Furniture opinion

muffyvonmuff

My husband and I are going to be buying a new couch.  We currently have a microfiber laz-z-boy sectional that we will keep but in a "family room" type of area.  I originally chose the microfiber under the guise its really easy to clean, ya right.  So now on this purchase he really wants to get leather.  Any leather couch owners have opinions?  Im wondering if it will stain if LO spills crap all over it or if maybe you prefer it.  

And on a side note do you think we should get black/dark brown? Thanks!

thebabyA

I have black leather and it shows everything. I wipe it down couple times a week and its just me and dh. But I'm also on the picky side. So if you don't want the up keep don't go with black. 

Scientist23

I have 2 black leather couches and I LOVE them.  I have 2 huskies so they like to shed on everything.  DS likes to touch them with his icky arrowroot covered hands (trust me... that stuff stick to everything) and I just wipe it off.  I don't think I could go back to fabric couches.

muffyvonmuff

carriet2018:

IMO leather sucks haha. It is really expensive and you stick to it, it shows scratches. I sell furniture so here are my recommendations for fabrics to look for when you are at the store. These are types of fabrics we use for hotels so they are durable and easy to clean

Crypton Fabrics - these fabrics have a coating on them to have spills etc pool up and makes it easier to clean. This type of fabric has come a long way it used to have a plastic feel but now you can not even tell. Different mills use different applications that are the same. Example - Robert Allen calls their treatment "Shield" which is essentially the same

Vinyl - There are some high end vinyls out there that feel like leather but they are more durable. Ultrafabrics is the name of one of them. It is expensive but nice fabric.

If you go to a retail store if the sales associates know anything haha they should be at least a little familiar with these products and should be able to show you some examples so you can get an idea of feel. If after that you feel like leather is the way to go then by all means but if you do go with leather just try to go with one that looks well "aged" so it will last you longer.

You sell furniture! Tell me more  We are buying a couple new things for our move since Im the real estate agent on the house I get the commission and where putting it toward furnishings.  What stores do you recommend? Im in RI so we have a Cardis, Jordans, Bobs, Raymour n Flanigan the prices for things seem all over the place though.  I kinda wanted a dining room table that seats 6 but could extend to seat 8 (this is not only seemingly hard to find its crazy expensive)  Is there any place online for furniture you trust?

deedee1017

carriet2018:

has615:

 

You sell furniture! Tell me more  We are buying a couple new things for our move since Im the real estate agent on the house I get the commission and where putting it toward furnishings.  What stores do you recommend? Im in RI so we have a Cardis, Jordans, Bobs, Raymour n Flanigan the prices for things seem all over the place though.  I kinda wanted a dining room table that seats 6 but could extend to seat 8 (this is not only seemingly hard to find its crazy expensive)  Is there any place online for furniture you trust?

Ouu I am in MA! We are a sales representative and only sell a few brands and it is a different division than retail. But I personally have had a good experience with Bernie and Phyls, and Cardi's we do some work with them. Cardi's has a design team and they know their ish! Even if you just go in to get information from them they will help you a ton. Jordan's I just haven't had a great time with them (their sales associates don't know that much and I wasn't knocked off my boots with their selection) but they sell Flexsteel which is a line we represent so I have good things to say about that brand. But not a lot of commercial brands cross over to retail so I can't give you the lowdown on all the brands. But if you find some couches you like let me know the brands I can let you know if I know anything about the manufacturer.

STAY AWAY FROM BOBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they suck! the prices are nice. but you absolutely get what you pay for with them. DH got a couch from them before I came into the picture. he learned his lesson without me having to teach it to him. Their stuff is crappily made (I think I just made up a word!). and their customer service SUCKS! Raymour I am not familiar with but I get the gist that they are similar to Cardis so I would probably say they are good.

as for online, especially when it comes to a couch I wouldn't recommend that. you want to sit in it make sure it is comfortable, and fabrics choices never look the same online as they do in real life. If it were for a dining table or something a little more cut and dry go for it!

Raymour and Flannigan does have some nice stuff.  Our last set of couches came from them and I am still happy with them (they're about 2 years old now).  I've found that their sales people are pretty honest, and told me which sets to stay away from.  Also, recently, they've opened some R&F clearance centers. It has odds and end pieces as well as some that just have limited stock.  Our bedroom set is also from R&F and I love it!! It is strong, sturdy and of high quality.  We always get compliments on it.

RedZee

quartermisses:

With a small child, I LOVE leather. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times she peed, pooped, spit up, or drooled all over my leather sofa. She's gotten her lunch all over it, spilled milk, juice, and water on it. It's been painted on with spaghetti sauce. And all I had to do was wipe it clean. The microfiber chair I have? Not so much. I have to get out the carpet cleaner to clean that bad boy, and then wait hours for it to dry. 

I have a really, really dark brown one. I would have preferred black, but black was $1700 and the brown was on clearance for $750 at Macy's, lol. We got a protection plan for it (about $110) that covers any sort of disfigurement, as well. I definitely recommend both a protection plan (especially if you have pets) and the leather!

Exactly. I love being able to wipe the couch down quickly. We're in an apartment so our living room is also the family room and DH and I usually eat on the couch too (one day we'll grow up and stop that). So easy to clean.

Ours are from Jennifer Convertibles. I've seen a bunch of dining room tables that go form 6 to 8. I think Ashley's Furniture has them.

Mmhodges07

We have dark brown leather couches, and love them. Easy to clean and durable. We found the couches that are mixed between leather and vinyl were easier to scratch/rip. I have no complaints with leather couches.