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Bloggers Tours Event in our Inspiration Store

Nine lovely bloggers from the Bloggers Tour 2014 visited our Inspiration Store in Stockholm. We had some nibbles and drinks and the bloggers got to create their very own cushion covers. 

We supplied them with Bemz cushion covers, paint, pencils, studs, sequins, fabric, fringes and much more and let their imaginations run wild. They created lots of creative, beautiful and fun contributions. 

At Bemz we are all about personalisation and DIY-projects. And it is easy and fun to create your own, one-of-a-kind cushion cover, why don't you try it? 

Elena Gardin working on her cushion cover with the help of scotch tape and white paint. Visit her blog here. 

Design by Elena Gardin. Visit her blog here. 

Design by Allan Torp with black, white and gold textile pens. Visit his blog here.

Dramatic design with running, white paint by Emma Fexeus. Visit her blog here. 

Anna Gustafsson designed this stunning cushion cover by cutting out crosses from patterned fabrics. Visit Annas blog here. 

Design by Desiree Groenendal. Desiree used black and white fabric samples from Bemz to create this stylish cushion cover. Visit her blog here. 

This creative design by Igor Josifovic is created with paint, pencil and fabric samples from Bemz. Visit his blog here. 

Lovely cushion cover designed by Linda Elmin with studs and fabric samples from Bemz. Visit her blog here.  

This cushion cover dedicated to Dolly Parton was designed by Gerard McGuickin, with fringes, fabric samples from Bemz, and butterflies. Read his blog here. 

Riikka Kantinkoski created this modern and minimalistic cushion cover with paint and fabric samples from Bemz. Read Riikkas blog here.

A big thank you to all the lovely bloggers that visited us! 

Testimonial: Yvestown Nikkala make over

Yvonne Eijkenduijn who runs the lovely blog Yvestown got a slipcover from Bemz and took some wonderful pictures of her home and her "new" Nikkala sofa that we wanted to share with you.  

Yvonne bought a second hand Nikkala sofa and made a total make over with a new, light slip cover in Absolute White from Bemz. 

"I went online in search for the best "vintage" IKEA sofa and found a Nikkala for just €25 with a really ghastly purple slipcover. The sofa itself was in tip top shape. I came home, assembled the Bemz slipcover over the sofa and ta da; a brand new sofa for just €25." - Yvonne says.

That's the beauty of it, it doesn't have to cost a lot of money to get a completely new and personalised sofa! If you don't already have an IKEA sofa at home, buy a second hand IKEA sofa and design it anyway as you like with Bemz slipcovers. Choose between Regular Fit, Loose Fit Country and Loose Fit Urban and more then 220 different colours. 

Thank you Yvonne for letting us share your photos!

Read the original post here.

Photos: Yvestown.

Easy elegance: Ektorp country styled in Norway

This week’s testimonial comes from Helena of Norway who writes her own blog Solheimhuset. Helena chose a Bemz cover, Loose Fit, in Absolute White Rosendal Pure Washed Linen for her Ektorp sofa.

Here’s what Helena had to say (translated): At last our Ektorp sofa has been revamped in its Bemz cover! It’s in pure white linen custom designed by Bemz. Bemz makes covers for old Ikea Furniture – an ingenious concept. What’s not to love! Looking forward to curling up with a good book as autumn approaches.

What a great photos Helena. We love your relaxed, elegant style. The rich palette of your throw and cushions adds warmth and depth. The perfect nook for daydreaming. Tusen takk for sharing it with us!

If you have a Bemz cover, why not inspire others as Helena has done? Send along a photo to us at blog[at]bemz.com or upload it directly to our Facebook page.

Thanks for all the shout outs!

Here’s a short post to show gratitude for the much appreciated coverage that Bemz has been receiving of late in print media and the blogosphere.

Bemz covers for Söderhamn sofa and armchair in Peach and PS chair in Sand Beige

First up was coverage of our New Nordic Pastels Trend Alert. This serene, laid back look, created by colour-blocking chic, cool pastels in modern combinations with stylish white and neon accents, stirred up a lot of excitment. Danke schön to Couch - Das Wohn & Fashion Magazine in Germany for your mention.

Bemz covers for Nils chairs in Peach and Aqua

Also,Tack så mycket to Sofiasinredning, Photowall, Inredningshjalpen, Design Porten, Simplicity - Skona Hem blog, Linspiration, Fixa & Dona, My Scandinavian Home, FormFront, Proforma in Sweden for sharing the love. Merci beaucoup to Côté Maison and Paperblog in France, as well as thank you to Fabric of my life (just love the name!) in the UK. Děkuju to 79 Ideas in the Czech Republic and muchos gracias to Decoesphera in Spain for spreading our Nordic Pastels news.

Bemz cover for Tylösand sofa and Bemz daybed cover both in Absolute White Panama Cotton

Our report on the forever on-trend Stockholm White look was also a hit. Thanks to Lotta Agaton in Stockholm for sharing Bemz pictures in her All in White piece. Tack also to the Sweden based Stil Inspiration, Limestone by the Sea, Emmas Designblogg, Trendenser, All is pretty and From Scandinavia with Love.

Bemz cover for Skruvsta chair and Pällbo footstool both in Absolute White Panama Cotton

In France, thanks to Stereo Fields Forever, La Maison D’Anna G. And to Elv’s of the Netherlands, Leuchtend grau of Germany, and A Merry Mishap of the USA – we love that you like Stockholm White.

Bemz cover for Karlanda sofa in Grey Triangular by Viola Gråsten for the Bemz Designer Collection

Our new.Swedish 20th Century Design fabrics continue to make headlines in Germany. Thanks to Landhaus Living and Frau Haselmayer for spreading the word.

Bemz also shared some secrets on how small businesses can benefit by making social media a part of the marketing strategy. Thanks to and FreeLancing Matters in the UK, and Tout Finance and Viadeo in France for picking it up.

Bemz cover for Söderhamn sofa in Indigo Brera Lino by Designers Guild

Getting your home ready for summer with Bemz pure linen fabrics, new bedroom collection as well as our new line of curtains (being launched in August) also got a mile of mentions. Thanks to Germany’s LivingatHome.de for their great piece on Bemz curtains. And to Lisa Wohnen & Dekorieren for their nice piece on our bedroom products.

Bemz cover for Ektorp sofa, Loose Fit Country style, in Lavender Rosendal Pure Washed Linen

Thanks also to Remodelista for their list of fave linen sofas – where Bemz came in as the most moderately priced! Thanks also to Interior Design North of Canada, My Décoration of France, Simply Cyn and Tre nyanser av vitt of Sweden, Scandinaveries Parisiennes of France and Design Lovers of the UK/US for your mentions.

Bemz cover for Karlstad sofa in Light Denim Blue Belgian Linen Blend em>

And finally thanks to all fans of Bemz and our concept of personalising Ikea furniture. We love you right back: Lea Wohnen of Germany, Mums mean business of the US, ihavesevenchairs of Denmark, Les yeux de Cerise of France, and Kurbits and Andrea Engsall at Sweden's Amelia magazine blog.

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