room freshener
Bemz is all about slipping into a new look for that old Ikea sofa
The other day, my best friend mentioned that her old Ikea Ektorp sofa, which is well- used by her two young children, is in need of a pick- me- up. The slipcover had washed up just fine, but she really wanted to liven up her family room. She was thinking a new set of toss cushions and a stylish throw. I was thinking Bemz. “What’s Bemz?” she asked. Bemz, I told her, is to slipcovered Ikea furniture what meatballs are to Swedes. Which is to say, made for each other. The slipcover, of course, is the best home invention since the self- cleaning oven. It’s a stylish, worry- free way to not only keep your upholstery looking clean — wash and wear is the only way to go when you have a young family — but to freshen up the décor every now and then. Enter Lesley Pennington, a University of Toronto graduate and entrepreneur who in 2004 dreamed up Bemz after falling in love with a Swedish man, moving to Stockholm and buying a white Ikea Tomelilla sofa for their summer home. Wouldn’t it be great, she thought, if the sofa’s handy slipcover came in a variety of colours and textiles, something that suited her eclectic taste, instead of just white cotton and the two other plain colours offered with the sofa? Wouldn’t it be ideal if there was a company that provided that service, and also made slipcovers to order for discontinued Ikea furniture? Bemz was born and, in keeping with the Ikea spirit, Pennington created the name as an acronym for the children in her family. Fast forward eight years. Bemz has not only breathed new life into old Ikea furniture, it has also upped its game. It not only offers the basic slipcovers Ikea customers are familiar with, but also custom- designed textiles by such labels as Helsinki’s Marimekko, famous for its bright prints and colours, and the British Designers Guild. The company also makes a new line of multi- fit, tie- arm covers for non- Ikea furniture.