If you live in a house with kids, you know how tough it can be to find safe, comfortable furniture that lasts. When it comes to picking the right sofa when you have small children, choosing a great piece of furniture can seem like a major challenge. With the right features, materials, and more, you can easily find the ultimate sofa that the entire family will love. Read on to discover a few helpful tips so that you can pick the perfect sofa for your lifestyle and family.
Start with Shape and Size
The first step to picking the right sofa when you have small children is to choose one in an appropriate size. Although your children are small now, they’ll grow faster than you realize. Don’t purchase a sofa that will eventually be too small for the family to enjoy, or that will make you feel cramped. A sectional with cushy arms is a great choice, and it will provide more than enough room for you and your children as they get older and grow. In addition to the size, you should also consider the shape of the sofa. Curved sofas aren’t exactly great for lying down, so try something more versatile like a modular sectional with a chaise on one end. Modular sofas can be changed around so that your furniture adapts to your changing family’s needs.
Picking the Right Sofa When You Have Small Children: Fabric Options
Your sofa’s upholstery should be soft and comfortable as well as easy to maintain. A great place to start is performance linen, which is specifically made to handle a lot of heavy use. This fabric is structured and holds its shape quite well, even after many nights of movie watching. You can find it in plenty of different colors, and it’s easy to clean up with just mild soap and water – just make sure that the word performance is included in the fabric description. You may also be able to find sofas upholstered with performance velvet, which also gives you the easy care you’re looking for without having to sacrifice style.
It might surprise you to learn that leather is another good choice for growing families. Its natural properties help it to hide scratches, and leather doesn’t snag as easily as most fabrics will. Leather is also easy to clean up if you blot spills with a soft cloth or paper towel. Keep your leather sofa out of direct sunlight and apply a leather treatment to it annually, and it should last your family many years. Other great kid-friendly options include wool (as long as there are no allergies) and microfiber, which is another soft low-maintenance material.
Color and Pattern
You might assume that a darker-colored sofa will hide stains and marks better than something in a light hue. However, dark sofas show pet hair and crumbs just as easily, if not more, than some lighter colors. In addition to your color selection, consider a sofa featured in a fun pattern or print. This will help to make any stains or marks a lot less visible without a whole lot of further inspection. Choose a sofa in a pattern that’s versatile enough to adapt to your changing style, but still fun enough to be family-friendly while hiding all of those unexpected stains. You can find the perfect Bay Area sofa here at our showroom, which includes a wide variety of colors and patterns to choose from.
Comfort Reigns Supreme
Regardless of the shape, size, and color, you’ll want your new sofa to be as comfortable as possible. Look for options that feature durable, reliable frames made of solid hardwood rather than particleboard or MDF. Cushions should have memory foam or steel springs inside so that they don’t end up going flat after just a year. The more comfortable your new sofa is, the more the entire family will want to spend time together in the living room. Never assume that a sofa is comfortable just based on the way it looks. Your best bet is to try out a few different options in person so that you really get a feel for how comfy and roomy the sofa will be in a real-life setting. Keep in mind that sofas with down fill in the cushions will need to be fluffed quite often, and they tend to go flat much more easily than foam.
Slipcovers
One way to get more life out of your sofa is to add a durable slipcover. Make sure that your new sofa comes in a versatile shape, so it’s easy to find slipcovers to match and fit snugly over it. A slipcover is a great way to protect your sofa from permanent stains or an unexpected snag. You can also change the slipcover whenever you’re ready to bring in a new color or style to the living room. Another perk to slipcovers is that many are machine-washable, so you can easily clean them up and reapply them to protect your investment.
Versatility
Overall, you want your new sofa to be a piece of furniture that stands the test of time. Even though you might have small kids now, they will grow up faster than you know it. Since furniture is an investment in your home, it’s important to pick a sofa that will grow and adapt with your family as you change. A solid color that can easily match with other pieces of furniture is one good option. Slipcovers give you a whole lot more flexibility to change things while protecting the sofa itself. A roomy sofa with plenty of space to stretch out is ideal as you watch your small children transition into teenagers. Use these tips to help you find the perfect new sofa for your growing family so that you have a piece of furniture that will stand the test of time.