I am wanting to replace our well-loved fabric couches. Of course, now I have a toddler and a baby, so I'm having to think about cleaning soy milk, chocolate, etc. up from the couch when they inevitably wipe their face or spill.
So tell me about your couches! What do you like? Not like? Materials, set vs. sectional, overstuffed style, chaise end?
pear / 1521 posts
We have a sectional (well couch with chaise lounge) from crate and barrel in a material called performance velvet. I LOVE the fabric, it is so easy to keep clean but much nicer than microfiber (which I really don’t like and feel gets gross fast). However, we got it pre-kid and I dont know if I ever could spend as much as we did now. Good luck on your search!
pineapple / 12566 posts
We recently moved and bought a large white fabric Ikea corner sofa. I did NOT want to buy Ikea, but we needed a couch ASAP (the European brand we were looking at would have taken 3+ months to arrive) and it was the biggest one we could find in a hurry. My LOs are 4 and 7 and in some ways, I'm glad we went Ikea since I don't have to worry about it. My kids are not allowed to eat or drink on the sofa, but it still gets mysterious stains. The benefits are that you can configure it the way you want, it is actually pretty comfy, the price can't be beat, and the covers come off so they can be washed easily (which I've done). The negatives are that quality is definitely not up to par and I don't like that the sections seem to gape a bit. I guess we could somehow clamp the sections together, but we haven't. Also, we know that this sofa won't come with us the next time we move, so hopefully my LOs will be out of the stain-making phase by then and I can buy a nicer couch.
persimmon / 1005 posts
We just got a new couch, so I can’t speak to the longevity of it, but it’s upholstered in some kind of krypton fabric that is supposed to be impossible to stain. It’s Broyhill, and the sales rep at the furniture store where we bought it said that at the furniture market the Broyhill booth had fabric samples soaking in bleach to show that even bleach couldn’t mess it up. Don’t know that I’d be willing to try that on my own but we have gotten a visitor’s smeared red lipstick off of it already, as well as apple juice. (We only allow water on the couch but when we had a large group over once another child took juice in there and spilled it.) also, it’s very comfortable! We have a chaise and a big comfy corner piece, as well as a longer sofa side.
kiwi / 705 posts
With our most recent couch purchase, my non-negotiable requirement was leather. We don't have pets but the kids are super rough on things and it has been awesome. So easy to clean and there is hardly anything they could do to destroy it.
Other than material, it was important to me to have minimal removal cushions (we ended up with the 3 bottom cushions and the back and sides are built in) because I really didn't want the kids using them constantly for forts and what not. I also wanted velcro so the cushions would stay in place.
I had the money set aside for a PB leather couch, but we decided to go ahead and check out local consignment stores and we found the perfect leather Williams & Sonoma couch. So we paid $800 and are absolutely thrilled. Furniture consignments vary drastically by area, but if you're in a pretty ritzy area like us (SF Bay) than they are well worth checking out. People will buy high end or custom furniture and then decide 6 months later it isn't quite right.
I also really liked this post about couch quality as compared to car quality.
honeydew / 7463 posts
We have the axis sectional from crate & barrel and really like it a lot. It’s pretty plush without being overly stuffed. We got it in the peat color (sort of a dark beige) and honestly despite tons of spit up in the first year and some milk and yogurt spills since then (ds is 3) along with normal usage (its only sitting area we have in whole apartment), it looks pretty great in terms of the material. Shape of cushions is also pretty great. I think they are down/feather?
Here’s a pic we took a few months back when we considered selling. We were wondering if we should get something smaller since we’re in an apartment but decided we like it too much. Overall couch is 4-5 years old.
pomegranate / 3355 posts
Lovesac all the way!! We got ours over a year ago and it's a dream. We love it. The covers can be removed to wash or even replaced by new ones or different ones. It can be configured in so many ways.. we love it. Highly recommend.
pear / 1521 posts
@SweetiePie: That's the one we have! Love love it. We get lots of compliments on it too. I am really glad now that we invested in it rather than having to get a new couch in another few years as well.
cherry / 120 posts
We have a leather couch and two oversized leather chairs in our upstairs, and a microfiber overstuffed sectional in our family room basement.
The leather is great because it wipes right up if there is a spill, it's comfortable for sitting and relaxing. The basement sectional is microfiber and we do beat that to death. We eat food on it and its spilled on, but it wipes up nice. It's super comfortable and we love the sectional husband, son and I can each pick a spot and lay on part of the couch while watching a movie!
Both are from England Furniture which is American made in TN. We picked out our own material and chose from the styles and we got them both in less than a month since we are in the Midwest. We are SO happy with our purchases. The only downfall was that we could not sit on them before we purchased (we ordered from a local furniture store) however, they were able to give us an ~idea~ of how each would sit with their other furniture as far as depth and springs and cushion types. Will ALWAYS order this brand of furniture now. We are so pleased.
pear / 1881 posts
Does anyone have this couch? I've heard wonderful things about it, so it's at the top of my list. But, I want to sit on it first and we live 2.5 hrs from a store. So, I'm stuck until we can do that.
https://www.crateandbarrel.com/lounge-ii-petite-83-sofa/s231360
persimmon / 1281 posts
We bought a new (bigger) house last summer so we needed a new couch. We went with this one https://www.skylarshomeandpatio.com/products/mia-sectional
We chose a navy blue color (which I love) but the fabric has too much texture and pet hair get stuck in it even though they’re not allowed on the couch! But I totally recommend the company. This is the second couch we’ve purchased from them. Great customer service and $150 white glove delivery within the us!
persimmon / 1286 posts
We have a leather sectional from Article and I am a fan! We had our old leather couch for 10+ years (now its in our office) and I would now enever get a fabric couch witha a kid- so much formula/water/milk has been spilled on the old one and it just wiped off.
This new one (https://www.article.com/product/1806/nirvana-dakota-tan-corner-sectional)
is VERY soft and comfortable, and has, so far, held up well to spills as well as jumping. I don't plan to keep it forever, but at this price it's perfect for the next 5-8 years.
grapefruit / 4045 posts
@SweetiePie: I have the same crate and barrel couch. Nothing has stained it. It wipes clean with a little soap and water on a sponge. I've had it for close to 10 years. Fantastic investment. Especially compared to a nearly identical looking couch my mom got from macys - the macys couch shows a ridiculous amount of wear and mine still looks pretty brand new.
honeydew / 7463 posts
@agold: Yes exactly. Ive had spills on that that make me think “oh man I’ll need a professional cleaner” but nope. It always wipes up so easily and can’t even tell. I prob should still get a good deep clean done though
I have to say I also have a set of their upholstered dining chairs and same thing - they look good as New and obviously being dining chairs have had food and drink on them.
pomegranate / 3401 posts
We have a Pottery Barn Pearce Sectional in a light grey tweed-ish material and I love it. Super comfy and has held up to the shenanigans of a 4 and 2 years old. That being said, in our house food stays in the kitchen so we haven't had any food stain issues.
grapefruit / 4045 posts
@SweetiePie: I'm so glad to know you are happy with it, too! We love to watch TV at night, so a comfy couch was a must and pretty much our highest priority after mattress.
persimmon / 1483 posts
@NorthStar: I have the full size lounge in our playroom/family room. It’s super comfortable but so deep that some of our older relatives cannot sit comfortably in it 
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
We have a big sectional in our family room now. When the kids were babies we had leather recliners and they were so great for cleaning up and wiping spills and stuff, but I just don’t like the feel of leather couches for lounging on (these were DH’s from before we lived together). We bought a house a year ago and have two small kids so we decided to go cheaper on the sectional knowing we will need to replace it within several years. I love the feeling and look of the fabric but I fully admit I’m much more wary of stains. We don’t allow food out of the kitchen (for kids) but I still worry about messy hands or whatever. Then again we decided to get the almost white/ light gray fabric, so that’s on me
It’s klaussner brand, wasn’t too expensive, and is really comfy. We’ve only had it for about six months though.
ETA: and we bought the stain protection plan! If we get a stain that we can’t remove the company will try to remove it or replace that piece.
pear / 1881 posts
@Madison43: haha, thanks! I was actually thinking about getting the 'petite' as that isn't as deep.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
@JCCovi: I love that link! I saved it for future reference. Thanks!
clementine / 874 posts
Thanks guys! I hadn't realized how far fabric has come. Bleachable couches? That sounds awesome!
Also, I love the links to different couches, our living room is so long, I think we'll have to get a set instead of a sectional, but I'm heading up to our Crate & Barrel store this weekend to try some out 
@JCCovi:That is an amazing link! I've been browsing Facebook Marketplace for used couch sets (there are a lot of high-end rentals in the area that cycle through furniture to stay in style) and now I have a MUCH better idea of what is quality vs not!
cherry / 248 posts
I know not everyone is comfortable with buying upholster furniture off craigslist but you really can find great deals. We got our crate and barrel sectional which is the axis one. Our configuration retails for over $4000. We got it for $550!.
grapefruit / 4361 posts
This is a little unrelated, but if you have microfiber couches, you probably already know that rubbing alcohol spray works to clean, but if something set in before you had time to spray it, magic eraser also works very very well. I just did all of our couch cushions, couch arms, etc and they look brand new.
You can get generic Magic Erasers cheap on Amazon.
clementine / 874 posts
@NorthStar: I convinced my husband to go to the store today to try out couches! We're leaning towards leather. He didn't like the feel and look of microfiber and I didn't like thinking about cleaning the other fabrics. We looked at the super cool fabric couches that can be cleaned with bleach, etc. But they were more expensive than the real leather! So we'll probably just go hunting through all the furniture stores till we find a leather set we love.
It wouldn't be bad if I didn't have to physically try couches, lol. I'm pretty short and I don't like having my feet dangle awkwardly in my own house
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