Couch/Sofa recommendations?

[Panthira]

We have to replace our couch as it's falling apart. I have really bad dust mite allergies, so I was thinking maybe a leather couch would be the best bet for us.

I have no idea where to start looking for a new, reasonably priced sofa. There were some at Costco, but they felt too soft and not very durable. I definitely need durable with (soon to be) 3 little boys.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good place to buy a nice, comfy, durable leather sofa? I live in California, if it matters.

Also, what about off-gassing? Is that an issue with sofas?

TIA!

[boobybunny]

Flex steel has a great leather selection. We have this one


http://www.flexsteel.com/home/produc...dSkuId=W300-31


It is great in that the leather is dyed all the way through. We have a 10 year old boy, 8 year old girl, 2 year old boy, and two couch potato English bullgods. I wipe the couch down every day with a baby wipe, or wash clothe. My husband mink oils the couch once a month or so. After a wipe down, it looks almost brand new, after the mink oil... it looks the same as the day we brought it home.

Because the finish is somewhat distressed, it is uneven, kind of like your grandfather's bomber jacket, scratches and the like do not mar the finish.

we paid about 2K, over two years ago... but totally worth it. My SIL has a leather couch that she paid 2K for at Macy's, granted.. hers is a year older, but she is much more anal about the dogs being on it.... and hers looks much more damaged.

[KMK_Mama]

We have a microfiber couch and love it. Anything just washes right off of it.

I don't like leather couches, I think they are too cold so I can't help you there!

Flexsteel is a very good brand though.

[Panthira]

Thanks for the recommendation! I'm going to call a local dealer of Flexsteel and see about cost. It's more then I wanted to pay but if it lasts then it'll be worth it...

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

What about getting a sturdy used sofa and having it recovered in leather. I worked in an upolstery store for several years and after seeing the inside of many a new sofa, I wouldn't buy new unless I could afford a realy realy good (read expencive) one. Most sofas that are less than 30 years old are put together with glue and staples using pour quality wood and particle board. Older sofas on the other hand are generaly put together with screws using good quality wood. If you find a sturdy sofa in a shape you like at a yard sale for $100 and recover it, it will end up costing you about what a cheeper to midrange sofa would cost new, depending on what you have it covered with.

[Traci mom23boys]

The flexsteel looks gorgeous, but I also don't like the cold feel. We bought a huge green chenile couch from Costco 7 years ago, we absolutely live on this.
One of my sons usually sleeps all night on it about once a week and it has held up beautifully! The construction is great so if the fabric starts to wear I will just recover it. It was only $450.00, 7 years ago, what a steal

Blessings,

[Rebecca]

We got rid of our beautiful white-printed, lots of down-stuffed pillows sofa and replaced it with an easy to care for (with 2 small boys) futon. We bought a comfy pad, wrapped that water-resistant allergy zippered bag around it, then put on a nice (washable) cover. It works well for us and actually looks very nice.

[jocelyndale]

We bought our dual-recliner black leather sofa at a local furniture company during a sale a few years ago. We paid just under half price, with free delivery. I think our total price was just under $1000. That was 2004.

It's not worn terribly well in the creases (between the cushions, where the leather covering is super thin), but the top/sides all look great. We do have a dog and the couch gets heavy use.

no clue what brand it is, but I do recall some odor. Leather always has one (lots of treatments/dyes).

I do think that buying a solid older couch and having it recovered is a great idea, but it might not save you tons of money. On the other hand, it should last a LOT longer. I wish I lived closer to my parents and could've snagged the old hide-a-bed couch when they sold/moved.

[Panthira]

My DH and I went and looked at some couches today, including Flexsteel couches, which we really liked! I'm sort of torn on the whole leather aspect. Not only do I find it possibly toxic and cold, but we have a cat that I don't trust not to scratch the couch! I forgot about that.

So we are thinking of going with fabric and using our steamer to kill the dust mites now and then.

[jocelyndale]

Killing dust mites isn't enough. Their body parts and droppings are also allergenic.

I know you need to do what you need to do.

I will say that as someone with an off-the-charts dust mite allergy *and* MCS, the leather couch was the lesser of two evils. I wasn't about to buy a pew/wooden bench for lounging about on. This couch is my best friend. It's easy to clean (mud wipes right off) and I can relegate my cat-owning friends to it when they visit, then have hubby wipe away their cat goo afterwards.

I'd worry that using a wet cleaning method would lend itself to mold growth. I know that frequently cleaned fabric upholstery *still* bothers me.

You might consider washable slipcovers as an extra barrier between you and the mites.

[Panthira]

Originally Posted by jocelyndale

Killing dust mites isn't enough. Their body parts and droppings are also allergenic.

I know you need to do what you need to do.

I will say that as someone with an off-the-charts dust mite allergy *and* MCS, the leather couch was the lesser of two evils. I wasn't about to buy a pew/wooden bench for lounging about on. This couch is my best friend. It's easy to clean (mud wipes right off) and I can relegate my cat-owning friends to it when they visit, then have hubby wipe away their cat goo afterwards.

I'd worry that using a wet cleaning method would lend itself to mold growth. I know that frequently cleaned fabric upholstery *still* bothers me.

You might consider washable slipcovers as an extra barrier between you and the mites.

You make good points. I worry about the cat scratching the heck out of it though. She would just ruin it. She's not allowed on our sofas, and knows this, but sometimes she can't help reaching up for a little clawing. Ugh.

[momto l&a]

I have a leather chair and ottoman that belonged to my grandfather. He died over 30 years ago and the chair set is still going strong.

Leather taken care of holds up well

Edited to add that our cat likes to scratch on cloth chair not leather thankfully

[brigmaman]

I saw an ad for this company in the back of a magazine. It looks like a nice product line.
http://www.leeindustries.com/choose.asp
I also remember seeing something about Ikea furniture being better for you. Something about Euro standards being higher than the US.

[boobybunny]

Originally Posted by Rhiannon Feimorgan

What about getting a sturdy used sofa and having it recovered in leather. I worked in an upolstery store for several years and after seeing the inside of many a new sofa, I wouldn't buy new unless I could afford a realy realy good (read expencive) one. Most sofas that are less than 30 years old are put together with glue and staples using pour quality wood and particle board. Older sofas on the other hand are generaly put together with screws using good quality wood. If you find a sturdy sofa in a shape you like at a yard sale for $100 and recover it, it will end up costing you about what a cheeper to midrange sofa would cost new, depending on what you have it covered with.

This couch is very similar to one that I bought 15 years ago, only it was cloth. I wanted to recover it with leather... and the cost would have been in the 10K range. As for the odor, it had a bit of one for about a week, not bad, just like expensive leather.

The cold lasts for just a tiny bit, then it keeps you warmer than a regular couch. (plus there is rarely a bare spot, the bullgods take over when you get up)

I personally love how this couch can dress up and be formal, or dress way down and be comfy casual. I like to change the look of my home every season and this one works well with velvet or quilts, or craftsman. I have put every color with it from deep burgundy wine to spring like fl orals, striped broad cloths and funky brights. Currently it is in butter yellow room with quilts as window treatments, folded quilts as pillows and black and white photos of the family. (this years "spring" look) Hard wood floors are the only thing that stays the same.

It looked really good with the autumn colors, to the bright red of Xmas season too.

[newbad]

We just bought a couch, loveseat and ottoman from Dania's in microfiber. I was suprised at how affordable it actually was. I don't know if the microfiber is an option for you, but we paid about $1000 for all three. They had lots of options in leather also. It is well constructed, sturdy stuff.

We looked at Costco and for the equivalent price range the stuff they had was crap. The frame was not solid and the fabric was stretched w/ no support behind it.