{FYI this is a sponsored post by slipcover company BEMZ, I rarely do sponsored posts unless they are in conjunction with local shops I work with but this collaboration with Bemz has been really good and I am excited to share with you..so keep reading if interested}
The month of May has been such a blur, I am sure it has been for many of you as well! End of school activities, field trips and programs and “prepping for summer” with kids home (and work needing to continue yikes!) and planning vacation trips around work. And then I had the workshop/Creative Class! And Country Living came to town the SAME week as the workshop. I know, crazy. But it all worked out of course. If you follow me on Instagram you know our home was shot earlier in May by Country Living and will be in a spring or summer 2017 issue. I am so grateful and excited. And it honestly worked out well because the photo shoot caused me to get a lot of little things done that made me feel more prepared to host guest here during the Creative Class. Also my friend Becki Griffin was the stylist and she and her amazing assistant Allison Pinkerton HELPED me get so many little things done. It takes a village y’all and just like with the class, I am always eager to share credit where credit is due. So many creative people that help me pull things together otherwise so much would never happen.
{Becki on the right and Allison on the left..what a team!}
So because I knew Becki would be the magazine stylist on my project (I am so proud of her, her styling for Country Living and other publications has just taken off, she is so talented!) like I said, I wasn’t too worried about the house. She kept telling me to stay calm and “we will take care of this and that” so I was pretty chill. (OK I may have sent them tons of links to different sources for new pillows etc but they were patient) in the end very little was going to be changed or brought in so I was chill-ish. Except for one area-my IKEA loveseats.
Yep we decorators both love and hate our IKEA…and my IKEA ektorp sofas LIVE HARD! I have two sons and a dog after all. So how did I send up with these loveseats (or two seater sofas as they are called sometimes) Well when we moved a year ago I had given up my custom gorgeous linen sofas to frankly help finance the move (and because I wasn’t sure they would fit through the door of the new place). I replaced them with IKEA ektorp loveseats. One for each boy. So no “Henry is touching me” or “Drew just hit me” could be heard during cartoon time. The sofas were cheap and easy and great also with the new dog in the house. Hunter would have gone no where near the previous sofas. Sorry Hunter. So all worked out. Until I realized COUNTRY LIVING is doing a FULL STORY ON MY HOUSE and I have dinky IKEA sofas. I am usually not a snob about things like this but I was just insecure about how the loveseats were looking. Just normal insecurity/magazine is coming type feelings. And yet I hated to have a custom high end slipcover constructed for IKEA loveseats I don’t plan on having forever… Also there are TWO of them so custom slips would have added up FAST! The editor graciously told me it was fine but I still just wasn’t sure. Finally, I checked with BEMZ!
These beautiful photos above and below are not from Country Living or my home but from BEMZ.
This is all IKEA furniture y’all with Bemz slipcovers (for the most part, shot in a gorgeous setting with great props but still IT IS IKEA)!
Have y’all heard about Bemz? They are a Swedish company and their country fits slipcovers seemed just what I might need to get ready for Country Living!
And they have so many samples, but of course I knew I wanted light or linen colored! And I knew I wanted COUNTRY FIT like shown here . . .
So I began to work with the people at Bemz and ordered four samples (pics below are from me;;)
1.Belgian Linen Blend in the Soft White (whiter more cream still heavy almost canvas very durable)
2. “Designers Guild 100% linen” in natural (a thinner but still durable “flax” look and feel not too dark)
3. Rosendal Pure Washed Linen in Silver Gray (100% pure white linen)
4. Rosendal Pure Washed Linen in Absolute White (white 100% pure white linen)
Top left is the heavy Belgium Linen Blend in white, next to it is Designer’s Guild natural (flax) look then bottom row is the Rosendal Pure line in white and Silver gray. And they mix so well with my fave paint colors (this photo below shows the Rosensal White on right, Designs Guild 100% linen on top left and the bottom sample is the “Belgium Linen Blend” in Natural..it looks very similar to a RH fabric we see a lot here on their outdoor furniture. If you are confused read more here and order samples..it really is fast and easy! I just washed mine for the first time so I am excited to see how they go back on…I will say I got the country fit so they are very generous and GO ON LIKE BUTTER..no tugging and fighting to get them on like with regular IKEA slipcovers.
I chose the Pure white 100% linen and I love well I have so far…about to see how they fit after a wash..I will let you know. I will also try to get some wider shots!
So I have showed you some beautifully styled photos of their products above and now you can see what they look like on my sofa..now granted my cushions are beat down a little.. And this was before Becki and Allison puffed them up with a little batting for the shoot;;; But here you can see what a Bemz 100% linen slip looks like (sofa on right) compared to the regular $39 Ikea canvas slip. Now the Country Fit is loose but I like that, the IKEA slip’s skirt doesn’t even touch the floor.
I just love the feel of the linen fabric and the long skirts and as Becki said “they steamed to perfection” for the shoot..though I doubt I will do that after every wash; She and Allison prepped them to perfection.
Oh and they are Hunter approved for their softness! After the shoot he didn’t go near them for days it was like he knew but soon he was back curled up between the pillows!
So there you go, thank you Bemz for helping me get ready for the Country Living shoot. This box came just in time! I love these fabric and the fit and this was a great solution. They have 20% off today on their website ! Code is SUMMER20
Be sure and follow them on social media @bemzdesign on Instagram and on facebook here. They have so many more gorgeous photos like the ones I showed here on their website and social media and their Pinterest boards and you can also get alerts on sales!
And watch my Instagram to find out more about the magazine article!
{Again, Post sponsored by Bemz!}
