The desire to purchase a slipcover hit Ernesto Cohan after watching his two preschoolers drip apple juice on his just-purchased, Italian-designed taupe sofa from Bloomindale’s.
At the time the menswear designer was living in a Manhattan apartment and it seemed a simple thing to find a stylish cover for his furniture – at first. He couldn’t find one that hugged the sleek contemporary lines of his sofa. And getting the cover to stay in place? Forget it.
“I thought the sofa is not going, and the kids are staying; we had better find a solution,” Cohan said.
So he designed his own. In 2002 he launched Stretch and Cover, a company based in Miami Beach, Fla., specializing in chic, sleek, slipcovers that fit snuggly. The company is expected to sell 60,000 slipcovers this year, more than double the amount sold last year.
Is a slipcover that looks fashionable, stays in place and fits snuggly a decor delusion? The answer is: It depends.
Pottery Barn and Crate &Barrel offer stylish, ready-made slipcovers. The rub is both retailers design their slipcovers to fit best on their furniture. Finding a stylish cover for the ’50s-era sofa from Aunt Mildred can prove trickier.
Most readymade slipcovers require constant tucking, smoothing and fussing to get a tidy look. Sure Fit, the big kid on the slipcover block, suggests stuffing foam tubes or a rolled up magazines into seat crevices to secure them.
Stretch and Cover is filling a niche by offering slipcovers that do a better job of hugging the furniture’s shape, Cohan said. The company uses a special fabric blend with Lycra, giving the slipcovers the stretchy snugness of a leotard, rather than hanging off the furniture like a potato sack.
Even with the blended fabric, customers still have to tuck, Cohan said.
“The difference between ours and others is that once you tuck, tuck, tuck it will stay there,” he said.
Along with the cover comes clip blocks and foam tubes that help secure the fabric.
The company offers 65 types of slipcovers for a variety of furniture pieces – loveseats, armchairs and ottomans to name a few – and different furniture styles and sizes.
They come in hip colors, patterns and a selection of fabrics, including chenille and faux suede. Customers can choose from a single-piece cover or add individual pillow covers, the best option for a snug, reupholstered look.
Prices range from a $89 for a single-piece cover to $229 for a sofa cover with a chenille blend and individual pillow covers.
“As a small company we are just scratching the surface,” he said. “We will be bringing the market stuff that doesn’t exist out there right now and that excites me.”
All the covers are machine washable. His company is working on using fabric innovations that will act like an upgraded Scotchgard finish, repelling stains and water, he said. More fabrics are on the way too.
Don’t expect to see Stretch and Cover at the mall. The company sells direct from its Internet site. Call 888-785-5486 or go online www.stretchandcover.com.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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