which would you get and why?

[newbiemom]

We need a new sofa. We got ours nine years ago from jennifer convertibles, and it is literally falling apart and has become rather uncomfortable as well.

So the question is, would you get another cheaper sofa that you won't mind getting stained (we have three kids, the oldest is almost 4, the youngest is 3 months) for the kids to destroy or try to get a nicer one that can withstand the test of three kids?

We can't decide.
also, any personal recommendations would be welcomed!

[elizabethkott]

Hm. That's a toughie.

We currently have a microfiber set of loveseat and sofa we got from Macy's Furniture 5 years ago. It's held up pretty well... until the monsterbaby. I swear that kid has done more damage with his drool than all the dog and cat hair combined!

Is it possible to go for a pottery barn type sofa that has standard slip covers that you could frequently launder or switch out? I'm seriously considering that route for future living room purchases... that, or leather. Although the stick-to-it-ness factor doesn't really please me all that much - I just feel like treated leather might be able to withstand the rigors of this particular drool machine. :)

[ThreeofUs]

I'd probably go on my local Craigslist and look for a well-made sofa that would take some abuse but wasn't going to cost me a fortune.

The kids are going to put pressure on your furniture, no matter what you buy. A leather sofa might stand up better if the leather is thick enough - I remember my brothers destroying my mom's leather sofas....

[supercalifragilous]

Personally, if I had to do it all over again, I'd go with a cheaper sofa from Costco or Ikea b/c I figure not only will the house kids be hard on it, pretty soon, their friends will be over too. I'd also look at it as getting to upgrade our couch every 3-5 years! If I find one that can be slipcovered, I'm sure it could go to a good college-student home/duplex somewhere!

[kijip]

We bought a brand new microfiber sofa set from a high end furniture store when T was about 15 months old. It cost a lot. It was a mistake. It looked so bad so soon (and we have a fairly neat child and a cleaner home than most parents I know) that...well lets just say I am now sitting on a $100 craigslist find in a more durable fabric and have never been happier. Invest the money that could have gone to the sofa and splurge once the kids are older. The expensive sofa set looked so darn rotten, I gave it away free to a friend who sews slipcovers and was siting on the floor. I just wanted the reminder of my wasteful purchase out of my sight for gooooood. Also, get a neutral that will hide dirt. We got red. Ick. There will be plenty of time later for red and white and bright colored furniture. For now, I love my tan.

[niccig]

We have a microfiber sectional and we got it for the durability - DS spills food on it and I can wipe it off with a cloth. We've had it 3.5 years, the entire time we've had DS, and it still looks good, maybe it's the colour, it's a sage green. It does look best after cleaning - I had it professionally cleaned and that cost a lot of $$, but now I take warm water with a few drops of dawn detergent and I wipe it down and then use a fan to help it dry.
I'd say go for something good, maybe not too much $$, but definitely look at upholestery options.

[Happy 2B mommy]

A cheap sofa, whether it's used or new.

I just took the plunge and purchased 2 chairs from Target.com. I'm a little nervous about it but right now they have 15% off and free shipping on certain items. Some of the reviews for specific lines are really good. And if there is a Target near you, most items can be returned to the store if you don't like it.

Just a thought...

[cairo06]

We have a sofa from Ikea with slipcovers. One of the slipcovers is a white denim type fabric. When it starts getting too grungy I pop the different pieces in the washer (it takes several loads because they don't all fit in there at once). I wash it hot and with a little oxy. Hang it up to dry and when its 95% dry I put it back on and let the cushions dry the rest of the was upright. It looks like new everytime. We got a couple other slipcovers that are "dry clean only" and I just wash those in cold, they are a dark color anyway. They were only $15 dollars so I figured it was worth the experiment. It would be too expensive to dry clean so frequently, plus who wants the chemicals. When I get tired of the look in my living room, I just put on a different set of slipcovers. That being said, my one problem with the sofa is that the bottom cushions are always kind of sliding out - that drives me insane, but I think that might just be the model.

[LBW]

I don't like spending money on "cheap" furniture, unless it's also decent quality and comfortable. Now, if you can find a bargain or a good-quality used couch, go for it!

What I did a couple of years ago was shop around for a great price on a set of well made slipcovered sofas. When the slipcovers get grungy, I just wash them. The company I bought from keeps the slipcover patterns on file, so I can reorder in different fabrics for as long as I own the furniture - and I anticipate that to be for many, many years.

[JTsMom]

Right before DS was born, we bought a sofa and 2 ugly but insanely comfy recliners from La Z Boy. They were somewhat pricey, but we loved that we got to choose the fabric, and we figured since they were good quality, we'd have them for a while. The salesman told us the fabric we chose was very high quality, and that is why we were paying more for it, but it would hold up really well. Later we found out it was SILK and couldn't get wet. HUGE mistake. They were stained from sweat from a water glass within the first week. We called a complained about being misled, and got new furniture with microfiber. We also purchased the stain protection plan (which also covers rips and similar damage).

3.5 years later.... that furniture has been colored on with markers, crayons and pen, had every conceivable type of staining food spilled on it, been puked and pooped on, sweated on, etc. and does not have a single stain on it! DS jumps on it, uses the pillows to make forts, and it has survived 3 moves.

I would buy it again in a heartbeat. It isn't the world's most beautiful, but it is so comfy, and holds up so well, I'm thrilled with it.

[pinkmomagain]

I would wait to get a really expensive one when the youngest is maybe 5 yo. Until then, I'd get a more moderately priced one.

I speak from experience.

[MontrealMum]

We have a leather sofa from our pre-DS days, and so far it's great for stains. I don't know how it's going to hold up to crayon and other kidwear, but food/milk stains just wipe right off with a damp cloth. I also like the idea of getting a sofa with removeable slipcovers.

If there's an Ikea near you, you can get a moderately priced sofa that's OK on comfort, though it might not last forever.

[jhamman]

Here's another vote for an Ikea sofa;
we got the Ektorp model (with white cotton slipcovers),
and I am surprised at how comfortable it is, for a $399 sofa!

--jhamman

[JenaW]

I have to vote for leather. We bought an "inexpensive" set from Jennifer Convertible/Jennifer Leather almost 10 years ago. I put inexpensive in quotes because it was around $1500 for a HUGE couch, two overstuffed chairs and an ottoman; when we bought it, it DEFINITELY was not an inexpensive purchase for us. However, it has survived my parents monster dog (a lab/rott mix), our two cats (who often use the ottoman as a scratching post) and our 4 children (who have dumped every single imaginable body fluid on it!) and it still looks nearly new. It is black, and was considered a "lower" grade leather, which I was told (and have seen firsthand when comparing with relative's more expensive, higher grade furniture) holds us better. ANY liquid spill wipes up with a cloth. Pet hair brushes off (or occasionally gets vacuumed with the fabric attachment). Minor scratches buff out to near-invisible with a soft cloth and some dove soap. It is super comfortable. What more could you ask for? By comparison, my fabric car seats (which were supposedly treated with some sort of stain guard) look completely NASTY after only 2 years. I honestly can not say enough good things about it. My parents bought a microfiber couch a few years ago, and while it DOES hold up better than regular fabric, I still think it looks much more worn than our leather set which is a lot older and gets a lot more use and abuse.

JMHO!

J

[lisams]

I vote for one that comes with slipcovers that you can wash! Ours from IKEA has been fabulous - I wash the slipcovers about once a month and if I ever feel the need I could switch to another color by purchasing just the slipcovers without the couch.

[newbiemom]

Thanks for all your posts and suggestions...in the past week after having milk spilled on our sofa and milk spit up on it, I think we are going to go for an inexpensive sofa. Off to Ikea!

[Tondi G]

We had the same situation come up and we decided to buy a slipcovered Sofa from IKEA. It has been washed twice already and comes out looking great! We have been very happy with it. We figure it will endure a beating for another 4 or 5 years in which time our boys will be older and hopefully a little more respectful of a new sofa if/when we buy one.... for now it is taken apart weekly to build forts and make indoor obstacle courses and is taking the abuse well!!!!

Good luck

[Dcclerk]

I'd keep looking for stuff on Craigslist. I have 3 really, really active kids, and just don't believe in the cheap quality stuff. They use our sofa as a fort almost every day, and it needs to stand up to their abuse. That being said, I also don't like spending a ton for what I buy.

I buy stuff with good bones with the plans that I can wash out the slipcovers and replace the cushions over time. I've had a very well made slipcovered sofa from Cisco Brothers for the last 8 years, and it looks fantastic. It looks just about the same as when I bought it, and is still very comfortable and inviting. (At this point, I think I need to replace the seat cushions, but I think everyone needs to replace their sofa's cushions, so maybe it is just me.) If I could find a leather sofa that I liked, I would probably go with that, also.

I see lots of good quality stuff on our Craigslist all of the time, and I would much rather pay $500 for a used well-made sofa than the same amount for a new one. I also much prefer cushions that are down-wrapped, which you generally do not find at a reasonable pricepoint new.

[HIU8]

We bought a super cheap sofa and love seat from Marlo. However, after my parents got divorced we traded with my dad and took a very nice, but well used sectional from Jennifer Convertables and gave my dad the cheap stuff (his new apartment could not fit the big sectional). Our plan, since the sectional is about 15 years old is to use it until we just can't any longer, or DD and DS are finally old enough and then get another sectional (we are saving up b/c they are so darned expensive).

[BillK]

We need a new sofa. We got ours nine years ago from jennifer convertibles, and it is literally falling apart and has become rather uncomfortable as well.

So the question is, would you get another cheaper sofa that you won't mind getting stained (we have three kids, the oldest is almost 4, the youngest is 3 months) for the kids to destroy or try to get a nicer one that can withstand the test of three kids?

We can't decide.
also, any personal recommendations would be welcomed!

Well for us Zach is 3 1/2 and Ben is 15 months - and if it were me - I'd drive around my town and the neighboring ones and look for a sofa someone put out in their yard with a "free" sign on it. Of course our 2 stinkers are the definition of destructive - so maybe my idea is a bit extreme. :)

Seriously though - I'd go as cheap as I could until they were at least 12 or so - they're so rough and destructive I could not handle paying a lot of dough for a new one for them to destroy within a few years.

[newbiemom]

I thought of going the used furniture route, but I just can't bear the idea of using someone's used furniture....partly because it seems icky to me (and it is so hypocritical of me because I am so not a clean freak) and also because if it's old, how comfortable could it be?
I thought we were going to go to IKEA, but we ended up back at Jennifer Convertible's again and saw some relatively inexpensive stuff we liked...then we went a friend's who had what they called a relatively inexpensive leather sofa they got from Macy's which looks brand new and is surviving three kids very well....so we're going to keep looking...

[kijip]

I think to keep in mind about used is that a lot of people sell fairly new furniture for no other reason than they are moving a long distance or downsizing their house. So I have always been able to find stuff that was like new for a huge, huge discount. Just a thought, if that helps you over the ick factor.

[KrisM]

I thought of going the used furniture route, but I just can't bear the idea of using someone's used furniture....partly because it seems icky to me (and it is so hypocritical of me because I am so not a clean freak) and also because if it's old, how comfortable could it be?


Me too. And, I wonder about dog/cat hair and other things I can't totally see on it.