Sofa Covers Made to Measure for Your Sofa

A good cover starts with the sofa, not a tape measure alone. We take the seat, back, arm, front and outside measurements, then pin calico or paper templates over the awkward parts: the curve of a scroll arm, the slope of a back, the shape where the arm meets the seat. These templates go to the workshop with photographs from every side.

For a three-seater with loose seat cushions, that means a body cover plus three separate cushion covers. A five-seater set is usually a three-seater and a two-seater, or a three-seater and two armchairs, each patterned separately but cut from one batch of fabric so the colour is identical. Seven-seater arrangements are typically an L-shape plus a chair, or a three-two-one-one set, and again each piece is its own pattern.

The inside corner of an L-shape is the hardest part of any cover. Fabric has to turn ninety degrees without bunching, and it has to allow for people sitting right in the corner. We pattern the corner unit as a separate piece with its own shaping, and give the chaise its own cover with an opening along the side that faces the main sofa.

Where modules are not fixed together, each cover closes fully, so you can pull the sofa apart for cleaning or to rearrange the room. Where modules are bolted, the openings sit on the hidden faces and the covers meet with a tuck strip that keeps the join neat.

Covers are washed far more often than fixed upholstery, so the fabric must survive the machine, the line and the iron repeatedly. Tight cotton twills, cotton-linen blends and good polyester-blend weaves are the usual choices. Pure linen looks beautiful and relaxed, but it creases readily and shrinks, so it suits a relaxed cover better than a tailored one.

Drying time matters more in Goa than in most places. In July a heavy cover may take days to dry indoors, and a cover put back on damp can develop mildew inside the seat. Lighter weights, blends and synthetics dry faster. If you plan to wash in the monsoon, choose with that in mind, or keep a second set so nothing goes back on until it is fully dry.

Near the sea, strong west light fades dark and saturated colours on the side of the sofa facing the window. Mid-tones, natural colours and solution-dyed fabrics hold up better. A rub count suited to daily use is essential on the seat covers, which take most of the wear.

For a rental, practicality comes first: a mid-tone, a small pattern or a textured weave that hides marks; seams that do not trap sand; fastenings that a housekeeper can manage without help. We often make the seat cushion covers reversible and supply a spare set of seat covers alone, because seats wear and stain long before backs and arms.

With small children, choose a fabric that can be washed hot enough for spills and accidents, and avoid loose weaves that catch on toys and buckles. With dogs and cats, tightly woven fabrics resist claws far better than loose linens or textured bouclés, and a colour close to the animal's coat makes the daily hair less obvious.

A fitted cover is held in place by its cut first and its fastenings second. Concealed zips at the back corners let the body cover open wide enough to go on; ties or hook-and-loop tabs under the frame pull it taut at the base; tuck strips pushed down between seat and back stop it riding forward. On smooth leather or vinyl sofas, a non-slip lining on the seat deck keeps the cover from creeping.

At the fitting we put everything on, sit on every seat, and adjust anything that pulls or puckers. You are shown how to take the cover off and put it back on, which takes a little practice the first time.