Best Sofa/Fabric for House with Kids, Pets and Allergies

My husband and I are desperate to replace our crappy family room couch with something new and are wondering what other people would suggest/have.

We are pretty decided on a slipcovered couch (a la Pottery Barn) for the cleaning ease factor, but wondered what fabric people think is the best choice. How many slipcovers should we get for it (i was thinking either 2 in the same fabric or one for spring/summer and one for fall/winter). I've read in some magazines that people have gotten slipcovers made with indoor/outdoor fabric. How comfortable/soft is this? What about faux suede (microfiber)? Also, are there brands people like? I know PBarn well because I used to work there but not really other places. Crate and Barrel? I know Mitchell Gold sofas are good quality.

Help!

OMG, I can't believe you just posted this. I am just getting ready to call someone to measure for new slipcovers. We currently have and have always had slipcovered furniture. I found it completely necessary, even before we had kids, because we really live on our furniture and we have a dog. That said here is what I am planning on doing.

I change the room around with the seasons so we have always had spring/summer and fall/winter. If you are doing slipcovers I would highly recommend it. They will last longer and you won't become so bored with them. We have a Pottery Barn couch in our apartment and I do love it, but have to say that after washing the slipcovers they started to ravel in the seams. The couch is yellow and I wash it a lot. We also have a weekend house (which we are currently living in full time) and I have a Shabby Chic couch, which I have now had for 6 years and I LOVE it! The slipcovers wash beautifully. They are cream and the others are green linen. I can't say enough about the quality, however I can say they are VERY EXPENSIVE! The good thing about Shabby Chic is that you can order replacement cushion covers which is a really good thing because those are really the only things that wear out. We have two Mitchell Gold chairs and I really like them. I had them covered in a sort of brushed chenille and those have also washed really well.

I am now getting ready to have white twill covers made. Everyone thinks I am CRAZY, but I just love that look for the summer. For the fall/winter I will have something done in a deep cream (I think) and accent both with pillows. I figured twill and or a denim like material will hold up well, especially with washing.

We have a Crate and Barrel leather couch in our den in the apartment and I really like the quality of that as well. Not sure about their slipcovered pieces. You may also want to try Restoration Hardware. We have some of their wood furnishings and I am very impressed with the quality so maybe their slipcovered pieces are good also.

Keep me posted on what you decide. I am off to make my phone call!!!

I went with leather. I have 3 boys ( 1 with all allergies except cats) Its durable / cleanable / comforable. Our rec room sofa has been DH's for 11 yrs and is still holding up great. I hope our new one does as well.

We have leather on our sofa too. It is so easy to keep clean and the animal hair just brushes right off. We love ours.

yes - leather, leather, leather for allergies (and ease of cleaning)! especially if anyone is allergic to dustmites... they can't get through the leather to live in the couch.

Thanks for all of the input so far. My problem with leather is just that we have 2 leathers Manhattan club chairs from Pbarn in our living room/sitting room which is connected to the family room so you can see it all together. i suppose i could get the manhattan sofa but that could be too matchy matchy and i don't want a total leather house. that's why i thought maybe the faux suede could work. i have many friends who say you can spill anything on it (including red wine) and it comes clean. but leather is an option, i suppose.

I am going to look at Shabby Chic stuff. Where can you buy it? We have some stuff from crate and barrel (not upholstered) and are happy with the quality. Nothing from restoration but can check there too. My problem is that I just don't like the fabric choices at alot of these places (Pbarn and restoration). they are too boring. crate and barrel has more options.

i'll keep you posted.

anyone have any luck with martha stewart signature furniture?

No experience with those brands, but we have Natuzzi sectional sofa in microfiber. Very easy to wipe clean, a necessity with DS - milk, ground in cookies just wipe up.. We have 2 dogs, pet hair is always a problem, I either use my animal dyson, or at petstores you can buy a rubber sponge that's great for picking up pet hair. Between those 2, the couch looks great.

I need to re-upholster the couch in the living room...so I'm interested in the slip cover options. Who can you call to have them custom-made??

I know calico corners does custom slipcovers. i'm sure there are many others (have seen them a lot on HGTV design shows). could probably google search and find.

Natuzzi...I'll check that out.

Also, what is a dyson animal vac?

We have some no named slip covered sectional.

When we moved last year, I took them off and washed them. AND THEY SHRUNK! They don't fit on our couch anymore and it looks horrendous.

So be careful!

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/sty...onths-bfar.jpg

Sorry, a dyson vaccum cleaner, they have one called the animal - it has an attachment for picking up pet hair from upholestry.

Here's a link to the dyson web page. It's a spendy vaccum cleaner. They do have other models. I bought mine at Costco and saved about $100. I use it 3-4x a week on the couch - 2 long haired dogsm and it is worth every cent I paid.

http://www.dyson.com/range/range_ove...sinavtype=menu

I'm not sure where you are, but just wanted to let you know that ABC Carpet is currently offering 20% off on all Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams special orders. I don't know if this is a MG + BW promotion or not. FWIW we have leather, and honestly I don't love it. I wish I had gone with ultrasuede, but I must say that the leasther couch has held up very well.

HTH

Carmen
DD May 2003
DD May 2005

We bought our shabby chic sofa from the store in Soho. I have seen pieces in other places. You may want to search on the internet for stores near you.

I sell furniture, so I think I can help here. :D
First figure out what is most important to you - do you want a sofa that will last several years and be very cleanable, but not so expensive that you'll feel bad when you ditch it to get a really good one. Or, do you want a really good one that will last a long time and be really cleanable too?
Reasonable and cleanable? Anything microfiber will clean up great. It's 100% polyester and so tightly woven that it's waterproof - but - you can see hand/butt marks on it and since it's one flat color it's easy to see any little spill or blemish. Keep in mind also that it's kind of trendy right now. You can find microfiber sofas in any price range you can think of.
Also, anything with olefin is great, particulary if it's blended with poly. However olefin will fade in direct sunlight. Run from anything cotton.:o Rayon dulls after awhile, acrylic pills and/or can get brittle. A small amount of anything blended with poly or olefin is fine. Look for a "W" or "WS" fabric. All fabrics are coded like this - "W" means water based cleaners only. "S" means solvent cleaners only (think dry cleaning). "WS" means anything goes. Slip covers should be dry cleaned no mater what, just in case you run into the previous poster's problem.
Leather is the best call for durability and cleaning - even with kids and pets - but I'm with you on the matchy thing. However if you do get leather only buy top or full grain hides (you probably know what that means if you've worked at PB), no "genuine", "Italian" or "all" leather furniture. Always look for the word "grain" where the leather is described - explaining why would take another half page.
The best sofa's in the whole world are Flexsteel. Fashion House and Broyhill are also excellent. Rowe/Mitchell Gold are still great, but not as good as they were before they went bankrupt. I sell La-Z-Boy, and I honestly think they're one of the best values on the market for quality/price.
Eight way tide springs are nice - but as much as Ethan Allen will try to tell you otherwise, it's all about what you think is most comfortable. Sinuous steel springs ("S" shaped, front to back) are also excellent. I wouldn't go with anything else.
I could go on and on - but I better not. I'll keep an eye out if you have any specific questions.
Nancy

>Slip
>covers should be dry cleaned no mater what, just in case you
>run into the previous poster's problem.

The dry cleaner wouldn't do them. Said they were too big and heavy and would ruin her machines. So I did it my self, short wash on cold, hang dry, and they still shrunk! UGH!

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/sty...onths-bfar.jpg

i'd love for you to go on and on! i'm in the market for a leather sectional ("L" shaped). can you tell me more about "grain" being the type of leather to get (i was just looking at one at costco.com that was italian leather so i think i saw your post just in time to save me :) )

also, what's the deal with the springs? just to make sure - you think sinuous springs are great, with eight way springs also being really good too? and avoid other types???

one more question... where can i find different colors of leather couches? i mostly see black and browns - neither of which would look good in my house.

Deb - I know what you mean. I had to hunt for a dry cleaner who would do my slipcovers. You did the best you could under the circumstances. It could have been way worse. My friend washed hers and they shredded!
O.K., leather....Cow hide is so thick that they split it the long way - making two skins out of one. The bottom part is called the finished split because it must be "finished" to look like leather again. Not only must it be coated, but any skin pattern has to be pressed into it. The top half is the "top grain". It is most durable because it has the upper eppidermus (sp?) on it. It is also the most beautiful because you can see the natural markings of the hide - things like scars, fat wrinkles, and even the occasional brand! Top grain ages better and developes a beautiful patina over time.
Finished splits are most often refered to as Italian leather, All leather or Genuine leather. If you don't mind the idea of replacing your sofa in 8 to 10 years then don't worry about it. You'll still get the cleanability factor, and most fabric sofas last about that long. A top grain hide will always be described using the word "grain". Once you've seen enough of them you'll be able to tell just by looking. I don't know where to get other colors other than here at La-Z-Boy - but we've got something like 60 color choices and 4 different grades of top grain hides.
Also - don't let softness fool you. Any leather can be soft. Top grain hides can also have some finish on them, it just makes them more scratch resistant. The vast majority of leather comes from Brazil, but a good bit of that is actually processed in Italy.
Springs - Most sofas are either 8 way tied (sometimes hand-tied, sometimes machine-tied) or sinuous spring. The difference being that 8-way tied sofas have a bit more of a "sink in" factor. The springs look more like matress springs. Both are durable. All that really matters is if your butt likes it. Just a few companies have other methods that I wouldn't recomend. Also always look for kiln dried hardwood and/or furniture grade laminates (plywood). AVOID MDF (chipcore)! Always find out what the frame is, and look if you can. Ask about pillow construction. You only want high density foam wrapped in polly batting or down/feathers (if you're getting fancy). Nothing else stays puffy. Also any good company will offer a lifetime waranty on the frame and springs.
That's about all I can think of - but let me know if you have any questions.
Nancy

nancy thank you sooo much for the education!!!

i'm really excited that you guys have 60 color choices! does that mean i have 60 choices for all the furniture or each item has a few color choices?

i'm going to look at the la-z-boy website right now :)

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but wanted to chime in on Flexsteel. This past year we bought a new sofa and two flexsteel recliners (all leather). I did a ton of research and (for the money -- sort of mid range $$$), Flexsteel was the best. So far ours is going strong and I love the leather.

I agree. Flexsteel is wonderful. I win't even tell you how old my couch and loveseat are. It went through 3 kids and tons of abuse. I loved it so much I had it reupohlstered and it is now in our basement.

I don't know about Shabby Chic, but there is a local furniture maker here in LA called Cisco Brothers that makes a lot of the custom stuff for independently owned boutiques, Anthropologie, etc. A lot of Cisco Brother's stuff is the shabby chic style, including my slipcovered couch, and it is excellent quality-- hand-tied, down-wrapped cushions, easy to wash, etc. Plus, the owner has such a rags to riches story, and really looks out for the local community, which I really like. If you can find someone locally who carries Cisco Brothers, I think they are great.

My parents had a flexsteel living room set for 15 years, the fabric pattern was hideous, but it never looked worn. My next sofa will be a Flexsteel, or a Rowe.
Don't buy Hickory Hill, we've had our sofa for 5 years, and they don't make the fabric anymore, and the sofa isn't very comfortable.

Nancy, I just wanted to say thanks for all the info you've provided. We are just about to buy a new couch too, so this is especially timely. Thank you for being so frank about what to look for. If I met you in the store, I might think you were giving me a "line" or a push to buy your stuff. But reading it here, with no pressure, is infinitely helpful. Much appreciated!

You're very welcome! I'm a big fan of educating myself before making a purchase, so I'm glad I could pass along some info.
As for the color choice thing - that's just the leathers. We do have some less expensive sofas that we only offer in two colors. That lets us keep the price down because we buy so much at once. As for fabric, there are at least 1000 choices. That's the part of my job I like the best - the design work. You can even bring in your own fabric for any chair, just like calico corner.

Wow! Sounds like lots of people are struggling with couch issues. The problem with leather for us is our cats have claws and our to PBarn chairs already have scratches. Plus the matchy matchy issue. I'd love a fabric that's not just one flat color but not sure you can get that in an easy-clean fabric.

Does anyone have any input on the outdoor fabric for indoor furniture? I read it in a magazine and thought it sounded interesting but not sure how soft it would be.

I will for sure check out flexsteel and the other brands mentioned.

Thanks for all the feedback. Keep it comin'.

Amanda
Mom to DS Lucas Parker, 20 months on the 5th

nancy-
wow! you are a wealth of knowledge. i know some of this stuff from Pbarn but not nearly what you know.

i checked out the flexsteel website and i'm just not sure about the styles. i really want a slipcovered sofa (i love that casual cottage look).

i'll check out the others too. and la-z-boy, of course.

it's not a decision i expect to make quickly, but my chocolate brown monster with the scratched up ripped corners (cats) and peanut butter marks (child) HAS TO GO!!!

thanks.

nancy-
one specific question:
i have a bad back and have found my current sofa to really aggravate it. our cushions sink to much and it has a seperate cushion back which offers NO support. what types of cushions should i be looking for to help with this? should I be going for a continuous back or are cushions okay? this is our primary couch that we sit in every day so it needs to be comfy but also supportive. i'm pretty sure we wouldn't go with down cushions because of the allergy factor.