December 2022 - Comfort Works Blog & Sofa Resources

How our slipcovers are designed to make your life easier

Posted on December 21, 2022April 29, 2025 by Mira

How much work actually goes into making slipcovers designed to make your life easier? Before anything else, I’d like to preface this by saying… it’s a lot. It really is.

It was only after I ~~cornered~~ sat down with our product developers and managers that had me thinking about what truly ‘makes’ a slipcover.

As the go-to person for delivery times, sofa brands and some variation of “what fabric is this?”, here are some common requests we get from our customers and how the magic really happens.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Can I use my own fabric?
How our slipcovers are designed
Can I have my covers in a custom shade?
How our fabrics are chosen
Wrap-up

Can I use my own fabric?

The answer is sadly, no. As our fabrics go through a series of rigorous tests and quality checks, it could affect the ordering process and how your slipcovers will turn out.

Fabrics laid out on surface — *Working with fabrics that aren’t our own has its risks*

We might not be able to get them to you in time

We understand that you want your slipcovers delivered as soon as possible, whether it’s for your living room, a space you’re renting out, or your daughter’s first apartment.

That’s why it’s important that we stick to our promised delivery times. That being said, we’re also human – working with fabrics that we’re unfamiliar with may cause delays, in the case of a mistake.

Your fabric may not hold up well in the long run

Keeping in mind that there are so many fabrics with different weaves and thicknesses out there, your fabric might not be compatible with our sewing patterns.

We will also not be able to guarantee how the covers will stand against everyday wear and tear.

It is not covered by our 60-day ‘In Love Again’ guarantee

All our fabrics are covered by our 60-day ‘In Love Again’ guarantee, which basically means you get to live with your slipcovers and decide whether they’re for you within 60 days. You’ll find the full details of our guarantee here.

How our slipcovers are designed

Our slipcovers are brought to life by our Products team, who spend a lot of time making sure they are beautiful, functional and the perfect fit. Our very own product developer, Kirane expects nothing less.

Person working on a white table. — *“Good design has purpose”*

The design process starts with reading just about everything: customer reviews, IKEA hacks and articles online on what sofa owners would change about their sofa.

From there, we make slipcover designs by combining what people love (and hate) about their sofas and our knowledge on what works best.

What follows is a series of prototypes: this is where we experiment with different seams, folds and patterns. Many, many iterations and reviews later, a slipcover is born.

The main idea is for our slipcovers have that signature Comfort Works look, while being versatile enough to fit any space.

Can I have my covers in a custom shade?

We’ve received a number of fabric requests over the years (even one for Pure Linen in baby blue, I’m honestly still rooting for them).

Unfortunately, it is a ‘what you see is what you get’ situation. We don’t offer any fabrics or shades that aren’t readily available on our site.

How our fabrics are chosen

It all starts with what we hear from you. Our product manager, Nicole takes great pride in being behind the stylish, practical fabrics you know and love.

A girl looking at fabrics on a white sofa. — *So many fabrics, so little time.*

The fabric selection process is one that takes plenty of time and research. We start by collecting data: customer feedback, surveys and current trends on all things fabric.

When we find a fabric that ticks all the boxes, the search for a supplier begins. Samples of the fabric are sent over for testing so that our textile lab partners can make sure the fabrics are of quality.

Our tests don’t stop in the lab either. We have real people living with the fabrics in their homes so they can be truly tried and tested. Some of our fabrics are also certified under Global Recycle Standard (GRS) and OEKO-TEX standards.

Wrap-up

Designed and carefully-curated from start to finish, we are proud to say that all our covers are uniquely Comfort Works. Click on the button below to find out more about our fabric offering.

Explore all fabric collections

IKEA Karlstad sofa review – Quality without the big price tag

Posted on December 5, 2022April 28, 2025 by Aaron Wong

Anyone who regularly frequents the vast depths of IKEA showrooms must have come across the IKEA Karlstad sofa at some point. It’s the one that you could only describe as a plain, typical square arm couch.

In other words it looks pretty unremarkable.

But this unremarkable couch has clung onto the title of second most popular IKEA sofa for many years now (behind fan favourite, the Ektorp) and is still one of the finest sofa investments you can make for the money.

The time has finally come to make a review of this couch, which many a day my butt has spent on for meetings, snoozes and couch parties. After which, I’m now more than ready to share its intricacies with the world 🙂

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview
Comfort
Aesthetics
Price & construction
Verdict
Assembly guide

Overview

Time-tested and affordable, the IKEA Karlstad sofa was one of the most popular couches on the planet until 2015, where it was unceremoniously discontinued in many countries. However, in the US, they still stock the 3-seater in their catalogue to this day.

For the sake of clarity, in this review I’ll be referring to the standard 3-seater configuration of the Karlstad.

Comfort

In many ways, it feels like IKEA designed the Karlstad to be the budget square arm couch for the everyman. It’s not particularly soft or deep and everyone should be able to sit on it in a comfortable manner.

If you’re looking for a relaxed “cloud-like” experience, then the Karlstad is not the couch for the job. It’s not overstuffed, not very plush and not very loungy. But that doesn’t mean it’s uncomfortable. It’s just that the cushions are on the firmer side.

Instead, what the Karlstad offers is a reasonably attentive sit. It’s got a conservative seating depth and it’s very low to the ground, which means almost anyone can sit on it like it was meant to be sat on. You know… without legs dangling off the side, or knees bending at awkward angles like they may on a deeper sofa like the Farlov.

Ultimately, the Karlstad is not incredibly comfortable – but it’s not uncomfortable, either. One thing I do object to is the height of the armrests. They’re just too high, and not conducive to naps. I have attempted naps on many IKEA sofas and this had got to be one of the worst because of those armrests.

For normal seating use it’s completely fine though, and no one I’ve surveyed actively hates the Karlstad, so I’d say it deserves a 7 on the IKEA scale of comfort.

Comfort score: 7/10

IKEA-Karlstad-sofa-white-slipcovers-cream-slipcovers — *IKEA Karlstad with customised long skirt slipcovers*

Aesthetics

IKEA was never going to win any design awards with the release of the Karlstad, it’s just a typical square arm sofa – and that’s alright! The style is a classic that’s hard to go wrong with.

With its clean lines and modern profile, the Karlstad fits into most homes without issue. Unless we’re talking about living spaces with very traditional looks that may need something less angular.

It looks particularly fitting in modern or contemporary environments (especially considering that it’s only available in grey now).

The only way to customise your Karlstad will be to take matters into your own hands. And actually, you may find that it’s one of IKEA’s most hackable couches yet!

Tuft it, change out its legs, or give it a slipcover that transforms its personality 180 degrees. Speaking of Karlstad redesigns, here’s a couple of pictures from our very own customers to show the ways it can be hacked:

green-IKEA-sofa-Karlstad-tufted-sofa-wooden-legs — *Give it “the works” with a velvet slipcover, mid-century legs and DIY-tufting*

IKEA-sofa-Karlstad-brown-vegan-leather-slipcover — *IKEA Karlstad transformed with vegan leather slipcovers*

The list goes on. But even in its default state it certainly looks like a decently aesthetic piece and deserves an 8/10 in this category. What can I say? You can’t go wrong with a universal design such as this one.

Aesthetics Score: 8/10

Price and construction

Aha! The category that the Karlstad shines the most in is the very one that most IKEA shoppers love about IKEA – affordable quality.

IKEA is best known for being a budget brand which is why so many shoppers go to IKEA for their couch. Even in the budget realm the Karlstad has proven itself supreme against the competition and is one of the most value for money choices available (alongside the Ektorp/Uppland).

If there’s any wonder why this couch is one of Ikea’s most popular, it’s probably because it costs just $499 for a full 3-seater sofa. Completely justified for the way it looks and the comfort levels, but above all it’s got some seriously good craftsmanship.

Somehow this couch is much more well-endowed in the foam density department compared to other IKEA couches, even the higher end ones. It even trounces the foam density amounts of couches costing many multiples more than the Karlstad from so called “upmarket” brands!

That’s right, we’re talking 2.5 2.5lbs/cu.ft high-resilience foam on this budget beast. Oh. My. Consider that cushions losing their fluff is the number one reason why sofas are thrown away, and you’ve got some context as to why this is a big deal. And by the way, density is not to be confused with the hardness or stiffness of the cushions.

Pair that with the fact you can replace the covers from IKEA (or us) and the only way your Karlstad will be meeting its demise is if someone plays couch trampoline with it and the frame breaks.

Testament to this our own Karlstad has been with us for almost four years now with no sign of breaking down. It’s been used through parties, meetings and naps.

Given all of this for a couch costing just under $500? What else can it be given but 10/10!

Price and construction score: 10/10

IKEA-Karlstad-white-linen-slipcovers — *IKEA Karlstad in Pure Linen White slipcovers*

Verdict

I wouldn’t go so far as to pretend that this is my favourite couch. I don’t find it uncomfortable but I’d still rather sit on many of the other IKEA sofas.

Despite that, I do see the appeal. It was made to be the everyman’s square arm couch and that’s where it excels, so kudos to IKEA for delivering on such a competitive offering.

If you’re looking for a very competitively priced entry-level sofa that’s going to be sticking around for a few more years then this might be it. The Karlstad checks all the boxes and then some.

And if you ever get bored of how typical this couch looks then you know where to find us. We will be more than happy to facelift your Karlstad to fill any living space you may have.

Interested in giving your Karlstad a makeover? Visit us on our main website and explore all the colors, materials, and styles that you can choose from to achieve a one-of-a-kind centerpiece.

P.S IKEA even lets you buy the Karlstad without the cover to use a custom one. How cool is that!

DISCOVER CUSTOM KARLSTAD SLIPCOVERS

Assembly guide

IKEA Karlstad Armchair, 2 Seater and 3 seater

Replacement couch covers or a new couch?

Posted on December 1, 2022April 28, 2025 by Michele

Is it really time to throw away your sofa or could replacement couch covers soft the problem? Can you actually save the comfortable sofa that has kept you company and gave you security for all the time you’ve spent together?

The couch that you slept, ate and cried on…is it time to let it go?

Ultimately it is still your decision, but we’ve got some advice here on what would be the best for you (or your sofa).

[forminator_poll id=”97498″]

When in doubt, seek guidance.

Here’s a table that could hopefully help you with the decision to keep or throw away your sofa. :(

Click on each point for more details on why and how to keep your sofa.

Keep it	It depends
It’s badly stained	Its springs are broken
It’s torn or scratched	Termite damage
It just doesn’t look nice anymore	Sofa frame is broken

It’s badly stained

When we spend so much time on the sofa, stains are pretty much unavoidable. If you have other family members such as kids and pets, I can picture the little (or big) stain spots all over your current couch.

So, now your sofa has a collection of stains that you just can’t seem to get rid of.

Our verdict: Save it.

The fix:

Try these easy sofa-cleaning methods at home
Schedule a sofa-cleaning appointment with your local sofa cleaning professionals
Give it a brand-new look with a removable, machine-washable sofa slipcover.

It’s torn or scratched

So your sofa is now sporting a huge hole, or several. You may even see the stuffing break free of the exterior through the scratches.

Your sofa tried to stand up for itself. Alas, there are only a few things on earth that can withstand the destructive forces of toddlers or over-energetic pets.

To decide if it’s worth saving, check if the damage to your upholstery is superficial or deep.

Our verdict: Save it.

The fix:

If the scratches are superficial, you can easily use scissors, razors or even a needle and thread to fix it. Follow these simple methods to fix sofa snags and frays.
If the sofa has been slightly torn, we’ve got an easy fix using fusible interfacing.
Alternatively, you can give it a new exterior with a sofa slipcover that’s claw-proof. Not anymore, Fido.
If the damage is deeper, you’ll want to consider taking it to an upholsterer for repairs.

It just doesn’t look nice anymore

dog-on-plaid-couch-in-living-room — Image: *Unsplash*

Your old sofa is still perfectly usable. But it’s shabby, in a bad way, not the chic way.

It’s got a lot of unremovable grime and dirt, the colour has faded and the fabric just looks loose all over.

Our verdict: Save it.

The fix: You can always give it a completely new look that you know you’ll love – a customisable sofa slipcover. Choose from over 70 fabric styles and designs that are guaranteed to give your sofa the perfect fit.

Fits well, looks beautiful and is functional? No man like that exists!

Liquid-resistant, claw-proof, cosy or superb breathability, it’s all up to what works best for you.

Its springs are broken

You sit on your couch and feel like it’s trying to swallow you whole – it has pretty much lost that springy feeling.

The good news is, you’ve made full use of your sofa. The bad news is, it could use some TLC.

Our verdict: It depends.

The fix: Consider opting to have your sofa springs replaced or repaired, cushions restuffed and exterior reupholstered (which will cost a pretty penny) by an upholsterer, or buying a new one if you’re not willing to spend a lot on saving your old, damaged sofa.

Termite damage

If the wooden frame of your sofa has been exposed to termites, the first step you need to take will be to call pest control (if you haven’t already).

Our verdict: It depends.

The fix:

Depending on the level of damage to the wood, you may be better off with a new sofa so the termite infestation doesn’t affect the rest of your home. Once the termites have been taken care of, you may want to repair the couch frame with good wood glue and give it several coats of paint if it’s exposed for a look that’s almost as good as new.

old-blue-couch-in-warehouse — Image: *Unsplash*

The sofa frame is broken

A broken frame can mean something as trivial as broken slats under the seat cushions or something bigger like a crack in the main frame.

Our verdict: It depends.

The fix:

If it’s just broken slats, replacing them with similar ones from your local carpenter store will do the trick.
If it’s the main frame that’s damaged, then you’ll need to get them to the professionals as it can be dangerous.

With Christmas just around the corner, an unsightly or broken couch is not what you want, especially if there will be guests coming over. While you decorate your house for the Christmas season, you also want to make sure your sofa looks festive-ready and safe to sit on.

If you can save your sofa, save it now.

Save your sofa