Fabric Showdown: Choosing the Best for Your Busy Lifestyle

I’ll admit it – I’m one of those crazy pet owners who lets my pups have full reign of the couch. Why even have pets if they can’t be an integral part of the family, am I right? So when my husband and I found ourselves in the market for a new sofa, our biggest consideration wasn’t necessarily how nice or attractive it would be, but how well it would withstand the paws, shedding, and general chaos our beloved furry friends bring to the furniture.

That sleek, velvety Chesterfield I had been eyeing? Probably not the best choice. But what makes a fabric truly “pet-proof”? To find out, I consulted some industry experts who know a thing or two about designing durable, yet stylish, home goods for active households.

Stains, Scratches, and Slobber: What to Avoid

According to Denise Eddy, a home and gift buyer, and Jon Comeau, the pets product development specialist at Orvis, there are two main factors to consider when choosing a sofa fabric for a home with pets: 1) how well it can withstand being soiled, and 2) whether it can survive the onslaught of claws.

“In general, you want a fabric that’s tightly woven,” Eddy advises. “Think canvas, denim, microfiber, or a tight-weave twill. The dirt is going to roll right off of it.”

Echoing the sentiment of nearly every pet-owning sofa owner I spoke with, Eddy and Comeau both recommend leather as the way to go – as long as you don’t mind a bit of a “distressed” look. “Avoid a very smooth leather,” Eddy cautions. “If it’s been treated to be super slick, not only will it scratch more easily, but it also weakens the leather.”

And be sure you’re getting the real deal. “There have been issues with a fairly well-known mid-grade furniture supplier who used synthetic leather,” Comeau warns. “And some manufacturers may combine thin leather with a synthetic backing,” Eddy adds. “Textiles like bonded leather will flake and fall apart in no time, so make sure your sofa has the genuine leather seal.”

Leather’s advantages are numerous – it’s extremely durable and easy to buff out marks and the occasional scratch. As my sister-in-law can attest, even the most rambunctious pups can curl up on a leather sofa without issue. “I’ll take leather over fabric any day,” raves Theresa, a pet mom to a miniature schnauzer. “The amount of staining on my fabric sofa from drool, wet paws, and yes, even the occasional pee, has driven me nuts. My leather one has been so much easier to clean off when messes occur.”

A Miracle Fabric: Performance Outdoor Acrylic

But what if leather isn’t really your style? Eddy and Comeau have another recommendation that might just change your mind: performance outdoor acrylic fabrics like Sunbrella and Perennials.

“It’s not just for your patio cushions anymore,” Eddy says with a chuckle. “They have some beautiful fabrics that work wonderfully for indoor sofas too.” The key benefit? “The colors are actually impregnated with the dye, making it ideal for colorfastness,” she explains. “Better still, cleaning is super easy. It spot cleans very well, and you can literally clean it with a bleach solution.”

The only downside? “You’re going to be looking at that sofa for a long time,” Eddy warns. “It’s so durable, it almost feels like a curse.” But hey, at least you won’t have to worry about replacing it anytime soon, right?

And the best part? These performance fabrics can mimic the look and feel of other materials, like velvet or linen, without sacrificing their pet-friendly superpowers. Restoration Hardware’s Perennials line is a prime example, and places like Pottery Barn and West Elm offer similar options for their sofas.

The Blanket Approach: Stylish, Yet Practical

Of course, if you just can’t give up the sofa of your dreams, there’s always the “cover it and forget it” approach. As Claire, the owner of a rambunctious black Lab named Max, puts it, “We just cover our sofa with blankets. I can’t bear to deny him the sofa, so we go through a lot of laundry.”

Max’s preferred snuggle spot is a blanket with sherpa on one side, but our expert trainer, Tyler, has a clever trick that might make the “no blanket” option viable after all. “If dogs get on the couch without the blanket,” he says, “move them off, then put the blanket on and tell them they can get up there. They put two and two together pretty quickly.”

So maybe that velvet sofa isn’t off the table after all – it might just take a little more training to make it work.

Fabrics to Avoid: Trap and Tear

While tightly woven, low-maintenance fabrics like canvas, denim, and microfiber are clear winners, Eddy warns that some textiles are best avoided in pet-friendly homes.

“Fabrics like tweed can be really tricky,” she explains. “Hairs and dirt can get trapped in the weave, and claws can snag and tear it.” And forget about high-maintenance options like velvet – “It’s a magnet for hair,” Eddy says with a grimace.

Sondra, who lives with her pups Buddy and Jelly Bean, has firsthand experience with the pitfalls of nubby fabric sofas. “It traps dirt and pieces of random sticks I don’t see them bring in until it’s too late,” she laments.

Silk is another no-go, according to Eddy. “It can stain very easily,” she warns. Chelley learned this the hard way when her Shih Tzu shredded a silk-covered sofa.

While true suede is durable, the Orvis team says the problem in a sofa fabric is cleaning it. “If it happens to get soiled, it’s a lot more difficult to clean than leather,” they explain.

The Home You Love Starts Here

As a self-proclaimed crazy pet owner, I totally understand the struggle of finding the perfect sofa that can withstand the chaos of an active household. But with expert insights and a little creative problem-solving, the home of your dreams – complete with furry, four-legged friends – is absolutely within reach.

Whether you opt for the timeless appeal of leather, the easy-care magic of performance outdoor fabrics, or the trusty “blanket approach,” one thing is clear: your custom sofa should be a reflection of your lifestyle – practical and pretty, with room for everyone (even the pups) to snuggle up in comfort.