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Home Decorating Furniture Design Dilemma

Dog-friendly sofa with contemporary glam aesthetic...help!

Delani Paciello

3 years ago

I have two shih-tzus who love to get on our sofas (no un-training them now) and an English Cream (aka almost WHITE) golden retriever puppy (not allowed on sofa). We tried white Pottery Barn performance slipcovered fabric (not Sunbrella) sofas with our two little dogs previously and they were definitely not as resistant to stains as we had hoped. We are currently debating between leather vs a lighter grey performance fabric sofas. Darker fabric sofas would work for our smaller dogs (to hide dirty paw prints, etc) but our golden sheds white fur like crazy so we need something on the lighter-colored side that is also durable and resistant to dirt and stains. We thought about white leather because I love the look and versatility of white sofas, but I'm not sure how that would hold up to little dogs because I've never owned leather furniture before. I don't love the look of brown/tan as it doesn't typically fit in my decor style. This seems like an impossible problem and I've been trying so hard to think of ideas around it. Anyone have any ideas?!

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Comment (1)

apple_pie_order
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Look for lightly patterned performance fabrics for slipcovers. The patterning will help hide stains that remain after washing. You could also have a second set of pristine slipcovers for times when you entertain people when the dogs are kept out of the room.

Leather, especially white leather, will not be dog proof. You can slow down the absorption of liquids by keeping the sofa polished with whatever the manufacturer recommends, but it's a losing battle. There are pretty good faux leathers out there that you could look at, too. They are not very comfortable for people for hours of sitting.
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"Only thick, dyed-through leather hides will stand up to the test of time." So true. Many places have leather which is actually very thin since they shave it off in layers. That's why so many couches look stretched out. We purchased our leather one from JC Penneys. On sale. It a cordovan (brownish burgandy) color. At the same time, we got Flexsteel and Broyhill couches which were not cheap. The Flexsteel frame got wobbly and the fabric shredded. The Broyhill is looking worse for wear and has a slipcover. The leather is holding up great with only occasional wiping. We have 4 normal kids and 2 messy adults. The shape of the cushions is still looking good. I will never buy anything else again. The better the quality the leather the better it will hold up. Don't fall for a salesman's speech. Read up and decide what will work for you. I have a friend with microfiber and she's "OK" with it. Not overly impressed. Gloria
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I'd keep what you have. It looks fine and you do allow your big dog to sleep on it, so why spend money on a new one which will quickly smell of "dog". My dogs are on my furniture but they're small. When I had a Golden, she would wait until I left and head for the living room sofa with down cushions. When she heard the garage door go up, she'd just down, but when I got inside, it was still warm where she had been and those down cushions showed her guilt! I solved this problem by putting her in the kitchen with a gate. I really did not want a dog that big on my furniture. The small ones? Well, they're lap dogs but they are also not as dirty and they don't have a doggy odor.
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