The Albans House family room design by the talented Joni Webb
Joni’s own home.
Today I thought I’d ask you your opinion on white slipcovers and while I was quickly searching for a photo I knew I wouldn’t need to search further than Cote de Texas. Lo and behold, if Joni didn’t have a new post up featuring a home she just finished complete with white slips.
I’ve become infatuated with all things white, especially slipcovers.
What about you, do you like white slipcovers?
I was very saddened (but not surprised) by all of the above comments from ladies who love white slipcovers but don’t think they are practical because of kids or pets. OMG, if they only knew how wrong they are! I have 2 big German Shepherds and a cat that live in the house and imho, there is NOTHING easier than white slipcovers. I even wrote a post on my blog about this very subject:
http://mycottageofbliss.blogspot.com/2009/09/easy-breezy-cottage-white-slipcovers.html
I’ve decided I love sitting on fresh, clean slipcovers so much better than sitting on hidden dirt so I will NEVER own another upholstered sofa again. In fact, very soon I will be ordering a sofa with an off white slipcover for the family room at a new house we just purchased. Just say YES to (white) slipcovers! :)
You have some of the best looking slipcovers I have seen. Just shows that custom fitting is crucial! I also LOVE matelasse so that may be a consideration. ( I love that the matelasse is not wrinkled or rumpled looking.) We are planning on replacing our great-room sofa soon and I had even though about reupholstering (as it is in great condition, we just want a new look), so may speak with the lady I found who does slips. For the record, you can keep upholstered pieces clean, we have the stain guard (although we’ve never had an actual *spill* on ours), and I vaccum it regularly and like to air out cushion covers a couple of times a year.
I am going to print out your post and if I decide on slips – show it to the seamstress. I do like the look of white, but I am a COLOR person, so I will have to think on it. Thanks so much for sharing!
tina
I am in love with the whole slipcover thing too. I am pulled in by the white so that I have a nice clean canvas for my pops of color. I have had a floral sofa – never again and now have bright green sofas in my family room. I still like them even though I know that image sounds terrible, but they are starting to show some wear. The problem is I really don’t sew and I don’t know where to begin to find slipcovers that will really fit. I’ve seen the Surefit line but I think I would like something more custom. Any ideas?
I love to look at other people’s slip covers. However, with 3 boys who believe that all things furniture are trampolines they are not very practical for our family. I’ll just swoon over y’alls!!
Jennifer
I LOVE these rooms! Very enjoyable for both men and women. Cozy, yet sophisticated; casual, yet elegant. If you would have posed the question without the images, I might have had a different answer. White is good and while it might show dirt more, it is easy one of the easiest colors to clean!!
Thanks for the post!
I have used white slipcovers in my home for the past 10 years and I LOVE them! Even with a houseful of rambunctious young men (including the high school soccer team for pregame meals) and 3 dogs, the covers have been easy to take care of. It’s called a washing machine. That’s the beauty of having slip covers…whether white or green or polka dot, they wash. They’re a lot easier than having a couch cleaned after each spill!
I love that with white slipcovers, I can change the look in my family room just by switching pillows and throws. They are so versatile. I would suggest, though, that through the “little one” stage, you might use premade covers, such as Sure Fit or PB…and perhaps have 2 sets, with one set aside for “special times”. They cost much less than having them made to order. And you will not be as upset if the kids make a mess.
Jane (artfully graced)
I have always wanted to try but my husband hates the idea of slipcovers! Maybe someday…
I lurve white – have white linens on all the beds, have had white slips on most of our furniture at one time or another…but as much as I love them, they’re coming in at the same level as black granite countertops. I think I’m just tired of them, for the moment. Currently crushing on that elusive natural greige gray linen on the slips, stone white walls, dark wood. I’ll be back on white slipcovers just about the time they fall out of favor. Happens every time.
white+kids=tooooooo much cleaning and washing. no thank you.
I just covered a seat cushion with painter’s tarp scraps (after making drapes with the bulk). Two weeks, cats, and it needs a bath already. For some reason, they LOVE the painter’s tarp. While constructing the drapes, I had to remove cat hair at every turn! Guess I need to make cat beds.
Yes! Love how white slip covers look. So pretty and fresh. If you have a house full of “messies” (i.e. kids and dogs) they need to be made of very durable fabric as they will be washed and bleached often.
I LOVE them. I wish I could convince the DH to let me get slip covered couches to replace our current couch…which we will replace soon, just not sure with what.
I LOVE them! I’m currently trying to figure out the best way to bleach canvas drop cloths to get that perfect white washed look. So far, I haven’t quite managed.
I LOVE my white slipcovers! I have the Ektorp sofa from Ikea and it is my favorite piece of furniture. I too have children but have a rule that food and drinks stay in the kitchen. So spills aren’t a problem. I remove all the covers and wash them about every 6 months. It always looks brand new when I put them back on. LOVE IT! The room that it is in is currently red but I am about to take the plunge and paint the room in some form of white as well.
I love white slips. Wash and wear, what could be easier. I have had mine for years and have had no issues of stains not being removed. For particularly stubborn ones, I just fill up the washer with a scoop of Oxi-Clean and let them soak for 3 hours. Just like new.
I love them and I just bought some when we moved. Mine are an-off white, as white-white was way too scary. We have a 5yr old, 3.5yr old, 23mo old and one due any day, so needless to say I was slightly worried. So far they seem to clean up nice and I really wanted the comfy/cozy/cottage look. We had brown leather that are now in the piano/living area and thrilled to have a relaxed look now. I love to accessorize with yellows and greens and this works perfectly. :)
oh, i’m daring enough to give it a try. :)
I like the look, but I know that they wouldn’t stay white in my house for very long. I would eventually have dingy and spattered white slipcovers.
I love ‘em, but my hubby doesn’t. We have 2 huge dark colored dogs – still, I’d love to try them out! :)
They look great, but NO WAY!!!! We had a cream colored chair and inevitably within ten minutes of replacing the newly washed cover a child with dirty fingers, a cat with dusty paws or just a child’s pile collected treasures would return it to its perpetually dirty state. Nope, never again. Its not always my first choice design wise, but we are the new owners of all leather and i am loving it so far.
Okay Nester, let’s get real. You have 3 BOYS and a manly man. They probably like to sit and lay on your sofa (maybe even with shoes on). I love the look of a white couch but it is everywhere. The white slips, animal hide rug over seagrass, limed wood look is going to “date” your home instantly, in 5 years we will be on to something new. I have 2 little boys & a dog, I keep my walls white or off white and we buy BROWN sofas. Right now we have a caramel chennile, an espresso leather and a rusty brown leather (all in different rooms). I change out my pillows at least seasonally and add color with rugs, plants and other acessories. White walls keep the rooms bright and the darker, more forgiving neutral sofas let us LIVE in our home.
I love all things white and cream. My bedroom is monochromatic. My light cream sofa is a slipcover look but only the cushion covers zip off and we’ve had it almost 8 years. I got it when my oldest was just a baby and I was naive enough to think that I would never let her take sippy cups on it and that the sofa would magically stay clean simply because I wanted it to. It is stained and a bit dingy but I must say that it doesn’t look like it’s weathered 8 years, 3 children, and 2 grown-ups who enjoy snacks in front of the TV. But if I’m being honest, even though I LOVE the look, it’s getting less and less practical, even if I could take the entire cover off and wash it. I’d love to have some suggestions for those of us who are dying for that all-white cottagey look but just cannot rock the white sofa in this season of family life. : )
LOVE them. I’m trying to sew one for a wing back chair and it’s a much bigger project than I though. Oh well… it’ll be worth it in the end.
Ok, I think I’m finally convinced that I can do this. And, the whole easy to bleach/naptha soap aspect has allowed me to convince the hubs. Yay! Thanks for this post!
between my cat, my twin toddlers, and my infant (not to mention my relatives and friends whose dirty feet end up in strange places) just the thought of white slipcovers makes me shudder in fear. the look is crisp & clean…for a while…then it starts to look shabby & dingy.
i think the simplicity & elegance can be achieved through other means that don’t shout, “don’t touch me! don’t eat/drink here! are you sure your backside is clean?!” i like my living space to be just that…my living space…and that means coffee might actually be drunk (and dribbled) there, and a dirty foot may creep its way up onto the sofa.
LOOOOOVE white slipcovers!! Just redid our keeping room with all IKEA Ektorp white furniture and I couldn’t be more pleased. It’s easy to punch things up with accessories and it’s hard for even the most ADD decorating people like myself to get sick of white! :)
I have an off white chair by the tv my 10 yr old frequents. It always looks horrendous. If I had a white slipcover, it would have to be washed nearly daily.
I use to have offwhite sofas. In an adult home only. For the little we used the room, we had to be VERY careful. I could see slipcovers working well in this case myself.
I’d say in a room that wasn’t used 24/7, I’d go for it. But who wants to wash slipcovers daily in a well used room? Not I. Makes me sad to say this because I want to slipcover two chairs. BADLY. I may anyway. And wash daily. Who knows.
Donna
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/
They would last all of maybe 5 mins in my home before some child put something dirty on them! They are beautiful and you could change room colors just by changing the throw pillows. I’m envious of anyone who can have white or breakables in their home :)
White slipcovers are on my dream list for my living room.
We have 3 rowdy young boys and work in full time ministry.
That means our house is always filled with people-mostly boys.
And mud attracts to them like a sale at TJMaxx attracts me.
But I know this is why God made Oxi Clean. So that a mom outnumbered by boys can live in a White House and be happy all the days of her life. :).
p.s. i’m hoping someone with white slipcovers will share a great place to get them…
I ADORE white slipcovers and have them on my sofa! We have two little boys (3 and 1) who are only allowed to eat at the dining room table. When they are older I’d like to let them snack and be comfortable in the living room, so I’m not sure how my white slipcovers will hold up at that point – but at least you can wash and bleach them, right? I do LOVE the look and don’t think I will ever get tired of them.
With a 1 year old and a 2 year old, NO I do not think I would like white slip covers!!!
I like everything about white slipcovers! One day when my kids are grown and my dog is dead, maybe I’ll get them. Seriously, I know they are washable, but do you realize how dirty white can get? I’d be washing slipcovers every two days and that would require me buying an extra large washer, so for now, no white fabric in high traffic areas. I do love white though. It’s so clean, fresh, and calming!
-FringeGirl
I love the look but the “Look” will have to wait for my 5 kids to grow up and leave the nest. I almost bought white slipcovers last week but the thought of freaking out about my white furniture every time my kids walked in to sit down, was just too much for me to handle. So white will come in time. I will just have to be patient….
:)Rachel
love love love them. a good sturdy one can be thrown in the washer with some bleach and tahhhhdahhh, perfection.
We are in step with new infatuations! I have been loving white slipcovers for a while, and lately have felt the need to coat everything in white paint and fabric. It’s just so fresh! Our next furniture will definitely be white slipcovers. With one toddler and more on the way, we need the power of bleach around here!
Three weeks after we’d gotten our new, white slipcovered sofa, my daughter accidentally spilled blueberry pancake syrup on a cushion.
After I woke up from a faint, I washed the slipcover with 2 Tide stain remover gel packs and NO stain at all. Not even in the piping where I knew it would settle!
We live with 3 cats and one dog. They live on the sofa with us. I wash the slipcover all the time and let it almost air dry then put it back on. I finally feel like we have a clean piece of furniture to enjoy!
I love them, but with a boy, a messy husband and 3 dogs who think the furniture belongs to them, there’s no way I could have them.
Hosting a giveaway on my blog! Come on over!
I love them! Just posted about mine the other day, too.
http://lessthanperfectlifeofbliss.blogspot.com/2010/03/what-is-your-house-saying-about-you.html
I LOOOOVE white slipcovers, i am actually in the process of making them for my familyroom couches right now. I even have a white slipcovered couch in the kids playroom which i just posted about here
http://showandtell-sausha.blogspot.com/2010/03/playroom-reveal-drumroll-please.html
They are so easy to change out the decor around them and not have to buy new furniture – i cant wait to get mine done for the familyroom :)
I love ‘em so bad it hurts! I found an Ikea white slipcovered chair cheap on Craigslist and love the look. I just toss the cover in the wash every couple of months. I’m not a fanatic about little marks here and there and no one looks at your furniture as closely as you do! Plus, when your room is decorated, mistreated and “fluffed”, no one is going to examine your white furniture under a microscope! Now I want slipcovers for my sofa and loveseat, but I’m unsure which route to go. Do I buy the less tailored, but infinitely less expensive SureFit covers or do I save up my pennies for all new furniture or a custom made slipcover. That is unless I can figure out a way to hot glue a slipcover LOL.
Yes, I love them, and I want a white slipcovered sofa! I just saw a gorgeous designer type white slipcovered sofa on craigslist today in my city for just $300. It looked new! However, I just can’t justify it at this time. Eight years ago we bought a sofa at Restoration Hardware on sale, and it still looks fantastic. A slipcover for it would cost a fortune (much more than this used sofa), so I’m holding off on the dream for a while. Even for families, I think they are completely practical.
I love them and want them. However, I had some for a while (didn’t fit my weird sofas quite right) and I had perpetual gray spots where the kitties like to perch. And, yes, I did lint roller those spots continuously. I’m trying to figure out a closer alternative that won’t be so glaring each time my Husky rubs up against it.
love.them.
I have them and have two toddlers. Oxy clean is my friend. I wish I had made them a bit larger because they’ve shrunk a bit with each wash and don’t fit as well as they did. The look is calming though!
What’s not to love about white slipcovers?
First, full disclosure….I am a mom of two human people (ages 11 and 8) and two furry people and wife to one manly man husband.
I have white slipcovers on LOTS of furniture in my house…and the main reason I love them so is the ablility to wash them over and over and over ….. and the more I wash them, the better they look and feel. I love that I can also use bleach to get out “the tough stains”.
White is just a clean and calm look – it frees me to add color with pillows and accesorries.
Go for it!
xo – Jill
Love them. I’ve had them for almost three years. BUT… we just got a dog yesterday, so we’ll see how much I love them in the coming weeks…
I love the idea and look of white slipcovers, but…completely impractical for our lifestyle. I guess I could wash them, but I’d be washing them all the time!
I dream of it.
But it will never be.
Why?
Let me tell you…
5 children (the oldest turns 10 this week, the youngest are twin almost-3 yr olds, and God knows, we may have more), 2 dogs, 5 geese (not in the house, but still!), a duck, numerous chickens, and 2 cows I keep having to chase out of my yard. A yard which is completely, solidly, underlaid with black, sticky, staining, clay. And by black, I don’t mean, a nice, pretty black. I mean NASTY. Makes one think of manure.
So I am actually looking at how to keep my house looking “nice”, while dealing with all of the rest of those issues…Color. Lots of color. Its the only way to go.
I have bolster covers for my couch cushions, that are white. They are hideouuusssss. But since I don’t have replacements sitting in the wings, I’ve got to deal with them until I “do” have replacements. UGH.
So while White is a dream (a denim, or an old-fashioned chenille dream), that is all it will ever be…sadly…
I know it’s almost against the “Rules of Being a Southern Girl,” but I absolutely can’t stand a slipcover. They always look unkempt to me. And then I begin to wonder about the horrible thing lurking underneath. I don’t mind white, just keep me away from the dreaded slipcover!
With 4 kids, I’m not a huge fan of white furniture. Slipcovers are another matter altogether. Love them. Oh, and I LOVE those coffee tables!