It''s time...buying new couch.

[E B]

My husband and I have decided the time has come to move our nasty old IKEA couch to the basement into his studio, and to buy a nice, new couch for the living room.

Unfortunately, we'll be buying from Pottery Barn. Now, I love, love, LOVE the look of Pottery Barn products, but buying large pieces from them has proven to be a bit of a nightmare. Long story short, it took us weeks to get our bed after the first one they sent, driven from the Northeast over two weeks, arrived smashed. The only reason we're going with Pottery Barn is because we have $900 in gift cards left over from the wedding, which will pay for a large chunk of the couch.

Things to consider: We have two very small, stinky, "sheddy" dogs. One is tan (see icon) and the other black. I've already told my husband that we need to make a no dog rule for the couch, but I can already see him caving. "But baby, they already think they can lay on the couch. How will we keep them off?" I'm already planning to buy plenty of soft beds to put at the foot of the couch.

Progress: We've already decided on the style, but now we need to figure out the cover (upholstered or slipcover) and fabric (canvas, herringbone or "everydaysuede"). There are so many things to consider, and when faced with so many options, I often overlook things.

Help, PS! And thank you.

 

[E B]

This is the style we''ve decided on. Ignore the white- the dogs would ruin it in three seconds flat. I have a headache just THINKING about owning a white couch with these monsters. Plus, we plan to have this couch when we have children, too.

 

[jcrow]

not sure if i'll be any help in the sofa department, but we have a 5 year old yorkie that always always was on the sofa. we successfully trained him to no longer get up on it.

we're somewhat looking for a new couch too. the one i LOVED was at storehouse. boo.
which one are you considering?

eta: musta been posting at the same time

 

[E B]

Here''s the slipcovered version.

 

[E B]

Date: 6/11/2008 11:42:05 AM
Author: jcrow
not sure if i'll be any help in the sofa department, but we have a 5 year old yorkie that always always was on the sofa. we successfully trained him to no longer get up on it.

Really? How did you do it? If you have secrets to share, I'd be eternally grateful.

Our female, Sally, used to sleep in bed with us when we lived in California, but she hogged the bed and on one occasion, peed on it (bladder infection). So we moved her to a big soft bed on the floor when we moved to Oregon and adopted her brother. It's worked well so far, but mostly because we have a very tall bed she can't jump up on.

 

[jcrow]

cosmo used to sleep in my bed too, now no longer does.

for the sofa, we just started to say "off" when he jumped up and take him off of the sofa. if he put his paws up on the sofa, again we''d say "off." it took loooooots of repetition, but that''s what worked for us. we also put a small doggie bed right next to the sofa so he lays there.

we do, allow him up on the sofa, but not very often. when we do, it''s on OUR terms, not his. as in, he doesn''t just jump up. we have to call him up.

i honestly didn''t like it at all at first because he was my lap dog. but with company over and all, i just think it''s much more considerate for him not to be jumping up all over them, you know? when we have people over, we just let them know that he''s not allowed on the couch and to say "off" if he tries to jump up... he get really excited around people, haha.

 

[E B]

Date: 6/11/2008 11:55:20 AM
Author: jcrow
cosmo used to sleep in my bed too, now no longer does.


for the sofa, we just started to say ''off'' when he jumped up and take him off of the sofa. if he put his paws up on the sofa, again we''d say ''off.'' it took loooooots of repetition, but that''s what worked for us. we also put a small doggie bed right next to the sofa so he lays there.


we do, allow him up on the sofa, but not very often. when we do, it''s on OUR terms, not his. as in, he doesn''t just jump up. we have to call him up.

That''s a good idea. Thanks! Now, if my husband can keep it up with me. We''ll see about that. He''s the reason Sally was in our bed in the first place.

 

[BriBee]

My mom has successfully trained her dogs (2 maltese and 1 lab) not to get on the couch. She did this when she got her brand new Crate and Barrel couch, before that, the dogs were always on the couch. The thing that she did was she bought those plastic floor runners that you put down on carpet that have the little spikes on the bottom. She cut them to appropriate sizes and laid them, spikey side up, on the couches. So, when she''s not around, not home etc... the plastic mats keep the dogs off the couch. After a few weeks of this, the dogs learned not to jump on the couch at all because of the spikes, and now she doesn''t have to use the mats anymore.

PS, the slipcovered version looks great. I love sectionals, that''s what our next couch will be.

 

[E B]

Fabric choices! I don''t have MS paint on my Mac, so I''m going to have to post one swatch at a time.

First is the "canvas" material. Care information from PB.com:

"BRUSHED CANVAS, DENIM, MONTGOMERY STRIPE: 100% cotton. Slipcover Care: Machine washable. Professional laundering recommended."

We''re thinking pewter.

 

[E B]

The next fabric selection is our favorite, but I don''t know about care. This is what PB.com says:

"CHUNKY HERRINGBONE: 76% cotton, 24% polyester. Slipcover Care: Dry–clean only."

 

[E B]

Last fabric choice, called EverydaySuede.

EVERYDAYSUEDE: 100% polyester face. Slipcover Care: Machine washable. Professional laundering recommended.

Colors: Mahogany

 

[E B]

And nutmeg:

 

[BriBee]

I wonder if you could find out from your local dry cleaner how much it would be to clean that one. Depending on how many times a year you clean it, and what the cost is, you might decide that it''s not worth it. I''d be afraid that dry cleaning could run close to $100 and depending on how long you have the couch, you might end up paying more for the cleaning than you did for the couch.

 

[E B]

We just want something durable, that will look good through many "collapses" of both myself and my very tall husband, through the occasional sneak visit from one or both of our dogs, and through kids.

Isn''t that what everyone wants?

Thanks for any suggestions/help!

 

[E B]

Date: 6/11/2008 12:08:54 PM
Author: BriBee
I wonder if you could find out from your local dry cleaner how much it would be to clean that one. Depending on how many times a year you clean it, and what the cost is, you might decide that it''s not worth it. I''d be afraid that dry cleaning could run close to $100 and depending on how long you have the couch, you might end up paying more for the cleaning than you did for the couch.

You bring up a good point. I want something I can spot clean, something low-maintenance. Thought the print might be great for hiding little things, I don''t want froofy, delicate fabric.

 

[E B]

Date: 6/11/2008 12:03:55 PM
Author: BriBee
My mom has successfully trained her dogs (2 maltese and 1 lab) not to get on the couch. She did this when she got her brand new Crate and Barrel couch, before that, the dogs were always on the couch. The thing that she did was she bought those plastic floor runners that you put down on carpet that have the little spikes on the bottom. She cut them to appropriate sizes and laid them, spikey side up, on the couches. So, when she''s not around, not home etc... the plastic mats keep the dogs off the couch. After a few weeks of this, the dogs learned not to jump on the couch at all because of the spikes, and now she doesn''t have to use the mats anymore.


PS, the slipcovered version looks great. I love sectionals, that''s what our next couch will be.

That''s also a great idea! My husband works from home, so the dogs are usually with him, but they might be good for when we go on quick errands. Thanks

 

[gailrmv]

hi Ebree!
We bought new leather sofas a year ago and absolutely did not want our dogs up on them. I have a trick that works great and is almost free!!! (can't take credit, someone at Petsmart told me.)

We laid aluminum foil across the sofas whenever they weren't being used. The noise (or appearance?) bugged the dogs and they learned to avoid the sofas! We also don't eat on our sofas so there are no crumbs to tempt the dogs. It worked seriously like a charm, even though they had free reign of our old sofas. Sofas look like new a year later.

I hope it works for you too. If not, there is also a device where one part goes in the sofa, the other part goes on the dog's collar and there is a noise or something that discourages your dog from getting too close to the sofa. They have them at petsmart. The other way is free though, and nicer for the dogs

Good luck! Let me know if it works for you!

ETA I should really read before I post - the spikey floor mat thing is the same idea!

 

[E B]

Date: 6/11/2008 12:27:35 PM
Author: TanDogMom
hi Ebree!

We laid aluminum foil across the sofas whenever they weren't being used. The noise (or appearance?) bugged the dogs and they learned to avoid the sofas! We also don't eat on our sofas so there are no crumbs to tempt the dogs. It worked seriously like a charm, even though they had free reign of our old sofas. Sofas look like new a year later.

Great idea, thanks! We'd just have to make sure they didn't eat it. They're little vacuums.

 

[sbde]

ebree,

i'm also going to be purchasing 2 sofas from pottery barn in 2-3 weeks (waiting for my new mover coupon to come through) and had the same debate re: fabric.

in the end we decided on the everyday suede, only because of the durability/spot cleaning factor because the sofas will be in our central family room where all our tv watching and entertaining is done. we'll be getting the light wheat color. one other potential fabric for you is the 'performance twill' which is similar to the other fabrics you're looking at in terms of texture but also is supposed to be very durable and easy to clean (liquids bead up on it and roll off as opposed to soaking in etc). the performance twill looks amazing in walnut btw.

oh..the couch and love seat we decided on is the Greenwich collection (reason being my current couches have separate back cushions which tend to get floppy and just infuriate me!)

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Ooh, Ebree, cool sofa!

Date: 6/11/2008 12:00:29 PM
Author: EBree

Date: 6/11/2008 11:55:20 AM

Author: jcrow

cosmo used to sleep in my bed too, now no longer does.

for the sofa, we just started to say ''off'' when he jumped up and take him off of the sofa. if he put his paws up on the sofa, again we''d say ''off.'' it took loooooots of repetition, but that''s what worked for us. we also put a small doggie bed right next to the sofa so he lays there.

we do, allow him up on the sofa, but not very often. when we do, it''s on OUR terms, not his. as in, he doesn''t just jump up. we have to call him up.

That''s a good idea. Thanks! Now, if my husband can keep it up with me. We''ll see about that. He''s the reason Sally was in our bed in the first place.

BTW, I ditto jcrow''s experiences in "de-training" a dog from jumping on a sofa; it sounds like we used the same methods. Fortunately, my dog picked it up really quickly. As for your husband, have you thought about swatting him on the nose with a rolled newspaper whenever HE allows the dog on the new sofa??

Nah, in all seriousness, if you''re concerned about dogs and future kids ruining furniture, count this vote for selecting furniture that is appropriate for your lifestyle-- which seem like it would be slipcovers that do not have to go to the dry-cleaners. Me, I''d rather have nice furniture that is worry-free in common-use rooms than *amazing* pieces that always has me on pins and needles about people spilling stuff (or beloved pets ruining by doing normal things like shedding if they are a shedding breed); it''s a lot easier to be gracious when you''re not worried about hypothetical disasters, you know?

BTW, we were in a somewhat similar position as you a few months ago when we purchased the new sofa for our great room in that we had both dog and future children considerations. We selected D''Oro suede (in oyster white, no less!) and have been *very* pleased with how easy it is to spot clean with a baby wipe. We''ve had it for 6 months now and it still looks new despite all of our bad habits. Is D''oro suede fabric one of the options at Pottery Barn?

 

[neatfreak]

We have the pewter color in the velvet (Charleston Sofa). Now, I LOVE it, but I will warn you, it looks completely different in person than online, and looks very different in different lights. Sometimes it''s grayish, sometimes it''s greenish, but you really should get a swatch first and check it out in your living room lighting before biting the bullet. It''s a great color, but the online/catalog pictures are a bit deceiving IMO.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

We did the foil in the crib to keep the cats out. Must have worked since they never try to get in there. I would talk to a manager at PB and ask which is the easiest to clean (life is messy). I chose microsuede for my nursing chair b/c they assured me it was the easiest to clean.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I just got a postcard from C&B that said 50% off furniture friday only...might be worth checking out....

 

[E B]

sbde,

That couch you chose is gorgeous! And thanks for the tip about the Performance Twill- we've definitely moved it to our list of fabrics to consider. I love it in the walnut.

fleur-de-lis,

I totally agree- I'd much rather have a low-fuss couch, especially since we're pretty casual people. They don't have D'oro suede as an option, but they do have the Everyday suede...might be similar? And yes, I've got the squirt bottle all ready for my husband.

neatfreak,

Thanks for the tip on the pewter color. We might get out at some point this weekend and check out some fabric swatches!

Tacori,

The suede is definitely one of the top contenders, and calling them to see which is the easiest to clean is a great idea! As for the 50% off furniture on Friday, that sounds like a great deal, but we've already got all of these gift cards to PB. I'll definitely check CB's website, though, because if I can find a good deal, we can use the giftcards for other things. Thanks!

 

[sbde]

thank you Ebree & SanDiegoLady! I just hope it holds up well over time, I'm NOT a fan of saggy rumpled couches

 

[Tacori E-ring]

sbde, I love the clean lines of your new couch too!

 

[sbde]

thanks tacori - btw do you have to show the 50% postcard for crate and barrel to get the discount? i'm bummed because i just bought a bed and kitchen table from there 2 wks ago and this sale would've saved me at least $700

- but i still have to get some chairs and i don't see any mention of the sale on their website.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

sdbe, it doesn''t say I have to bring it. I should clarify it says UP TO 50% on a selection of indoor and outdoor furniture. It is for Friday the 13th. Maybe they price adjust. Wouldn''t hurt to ask.

 

[sbde]

thanks tacori - will give it a shot.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

let us know what happens. I am curious now!!!