how about the Crypton kiwi? I love it!

Here is a link that might be useful: pet fabrics

I know that chenille is supposed to be a dog hair grabber but we have one and it's been great. Our sweet old lab used to shed a full dog's worth of hair every day. She was yellow and the sofa is a muddy green. We vacuumed it occasionally and it was fine. Our new dog is a black and white short haired mutt. We've had him for a month and he's claimed the matching ottoman that now sits in the sunroom. So far, I can't even tell he's been up on it. Did I just get lucky?

Love the green...here you go.

Here is a link that might be useful: Microsuede

My parents had gold velvet sofas they bought in the mid-60s. They wore like iron for probably around 25 or 30 years through three kids, various dogs, cats, and miscellaneous creatures and friends.

I've had a green velvet slipcovered sofa for about 18 years. It's lived with (at various times) three cats and two dogs. It does get furry but vacuums off nicely. I do like that I can throw the slips in the washing machine, though.

I recovered some chairs in a sunbrella velvet like material and have a beagle and boxer mix. The dog hair sticks to that chair just as much as it did our microfiber sofa. We 2 different dysons so i don't think it is the vacuum.
I am really happy with my sunbrella fabric. It comes back like new with every cleaning and the chairs are in direct sunlight with no fading.

I would upholster the couch in your green. It makes me feel like it belongs. You could also have a cover of the same fabric made to throw over it, one that seems to be selling all over. Covers front, back and arms. Would keep the hair down and you could throw it in the wash, remove it when company shows up.If you go to velvet or acrylic, make sure it is washable. I would look at cordless corduroy which simulates velvet and is very durable. Available in different piles.

The site on crypton fabric mentions a chemical sprayed on which makes it more durable, although not what it is. Haven't ever used a fabric spray, so cannot comment on this.

That sofa is awesome.

best upholstery for dog prevention is tapestry. Best course of action, though, is to get the upholstery you love, and keep a cheap blanket or old mattress pad nearby you can throw on the sofa when dogs are visiting, then throw in the laundry after they've left.

As for getting dog hair off upholsteryâ¦put on a latex dishwashing glove and wipe it off, or do that in conjunction with vacuuming.

I'm a dog sittahâ¦

Oh my, some fabrics are $7/yard and some are $70/yard. Is one 10X better than the other. I'm so confused. I just can't tell quality from hype these days.

Get a pattern and color you like in a fabric that is rate medium to heavy wear (20,000-plus rubs, if I'm remembering correctly from doing my exhaustive sofa research, which STILL proved to be not enough!). I would not suggest selecting a pattern and fabric for your sofa based on dogs coming over to visit. Hopefully you'll have the new fabric for 15 - 20 years, so you have to love it. For dogs, throw something over it.

Great advise all. I'm going to go with what I love and cover it for doggie naps. Once you start looking there are so many gorgeous choices, I want them all. Luckily I have many other pieces that also need new dresses too. Two swivel rockers, one wing back chair, 6 dining chairs, 2 window seat cushions, placemats. Let the games begin and I hope you won't get too sick of me as we make our choices. Decorating as group sport. I love it.

Now if I could just figure out how to post a mood board or do multiple images per post. I'm such a Luddite.

Here is something I'm in love with for somewhere.

Since the dogs are just visitors and not inhabitants I would go for the beautiful blue or green velvet. Keep a large throw stowed in a basket close by to protect your sofa when you have your four legged friends visit. Life is too short to not get what you love. If the pooches lived with you I would definitely opt for a pet friendly upholstery because at least in our home dogs rule!

What a perfect fabric for an Istanbul whorehouse!

I'd put that on either the dining room chairs (seems forgiving, i.e.: food spills) or the window seats!

Really gorgeous. Can you link me to it?

It is from housefabric.com and called woodlands jewel. Don't know how to link stuff so I hope you can find it with that info. Lots,of to die for stuff on that site. Here's another one that has me drooling.

And looky here at this killer fabric.

I would love that sofa in the first green velvet. We cover our furniture because our Yorkie thinks it belongs to her. Fortunately she is only six pounds!

Thank you! I desperately have to recover my grandfather's chair.

Amazing fabrics.

Suggestion: I'd do the sofa in a more subtle pattern and chairs and pillows and such (i.e.: smaller things) in the busier, bolder patterns. I think the jewel blue or green of your velvet sofas would be perfect (although, stay away from velvet as an upholstery fabric. It doesn't wear well).

I love the whorehouse fabric!!!

I have two indoor-only black and white cats. Fur everywhere, ain't nothing gonna stop the shedding. I have a lint brush (similar to attached photo) that really does a number on picking up the fur. I have a sage green velvet chair and it picks up the fur *and* nicely grooms the pile.

Tibbrix, that's what I plan to do, a solid on the couch and some fussy here and there.

I'm confused about velvet. Some say it is durable and some say no. What kind of velvet should I look for if I need some durability, 100% cotton or a blend or what. Would a solid chenille wear better? I just hate giving up on the decedent luxury of velvet. But this is a rough and tumble mountain home so maybe it isn't meant to be.

This is what I want but in blue or green. Too impractical??

My chair and ottoman are Cost Plus velvet, so hardly high-end. They are hand-me-downs from my daughter and have taken a beating from two sets of cats and still look brand new. Sometimes you get lucky. :)

rgps, I can only tell you how to post multiple pictures from a photobucket.com account. Upload the pictures to your photobucket account (scroll to bottom of page for photobucket help on how to upload photos). Beside each photo, you'll see "Share links" with 4 choices. Double click on the box next to "HTML." You should get a "copied" message. Then go to your GW post, and paste. Do that as often as necessary to post the photos you want to share.

Read the thread linked below for information on privacy setting within Photobucket. You might want to consider setting up a Photobucket account in your GW name and only use it for photos you are willing to share with the world.

To post links, copy the URL of the page you want to share, then post in the boxes below "Message" box. You'll see one box that says "Optional Link URL" Past the copied URL there. Then in the box below it, captioned "Name of the Link," type a few descriptive words.

Hope this is helpful to you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photobucket privacy

Oh, we're doing Whorehouse? Hey, I'm on it. I love Whorehouse! I like New Orleans Whorehouse, but I shall look for Istanbul Whorehouse.

I would think it would be a mountain home that could take rough and tumble, some wear on fabrics, making them more charming and in tune with the environs, no?

However, you don't want to have to actually re-upholstery anything five years from now!

I have no idea how to determine if a velvet is sturdy or not. I'm in the "I've always read that they're not" camp. However, in my ripe old age, I've figured out that I have a 50/50 rating for getting things right, which isn't very high!

I love velvet and I think 100% cotton velvet is extremely durable. I had my last couch over 10 years and the velvet was still in near perfect condition with the exception of sun fading. I only got rid of it because we bought a new couch that fit our new home better. I bought another velvet couch! Here is the fabric I have on it now: http://www.calicocorners.com/p-944-antibes-velvet-cordovan.aspx

It is soil and stain resistant. Wipes up and vacuums very easily. I don't have dogs but I do have two children under the age of 5. : )

RGPS, I love the elephant fabric! I have an elephant pillow on my want list at NM.

The killer fabric right under it had me from the get go. I would use that in a heartbeat. I have two chairs in my living room that are upholstered in a busy fabric. I thought I would tire of it but I never have. When I recover them I going for another pattern.

Velvet wears like iron. My DM had a love seat covered in a delicious apricot velvet and it looked as good thirty years after it was done as it did when she had it recovered.

Glamorous solution!

Here you go! Stylish, dog-proof, whorehouse-proof, and it's shiny! just get out the Windex, and voila! You'll be the envy of your mountain neighbors! Lol.

Bbstx. Thanks for the info. I'll have to find sometime to concentrate and work on those instructions. I just have an iPad now and they aren't as easy to manipulate as my desktop. soon I'll be back in the desert with more options to play with.

And because a post without a photo is just a bore here is another one of the 1940s chairs for the room. My father recovered it in fake fur 30 years ago, he was oh so trendy. It may just stay like this. Feels great.

Helpful link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Velvet thread (no pun intended)

Okay, I'm going velvet with the plastic wrap. Now I just have to find some that isn't so muted as what I'm seeing so far. Not so easy to find these days when everyone is obsessed with gray, taupe and wheat. I'm stuck in another era, always have been, always will be. I just want to go back and hang out with William Morris and mark twain and the robber barons. I'd live at Olana on the Hudson if only...

It'll cost more, and I hate to admit that I love a designer, but I really do love Ralph Lauren fabrics. Just got of their site, and they have some gorgeous velvets. Check it out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ralph Lauren velvet

You'd love Lands End Inn in Provincetown (I suspect you'd love Provincetown!).

One of the premier rooms at Lands End Inn

Yes, lands end inn looks very kewl and right up my alley. Ah, but who will dust.?

"Yes, lands end inn looks very kewl and right up my alley. Ah, but who will dust.?"

In Provincetown? Probably some gorgeous buck in a French maid's dress.

If you are set on velvet here's your blue velvet upholstery fabric for a good price.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fabricguru

Tib there is indeed nothing more luscious than RL velvet. I was looking at using it on a chair and I seem to remember it being 125+ a yard depending on the velvet.

Assuming you use a solid on the sofa, do you know how many yards you would need?

HK, that sounds likely, considering it's RL. I found a fabric I love for my chair on the sight, all wool, called them to get a price (didn't succeed. The fabric part is open mon. - fri.) but I had a really nice conversation with the woman I was speaking to and told her that I am NOT a designer type of person but I LOVE Ralph Lauren and Vera Wang. She told me that Vera Wang interned under Lauren.

I then told her that, while I love Lauren's designs and fabrics, etc., I loathe his models because they all look like rotten country club brats. We had a great laugh about that. I asked her to please suggest to Mr. Lauren that he veer off the anorexic sailing club snot look and go more for a Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge look.

Lol.

Kitchen- I think I need about 14 yards. Egads!

Raven, I saw that blue velvet. The price is right but hoping for 100% cotton. Do you think that one with so much polyester would be okay or will it crush too much. Velvet is so tricky.

I put a bid on 8 yds of beautiful sapphire blue linen velvet on eBay. Not enough for the couch but maybe something else. It is stunning so well se if I get it.

Geez, I hate threads like this. All I want to do now is run out and buy some fabric - that I don't need and don't have anything to cover!

Including welting?

tomato,
You and I, both.

Kitchen, I'm not sure. The upholstery guy is coming tomarrow at 2 to give me estimates at costs and yardage. That may be when this all turns into nothing but a fantasy and well just sit on lawn chairs for the rest of our lives. At least they are the right color. ( not my chair, drat).

Here you go, rgps:

Teehee, tib

My Gran had a similar Sofa. Hers was a burgundy frieze. I never saw it uncovered. A tapestry with an outdoors-man theme was on it until she died.

Emma, I ran across this charming fabric. Would your gran have approved?

If the couch is 7 feet long, (84âÂÂ), 14 yards would be correct, and enough for piping, too. I think that sapphire blue velvet from Fabricguru would be awesome!

Rgps - your subject cracked me up because I am (despite a childhood of breaking the rules) ultra against dogs on furniture. This may be due to my choice of German shepherds as companions. Gorgeous sofa, will look forward to finished pictures!!

Oldbat, it's not that I am in favor of dogs on furniture it's just that I would never deny a guest dog a chance to feel welcome. I make guest children behave but as long as pets don't chew or potty in the house they are golden. We travel too much to have our own anymore so I look forward to their visits. Of course every one of them is huge, our friends and family are just those kind of people.

I can't deny my charges their desire to be up on the furniture with me either. They all pick a spot next to me on the bed at night and squish right up to me, and off to sleep they go, not a care in the world. Ever sleep with five big dogs squished up to the entire perimeter of your body? Ain't no turnin' over under such conditions, so plan on staying put the whole night!

Cooper and Angus on my lap while I'm reading the NY Times online in the morning.

I bet you would like Jane Hall Design, Google that then select the images option. Great beautiful colors, would be beautiful in the whorehouse lol.