Ikea Furniture Spawns Accessory Ecosystem Like Apple's

At Ikea, you can fill your house to Scandinavian perfection with 9,000-plus products that fit almost every budget. What you won’t find: anything your neighbor hasn’t already seen.

For shoppers with extra cash and a desire to stand out, growing numbers of entrepreneurs are offering add-ons to gussy up Ikea’s ubiquitous offerings. Their creations range from $989 slipcovers for Ektorp sofas—twice the price of the couch itself—to $17 screw-on feet that transform a winged chair from midcentury throwback to hipster chic. “Our goal is not to compete with Ikea on price,” says Lesley Pennington, founder of Bemz, a Stockholm company that sells coverings for Ikea couches, chairs, and beds in 35 countries. “Our goal is to offer an individual, unique product for a mass-market product like an Ikea sofa.”