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What’s a kid-friendly & moving-friendly sofa?

In today’s edition of Monday Q&A, Christin has a question about buying a kid-friendly couch.

sonia reading on couch

Here’s what she said:

Hi, Kristen!   About four years ago, I wrote you in a panic about whether or not it was ok to start a family while still paying off debt. You were so gracious with your answer, and…..two precious girls later, we’re still not quite debt-free, but we are very happy and grateful for our little family! Thank you for the hand you had in that and for your encouragement and practical advice.

My question now is much less ethereal than “how do we plan our family”–thankfully! The fake leather on our living room set has started to crack and peel. We’ve been covering up the cushions with blankets, but that will only last so long. Like you, we would love to only buy quality pieces that could, hopefully, be antiques someday. However, we move frequently and will likely have several more cross-country moves over the next 5-10 years.

During these moves, there are inevitable scrapes, scratches, and dings to our furniture, and we don’t want to invest a ton of money into something that will likely be damaged. On the other hand, we don’t want to buy something very cheap that is practically guaranteed to break the first time a toddler jumps on it!

We need something that is durable against the wear and tear of kids and pets. Do you have any thought or recommendations as to how to purchase furniture for someone in our situation? Also, I like the idea of buying secondhand but am worried about bedbugs and other icky things….am I crazy? Thanks for any thoughts you may have on this!

Aww, I’m so glad that my answer was helpful to you and your husband! I think this might be the first time someone told me they decided to have kids based on my advice. 😉

ikea ektorp leather living room

I understand your concerns about second-hand upholstered furniture.   I’d feel the same way about second-hand furniture unless it was leather.   I just don’t know that I’d ever feel like I could get plush upholstered furniture clean enough to make me feel good (unless I’d bought it from a family member or friend and I knew how it had been treated.)

So, maybe look to see what (real) leather options are out there on craigslist.   You might be able to save a lot of money that way.

If you want to buy new, I’ve got to give a big thumbs up to Ikea’s leather couches. We saved up and bought ours back in 2009 and they’re still holding up well 7 years later.

(Which is far more than I can say for our original La-Z-Boy furniture.)

Ikea brown leather Ektorp sofa

The leather doesn’t peel or flake like faux leather does, and I feel optimistic about the chances of this furniture lasting us for a great number of years.

The only problem we’ve had is that the middle cushion in the couch is getting a little compressed.   But I feel fairly confident that I could restuff it and return it to its former glory.     I just need to get around to it.

We bought the leather version of the Ektorp, which is sadly no longer available.   We also bought a black leather Ikea sofa to replace our horribly uncomfortable futon, but that one doesn’t seem to be available either.

However, based on our experience with Ikea’s leather couches, I’d be pretty prone to buying one if I were you.

ikea timsfors

Another option could be Ikea’s fabric-covered Ektorp line.   The covers for these sofas are all machine-washable, so even though they’re not leather, they might be somewhat simple to keep clean.

And Ektorp does come in some darker colors, which would probably be lower maintenance than the super-popular white that you see on design blogs.

summer reading

So. Definitely avoid faux leather, maybe consider buying second-hand leather furniture, and consider Ikea’s Ektorp line.

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Readers, what advice would you give Christin?   Hopefully you can round out my thoughts with some less Ikea-centric ideas!

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P.S. Here’s the original post about our living room furniture savings project, with photos of our living room in its original green-carpeted state.

P.P.S. Joshua and I posted our black and white landscapes this week.

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Beth Bishop

Thursday 13th of July 2017

Best way to keep a sofa clean, is NEVER eat on it in the first place…..the kitchen is for eating….I never let my kids eat on the couch or run thru the house with cookies in their hands…..they know to eat in the kitchen and at the table…..then when they are finished eating, they go play…..this is the easiest way to keep your couch clean…..my couch is probably over 10 yrs. old and looks like a new one….no dirty spots on my couch…..I just can’t believe people would let their kids eat pizza, etc. on a couch…..

Emily

Sunday 11th of June 2017

Hello! I see that IKEA carries a faux leather ektorp sofa that looks exactly like yours. Just wondering if your is actual leather or faux leather? I thought IKEA didn't carry any full leather sofas? Just wanted to make sure of what I'm buying. Thanks!

Kristen

Monday 12th of June 2017

Oh wow, they've changed it, then! Ours is actual leather, not faux leather.

Ikea does still have some leather furniture, such as this piece: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80272940/

But it's more expensive, of course.

Glory Lennon

Thursday 3rd of March 2016

Hey the link went to another page! YAY!

Penny S

Monday 22nd of February 2016

We purchased a Franklin brand sofa less than two years ago and it has not held up well. It has not received rough treatment, as it is just my husband and myself--no children at home or pets in the house. Trying now to have the warranty honored.

Emily M

Monday 22nd of February 2016

Another plus for Ikea - they're flame retardant free, which is especially important if you have little ones.

http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2015/03/five-couches-without-flame-retardants-you-can-buy-right-now

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