material. With microfiber, velvet, jacquard, cotton, leather, and other options available on the market you might get overwhelmed, however, focus on two main criteria: slipcover durability and weight.

Cotton, canvas, denim, and twill prove to be durable in the long run. Silk and wool sofa slipcovers look elegant but these don’t last long and require constant dry cleaning. Bear in mind that not all fabric is great for sofa slipcovers.

Heavyweight slipcovers like velvet and chenille seem sturdy and durable at a first glance, but they do not adapt to the shape of your couch easily. Look for something lightweight and stretchy like polyester and microfiber. However, it would be better if you chose a medium-weight sofa slipcover as these are both durable and highly adaptable to any furniture shape. 

4. Choose a color

The color palette is often a decisive factor in determining your choice of a sofa slipcover. Make sure the color would match your current interior or at least refresh it somehow. But don’t get too carried away with ultra-trendy colors, these get old pretty fast. Avoid bold colors for smaller rooms.

A safer approach is to go with neutral colors that would look good regardless of your current interior setting. If your house is crowded with kids and pets, delicately colored fabrics might be not the best option for you.

Pay attention to color temperature. Both cool and warm colors can affect the overall mood of your room. For instance, warmer colors such as orange, red, and yellow make large rooms cozier. Blue, green, and purple and their variations have a soothing effect and serve to visually enlarge your room. 

5. Decide on details

When choosing a pattern for your sofa slipcover, let it be tightly woven so that the initial color of the fabric underneath won’t see through. Welting is a good choice for a slipcover, and it’s applicable both to self-welting and contrast welting.

Depending on your design goals, you may consider braids, fringes, or buttons for your sofa slipcover. Checkered slipcovers give traditional interiors extra coziness, while global-inspired patterns go well with more bohemian rooms.

If you decide to stop your choice on a geometric pattern, mind the scale of the pattern as these visually affect the size of your room. For spacious rooms resort to large bold patterns, while muted and smaller patterns work better for tinier rooms.

Well, it seems like you are almost ready to purchase a new sofa slipcover! With all measurements taken and a list of preliminary options collected give everything one last review. 

Eliminate options that do not match your needs in terms of size, fabric, color, or details. Check your results, compare 2-3 “finalists” and determine the winner of your sofa slipcover competition. Congratulations on the amazing job you’ve done!