10 White Slipcovered Sofas on a Budget
A shopping guide with 10 white slipcovered sofas on a budget, plus why they are the best option for any families with kids and pets.
Remember back when I shared all of my starry-eyed playroom makeover plans and said to myself, “I’ve barely sewn anything in my life, but I’m going to make the most fabulous sofa slipcover in the history of ever”? Yeah, that idea lasted two seconds.
We’re sofa shoppin’, people! Because I can’t sew myself out of a paper bag (also, that expression makes absolutely no sense in this scenario).
For a couple of years now, we’ve had this tan microfiber sofa hanging out in our playroom. It’s barely been used except for when Robert and I lived in our tiny apartment for a short while after we got married. (Now, it’s just where I dump laundry to be folded.)
The lines are clean, the cushions are no-fuss, and I figured how hard would it be to make a slipcover? Turns out, very. But I still needed to figure out the best way to make the sofa situation work in here since the playroom will be doubling as a media room.
- The Handmade Option: I decided if this baby was getting a slipcover, it needed to be super durable to handle a lot of washes (hello, a sticky messy kid lives here). I seriously thought about a no-sew method using hemming tape and drop cloths but knew it would be very time-consuming and not at all industrial strength. With the One Room Challenge being only a 6-week start-to-finish makeover race, that wasn’t happening.
2. The Professionally Made Option: I looked into buying a ready-made slipcover, but the store-bought kind had a wide mix of consumer reviews, many were really bad, and I really didn’t feel like fighting bunchy sliding fabric all the time. Then, for the price of purchasing a professionally made custom slipcover ($500-800!!!), I might as well buy an entirely brand new couch since our current one was pretty cheap to begin with.
3. The Sell the Old Sofa and Get a New One Already for Goodness Sake Option: I’ve been convinced by several blogger friends (like in this post from Chelsea at Making Home Base) that white slipcovered sofas are the bomb diggity if you have little kids. You can toss the covers in the wash with bleach whenever they get grimy (or when those icky tummy bugs attack). So we’re officially calling it quits and selling the old couch for an entirely new one since it makes the most sense for budget/time/durability.
It doesn’t hurt that they can also make a room feel so light and airy and gorgeous! But since we want to keep the price tag as low as possible, I scoured the internet to find the most inexpensive white and cream slipcovered sofas out there. You can click the images below to navigate.
(Affiliate links are provided below for convenience. For more info, see my full disclosure here.)
So those are the options.
Have you thought about getting a slipcovered sofa before? Or do you have one already? Do you love it / hate it? Or have a favorite from the list? Or have you ever sewn your own slipcover before? Teach me, Obi-Wan. (Actually, don’t teach me. It’s a lost cause, I promise. I’ll just remain jealous of your talents.)
We have had many slipcover pieces….a couch and two chairs from IKEA and newly, one of the couches in the pictures above, from Joss and Main. The couch from Joss and Main is absolutely amazing and a stellar price. I haven’t tried to wash the slipcover yet, but the cushions are down and the quality is top notch. I was hesitant to buy such a huge piece of furniture online, but now I am a believer!!
BTW….we have the one that is second down from the right with more square arms. SO comfortable!
What’s the cost comparison? I’ve heard the ekorp isn’t very deep sitting. I need to purchase a sofa, and I’m a little confused on which one to go with.
I haven’t sat on all of these sofas in person, but I agree. The Ektorp isn’t very deep sitting. I have a friend who just bought the Cindy Crawford white slipcovered sofa from Rooms to Go though, and it’s a good price for still great quality. It’s more deep sitting than the Ektorp.
I have had several Ektorps over the years first cloth, then leather and now 2 more cloth. We love them and buying 4 over 15 years (we went two sofas instead of one in the new house because we had space) But WHITE? WHITE? I too have read the blogs but I can never keep white things white. No matter the cleaning agent or bleach. With 2 boys, 2 large dogs and three cats I can’t keep my light beige ones clean. we live with blankets tossed over the seat bottoms and oh how I wish for arm covers. I wash often but not often enough because it is a chore. My mother has white, she lives alone with no pets and she uses blankets too to keep things cleaner. By all means buy Ektorp but keep in mind another slipcover to swap out when cleaning.
Hi Lauren, Yes, I’m the crazy gal who sewed white denim slip covers for two sofas and a love seat. I zippered the pillow covers the first go round but the second time, I used Velcro instead of zippers. The first time I made my own bias cut welting using the white denim but the second round I bought some welting at the fabric store.
I did these sofas and a love seat for my daughters who couldn’t afford new furniture. They turned out great and it was a labor of love and I had my own sweat shop: )
Would I do this again? Heavens NO! You were wise to buy.
Barbara
I have the white ikea Erktop sofa with a chaise and we love it. It has survived 3 years of 2 dogs and their muddy paws plus two small children. I do wash the cover every 2 weeks or so. I just wash it with Tide and a splash of bleach and then line dry it. In nice weather, I put it outside to dry in the sun to help brighten the white. It takes 3 loads to get it all washed- 1 of just the main couch cover, then two separate washes for the cushion covers. The only thing that I would do differently is to buy an extra cover to rotate so your couch isn’t “naked” while the covers are being washed.
For the price, it is fantastic quality and a very comfy couch.
Just a thought–go for a 3-cushion sofa if you can; otherwise the 3rd person is always sitting on the “crack”.