MARK CUTLER STYLE GUIDE: Chic, Not Shabby, Slipcovers

A few years ago, a store opened here in Santa Monica called "Shabby Chic" which specialized in loose slip-covered furniture and almost single-handedly created a design genre. The look of baggy white slipcovers is everywhere. Well I am pleased to say that the store is still going strong and it is still serving the market for which it was designed. I personally am not a fan of that look; it's a bit too casual for me, but nonetheless I am thrilled that it has brought slipcovers back into the mainstream.

I like slipcovers to be much more tailored, like the one above. This was a chair that I did for a client years ago, for her bathroom. In fact, I found the chair sitting forlornly on the side of the road, so I threw it into the back of my car and took it straight to my upholsterer. Since it was for a bathroom and was bound to get wet, we decided that a terry cloth slipcover was the perfect choice. This way it could be taken off and washed on a regular basis.

This, to me, is the key to using slipcovers. I think they are great for people with kids, who want the freedom to pull it off the sofa and throw it in the washing machine. The other great reason is for people who may want to change their look from one season to another.

A couple of things to remember:

• ALWAYS wash your fabric before getting the slipcover made.

• When selecting a fabric, go with a blend of natural and man-made fibers, like a cotton/rayon. The natural fiber will allow it to breathe and the manmade fiber will keep it looking tidy.

• When getting a fitted cover made, be sure to tell your upholsterer to keep his Velcro ties in hidden spots- that way you can still have a great looking sofa when the cover is off.

• The tighter, more tailored the fit on the cover, the more challenging it will be to get on and off, so you may want to garner some help and not try to tackle the job by yourself.

• I like to use an inexpensive fabric to cover the sofa, under the slipcover, rather than just using ticking. It's an extra cost, but gives you two sofas for the price of one. Just be sure to use a heavy enough fabric on the cover, that you don’t see the lining fabric bleed through.

Mark Cutler
Interior Designer,
MarkCutlerDesign.com