Easy Ways to Slipcover a Couch

Brand-Specific Covers

• Seek out manufacturers who make slipcovers specifically to fit your brand of couch. Some companies specialize in tailoring mass-produced slipcovers to popular couches. They offer a wide range of colors, patterns and materials, and create new designs periodically. You can also investigate whether the manufacturer of your couch sells slipcovers. These covers are easy to pull onto a couch and they are often machine-washable.

Generic Disguises

• Check out local home decorating outlets for slipcovers made to fit couches the approximate size and shape of yours. Their packages usually show drawings of the basic shape of the couches they are intended to fit, and include a range of measurements. These slipcovers may contain instructions on modifying their fit to snugly match the contours of your piece. Often, generic slipcovers will have ties, elastic or other adjustable closures.

Homemade Slipcovers

• Make your own easy slipcover by finding a textile you love, draping it over the couch to cover it completely, and tucking it into the crevices behind the seat cushions and next to the armrests for a snug fit. Fold extra fabric along the sides of the couch into pin-tucks and use safety pins to close them, hiding the pins on the inside of the cover. Use a king-sized sheet on a small love seat for a romantic draped look. Avoid using stripes or plaid, as these materials can look messy when their patterns are not aligned.

Layering Textiles

• If you have an unusually shaped couch, such as an asymmetrical chaise or an L-shaped sectional with a protruding footrest element, your best bet is to drape one or several hand-woven blankets or quilts over the piece, providing a visual cover that does not adhere precisely to the couch form. Add throw pillows to further mask the couch, without sewing a single stitch.