This Simple Trick Turns a Basic IKEA Sofa into a Skirted Style Icon in Seconds — It's So Easy to Copy

Whenever I stumble upon an affordable, easy, and creative interior hack, it is a good day. Especially when everyone's favorite Swedish furniture brand, IKEA, is involved. This simple yet genius trick can transform the SÖDERHAMN sofa in seconds, and has me dreaming of cozy-chic corners and more whimsical seating styles.

We all have those pieces of furniture that have seen better days — maybe there are a few small stains on the cushions of your couch, or the linen fabric is not as crisp as it once was. However, instead of splurging on a brand new sofa, this IKEA hack takes a slip cover and bed skirt and creates a brand new look. Not to mention, one that hits all the latest sofa trends.

I spoke with LA-based interior content creator, Mallory Wackerman (who shared this stylish trick on her TikTok @malloryinteriors), to discover her secrets for recreating this look in your own home. Here's what she said.

@malloryinteriors

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"I had just moved into a new apartment and received a hand-me-down IKEA SÖDERHAMN sofa from a friend, but it had a few stains and needed a refresh," says Mallory. So she started looking online for some inspiration, including sofa slip cover ideas and all the latest sofa color trends.

"A rollercoaster of emotions ensued, because I found some awesome IKEA sofa cover options, but the only problem was that the velvet skirted sofa covers I was interested in were really pricey, at around $600-$800 plus," says Mallory, of the Bemz IKEA sofa covers she was looking at.

So, how to give a more affordable sofa a stylish update? For Mallory, that meant making her dream skirted sofa cover herself.

"There are a ton of IKEA sofa cover options on Amazon at varying price points — most of which range from $150 to $350, which was right around my budget for this temporary sofa upgrade," says Mallory. "These covers, however, are fairly simple and don’t typically come with the skirted option, so here’s where I got creative: I found a gorgeous dark navy blue sofa cover — which was on the higher end of the Amazon options, but the quality is great — and then for the skirt I found a complementary navy blue bed skirt for $18."

Shop the Skirted Sofa Cover DIY

To ensure this DIY looks its best, it's important to consider the type of sofa you have already. Mallory says that this hack worked particularly well with her IKEA SÖDERHAMN sofa "because there are no arms on it and the bottom sofa cushions are built into the couch and non-removable, so the bed skirt can fit perfectly in the seam between the cushion and the base of the couch."

If your base cushions are removable, Mallory says "you may need to put the bed skirt a bit lower on the base of the sofa than I did, which could look less seamless." Or it could be a great opportunity to incorporate another detail like the fringe furniture trend.

Before

After

As for styling, Mallory notes that the skirt trend tends to lean more traditional, so it's important to balance it with more contemporary pieces. "My apartment is an older, vintage LA apartment so I knew I wanted to make this modern style appear a bit more traditional which is why the skirt worked so well," she says. "Currently, it’s sitting next to a gorgeous upright piano so the room is full of vintage charm, but then I juxtaposed it next to some more modern pieces to still give the room some edge."

While navy is arguably the new black this year (or so our style editor says), you can, of course, opt for any color that matches your room's existing palette. Play around with the colors of the skirt and your cushions by either going for a complementary look or use contrasting shades to create a stylish two-toned couch. "And remember, you can always swap out the legs as well!" says Mallory.

Shop Other Ways to Upgrade Your Sofa

Any hack that does not involve getting too deep into renovation mode is a DIY I can get behind, and this sofa trick is the perfect stylish refresh to take on this year. I could just as easily see it done to an ottoman or armchair, too, to complete the suite.