How it all started

And, having bought into the idea of a swedish lifestyle, of course she went to IKEA to find fundamental pieces for her new home. There she found her first IKEA sofa, a white Tomelilla. The rest is what we call Bemz history...

That IKEA sofa inspired a business idea. An idea so self-evident Lesley couldn’t believe that anyone else hadn’t thought of it first. An idea that Lesley conceptualized on the Internet because of her technology background. An idea that today is marketed and sold in 35 countries worldwide, and has revolutionised the accessories market in the furniture industry.

It was a very simple idea – custom designed covers for IKEA sofas and chairs.

However, Lesley came to understand that the interest in Bemz sofa covers was not just about sofa covers. It was really about personal expression. The covers were simply a means to an end. Women today want to express their individuality through their lifestyle choices. They want to take a mass-market product like an IKEA sofa and create a unique ”one of a kind” product, which reflects their individuality and personal style.

That is why Bemz focuses on individual design, and personal expression.

Lesley Pennington is first and foremost a mom, an entrepreneur, and a design enthusiast. A long time ago she studied Fine Art and Art History at the University of Toronto, and then worked as a graphic designer for a few years until she realised that she was never going to be a great designer. So she quit and started a business providing computer training to the design industry. It turned out to be a highly stimulating entrepreneurial experience that led to a very entrepreneurial job offer – from Apple Computer in Silicon Valley. Lesley packed her suitcases and moved from Canada to California.

Lesley loved Apple, and California, but life has a way of throwing you curveballs. She fell in love with her Swedish colleague Fredrik. Oh well, she was accustomed to moving so she packed up her bags and moved again – this time to Sweden. Lesley inherited a family in Sweden, started her own family, and looked for something that would tie her entrepreneurial spirit and newfound family focus together.

And then she bought the infamous IKEA sofa for her summer house:

”It was relatively simple to find a sofa that could fit into the casual living space at our summer house, but not as easy to find the right colour and the right fabric for the sofa in order to achieve exactly the look that I wanted.

We finally decided to buy a sofa with slipcovers because I loved the idea of being able to take off the slipcovers and wash them when they were dirty, and also to be able to change them if I wanted to change the look of the room. However, the selection of slipcovers for this particular sofa was very limited. There were only three colours to choose from, and they were often not in stock at the IKEA store where I had purchased the sofa.