Couches? Fabrics?

[pandabee]

Hi all! I believe I have seen many furniture topics on here before so apologies for another one...the boy and I are moving in together soon and have been doing some shopping for apartment stuff over the past week. Can someone please help me/us understand what to look for? We found one set we really liked at Big Lots. It was a 2 piece sectional that was really comfortable, made of polyurethane though. That was $700. Then we found a supposedly leather sofa 3-seater with reclining seats on the ends at a warehouse for $600. Then we looked at Sam's and found a 2 piece set, a sofa recliner like the one at the warehouse but also a glider recliner seat for $1000 - this one was listed as leather on the store but when we looked online it said it was a leather/vinyl mix.

Some quick googling found some pro/con lists of fake vs. leather. Still not convinced on durability of either or but think at the very least the leather/vinyl sounds like a terrible idea because mixing of these very different mediums doesn't sound like it would jive very well. We don't have any pets but would probably have dogs around often (his sister's) and hope to get a dog of our soon. No kids in the near future. The apartment we are moving into is likely a temporary one until we can find a house or nicer place to move into. Basically, not sure if it is worth getting a cheaper couch/material for now, or just get one that will last for a while and what material/price range we should really be looking at.

Thanks in advance!

 

[jaysonsmom]

My only advice is to shop with your living room measurements. Sofas and couches look a lot smaller in a giant showroom. When dh and I first moved in together, we picked out a set with sofa, loveseat and armchair.....We ended up having to return the armchair, because it made it impossible to walk in our 900 square ft apartment.

Also, I don't know where you're from, but I personally don't like leather or vinyl because hot California weather makes you "stick" to the seat. We have a micro-suede material that is man-made, ultra comfy, and resists stains...great for people with pets or young kids!

 

[pandabee]

We are in the midwest, so doesn't usually get hot enough that we have to worry about sticking to furniture but good thing to think about! I will bring up micro-suede to him...I think we both originally thought that it looked like a material that would stain easily and be difficult to keep clean! Do you have to treat it with anything or did it come pre-treated?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Hi, for sure you need the measurements. We picked out a great set of furniture and ended up having to exchange it because what we thought looked great in the showroom looked terrible in our house. It was all about lay-out and we picked a sectional and instead a couch and two chairs w/ottomans looked much better.

For winning finish, we chose micro-suede/fiber (whatever) and with kids, cats, husband, and all, it was perfect. The covers came off the cushions and I could put them through my washer on delicate with some All Free and Clear and a bit of Oxyclean and then line dry them and they looked perfect after and fit right back on the cushions. The color retained its depth after a couple of years (the color was a red w/blue undertones) and we only sold the set b/c of moving. The four other finishes we've had since have never have been as resiliant.

 

[madelise]

I never bought fake leather couches before... But I will vouch for going with leather (real or fake)! Fur, spilled drinks, crumbs, etc.. All come off with a wipe! I would have hated staining a suede or fabric couch. In the 7 months we lived away from home, we had plenty of "oops" on the couches--- ESP when boys came over and drank!

 

[zoebartlett]

This is what I've always heard and followed when choosing couches:

In terms of how the couch is constructed, choose one where the individual coils are tied together in 8 different ways (referred to as "8 way hand tied") is best. It's supposed to give you the best support.

If you have pets, you might want to look for durable cotton fabrics with a tight weave as opposed to linen fabrics.

I've never had micro-suede. This is just a personal opinion, but I've never loved the varied look of the fabric when you run your hand over part of it. Does that make sense? Run your hand one way over it, and the fabric is a bit lighter. Do it the other way, and it's darker. For some reason, that's always bugged me because I've preferred a more uniform look. I might be the odd man out here though...

ETA: I just realized you don't have pets now, but if you're considering it for the future, I'd still go with something more durable.

Quality in construction, fabric, and stuffing varies a lot, so I'd go to a few furniture stores and ask for help in deciding what to choose.

 

[madelise]

This is what I've always heard and followed when choosing couches:

In terms of how the couch is constructed, choose one where the individual coils are tied together in 8 different ways (referred to as "8 way hand tied") is best. It's supposed to give you the best support.

If you have pets, you might want to look for durable cotton fabrics with a tight weave as opposed to linen fabrics.

I've never had micro-suede. This is just a personal opinion, but I've never loved the varied look of the fabric when you run your hand over part of it. Does that make sense? Run your hand one way over it, and the fabric is a bit lighter. Do it the other way, and it's darker. For some reason, that's always bugged me because I've preferred a more uniform look. I might be the odd man out here though...

ETA: I just realized you don't have pets now, but if you're considering it for the future, I'd still go with something more durable.

Quality in construction, fabric, and stuffing varies a lot, so I'd go to a few furniture stores and ask for help in deciding what to choose.

Oh my $@$#%*! do I hate that! I get so OCD over that crap that I have to brush all the fabric the same way. I hate those fabrics!

 

[packrat]

We've had the most horrendous luck with our furniture, and I'm tired of spending money on things, so I think now we're going to go cheap and replace, since we've been going higher cost/better made and *still* having to replace.

We're on our 3rd living room set, in 11.5 years. The latest set is leather and Flexsteel. Well, leather changes color in reaction to lotions and skin oils etc, scratches easily, tho it does wipe down easily, it can still stain and food/drinks can still leave marks. Steel doesn't stand a chance against a heavy husband who flops down rather than sit.

I'm to the point where I'm ready to get a kind of furniture, I can't remember the name, that you buy each individual piece and attach them, so each piece can be replaced when need be and there is storage built into it under each seat.

I would just buy something "for now", in your situation.

 

[PintoBean]

Some words of advice.

Our first living room set was (supposed to be ) from Costco. We loved the sage green color and the pillows and price point. We measured the living room, measured the entrance to our apartment - everything should fit.

Well, the set never made it into our apartment because:
A) we failed to measure the elevator - it's a passenger elevator in the building, no freight elevator, and
B) we failed to measure the stairwell as a back-up. The stairwells were too narrow to fit the couches.

DH was so sad, tipped the delivery guys for their hardwork, and the set went back to Costco...

Our current set we got from Bob's. I don't know if they have any Bob's by you, but the price points are very reasonable. Also, we have a good amount of Ikea furniture. I really like putting the stuff together. It makes me feel a sense of accomplishment when I plop down and survey my décor.

 

[Boatluvr]

I bought a 'knock-off' Pottery Barn couch for $600. I had it for eleven years and when I moved I gave it to a friend. Two years later, she still has it. It was a slip covered couch, a neutral khaki color and the material was a heavy duty 'twill'. Like a heavy duty cotton. It was washable and I used to just hang it dry. It faded a bit (the couch was in the sun most of the time), but even so, it was probably one of my best purchases. I did not have pets, but I had grandchildren with grubby hands and I never worried about it! Good material, in a neutral color and you can change 'decorations' (pillows, etc.) as often as you want.

Chris

 

[zoebartlett]

Madelise, that's funny! I'm glad someone can relate.

 

[pandabee]

AH, put me in the OCD category then too, I really dislike how microsuede *looks* because of the way the fabric rubs as well. That was the other reason I wasn't really considering it at first. Thanks for all the advice so far...would consider Ikea or Pottery Barn but the nearest Ikea is a few hours away from me, and probably more like 3 hours from where I will be moving to so seems like a lot of work to save a few bucks. PB always seemed like a more expensive Ikea to me...is the quality worth it?

 

[House Cat]

Regarding Ikea slipcovered couches... I have two, the Ektorp sectional and the sofa. The sectional is the beige color and the sofa is white (I have a living room and a family room, just so that you don't think I have some whacky decorating scheme going on.)

The pros are that they are definitely washable. I LOVE this fact. The white one is actually easier to clean than the beige one because I can bleach it. I will actually be buying the white slipcover for my sectional as soon as I repaint my family room. The beige is washable too, but if it really, really gets stained, it will be a problem. I NEVER dry the slip covers on high heat, only low, and I never fully dry them. I have read that shrinkage can be a problem. The slipcovers are CHEAP. The white one for the sofa is only $50. The colored ones are a bit more. The couches themselves are really cute, if slipcovered couches are your style.

Now for the cons...these couches simply are not comfortable. They are HARD. My husband complains about them all of the time. They aren't deep either, just normal.

I bought both of my couches on craigslist and bought the slipcovers new. I made sure the couches were in good condition (there can be some really nasty ones out there) and then once I threw a new slipcover on them, they were like brand new. My sofa was $80. My sectional $200.

Every time I go to Pottery Barn, I sink into their comfort sectional and dream of the day that I can buy it without worrying about my boys staining the slipcover. You see, their slipcover is almost as expensive as the couch and it is dry clean only. Not practical for my lifestyle. Also, the reviews on how well they hold up aren't so good.

 

[jaysonsmom]

Hi, for sure you need the measurements. We picked out a great set of furniture and ended up having to exchange it because what we thought looked great in the showroom looked terrible in our house. It was all about lay-out and we picked a sectional and instead a couch and two chairs w/ottomans looked much better.

For winning finish, we chose micro-suede/fiber (whatever) and with kids, cats, husband, and all, it was perfect. The covers came off the cushions and I could put them through my washer on delicate with some All Free and Clear and a bit of Oxyclean and then line dry them and they looked perfect after and fit right back on the cushions. The color retained its depth after a couple of years (the color was a red w/blue undertones) and we only sold the set b/c of moving. The four other finishes we've had since have never have been as resiliant.

Yup, I concur with all the above. My couch wasn't pre-treated in anyway, but we just wipe off whatever spills onthe couch with a damp cloth, and when it dries, it looks like new.

 

[jaysonsmom]

Regarding Ikea slipcovered couches... I have two, the Ektorp sectional and the sofa. The sectional is the beige color and the sofa is white (I have a living room and a family room, just so that you don't think I have some whacky decorating scheme going on.)

The pros are that they are definitely washable. I LOVE this fact. The white one is actually easier to clean than the beige one because I can bleach it. I will actually be buying the white slipcover for my sectional as soon as I repaint my family room. The beige is washable too, but if it really, really gets stained, it will be a problem. I NEVER dry the slip covers on high heat, only low, and I never fully dry them. I have read that shrinkage can be a problem. The slipcovers are CHEAP. The white one for the sofa is only $50. The colored ones are a bit more. The couches themselves are really cute, if slipcovered couches are your style.

Now for the cons...these couches simply are not comfortable. They are HARD. My husband complains about them all of the time. They aren't deep either, just normal.

I bought both of my couches on craigslist and bought the slipcovers new. I made sure the couches were in good condition (there can be some really nasty ones out there) and then once I threw a new slipcover on them, they were like brand new. My sofa was $80. My sectional $200.

Every time I go to Pottery Barn, I sink into their comfort sectional and dream of the day that I can buy it without worrying about my boys staining the slipcover. You see, their slipcover is almost as expensive as the couch and it is dry clean only. Not practical for my lifestyle. Also, the reviews on how well they hold up aren't so good.

We also have the Ektorp sectional in the the kids "bonus room" aka video game room, and it is really really hard. I personally would spend a little more for durable, comfier furniture if it is for THE living room, assuming you have only one living area in an apartment.

 

[jaysonsmom]

AH, put me in the OCD category then too, I really dislike how microsuede *looks* because of the way the fabric rubs as well. That was the other reason I wasn't really considering it at first. Thanks for all the advice so far...would consider Ikea or Pottery Barn but the nearest Ikea is a few hours away from me, and probably more like 3 hours from where I will be moving to so seems like a lot of work to save a few bucks. PB always seemed like a more expensive Ikea to me...is the quality worth it?

Maybe that is why I like it....it'll hide stains.., just rub it in the direction where it turns darker