The IKEA Söderhamn sofa has been in our living room for three years. The frame is excellent — modular configuration that allowed building exactly the size we needed, proportions that suit a smaller room, and a structure that has remained sound through the use that a family living room applies to furniture daily. The cover was not excellent. After two and a half years, it had developed the specific combination of pilling and slightly misshaped cushion covers that standard IKEA upholstery fabric develops with regular family use.
Replacing with another IKEA standard cover was the obvious solution and the one I initially intended. During a late evening research session, I found Bemz. The idea of a linen cover that would change how the sofa read entirely was immediately compelling, and after more research than most upholstery purchases warrant, I ordered it.
Bemz is a Swedish company that produces replacement covers for IKEA sofas, chairs, and storage units in fabrics that IKEA doesn’t offer. The covers are made to IKEA specifications but in natural fiber fabrics — linen, cotton, blends — that produce a significantly more considered appearance and feel than IKEA’s standard synthetic and cotton options.
The website process is specific and helpful: you enter your IKEA sofa model and configuration, and the system identifies exactly which covers are compatible with your specific setup. The configuration options are comprehensive — every standard IKEA setup is covered, including the various Söderhamn configurations that the modular system produces.
The pricing reflects the quality of the fabrics rather than the simplicity of the concept. A Bemz cover costs more than an IKEA replacement cover. Whether the price difference is justified is the question this review answers.
Available at: Bemz (bemz.com)
Best for: Those with an IKEA sofa in good structural condition who want a premium natural fiber cover that transforms how the sofa reads.
I ordered the Söderhamn cover in Brera Linen — a 40% linen, 60% cotton blend that produces the texture and weight characteristic of linen without the extreme wrinkling that pure linen upholstery develops with regular use. The colour was Blonde, a warm natural linen tone that I’d been unable to find anywhere in IKEA’s standard range.
Delivery took approximately three weeks from Sweden. The cover arrived rolled in a cylindrical tube — professional packaging that prevented creasing. The colour accuracy was excellent; the Blonde photographs accurately on the Bemz website, which is more than can be said for most fabric purchases.
The fitting took approximately fifty minutes with two people. Bemz provides illustrated fitting instructions specific to each sofa model, and the Söderhamn instructions covered every step in the specific order required. The process is more physical than complex — stretching the cover over each section of the sofa and securing it from underneath. The finished result sits on the sofa frame precisely rather than loosely, which is the difference between a custom replacement and a slipcover.
After fourteen months: the Brera Linen has developed the specific quality that good linen develops with use — slightly softer, slightly more relaxed, with the texture becoming more apparent. The cushion covers have maintained their shape. The colour has been consistent through eight washes (cool machine wash, flat dry as recommended). The sofa reads as a genuinely considered piece of furniture rather than an IKEA sofa with a different cover.
Available at: Bemz (bemz.com)
Best for: KLIPPAN owners who want to transform the budget two-seater into something that reads as a considered furniture choice.
The IKEA KLIPPAN is one of the most purchased sofas in the world and one of the most instantly recognisable. The Bemz cover transforms the KLIPPAN from generic to specific — the same low-profile, firm-cushioned form in a quality natural fiber fabric reads completely differently from the same sofa in IKEA’s standard covers.
The KLIPPAN Bemz cover is available in their full fabric range and is the most straightforward fitting process in the range. For those who own a KLIPPAN and want to upgrade it without replacing the frame, the Bemz cover is the most impactful single purchase available for the sofa.
Available at: Bemz (bemz.com)
Best for: KIVIK owners who want premium natural fiber covers for the larger sofa format.
The KIVIK is IKEA’s larger sofa range and the Bemz cover for the KIVIK produces the same transformation as the Söderhamn cover at a scale that suits the larger piece. The Pure Washed Linen option available for the KIVIK is the recommendation for those who want the most natural linen quality — the pre-washed linen arrives already softened and with less of the crispness that unwashed linen requires washing to develop.
The Bemz Söderhamn cover cost £285 for our configuration. A comparable quality linen sofa from a mid-market brand would cost £1,200–1,800. The IKEA Söderhamn frame in good condition represents approximately £300–400 at current IKEA pricing. The total for a linen sofa using the Bemz approach is £585–685 versus £1,200–1,800 for an equivalent elsewhere.
This calculation makes the Bemz cover straightforwardly worth it when the frame is in good condition. If the frame is worn or structurally compromised, replacing the sofa makes more sense than covering it. If the frame is solid and the cover is the only limitation — which was our situation — the Bemz is the most economical path to a linen sofa by a significant margin.
Bemz is worth buying when the IKEA frame is structurally sound and the cover is the limitation. The quality of the Brera Linen and Pure Washed Linen covers is genuinely above the IKEA standard, the fitting process is manageable in an afternoon, and the finished sofa reads as a considered furniture choice rather than a budget alternative dressed up. The price is significant relative to an IKEA replacement cover but represents exceptional value relative to buying a quality natural fiber sofa new. For those in the specific situation of a good IKEA frame and a worn cover, Bemz is the answer.