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A Reading by HanaIKEA Hemnes Daybed Covers & Cushions

Navy velvet Hemnes daybed covers with cream piping, in a working study

A letter about the parts of a daybed nobody sees: the zipper, the underside, and the gap a loose cover leaves.

Read by

The Quiet Geometer of SeattlePublished 5 min read

Navy velvet Hemnes daybed covers edged in cream piping in a home office with an oak desk, laptop and pine shelvingSave
Navy velvet with cream piping turns a Hemnes daybed into a tailored study sofa. The oak desk, pine shelving and potted plants keep the room warm.

The quick answer

A daybed cushion cover stays in place mainly by fit: cut it to the full mattress height, stacked layers included, and it will not shift. Put zippers on the side that faces the wall or the floor. A non-slip base covers the whole underside of a cushion, and ties belong on seat pads that sit on open chairs and benches.

Seattle ·

To the one at the desk,

A study, a daybed, and what holds it together

I have been looking at a photograph of a study. A white Hemnes daybed sits between a window with a radiator beneath it and a pine shelf unit. An oak desk faces it. A laptop is open. Brown books are stacked beside a pencil cup.

The covers are navy velvet, 131 on the chart, piped in cream, 105. The piping runs along the front of the mattress and circles the end of each bolster. Cream on navy is a blazer with white topstitching. Tidy without trying.

Deep navy suits this room. The back cushions are leaned on all day, between calls, with a cup in one hand. A dark pile forgives that.

You asked about fastenings. Here is what I see in this IKEA Hemnes daybed cover set, and what I would do.

Five pins in the study

Five pins, from the cream-piped bolster to the wicker basket on the pine shelf.

Pinned: Navy velvet Hemnes daybed covers edged in cream piping in a home office with an oak desk, laptop and pine shelving
  1. Cream-piped bolster

    Cream on navy is the classic nautical pairing and outlines each round end.

  2. Mattress edge piping

    The cream cord along the front edge makes the navy velvet look sharply tailored.

  3. Navy velvet back

    Deep navy hides wear on backs that get leaned on all day.

  4. Books on oak desk

    Leather-brown books echo the oak and soften the navy.

  5. Wicker basket on shelf

    Natural textures on the shelf balance the smooth velvet.

  1. Cream-piped bolsterCream on navy is the classic nautical pairing and outlines each round end.
  2. Mattress edge pipingThe cream cord along the front edge makes the navy velvet look sharply tailored.
  3. Navy velvet backDeep navy hides wear on backs that get leaned on all day.
  4. Books on oak deskLeather-brown books echo the oak and soften the navy.
  5. Wicker basket on shelfNatural textures on the shelf balance the smooth velvet.

Fit, zipper, grip and ties, one at a time

Fit comes first. A mattress cover does not need ties. It needs the right height. Too tall for the mattress, and the cover wrinkles and slides. Right, and it holds on its own.

The zipper. Put it where the eye does not go. On a daybed that is the back band, against the wall, or the underside. Say which side in your order note; the placement can be specified. More in where the zipper goes.

A non-slip base. A grip fabric across the whole underside, not a strip. It is not adhesive and not rubber. It helps a cushion that sits on a smooth surface stay where it was put.

Ties. They are for pads on open frames: dining chairs, rockers, benches with a gap to tie through. A Hemnes back cushion stands between the rails and rests on the mattress, so it rarely needs them. The full comparison is in ties, non-slip base or Velcro.

The velvet itself adds a little grip of its own against the mattress cover.

A cover that fits is a fastening. A zipper out of sight is a fastening. The rest is a backup.

A real project

Two thin mattresses, one cover

A buyer in the US wanted the full Hemnes set in terracotta with cream trim, but with rectangular side pillows instead of round bolsters. The mattress was 74.5 x 38.25 in (189 x 97 cm), made of two layers, each 4.75 in (12 cm) thick.

The workshop advised a cover built for 9.5 to 10 in (24 to 25 cm), not 8 in (20 cm). At 8 in the cover would look loose on the stack. At the full height it looks filled.

The back cushions were 17 x 36 in (43 x 91 cm). The side pillows, 12 x 30 in (30 x 76 cm). The buyer also placed two sample orders, since each takes up to five fabric codes, and asked about a custom chair seat. For that, the workshop needed every edge and the thickness.

Add the layers. Then order the cover.

The lesson: Size a daybed cover to the combined height of stacked mattresses.

Buyer questions: tufting, a store-bought frame, an outdoor daybed

  1. A common question

    Do you make tufted daybed cushions with a round bolster, and how long do they take?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, tufting is available as its own cushion option. One tufted daybed mattress was 75.9 x 35 x 4.5 in (193 x 89 x 11 cm), with a round bolster 6.25 in (16 cm) across and 35 in (89 cm) long. Production plus delivery took about 10 to 12 business days.

  2. A common question

    Could you make a cushion for a daybed I bought elsewhere? Its dimensions are very specific.

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Give the exact inside dimensions of your frame, because they vary from model to model, and the cushion is made to fit. One order was two cushions, 68 x 40 in (173 x 102 cm) and 48 x 49 in (122 x 124 cm).

  3. A common question

    Is there a waterproof fabric for an outdoor daybed, and does it cost more?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, for a small surcharge. One 52 x 28 x 4 in (132 x 71 x 10 cm) outdoor daybed set, with a seat, two backrests and two armrests, was quoted in both standard and water-repellent outdoor fabric. At the time the workshop had no finished photos in the waterproof fabric to show.

On the cutting table: the study daybed

PieceIKEA Hemnes daybed set: mattress cover, two back cushions, two round bolsters
FabricNavy velvet, 131
PipingContrast cream, 105, along the front edge and around the bolster ends
EdgeBox edge
Holding it in placeFit to the full mattress height
ZipperOn a side named in the order note: back band or underside
Non-slip baseOptional, across the whole underside
Best forA study that doubles as a guest room

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Hana’s workshop

Leave your numbers and the height you like to sit at. The rest is a short conversation. — Hana

Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
Navy velvet, 131
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Contrast cream, 105, along the front edge and around the bolster ends
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

A daybed mattress cover holds by fit, not ties: cut it to the full stacked height, 9.5 in (24 cm) for two 4.75 in (12 cm) layers, and it stays put.

Hana
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Questions buyers ask next

Do daybed covers need ties to stay on?

No. A mattress cover that matches the mattress length, width and full height holds by fit. Ties are for pads on open frames, such as dining chairs and benches. If a daybed cover slides, check its height against the mattress first.

Where should the zipper go on a daybed cushion?

On the side nobody looks at: the back band against the wall, or the underside. Zipper placement can be named in the order note, so write the side you want next to the sizes.

What does a non-slip base do on a cushion?

It is a grip fabric sewn across the whole underside, not a strip at the edges. It is neither adhesive nor rubber. It helps a cushion on a smooth surface stay where it was put.

How tall should a cover be for two stacked daybed mattresses?

Add the two layers and order the cover for that combined height. For two 4.75 in (12 cm) mattresses, one buyer was advised a cover built for 9.5 to 10 in (24 to 25 cm) rather than 8 in (20 cm).

— Hana

P.S. Order swatches before the full set. Each sample order holds up to five fabric codes, so two orders let you compare ten.

Hemnes daybeds and bolsters in other rooms

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Cranberry velvet with self piping gives a white Hemnes daybed a plush, sofa-like finish. The jute rug and oak side table keep the rich color grounded.
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Eggplant velvet trimmed with ice-blue piping turns a Hemnes daybed into a library reading sofa. The brass lamp and packed bookcase give it a scholarly feel.
White Hemnes daybed in forest green velvet with self piping and bolsters, across from an oak desk with a laptopSave
Forest green velvet covers give a home office a daybed that works as a reading sofa by day and a guest bed at night. Oak furniture keeps the green warm.
Crimson linen-look covers with mint piping on a white Hemnes daybed, bolsters at both arms, palms and a stump side tableSave
Crimson covers edged in pale mint piping give a white Hemnes daybed the weight of a proper sofa. The palms and a stump table pick up the green of the piping.
Side angle of a white Hemnes daybed with cream velvet mattress, back cushions and round bolsters edged in burnt-orange pipingSave
From the side, the rounded bolster ends and continuous piping show how closely the covers fit the frame.