It's a cover-up

Time to say thank you!

It's time once again to acknowledge all those lovely, design savvy people out there who have taken the time to feature Bemz.

Cover for Klippan sofa in Real Red Kavalkad, design by Strömma for Bemz

Following a series of launches, including our new Artist Series cushion covers, new retro 20th Century fabrics, and new made-to-order bedspreads and other bedroom products, Bemz has been given some sweet airtime in the cyber world, and we wanted to be sure to show our gratitude.

Bemz cover for Abelvär headboard in Blue & White Kokeshi topped off with a selection of Bemz Artist Series cushion covers

Firstly, thanks to all those who like Bemz and what we do in general. Among them, the popular Swiss family magazine Schweizer Familie for such a nice write up on Bemz. Vielen Dank also to the Germany-based Für Sie, Zimmerschau and Alsterleben. Bemz made it into the German business press too, in an interesting article in WirtshaftsWoche.

Bemz cover for Karlanda sofa in Hästkastanj by Viola Gråsten

Merci bien to Europa 1, Maison & Déco, La Déco Décodée, Maison et Travaux, Maison Magazine, Arts et Decoration, Maison Cote Ouest, Marie Claire Idées, Femme Actuelle and Grazia in France. We're also delighted that the France-based ma.moi.zelle finally found us!

Bemz cover for Stockholm sofa (older model) in Folklore, design Göta Trägårdh

Many thanks to the folks at Apartment Therapy, Bungalow Homestagers, Bright Bazaar, Sabbe Interior Design and fellow Ikea furniture upcycler Panyl in the US of A. Thanks also to Canada-based writer Matthew Hague. And Tack så mycket to our friends in Sweden, Mitt Liv på Landet, Inredningshjälpen, Doktor Molly, Qreate, and Vita Huset och Elvis for your mentions.

Needless to say we were thrilled with Country Style Australia and their 8-page feature on our in-house designer Katarina Wiklund, showcasing her summer retreat in Roslagen, Sweden, with lots of beautiful pics.

Bemz Artist Series cushion covers in Brown Kvarter, Beige/Orange Stockholm Stripe, Silver Grey Vallsta, Rose Dellen, Jet Black/Pink Stockholm Stripe, Orange Fiskis, Pink Fiskis, Orange Kvarter, and Yellow Fiskis

News about easy, effective and affordable design tweaks travels fast and our new collection of digitally printed and specially designed Artist Series cushion covers continues to create quite a media buzz.

Bemz Artist Series cushion covers in Orange Fiskis, Pink Fiskis, Orange Kvarter

Danke schön to Living & More Sonderheft for doing a fab two page feature on the series and to Schöner Wohnen for featuring the cushion covers as a design tip of the day. Thanks also go to Family Home, a German home renovation portal, for their write up.

Bemz Artist Series cushions in Chocolate Brown/Bamboo Green New Baroque and Rose Dellen

We'd also like to thank Simply Grove, Fancy Crave, Design you trust, and The Fancy for their shout outs about the series.


Bemz cover for Söderhamn sofa in Comedin Går, design Stellan Mörner

Bemz cover for Klippan sofa in Birds, design Strömma

Our stylish new 20th century fabrics continue to make headlines.

Annika Malmström’s Harlequin is a never-before produced design made up of pen strokes that fuse and connect to form a spectacular geometric pattern.

Thanks go to the magazine Journal des Femmes and the blog spot CR Decoration in France, Wohn Idee and Das Haus in Germany, and Trendspanarna in Sweden for their fun retro raves.

Klappsta armchair in a Dusty Rose Houndstooth cover from Bemz

And thanks to Swedish Damernas Värld and the UK-based Homemaker Magazine for sharing how Bemz helps people embrace their inner designer, taking looks they love straight from the catwalk into the home.

Bemz bedspread. Loose Fit, in Medium Grey Rosendal Pure Washed Linen

Bemz bedspread, Regular fit, in Unbleached Belgian Linen Blend

Our new bedroom products, including made-to-order bedspreads, matching cushion covers and a new headboard cover, have been stirring up a lot of excitment of late. In France, thanks go to Carnet Interieur, Luxe Daily and MyDZ, whose writer Vincent Layerle has previously said that "Bemz products are for Ikea furnishing what a shell is for an Iphone: Essential!"

Bemz bedspread in Grey Frescati Plaid, Bemz cover for Abelvär headboard and Bemz bed skirt with box pleats both in Zinc Grey Raffia Textured Cotton

Thanks to the Simply Grove blog (again!), HusoHem in Sweden, CityBlick24 in Germany and the UK-based Déco Mag for their props on our bedroom products too.

A lot of love has been circulating around the blogosphere about our bedroom products thanks to a recent visit from some 80 bloggers, who got a sneak peek at our new collection at the Bemz Inspiration Store in Stockholm in February.

A big thank you again to all of you including ELCE Stockholm, Pink Flower Love, Happy Home, Décor by Design, Un*Due*Tre*...Ilaria & IDA Interior Style, Mocca & Me, Chalk Board Living, Lyckans Ost, Formfront, Purple Area, Design & Splendours, Arianna Interiors, Swoon Worthy, Scandinaveries Parisiennes, Stylizimo, Interior Novice, Dear Designer, and naturally to the Meet the Blogger organisers for sharing the love.

Blogger blitz at Bemz: made-to-order bedroom must-haves

This week it's all about design in Sweden. And Bemz was thrilled with a visit of some 80 bloggers from around Europe getting a firsthand look at our brand new bedroom products, including new made-to-order bedspreads, matching cushion covers and a new headboard cover.

Here's the skinny. The group was here in conjunction with Stockholm Design Week for a two-day blogging seminar. Organized by Meet the Blogger, this unique conference dedicated to home-, design- and lifestyle bloggers is held a number of times a year in various cities around Europe.

A part of the Meet the Blogger weekend was a Design Walk through Stockholm's most design oriented stores, and Bemz was really excited to be one of them.

And the timing was perfect.

The Bemz Inspiration Store was all decked out to showcase new Bemz bedroom products, giving the bloggers a firsthand look at our latest must-haves for the boudoir.

These new made-to-order bedspreads join Bemz’s suite of stylish bedroom products, including a line of bedspreads and decorative pillow covers, and a new headboard cover, making it easier than ever to create an elegant and coordinated bedroom look.

A big thank you goes to Meet the Blogger and all the wonderful bloggers we met. We certainly enjoyed having you and appreciate your interest in Bemz. And we hope you enjoyed your goodie bags, containing a couple of neat, specially made bags from Bemz, a candle and a relax/enjoy kit put together by Biofood of Sweden with Pukka tea samples and chocolate.

Come back and see us soon and keep spreading the love!

Right back at you! Thanks for all the shout outs.

Bemz has a whole lot of thanking to do for all the fab coverage we've been getting of late.

Lori Fralic's lovely article Room Freshener in the Vancouver Sun reminded us how lucky we are to have so many wonderful journalists and bloggers supporting us. Thank you Lori for being so positive about Bemz and our wide range of slipcover fabrics and patterns as well as our Designer Collection.

We've been feeling the love in Germany, with Bemz being featured in Wohn Idee magazine and blog article about interior decor and personalisation, as well as Tiny Treasures, Augen Pralinen, Das Kleine weisse Haus, Das gelbe Schaf, timrasmus, Helpster, All about easy living, Schöner Wohnen, Best Practice Business, fairplanet and Bella Wunderweib. Herzlichen Dank!

 

Next door in France, we were thrilled with the Bemz headlines, not the least of which was the feature about chic and cheap shopping shot in Valérie Barkowski's riad in Marrakech and shown on the very fashionable French show Interieurs on Paris Première. Bemz covers were also featured on France 2's C'est au programme with Sophie Davant and on M6 TV's 100% Mag program. Merci bien à toutes et à tous!

We were delighted to hear our Loose Fit covers in Country and Urban styles floating around on the French air waves on Marie Montuir's La séquence du consommateur. Merci à vous Marie and to Jennifer Hebrard at Deco France, Luce Rosso, La maison poétique, Amenagement design, IKEAddict, OIVA and Caroline Ruffini Décoration from the French blog scene.

Un très grand merci goes to the host of glossies that presented our products in print and online, including Elle Deco, Maisons du Nord, Vie Pratique Maison, Madame, Quelle Santé, Réponse à tout, Prima, Home, Arts & Decoration, Plein vie, Maison & Travaux, Marie-Claire Maison, Le Blog Deco My DZ, DKO Maison, Le Site Malin, Côté Maison, Midiune, Journal des Femmes, My Home Design, Marie Claire's le Jardin de Claire, Paper Blog, Le Journal de Marilyn, Deco Crush and Maison Déco. Phew! We heart France!

Moving onto the UK, where Bemz has had lovely shout outs in Home shopping spy, Knitty Mummy, Ridley and Dowse, House to Home, Beautiful Kitchens, and The Independent. We were particularly thrilled by the wonderful feature by Will at Bright Bazaar about personalising Ikea furniture. Thanks all!

In the US, Bemz has been making headlines in This Little Street, Design Curiosities, D-I-Y Design Diva, Inhabitat, The Renovation Diaries, 508 restauration and design, Family Style Babble.com, Dwelling Gawker, Decorating fusion, Chamelion Interiors, InteriorDesignSense, MyBIGtopics, I heart interiors, Casa Sugar, House Design, stylish serendipity, HelloBrit.com, tidbits, sfgirlbybay, Shelterholic, Bambino by the Bay and LOCZIdesign. Thank you all so much! And to the folks at Restored Style: we're glad you finally found us! 

Hats off to Deco Total in Spain, Sisustusblogi in Finland, RoSaliGa in Norway, Fete in Australia, Waslijn.com in the Netherlands and Life&Style de Standaard in Belgium, for spreading the Bemz word.

And last but not least, a lot of love has been coming to us in Sweden too. We are delighted to say that Bemz was featured in an Allt i Hemmet editorial about new Swedish country style. Tack för det!

From Allt i Hemmet, No 8 2012

And tack så mycket also goes to Kavallinskan, Lantligt på Svanängen, Kickis Blogg, Sanna & Sania, Annettes skimmer, Trendspanarna, Fröken Eila, Möbler.se, Kreative Inredning, Annikas inredning, Flex Inredning, Formfront, E-handle.se, Salong K.se, Life as I know it, emmyflander, Mina glädjeämnen, Fairy of inspiration, Obstinatus-obstinatus, Designnörd, Joys and Inspiration, Mammas lilla blogg, INKVISION, Bonny & Me, Kvinna Med Smak, by mildred, Husligheter Elle.se, Mitt vita hus på landet, Craft & Creativity, Skanska Nya Hem, Confession.devote.se, Mixathem, lotta&dom, Malin Inredare, Formfront, and my evolution for their wonderful mentions.

Design-It-Yourself: 508 Chair Makeover

Today's post comes to you directly from the lovely and very talented Sarah of fave blog fiveoeight. I featured one of their previous creations back in March and their stunning reclaimed wood headboard ranks in the top 10 of most popular pins from our Pinterest page. I was thrilled when Sarah decided to include a Bemz fabric in one of her creations which she shares here, step-by-step - an exclusive to It's a Cover Up! You may not be surprised to find out that Sarah's genes are part Swedish. Oh the talent! Over to Sarah:

Hello...this is Sarah over at fiveoeight! I recently had the pleasure of using some of Bemz incredible fabrics to do a quick make-over on this chair. Chairs like this are super easy and are low-risk if you have never painted. I am sure a lot of these steps seem basic, but you never know how your process differs from others...these steps are specific to getting that chippy look with your paint. I snapped some shots along the way so you can do it too! Hope this inspires!

TOOLS:

• 150-220 grit flat sanding sheets, cut for whatever size you need* {508 uses: 3M Sandblaster or Norton 3X}
• electric sander (if you have it) & sanding sheets that fit
• fine grit sanding sponges, 220-320 {508 uses: 3M}
• furniture wax {508 uses: Fiddes}
• a few lint free rags
• paint, satin finish {508 uses: Benjamin Moore or Behr}
• paint brush {508 uses: 2.5” Angled Purdy Brush}
• flathead screwdriver
• wire cutters
• fabric of your choice {Bemz - Baronessa Pink by Lisa Bengtsson}
• staple gun & staples
• some type of backing or dustcover for the underside of your seat

 

1: DISASSEMBLE
Unscrew the seat. Loosen staples with flathead screwdriver & twist them out with wire cutters.

2: SAND
Go with the grain! Start with a medium grit sandpaper {150} using an electric sander {if you have it} for flat areas & flat sheets or sanding sponges for edges & corners. Finish sanding with a fine grit {220-320}.

Don’t go crazy- you just want the bulk of that existing finish off or ruffed up. If the finish is really gummy, use a solvent/remover first.

3: PRE-WAX
To get the chippy look, apply furniture wax BEFORE you paint. Wipe on the areas that you want the paint to chip off during the distressing stage. I like this method because it gives a similar look to Milk Paint, but you have more control. For this chair, I applied the wax all over quickly- not really caring how thick or thin. This made most of the paint come off in the end, which was what I was going for. Be creative with your piece!

4: PAINT
I only needed one 7oz paint sample for this chair. Using a GOOD brush, apply one coat of paint. I only brushed one coat on this chair because I knew I was going to heavily distress. The 7oz paint samples are still plenty to do 2 coats on a chair if you prefer. Let dry overnight.

5. DISTRESS
Using your finer grit sanding sponge or sanding sheet, begin distressing. You will see how quickly the paint comes off in the areas you have applied wax underneath. Again, go with the grain and move quickly. If it is not chipping or pealing off, MOVE ON.  When you are pleased with your look, thoroughly clean entire piece with damp rag.

>> Note: After the chair was clean, I applied a top protective coat of clear furniture wax with a lint free rag, buffing it after 30 min. << 

There are plenty of “how-tos” on recovering your basic chair seat- it is pretty simple. But here is the basics of how I do it- quick and easy. Here are the steps {continued...}

6. CUT FABRIC
If the original fabric isn’t too torn up after you have taken it off, use it to trace your new fabric piece! This ensures that you don’t cut too much extra fabric- or worse, too little! Often, people cut cotton batting to put between the foam and the fabric…in this case, I didn’t want it to look over-stuffed so I left the batting out.

7.  STAPLE
I mostly use an Easyshot gun, which isn’t the most powerful out there, but with a heavier duty staple it does just fine for most jobs. If you are stapling into a denser wood, you may want a more powerful staple gun.

Basically, I just line up the fabric, staple one side and then continue pulling tight and stapling each flat side first. Then, I work on neatly folding or bunching each corner tightly, stapling the corners in place one by one.

8. BACKING/DUSTCOVER {optional}
Because I tend to “over staple”, I like to lightly staple a white backing/dustcover on the underside of the seat to clean it all up. Especially because in some cases, the seat overhangs from the chair, exposing all those ugly staples and could snag your fingers while moving it around.

 

Now all you need to do is reassemble your chair and enjoy!

Design-It-Yourself: Karlstad sofa goes box-chic

At Bemz, we're all about personalisation and transforming your Ikea drab into personalised fab. That's one of the reasons why we love the Ikea Hackers website. In fact, this Karlstad sofa revamp, recently featured there, is so smart and stylish that we simply had to share it with you.

A plain old Karlstad sofa from Ikea, scratched to bits by the owner's cats, was transformed into this edgy, super-modern take on the Box Sofa by Autobahn. This Design-It-Yourself idea ticks so many boxes: upcycled, personalised, inexpensive, contemporary and cat-proof! It's easy to do - no expert carpentry skills required - and I'm sure you'll agree, the results are stunning.

To achieve this look, all you need is some birch plywood, walnut stain, and wood edging, then gather up your saw, some glue, nails and a bit of elbow grease. For a more detailed list of instructions, visit the original post by Susannah.

Make a wooden box that fits snugly around your Karlstad sofa. Stain in walnut and finish the edges with 1/2 inch wood edging.

Up the wow-factor like Susannah did, by replacing telltale standard Ikea legs with new ones and a subtle yet stunning contemporary finishing detail: painting the underside in a bright contrasting colour such as red or orange.

The only thing missing now to complete this transformation from mass-produced to one-of-a-kind designer is a chic new cover from Bemz.

See a similar transformation with a Karlstad chaise longue or other low cost Ikea-gone-designer solutions from Bemz for armchairs and sofas.

Credit: Ikea Hackers

Here's to all the shout outs!

Bemz is simply loving all the great coverage we’ve been getting in recent weeks! Thanks to all you design savvy journalists and bloggers for your appreciation. Right back at you!

Our latest collaboration with British Designers Guild has been stirring up a lot of excitement out there. Thanks to Poppytalk - one of our fave blogs - who writes that she’s “loving the new collaboration between Bemz and Designers Guild.” She is also a contributing writer at the on-line parenting mag Babble, where the collaboration gets her seal of approval again. Cheers for that!

Surroundings also loves our collaboration with Designers Guild. In particular, our unique new Loose Fit Urban covers from the popular Brera collection by those creative Brits. Many thanks Linda! Tack så mycket also to Swedish interior site mobler.se for the shout out in their recent article compiling tips on pimpin' your Ikea furniture - also featuring a Bemz Brera sofa cover. We like your way of thinking!

We're also thrilled that Séan O at Room Envy by 25 Beautiful Homes recently discovered Bemz and our wide selection of Ikea sofa covers, ranging from subtle to individualistic and wacky. He quips that the Designers Guild sofa cover featured in the photo below is “hardly for shrinking violets.” Thanks Séan O, great to know we have another fan.

Thanks also to Co Design, who provide useful tips on super fast ways to upgrade your Ikea sofa, Bemz slipcovers among them. We're also feeling the love from German Lisa Wohnen & Dekorieren, which featured a Klippan sofa woith a cover in Unikko Red by Marimekko from the Bemz Designer collection. Dankeschön! Home decorating trends magazine Tréndir writes about Bemz's unique solution for customizing Ikea furniture, touting our "snazzy and durable slipcovers." Tréndir is quite smitten with the Bemz Marimekko Unikko printed cotton fabric - all flowery and bold and ready for spring! We’re quite smitten with Tréndir. Thanks for the kudos.

The folks at About Design & Interiors share tips on how to give a room a new look at price that is affordable using – you’ve guessed it – slipcovers, such as those offered by Bemz. Thanks a mill! While Metro Home Canada lines up five super ideas on how to give your home some spring. Number one on the list is to cover your dark sofa in a bright, custom slipcover from Bemz. Thanks for that! And, Interior Domain is right on top of the slipcover trend, posting the photo below, featuring an Ektorp in a pretty Lavender Rosendal Pure Washed Linen slipcover from Bemz. “Believe it or not this is an Ikea sofa," they write. We believe it!

A big thank you goes to My Hunter Gatherer and their kind words on Bemz and our "very clever business of making mass market Ikea furniture one of a kind with custom made slips and covers." And mucho gracias to our friends at Deptto51 out of Chile who write that there are many creative people in the world - such as the people behind Bemz who help you personalise Ikea furniture. We like! Thanks to Life in Shanghai for featuring Bemz and one of our beautiful bed skirts. Hope things are fine up there on the 21st floor!

And finally some more media love for Bemz from Hege in France - also one of our fave blogs and bloggers - with linen slipcovers from Bemz on her wishlist, Bemz Vintage Industrial style in particular. Merci bien Hege et à bientôt!

Design-It-Yourself: Side table

Having been invited to Pinterest (check us out!) not so long ago, my travels through cyberspace seem to be reaching far farther and wider than ever before. Over said travels, I came across a lovely blog called 508 Restoration and Design. I have pinned as well as shared some of their creations on Facebook and everything has been very well received. It's run by a creative couple out of Virginia and this is one of their creations.

They used up tiny bits of left over paper for the drawer and combined it with a lovely cottage blue paint. The interior shelves were painted cream and finished it off with a wax treatment which, and I quote, "ended up giv­ing it a lot of weird stripes, vari­a­tions and texture…and I like it". So do we!

And of course the knob makes it! 

What a tremendous transformation - and all that with scraps of paper, paste, paint and wax. Throw in some elbow grease and a whole lot of creativity and voila! Although the Design-It-Yourself series is really all about personalising things yourself, sometimes it's easier to just buy them - and this baby is for sale, if that's what you want to do.

Anyone else notice the typically Swedish Dalahäst on the wall and the trasmatta under the table? Some seriously sweet Scandi charm going on over there in Virginia! Like.

Thank you for the shout outs!

Some of our favourite blogs have honoured us by including a Bemz feature among their pages in recent weeks.

Holly of decor8 not only waxed eloquent about our new Loose Fit - Urban collection but has also made the plunge and ordered a new cover in one of our Rosendal 100% pure washed linen fabrics for her Karlstad sofa. We look forward to seeing the transformation!

Remodelista is definitely topping our list of faves as we featured twice recently on their pages! Once citing our Loose Fit - Urban covers as the most "thrillingly transformative" Ikea hack they've come across yet. Then, we were included in their list of 10 favorite linen-slipcovered sofas - although here we featured at the bottom of the list... as it was ranked from most to least expensive. A Soft White cover on a Stockholm sofa and an Absolute White cover on a Karlstad made the cut. Thanks Remodelista!

We were thrilled by our recent feature in French Journal des Femmes. This was not a traditional Bemz shout out but a feature on Lesley Pennington, Bemz founder and CEO. There were three (count 'em!) different features: one was a house tour of Lesley's home which we also shared here, next came an in-depth interview with Lesley about interior decorating and the story behind Bemz, and finally, a competition where one lucky French winner will get a new Bemz cover and a personal consultation with a professional interior decorator. Un grand merci à vous Journal des Femmes!

UK-based Home Shopping Spy (of the famed Ideal Home magazine) also gave the Loose Fit - Urban collection and the Rosendal 100% pure washed linen fabrics two thumbs up. Thanks for that Alice.

Also in Britain, the Mail Online included Bemz as a viable solution for "How to... give your home a spring makeover without spending too much time and money." While The Independent included a Klippan with a cover from the new Loose Fit - Urban collection as their number one product for giving your home that Industrial Vintage look. Cheers for that.

And we even got some home-grown recognition: The Ottawa Citizen, newspaper from Bemz founder and CEO Lesley Pennington's home-town, stated Bemz as their favourite place to shop for slipcovers. Heart warming! Thank you Ottawa Citizen!

Over in Germany, trilingual All About Easy Living included Bemz in their story about businesses that have springboarded off the Swedish giant, Ikea. Vielen Dank für die netten Worte über Bemz! And the same goes for This Little Street (pictured above) whose focus was also on personlising your Ikea furniture and included Bemz as a great option. Thanks for that This Little Street.

Knitty Mummy shared her Bemz shopping experience with her readers and was very pleased with the outcome. As were we! Thanks Knitty Mummy. The same goes for Dutch Miriam of Stins who said, and I quote "Everything went perfect!". Thank you lovely bloggers!

Go large or go home? Designer furniture you can afford

Let's be honest - there's plenty we covet. In my book, a lot of it is designer labeled. But coughing up the cash isn't that easy. Mostly because there is no cash... The beauty with Bemz is the proverbial can't have your cake and eat it too does not apply here. Yay! See below...

Check out this gorgeous armchair I just saw featured in the March 2012 issue of Livingetc: the Norton armchair in Marimekko's Unikko fabric. The ideal springtime boost for a white space, they write. Couldn't agree more. Except this one will set you back a clean £1800 (US$2820).

Or how about this sweet number: a Karlstad armchair from Ikea with Marimekko's Unikko fabric in red from Bemz. This baby, all said and done, will set you back £279 (US$440). I can think of a few things I could do with that extra £1500 (US$2300)... And the beauty of this solution? You don't have to buy the chair - just cover the one you already have (but if you do buy the chair, you might want to know that you can buy it without the Ikea slipcover and save a few bills there too). Karlstad not the chair you have? No worries. There are over 20 different styles and models to choose from at Bemz.

By the way, this is not the first time I've made this kind of comparison. And, if you found this insightful, you may also be interested in playing our which of these is more expensive game! Check it out here.

Behind the scenes: Bemz photoshoots

We often get asked about accessories and design details readers see in our photos - which is great. That's proof positive that our designers clearly know what they are doing. Not that I ever doubted them...

Sometimes the items can be purchased at source, other times not. Most recently, Bemz design duo Lisbeth and Katarina worked with Swedish Norrgården on the Industrial Vintage photoshoot - and here are some fab items they have on offer. 

The girls at Norrgården are a dab hand at spotting great old finds and sprucing them up as well as selling lovely new things too. 

You can see why it was an ideal location for the Industrial Vintage theme! If you like what you see, read more about this trend here, here and here. Also, check out our Loose Fit - Urban covers that suit this style to a 'T'.