Caroloh - you've hit one of the nails on the head. We are only 3 years out of grad school and 2.5 years into this house. We are still trying to figure out our decorating style and get our house to look more cohesive. My assumption is that we will likely replace this sofa in 5-7 years either because our decor will have evolved past it or because we are just plain bored. If the sofa will last longer than that, all the better.

That said, we don't want complete junk! As you pointed out, my husband is 6'3" (although light as a feather). We also have a dog that likes to get up on the sofa from time to time. We also may have a child in the next year or 2...we want something sturdy enough and relatively low maintainance.

Anyone have more thoughts on Value City Furniture, the Kroehler brand, or chenille as an upholstery fabric? We've also been looking at microfiber and leather - leather would be easy cleanup with the dog hair, but we are concerned about the claws and the fact that our house does not have great climate control (no AC, uneven heat) - we like microfiber as a material but the sofas that use it seem so contemporary.

sweetie; there is no shame is buying a sofa from Value City or anywhere else if you both like it. What is a shame is buying a "high-end sofa" like me for $3000 and having to return it because it's poorly made. Make sure you and your husband take all the time you need to sit, slouch, bounce, and lay on the sofa before you buy it. If you like to lay on the sofa together make sure the seat is wide enough or LOL one of you will end up on the floor. Mirofiber will be easier to clean and wears better than chenile. It's also warmer than leather. I found a sofa in mirofiber that wasn't too modern, but I wish I could find one with a skirt.

Thanks for the encouragement, toomuchwashing. We will definitely make sure we bounce, sit, and slouch on the sofa before purchasing.

You mentioned that microfiber will wear better than chenille and is easier to clean - my fear is that it will attract and show dog hair. Anyone have experience with microfiber and dogs? My dog has black, white, and brown hairs so it is hard for us to find one fabric that will hide it all and we don't want to vacuum the upholstery every other day.

My granddaughter just got rid of a camel color microfiber sofa after about 1-1 1/2 yrs of 2 dogs and 2 kids....really was not happy with the cheapness of it and the fabric.(it was an Ashley and also the chair broke apart) I can tell you that you will be happy with Flexsteel, had one that held up with 5 kids very well. As the old saying goes 'you get what you pay for'. If you buy a neutral color and bring in other colors with accents, you can't go too far wrong.

Get a protected leather (try to scratch the sample and see)

We have 5 kids and a cat. I bought a new greenish microfiber sofa in April, its already showing stains and dirt. I like the sofa, it does not show cat hair (sofa is leaf colored, cat is golden and white) but microfiber tends to have things stick to it

Mine is skirted and traditional looking made by a company called Divon. O got it at the local equivalent of Value City, paid 2k for a huge sectional, chair and a half and ottoman. I have had to switch the cushions because they were not the same ones as on the display but so far the store is working with me. Look at the seams and make sure they are straight and overall the craftsmanship is there. When you really look at an inexpensive sofa you can often (but not always) see where the shortcuts were taken. So far I like my sofa but realize the quality is not amazing. For some reason the showroom piece seems a little better but I could be imagining that. I sort of wish I had gotten leather from the dirt aspect. We have ancient leather sofas in the basement that are hand me downs and the cat does not seem to bother them

Do a search for Flexsteel. some love them some really did not have good experiences

Here is a link that might be useful: My Sofa (mine has boxy pillows)

Dunno about flexsteel, but Lazyboy Galleries have microfiber and leather and cloth in lots of styles. I was looking for shorter sofas and ended up falling in love with their recliner loveseaths.

They have a microfiber that looks like rugged leather - it probably will camouflage most animal hair.

I have a JC penney sofa now with the 3 cushions in a tweedy fabric and it is a pain! Eventually, the cushions mush out of shape. Everytime we sit on it, the cushions try to leave when we do. The back cushions have completely lost their shape.

This is one reason I visited the Lazyboy gallery. Seems like everything they offer had attached cushions. As for laying on the couch, I am all over that. But with recliners for everybody, we may just make a major furniture lifestyle change.

My sister has a neutral colored leather couch - medium beige? Her two hound dogs have not managed to harm it - my first thought was that their nails would puncture the leather, but it hasn't happened yet.

Good luck!

Consumer Reports evaluated sofas1-2 yrs ago. They liked broyhill & clayton marcus. Shop around for those brands. I found Clayton Marcus in Fairfield, NJ at "MSO" about $800

The plush sofa from kroehler is on sale right now for 800 something...it's down filled which means you have to fluff it just like you would if you have down filled pillows that you sleep on. Which I have lol the sofa is 92 inches I believe and 2 cushions if you get the 3 seater it's 138 inches I