Quote:
Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
Vomiting babies and toddlers are a strong argument for leather upholstery (a position usually advocated by a male in a pair). So far, I've won this argument with regard to one club chair and all cars. I gave in on the sofa, because even with the additional wipe-clean practicality, that's a lot of damn leather in one room, and I'm not a coke pimp or a cowboy. Barring leather, you don't want anything in a velvet texture. Microfiber is good, but can start to look sloppy after a few years of abuse.
Eventually, someone is going to regret the home design trend away from the "living room as museum/natural preserve" of prewar houses. Going from living room + family room to simply "great room" means you're entertaining fellow adults in phantom pools of yesterday's baby vomit. I'd rather have a house with a parlor that's used once every two months by adults only.
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I disagree on the velvet thing, at least insofar as synthetic velveteen-like fabric (I would agree that long-nap silk velvet is a thoroughly bad idea in a house with children of any age, and most adults). We have something like this on our living room sofa, a room that sees some kid use, but not as much as our family room (we live in a 1910 house and finished the attic to serve as family room). I've found that the velvety nap keeps the spitup from soaking into the fabric, and if you get to it quickly, it can be wiped off without leaving a spot.
The upstairs family room has a navy blue leather sofa that my husband brought into our marriage. I've never really liked it, but it doesn't show dirt or spills, that's for sure (granted, we don't eat up there).
I'm a big fan of slipcovers. Both my couch and loveseat in the living room have them. The loveseat was a piece I already had, and I had new slipcovers made by a very skilled seamstress, and it looks upholstered. It did run me $600-800, but the original piece of furniture was purchased from an old lady going into a nursing home for $50 and has down cushions (!), so well worth it. The big sofa was purchased from a local custom-furniture shop. I had them make it a foot longer than usual (so a large adult could actually sleep on it), got to pick my own fabric and it was still only $1100. I should have made them redo the slipcovers (I asked for fitted, and they're definitely not), but it was still a good deal.
So I'd recommend looking for a local custom-furniture place, not a big national chain (the one I bought my sofa from has two locations here in Stumptown). I'd also recommend custom slipcovers as a great option if you like the shape of something you already have, but are tired of the fabric. I found my person by asking the local high-end home fabric store for recommendations.
tm
