Suggestions for kid-friendly sofas?

[crittersmum]

We're looking to buy some new kid-friendly (kid-proof!) living room furniture. I was thinking either something slipcovered or something in leather might stand up pretty well.

Does anyone have a slipcovered sofa that they like? I was looking at Pottery Barn ($$yikes!$$) but was told that after washing the slipcovers don't last, look nice or even fit, in some cases!

Also, if you've got leather furniture can you tell me how it stands up to the kids?

Any other suggestions?

[cheryl mama]

I have a "microfiber" fabric on my couch, and it seems to clean up really well so far. My daughter even spilled olive oil on it - long story, but it was probably more than a cup and it had been used to fry potatoes and onions, so I thought the couch was ruined - but it actually came out OK with dish soap and water.

[Pinoikoi]

I bought two klick klack couches recently. One has arms and back that click into the upright position (or click down to make into a guest bed), the other one just has the back that clicks up. I have found these can come in a variety of qualities as far as the skeleton framing (if that makes sense). We got the fabric protection on both, and so far they are holding up great, although there seems to be a bit of butt indent on one end of the blue one (where dh likes to sit ). One reason I like these is because they are very versatile, the arms don't get in the way if someone wants to lay down, and they are comfy. Also, I just throw a fitted sheet over them (unless guests come) so little crumbs and stuff don't slip down in the crevices.. Works great so far, and they are gorgeous. The red one (downstairs) I got from a Scandinavian furniture store, the blue one (upstairs family room) came from a mid/lower end quality furniture store.

I love them both, and would totally do it again, but then I don't go for super formal furniture.. If I did want more formal furniture, I would probably need a more traditionally shaped sofa.

Oh, also the prices were great! The red one was about $700 and the blue one was $600 I think- way cheaper than the couches we were looking at..

The fabric protection costs a bit more to add on, but they guarantee against stains of virtually every sort- you just have to call them within like 24 hours if something drastic happens (someone pees on it, spills something on it, etc). That way they have the opportunity to get someone out to clean the fabric out for you.. if they can't get it out, they replace it..

[MommyErin]

My vote is for leather. We have two leather sofas and one microfiber sofa and the leather has definitely withstood the children better. Also, with a nice brown leather sofa, the "distressing" the children might do to it would look chic rather than just shabby.

[lucyem]

My dogs ate a leather couch and then my kids have slowly killed 2 leather chairs. I vote for slipcovers. When I bought the couch we have now I bought 2 slipcovers. One for everyday and one for guests. And if you want furniture to last - don't buy anything you love. If you hate it, it will last forever

[lifeguard]

I'd do leather but nothing too soft 'cause then the leather will gets tears & what not easier.

Personally I don't like slipcovers - I've never seen one that looked decent after the first little bit & you're constantly adjusting them. Just a pia in my opinion.

[Pinoikoi]

Aghh. My response was lost in cyber space..

Fabric will eventually wear down. Any fabric. For this reason, I try to find furniture in relatively simple shapes, because I can reupholster those myself. I did a chaise lounge and with all its curves, it still looks professionally done (unless you flip it over ). Seriously, if you can fold neatly and handle a staple gun, you can reupholster.. I did my chaise in one evening, and that was with replacing all the batting, etc inside. (It had gotten gross!)

Also, I have a bench near my entry way that has a cushion on top, and drawers beneath. If I could have found a set of them, I would have bought them instead of my couches. They are comfy, I love the storage option, and I can recover cushions in my time flat if needed. Mine have low backs and I love how I can change it around in my house, and it still looks great. So versatile.

The fabric protection on the couches covers staining, but not wear and tear, and fabric will eventually wear down, so I would say avoid strange shaped furniture, look for strong frames that will last (many of ours have metal legs), and storage is a plus... but then, I don't go for overly traditional style ,soo....

I would avoid leather. I know it lasts a long time, but I have cats and they would probably poke it with their claws, plus I don't like the stick to your thighs leather sometimes has..

Oh, I read somewhere that most people buy a new house every 5-10 years, but they only buy furniture every 20 years (on avg.). So, this site I found suggested buying versatile furniture that coordinates well together that is on the smaller side scale. That way it will fit in additional spaces well in the future. I thought that was sound advice.

[jenniet]

I HATE slipcovers. We have a slipcovered couch right now and after having anyone sit on it for a short while the cover slips and we have to take off all of the cushions to fix it. It totally sucks and we paid a lot of money for it. I will never buy a slipcover sofa again...it always looks like a sloppy college dorm room to me.

[Pinoikoi]

I've watched many a home decor show. They all say that after you have adjusted the slipcover to look good, push a length of plastic pipe into the crevice between the cushions and the back, and it will keep the slipcover tighter.

Now, I have never tried it myself, but hey, if it works for somebody..

[lemonsforjamie]

We bought our leather sofas at macy's. They werent too pricey and for an extra 200ish dollars we got a 10 year warranty that will cover anything. The kids can draw on them w/ perm markers and they will fix or replace them. Not that I am planning for that. It is the only way I could justify buying white

[Novella]

I vote for an option you haven't mentioned: a synthetic-blend fabric sofa with a print.

Nix on the slipcover: Even a custom-fitted slipcover (ie. not a "throw") will shift around and look crappy with kids. (This is likely even if you use a noodle to keep the fabric tucked into the crease). Nevermind, the look in use, what about cleaning? It will be huge - easily too big for many washing machines do to the heavy-weight fabric. And in a house with kids, it's easy to imagine the convenience of removing the cover to wash it - it's less easy to actually get it done.

Nix on the leather: We have a gorgeous new leather sofa in a home office now. It's a smooth leather, all the little scuffs and scratches really show. My SIL got expensive leather sofas in a distressed leather that was supposed to stand up forever. Well, about 5-7 years later, they are trashed (and she has two young "good girls" at her house). Let's see: store said no need to treat the leather (wrong!) so now they are all dried out and cracked. Kitty scratches (deep) and claw-mark gouges all over. Hampster (short lived addition to family) chewed huge holes in backs of cushions when missing for a few days. Girls slopped nail polish and glitter pens on the furniture and it was impossible to get out of the leather (and really shows on the solid color). She was SOOO disappointed in the purchase. Not sure exactly why it didn't work out better - both she and I love the leather in our vehicles. Different environment, I guess.

On the other hand, our "main" furniture is a set DH and bought when we first bought our house. We didn't have kids then, and the primary criteria was "cheap". The fabric is a polyester/olefin blend, I think. It's a jacquard print fabric, so some threads are shinier and some are soft and slightly "fuzzed" like a cotton. It's very comfortable to sit on and doesn't feel like some synthetic fabrics do. Slops wipe off very easily. In addition to the varying threads, the fabric also has a design woven in with varied colors in the taupe, brown, plum family. This has disguised a LOT of mishaps! We couldn't have tried to buy better furniture for a house full of kids.

[mrsmom63]

We have been very happy with our leather couches. I was nervous about them but so far so good (just over 1 year later). They look as good as new! We do tell the kids not to put their backpacks on them or leave pencils/ pens on them (for fear of ripping) but they only remember half the time : )

[medicmama]

Originally Posted by cheryl mama

I have a "microfiber" fabric on my couch, and it seems to clean up really well so far. My daughter even spilled olive oil on it - long story, but it was probably more than a cup and it had been used to fry potatoes and onions, so I thought the couch was ruined - but it actually came out OK with dish soap and water.

Wow, Olive oil? That might stand in my house!


I was thinking plastic covers? JK I need them.

[ChetMC]

We Have...

Slipcovered sofa. It's okay. I got it for $80 from somebody who was moving so I'm happy with it. I don't think I'd like it much if I'd paid more. The slipcover is not quick and easy to put on and take off, or to wash (it's red and has to be washed alone in cold water and then hung to dry). The cover fits well, but it's still not as neat looking as a couch without a slipcover, and it gets worked out of place when the kids are climbing and jumping.

Leather I think that our leather chesterfield is extremely practical with kids. It wipes clean in two seconds. Also, leather ages well, and gets broken in and warmer with wear. I highly recommend leather furniture to people with kids.

Institutional We also have some institutional furniture (think university dorm). I got ours form Crate Designs. They have a website. This stuff is very rugged, and has a nice clean and simple design. I highly recommend Crate to people with kids as well.

[~Nikki~]

We've had great luck with our microsuede furniture. The kids will occasionally get food on it, and it wipes clean pretty effortlessly. The worst mess was my daughter using a ball point pen to create a lovely picture on the seat cushion. I thought for sure it was ruined. But I used a wet cloth (no soap, no vinegar, nothing) and scrubbed it for a couple of minutes, and it came right out. I'm still amazed when I see the sofa and chairs. We've had the set for 4 years, and it still looks brand new despite being in our highest traffic area.

[Country Sunshine]

Leather!

We have leather at our house and it's been wonderful with our kids.