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.
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. 😉
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.)
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.
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.
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.
Foreign Service here, so we move a lot.
Go EKTORP. They handle a lot, can be bashed and bumped, and the best part is that the covers can go in the wash.
If second-hand is your price-range, you might check out an estate auction or two or three. It's still iffy, but it's not like the furniture is being discarded because the owner no longer likes it. Instead, probably an older person died. Perhaps it is older and more quality furniture. Perhaps it's been covered up for quite some time by a little old lady. Perhaps not 🙂 But it's worth a check if you have the time.
Is it possible to re-upholster parts of the furniture? The fabric on our couch cushions was picking and becoming threadbare. Instead of re-doing the whole thing, we re-upholstered just the cushions in a contrasting fabric. It's less expensive than re-upholstering an entire couch.
The only comment I have about this post (because I am furniture-buying ignorant) is that the first pic of your daughter reading on the sofa made me just physically ache for summer. I remember lying on the couch reading by the light of an open window, and that is pure bliss!
We're in the throes of cold, cold winter, so I have a few months to wait.
I second Ikea's couches! We have a Kivik sectional downstairs and Kivik 3 seater upstairs. I bought all of ours off Craigslist and had no worries about cleanliness as you can take covers off and check out the couch's cleanliness underneath. Having kids and pets, we LOVE that the covers are machine washable. There are some colors that have to be dry cleaned, but you can find that out online. Also, if you find a used couch you like, but don't like the cover, you can generally by a new cover at Ikea or Ebay for not too much money. Our couches take a beating between two jumpy/climby boys, a dog, cats, and foster kittens. Plus, they can be disassembled easily for super easy transport. I highly recommend them to everyone we know that has kids.
Oh--and best part: they have great butt space! The depth of the seat is perfect!
We bought a fairly inexpensive brown leather sofa from a Macy's furniture outlet about 9-10 years ago. It survived 2 moves and 4 kids climbing on it. That said, it is not necessarily surviving well. My children have managed to finally rip through the cushions. I'm holding out 3-4 years until I think I can convince the youngest to stop jumping on it.
I don't have any human children, just large, toddler-like, stubborn-headed dogs. But for us slipcovers are the way to go. That way we can get away with a cheaper/second-hand item ($200 Craiglist find, a like-new LaZBoy sleeper sofa) and fancy it up with a $50-75 highly-washable suit of armor for the poor furniture.
My initial thought for Christin was to get actual slipcovers for her current couches to use for a while. This would cover up the peeling fleather, and give her some time to decide and/or save up for something, and not have to worry about further damage for the meantime due to moving, or kids! (My cousin's son wrote on their off-white leather couch with a black sharpie....) Unless of course, she needs to buy a couch right now. Then I've got nothing, except, don't buy the biggest couches in the store like we did. Bad idea. They have been too big for both of the living rooms in which we have had them. Oh well, live and learn.
I was thinking along these lines as well: tape the rips, cover with a couch cover or cushion cover[1], get a few more years or moves from the couch during the destructive movers/kids phase.
Count me as one of the many who wouldn't not buy second-hand upholstered furniture. Are you part of a community that moves a lot, or maybe live near one? Buying used furniture from someone else who moves a lot is less risky than from a random stranger or Salvation Army.
[1] I'm a sewing idiot; even so, I'm pretty sure I could manage a rectilinear cushion cover. If I had to.
I can definitely agree with buying an IKEA sofa! We have the TIMSFORS model in both a sofa and loveseat. Have had them for 8+ years and they are still in great shape! I had some reservations before I got them because I thought leather would be too hot in the summer but they are just great. Good luck with your purchase!
Kristen and Nancy, and anyone else with Timsfors line leather furniture:
I'm in love with this sofa for my small home, adding two storage ottomans will create a "corner sectional" that will actually fit my living room! I went to the nearest Ikea and sat in them, and I am convinced this is what I want.
One problem: I was thinking of purchasing the dark green, which looked more grey than green in the store, as opposed to the dark brown, which looked oddly purplish in the store. However, looking at the photos I took in the store, the green actually looks green and the brown looks brown! Obviously this is a lighting issue, but I can't decide now which one to buy! Thestore is two hours away, and I really don't want to drive back just to see them under those artificial lights again!
Has anyone had the opportunity to see these leather colors under more natural light?
I bought a sofa with removable, washable covers, which has been a lifesaver with five pets and two grandchildren. However, getting it off and on the components isn't easy, and is getting harder as I get older. While it is still in great shape, I'm thinking about replacing the covers with something looser fitted and darker in color. I have a love seat with a Surefit cover on it because it no longer fit our color scheme, but it is in an area where it is infrequently used, so I'm not sure how it would do in day to day living. I would love leather, but cats like to pick at it, exhibit A being my daughter's leather sofa.
Ektorp all the way! We had a wonderful Ektorp with a machine washable slip cover. We have two young kids and three cats, that sofa was so easy to clean, and it held up so well! We only sold it because we moved cross country and seriously down sized. We had it for six years, and it was like new the day we sold it. You can also buy custom slipcover a online for them if you want something more designer-y down the road!!
I actually bought the Pottery Barn Basic couches 15 years ago and they are still like new.....EXCEPT for the slipcovers. Thank goodness I read that Ikea's Ektorp slipcovers fit perfectly. I can't vouch for the frame but the Ektorp slipcovers are nicer and have held up better than Pottery Barn's in the wash. The basic white and tan is around $50 a couch as opposed to $800 each at Pottery Barn - they've really saved me over here!
I bought the pearce sofa back in June and I wish I would have gotten the PB basics instead.
When we move to europe for 3 years,i found a second sofa,red velvet for 25 $. I steam clean it. And this sofa got me so much happiness. When a kid got nutella on it ,i totally didn't care,coffee,not a problem.
The fact that is was so cheap gave me great freedom and peace of mind.....
I trully could not care one way or the other what happens to that sofa. And it made me realize that things are just that,things. They are not very important nor relevant for my life.
When we left,i gave it to some students. I hope they put a lots more nutella in it.
Since that time,i only buy cars with dents on then,half the price,half the worries.
The crazy kitsch red velvet sofa was a true life lesson.
Some non-IKEA advice:
You could also take a look at Outlet stores. I know Crate and Barrel has an outlet, as well as some other furniture stores sell their furniture at outlets. Same great quality, but a fraction of the price. I lived in Indianapolis when I purchased my sofa and their large furniture store (Kittle's) has an outlet (Kittle's Outlet, of course). I found a great floor model for half of what I would have paid if I had gone to the actual store. 2 moves later and it's still holding up.
Also take a look at your local furniture stores. In Chicago, I'm an avid shopper of Roy's Furniture. I found a sofa there 7 years ago. The price was right ($300 for a sleeper sofa) and the quality is fantastic (this sofa has been moved 5 times and currently resides with my brother's family of 6 and the kids haven't destroyed it yet). You might find a local shop that fits your budget and quality.
Being military and doing the minimal amount of cross country moves and regular coast moves in 16 years (only 2) but observing what other families do...they pick a choose a few nice pieces, maybe things they got overseas and let other things go, like couches. We have weight limits by rank on what they will pay for us to move each time, so we kind of have to weed down to what really means the most and get rid of the rest. I really love the ikea couches and have had success finding the kivik cloth covered ones on Craigslist in good condition and buying new covers, and even finding the covers on eBay or Craigslist. I have kids and pets, and with cats realistically the leather doesn't work, we tried once with a secondhand couch. The things we buy new have been our beds, mattresses, (until the kids wanted ikea lofts, got those off Craigslist) and since we haven't been over seas we have one or two pieces that family have given us that we have rehabbed and he have hung onto, but in this life, moving and hanging onto heirlooms don't mesh, unless you get rid of a lot of other things. It's all in what is important to you. I think they days of having furniture to pass down through the ages left when people stopped living in the same areas all their life as much of my family had. They don't understand why we had to get rid of so many things our first move, but bottom line, it comes down to money and what someone will pay to move for you. IKEA furniture is lightweight which is another huge plus.
Here's another vote for Ikea! Our daughter has had the Ektorp for about 5-6 years now and it has held up remarkably well for having three active boys on it all the time. She bought her second slipcover for it once the old one gave out but thankfully they are very cheap to replace even if you just want a change of decor.
I love our Ektorp sofa and have had it since 2006...I bought it beige, but my husband wanted blue, so in the end we found a blue cover for sale on Craigslist and I now have a choice based on season or preference. I would recommend this sofa to anyone!! My beige cover is starting to look old (one zipper finally went, but I could easily just get a new or used cover when the two that I have get too old).
Ditto on the Ektorp line by Ikea...I have the sofa and loveseat with slipcovers. I did buy mine secondhand, but I don't have a problem with that IF I can see what the house looks like. I bought mine from a very upscale neighborhood from a house that looks like something out of a Pottery Barn catalog. That being said I know that no one is immune to bedbugs, but I think your chances are better with someone that keeps their house pretty clean. You know what I mean. I did pull up the covers and check the nooks and crannies for bedbugs. The underneath area (base sofa under the slipcovers) is a very light color and very easy to see little bedbugs and I use the led light on my iphone to look closely. I love that I can wash the covers. Mine are gray cotton, but I have found a second set on Craigslist for $30. They are 100% washable and I LOVE them! One of the best purchases I've ever made!
She might consider looking at LoveSac (www.lovesac.com). They're not cheap, but they're very modular and will work in a variety of rooms. Also every piece of upholstery can be individually zipped off and washed or replace separately. You can also buy individual components to expand an existing couch into something larger. They're also super friendly for moves since you can break the entire couch down into individual pieces that can each be carried by a single person and easily navigated through doors (the cushions and pillows can even be stored inside the bases during the move.
For someone with kids that is expecting to move several times it might be a good solution.
Ooh, that does sound great for moving purposes!
We bought ours because we are expecting to move again in the not too distant future and wanted to make sure we could use it regardless of what size place we end up in. We bought the standard 4 base + 5 size side piece starter kit. That way we can easily turn it into chairs, or two love seats, or a sectional as we need. It also works pretty well as a full size bed for when people visit.
I'm gonna jump on the Ektorp from Ikea bandwagon too. We have the fabric sectional with three small children and it has held up really well. I love that if someone spills something I can just take the cover off and wash it. And if I need to buy a new cover or want a different look, it's very affordable to replace the cover.
We have the fabric covered Ikea Ektorp sectional and we love it! All the cushions come off, its slipcovered and the sectional breaks down into two very easily movable pieces. (The back of the two pieces of the couch even folds down so that its just two flat pieces to move!)
We have a dog and aren't super careful with our furniture. We frequently have food in the living room and let our dog up on the couch. However its super easy to just take off the cushion cover or entire couch cover and throw it in the wash when there is a spill that happens. Its held up really great and its very comfortable. We opted for a darker cover - a grey instead of the popular white. Its also pretty affordable which is a plus.
That would be my inclination too. I love the way white looks, but it seems like an awful lot of washing would need to happen!
Hi, I would recommend checking Costco! We're on our second sectional from there (both have been microfiber) and both were a great buy. We had our first one for 5-ish years and only replaced it because we needed something bigger. I loved that it had slipcovers on the cushions, which I regularly washed and they held up great. We passed that one down to my sister and it's still going strong. Our new one we've only had a couple years, but still it's still like new at this point. And you can't beat $900 for a large and very comfortable sectional! I only wish the cushions covers were removable like they were on the first.
Emily Stimpson, author of the blog The Catholic Table, recently wrote about how she has chosen her furniture and other home decoration pieces with children in mind. Childless herself, she lives in a tight-knit Catholic community and often has people over for meals or visits, and there are always lots of children included. I understand the theology in her writing will not appeal to everyone, but her pictures and tips may give some ideas, particularly the items under #1.
http://thecatholictable.com/2015/12/02/a-window-to-god-five-affordable-ways-to-bring-beauty-into-your-catholic-home/
We love our Karlstad sectional from Ikea. We have the darker grey fabric and it has held up well over the past 3 years. I have never removed the slip covers to wash them, but have just treated spots. We fight over who gets to sit in the "cozy corner".
We also have a Karlstad sectional and we love it! With 2 kids and a big dog we needed something that had washable slipcovers and could take a beating. We've owned ours for a year and it still looks brand new even after washing the slipcovers several times.
My husband's job requires moving every 3 years, and we have 2 children under 2 and a dog. We bought nice leather couches that advertise lasting 20-30 years. We find them very easy to clean with conditioning wipes. We don't let the dog up on the couch, and so far they still are in great shape. Part of our reason for spending more money on high quality is that my husband's job replaces furniture damaged in moves. We bought something solid so that it wouldn't get damaged, but even if it is, we have that insurance that our investment won't go to waste. Also, higher quality furniture has firmer cushions, which is nice when you have people of different sizes sitting on the couch. It's nice not to sink to the side when my husband sits down next to me!
I am glad to hear that the IKEA sofas hold up. Our Lack side tables and coffee tables from IKEA are holding up great for the price. Our sofa is a basic, upholstered one purchased new at JC Penny. It is holding up well after 2 moves, my son jumping off of it, and my dog sleeping on it often. Our first couch was free and held up through years and moves. The reader could ask around to see if any family and friends are getting new furniture or moving. Someone may be looking to giveaway or sell a used couch.
I wanted a leather sofa from Pottery Barn( Made in the USA), but they told me it would not hold up with pets. We saved and bought the Pearce sofa in performance fabric( we had it slip covered) so we can wash them if we need. We dont have kids, but have 3 dogs. We still keep two twin flat sheets on the cushions just to minimize any chances for dirt. They are very comfortable. If I had to do it again, I'd probably go with the PB basics collection because all the components are made in the USA and Pottery Barn stands behinds their products.
Very interesting to read so many positive comments about Ikea furniture. Out of curiosity, have you looked into Ikea's labor practices?
Not sure of your point...but if its similar to mine...we wouldn't touch ikea products with a bargepole...ethically they are the pits...based on forced slave labour from eastern block political prisoners, no different to Hugo Boss and Siemans. Its scary how popular Ikea is now and its history has never been shared too widely. Our bedroom furniture went straight to the dump when we found out...sticking to good old Laura Ashley now..hopefully no skeletons in her cupboard.
While I definitely understand not wanting to support poor labor practices, I'm unsure of how throwing usable furniture into the dump is helpful. Once it's bought, it's bought, and throwing it out doesn't change anything, you know?
This is why I have no problem buying brands secondhand that I'd otherwise shy away from. Buying something secondhand gives no money to the corporation. And keeping something you've already bought also doesn't give any money to the corporation.
I haven't! Do you have a good source to point me to?
I would nix the idea of buying secondhand furniture (and this is coming from a thrift-shopper) because of the possibility of bedbugs. I'd even check over NEW furniture and the box before setting it all up. One exterminator I spoke with said that one of the main ways that bedbugs travel is via used furniture.
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
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.
Hey the link went to another page! YAY!
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!
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.
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…..