It is so comfortable. It doesn't have a matching couch, which Ben thinks is a problem. Just sit in it, I told him. You'll just want to buy 4 chairs. Screw the couch.
My brother Ben is moving to our town (we're so excited), and Ben told him he could have our couch and recliner for his new apartment. I am so excited because we have had this couch/chair combo for 5 years, and it is so so comfortable and durable, I haven't even thought about replacing it. But now that I am thinking about it, I am really excited because OMG! Shopping! For stuff to sit on! I love sitting.
We liked this couch even though it reclines (our current stuff reclines, but it is ugly as hell). Until we noticed that it had hydraulics. Can you say severed finger??
What color is this chair?
Seriously. What the hell color is this? Because I like it, if it is the color I think it is. But if it is the color Bn thinks it is, I don't like it.
Now I have some questions for you. Leather or cloth? Which is better and why? What do you look for in a couch? How long do you expect to keep your furniture?
We've secured a babysitter to make some more furniture store rounds and actually buy a couch and love seat or giant chair this weekend (because the kids were good seat-testers but only for a few hours, and Ben apparently needs 64 hours to purchase a piece of furniture), but we just don't know what we're looking for. We thought leather because it is so durable and easy to care for, but we only found really ugly leather stuff (like our current couch, which is ugly as sin but heavenly for loafing). Can cloth survive kids and adults who like to snack on it a lot?
I love sitting, too. It's one of my favorite things!
ReplyDeleteI'm not really a fan of leather. I live in fear of getting the backs of my legs stuck on it in hot weather and making embarrassing noises that require me to say, "that was the couch, really," after them.
And we have cats w/ insane claws, so they would rip leather to shreds (they rip cloth to shreds, too, but it's less expensive and easier to camoflauge when it gets scratched.
I vote for microfiber because EVERYTHING wipes off of it and it looks brand new! Seriously - we've had just plain cloth and it had an unfortunate red-punch vs. child with a stomach virus end and I'm with the other Sarah on the leather and sticking to bare legs.
ReplyDeleteMy aunt and uncle with four kids swear by leather and wish they'd bought it when their kids were younger! Super easy to clean, apparently. We have microfiber and it's been peed on and spit up on and drooled on and we just clean it up with a baby wipe and it looks good as new! I also like the way leather feels cold in the summer.
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for microfiber! We bought ours before we were married, and they're off white. Seriously. I have off white couches with two kids.
ReplyDeleteAnd they look fantastic still (most days...)
Oh my, couch shopping is so much fun! My vote is for a cloth or microfiber couch. We have a leather one and a cloth one and the leather is sporting a 6 inch rip in it (total bummer). I personally think cloth is more comfortable--but that's just me. Oh and I vote for non matchy matchy sets. Maybe the couch could be a solid color and the chair a different texture or color or pattern.
ReplyDeleteWe've had our couch & love seat since November 2003 (and have no plans to buy another set anytime soon). Ours is cloth & the seat covers all have zippers, so I just throw them in the wash. Which is great... but now in certain light the cushions are slightly lighter than the attached fabric. But that could just be the dirt. :)
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who swears by microfiber. I also like Gina's idea of a non-matchy-matchy set. Good luck & post pictures of the final purchase!
We have kicked the hell out of our leather, it is unforgiving. When the kids stop pissing on our furniture then we'll upgrade to MF.
ReplyDeleteWith a hide-a-bed feature.
We have microfiber both in the playroom and in the living room and both have held up incredibly well to the various snack/milk/snot/dirt spills. Seeing as we bought the living room set before we had kids, it's been a great investment.
ReplyDeleteI think the most important thing for couches in terms of longevity is actually what is underneath -- i.e. hardwood.
ReplyDeleteWe have a leather couch and chair and it has withstood scratches from dog claws in addition to all the various bodily fluids. We bought ours from Jennifer Convertibles and have their replacement/repair plan. It covers normal wear and tear (which specifically includes kid-associated liquids/semi-solids and any pet scratches, etc). You just have to call them within a week of the problem happening. And real leather can always be repaired. ("Bicast" leather, which is not true leather, cannot be repaired.) We are expecting to keep our furniture foreva!
That being said, I really like my parents' microfiber couches -- they are easy to clean and look good!
(Also, I am not a couch/leather nerd/know-it-all. We had our couch repaired after we moved out here and the guy who did it was SUPER chatty and told me all this stuff. I'm actually glad I met him though because he repairs other things like wood, so I also know a lot about that kind of thing as well.)
always so hard. We have microfiber. It does clean up well... IF you clean it. lol I'm not a leather fan, though I do think it's comfy. My dad's leather chair just didn't stay looking nice, so I'm more of a cloth kinda girl. We need new couches too. Just haven't sprung for them yet!! Good luck in the hunt!
ReplyDeleteYep, microfiber. We have 2 microfiber couches that have braved everything from baby barf to coffee to cranberry juice. It's super easy to clean and very stain-resistant. I can't do leather. I live in the deep South and it's just too damn hot.
ReplyDeleteI think that one you asked about is grey with greenish undertones. If there's a glare on the picture, it could be cream-colored.
Adorable kids. Fun day... But that cake! I saw it on your FB profile and was like "WTH is that??" I'm totally going to have nightmares starring the picture of the face.
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