It's a cover-up

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!

Enter the fold: Söderhamn, Mellby & Bemz Artist Series

Following up on our recent post on the chic Monochromatic trend, we thought you'd like to know that Bemz has added a number of exciting new covers to our product range to enhance your monochromatic interior. These include stylish covers for Ikea’s gorgeous Söderhamn sectional sofa, the Mellby chair and our one-of-a-kind exclusive Artist Series cushion covers.

Söderhamn modular furniture grouping in Silver Grey Panama Cotton covers from Bemz. Cushion covers in Yellow Fiskis and Orange Fiskis from the Bemz Artists Series cushion cover collection.

The Söderhamn series is based on durable and comfortable modules that can be combined in a myriad of ways. Its design and size are the perfect complements for a trendy monochrome scheme in your home, and the modern, square Mellby armchair fits right in.

Mellby chair in a Silver Grey cover from Bemz. Brown Kvarter and Silver Grey Vallsta and more from the Bemz Artist Series Cushion Covers.

Bemz has also introduced an Artist Series of digitally printed and specially designed cushion covers. Created by our in-house designer Katarina Wiklund, they’ll add the perfect splash of colour and interest to your stylish monochromatic interior.

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

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

Available in neon, bold and retro, you can’t help but fall in with the stunning motifs, striking colours and exclusive piping details of these fab covers, made in all natural materials.

Bemz artist series cushion in Chocolate Brown/Bamboo Green New Baroque

Mix and match these unique cushion covers with a Bemz sofa cover on your sofa and chairs, decorate your bed with them or make a statement with a gorgeous mound of cushions on the floor.

Bemz Basiq: lower pricing, more colours & free bag offer

Looking for an instant and inexpensive way to make your home more summery? Celebrate summer with a Bemz Basiq slipcover and receive a fab free summer bag in Kaleido Blue/Blue by Viola Gråsten from the Bemz Designers Collection.

This popular alternative from Bemz for the budget conscious is now available in two new cool summery colours – Zinc Grey and Sand Beige – as well as the Unbleached original. Bemz Basiq is perfect for bringing summer into your home and adding a fresh, natural look without breaking your budget.

This lower priced alternative for the more popular discontinued Ikea sofas and armchairs has a looser more relaxed fit cover with no piping, and the zippers are replaced with ties for a more natural look. Machine washable, Bemz Basiq in resilient 100% cotton is perfect for summer cottages and kids’ rooms, and a great budget option for summer-ising your apartment.

Buying a Bemz Basiq slipcover is the inexpensive way to give your sofa or armchair a second chance and an easy-going look of understated elegance. Suitable for some of the Ekeskog, Göteborg, Karlanda, Nikkala and Tomelilla models.

If you like this look find more inspiration at our Scandinavian Country Lifestyle.

And remember, buy any Bemz Basiq from right now until July 1, 2012 and you'll receive a fab free summer bag in designer fabric from Bemz. Happy Shopping!

Vanvik and Stockholm 1.5 enter the fold

Loose Fit Urban cover for Karlstad 3-seat sofa in Cobalt - Brera Fino. Loose Fit Country cushion cover in Cobalt - Brera Quadretto. Designers Guild collection for the Bemz Designer Collection.

With all the excitement around the launch of the latest addition to the Designers Guild at Bemz collection, we forgot to tell you about our latest family members.

Vanvik bedframe in Sand Beige Raffia

New to the Bemz bedroom series are covers for the Vanvik bedframe from Ikea. The Vanvik bedframe cover is available in two sizes, 160 cm and 180 cm and with or without a bedskirt. Sweet dreams!

The Stockholm family welcomes covers for the 1.5-seater armchair into the fold, completing the look for all those who already have the Stockholm sofa.

Karlanda sofa with long skirt in Gotland Stripe Silver Grey/Absolute White

And finally, all those unsightly pins can be tucked away under some beautiful fabric for all you Karlanda owners, as we now offer a long-skirt cover for the Karlanda corner sofa and Karlanda sofa bed, joining the two and three seater Karlanda sofas. The Karlanda is a range available in short and long skirt as well as Loose Fit Urban and Basiq. 

Is there a product or style you're holding out for? Tell us! Drop us a line at customerservice[at]bemz.com. We keep a tally of all requests and any products the majority ask for gets launched faster.

Månstad is here!

The wait is over. You can now get slipcovers for the popular Månstad sofa from Bemz.

After hundreds of email requests from our loyal and patient customer, and countless hours at the drawing board, Bemz is thrilled to finally be able to give you removable covers for the Månstad sofa from IKEA!

These new covers are easy to put on and remove (see below) and completely machine washable. 

As you can see, the seat, back cushions and frame each have their own separate covers, which are to be placed over the existing sofa covers, as the original covers on the Månstad are not removable. Thanks to a lot of ingenuity and some handy velcro in all the right places, both the bed function and storage space continue to be accessible. 

First choose whether you want a left or right-sided cover for your sofa. Then the fun bit: finding your personal favourite among more than 180 different designer fabrics, and test driving it on the sofa from the comfort of your home! Happy shopping.

Pop into our Urban Inspiration Store

With the launch of our new Loose Fit - Urban collection, the Inspiration Store has been given a facelift. We realise that most of you won't be able to make it in person into our store so we thought we'd share some photos here: 

Loose Fit - Urban covers in Rosendal Pure Washed Linen on Henriksdal chairs

Loose Fit - Urban cover in Rosendal Pure Washed Linen Medium Grey on a Karlstad sofa

Loose Fit - Urban cover in Rosendal Pure Washed Linen Absolute White on a Karlanda

Loose Fit - Urban covers in Rosendal Pure Washed Linen Medium Grey on a Kivik sofa and Klappsta chair. Karlstad footstool in Absolute White.

But if you are in Stockholm, then please pop in!

Trend alert: Denim Blue

Even though we first talked about this trend back in February 2010, it comes as no surprise that this timeless classic so firmly embedded in our wardrobes, has managed to hold its ground as a hot trend in our homes.  

And now it is even easier for you to introduce a touch of this enduring favourite into your homes, with the latest addition to the Bemz collection: Piper Twill Dark Denim Blue.

This 100% cotton fabric is dyed and woven using a special technique enabling us to create the perfect denim-blue look.

To convey that close-to-nature aspect of the Simple Life lifestyle, combine Denim Blue with beige tones, unbleached linen fabrics and shades of blue.

If the cosmopolitan-inspired Urban Living design is more your thing, complement this new fabric with different shades of black, charcoal and granite. Then break it up with accents of subtle pattern, like classic check.

Trend alert: Vintage Industrial

Vintage Industrial, aka Industrial Chic or Trash Deluxe, is one of the hottest trends in interior design right now, and the latest feature on the Bemz Trend Alert page. Here you can read all about the style’s defining characteristics as well as a few crucial tips on how to introduce it into your home.

As the name suggests, Vintage Industrial takes inspiration from old, defunct factories and rustic surroundings. Furniture choices are sturdy and functional, with straight lines and of a simplistic design, ideally a little worn with either rust or peeling paint to give them the sought-after tarnished yet unique, one-of-a-kind, look.

A balanced mix of unrefined materials with soft fabrics, such as concrete and untreated wood, tarnished metal and supple fabrics help interpret this style for the home. The kitchen plays host to a exquisitely worn yet sturdy table in unfinished wood, a look that is softened by chairs covered in simple, loose-fitting linen.

An old-fashioned blackboard lists the week's shopping, and industrial style lighting and tableware complete the look.

Typography in all its forms, like large metal letters, are used as art or spray-painted onto cabinets and storage solutions as practical labels.

The living room is unpretentious and bright, with a few well-chosen decorative details. The beautiful yet simple sofas, upholstered in washed linen or denim, soften the industrial theme. The coffee table, an upcycled pallet, is finished with a glass top and casters.

The bedroom with its simple, solid-coloured base is the epitome of calm. The bed sports a loose fitting bed skirt in textured fabric. Stacked boxes provide unconventional storage and a slightly worn metal stool is used as a bedside table.

Personal details, such as framed letters and black and white photographs, paired with fresh flowers, give the otherwise austere style a softer, gentler edge.

The well-defined Vintage Industrial style is created using shades of grey, with white, black and blue accents. Denim-like textiles also tick the box in creating the right look for this style, inspired by a genuine industrial feel.

Injections of soft pastel colours, particularly "dirty pastels" such as mint green or light yellow, can break up the predominantly grey colour scheme. On-trend metallics, which we are seeing grace both the fashion and the interior worlds, are the ideal partner, offsetting the less refined materials used in this style.

Patterns should be used sparingly so that the subdued, monochromatic grey, white and black colour palette remains uninterrupted. To achieve the right, worn look, opt for interesting textures instead, such as washed, tactile fabrics in any and every shade of grey.

New style of cover from Bemz for the urban lifestyle

There's something exciting happening today at Bemz: the Inspiration Store is closed for business as we are hosting a by invitation only press event and spilling the beans on some pretty exciting and cutting edge news. Bemz has created yet another unique and exclusive look for slipcovers for Ikea furniture. Today's press announcement is that we are adding a completely new look to the Loose Fit range: an Urban inspired loose fitting slipcover made from 100% washed linen.

Originally launched as a Shabby Chic-inspired style in May of last year, these new 100% washed linen slipcovers are an extension of the Loose Fit collection.

The Loose Fit - Urban look is characterized by an edgier, more metropolitan influence in contrast to his kinder rural counterpart. The look is taken from the latest in interior design trends: subdued and elegantly worn with a sophisticated, slightly looser fit. Seams are purposely apparent, with every aspect of the cover cut and sewn by hand with extreme precision.

"The Loose Fit collection allows us to transform an IKEA sofa using both colour and form in an exciting way. It will be great to see how our customers adopt this new urban look and make it their own", says Lesley Pennington, CEO and founder of Bemz.

Both the Urban and Country Loose Fit collections are manufactured using an exclusive linen from Belgium, a country with a centuries-old tradition of flax cultivation and processing. The fabric, Rosendal Pure Washed Linen, is pre-washed to give it a beautifully soft and vintage-like look, and comes in Absolute White, Soft White, Unbleached, Medium Grey, Sage Brown and Lavender.

Loose Fit - Urban covers will be available from early 2012 for a selection of models within the Karlanda, Karlstad, Klippan, Henriksdal, Nils, Klappsta and Kivik furniture ranges and as bedskirts.

Long skirts for winter - for Karlstad and Karlanda

Are you feeling the chill? Some parts of the US have already seen snow and even though many of us experienced one of the mildest October's in years, November pretty much always spells cold.

Is this the reason behind the latest new product from Bemz? The Karlstad and Karlanda ranges are stepping out this winter in a new style: in slipcovers with a long skirt. This slipcover is great for those looking to hide those (dare I say it: ugly) IKEA legs or for those who want to bring their furniture 'closer' to the floor, giving the room a cosier feel while not sacrificing on the contemporary look.

Perfect timing now that those chilly winds are nipping at our legs!