[Caesar's Mommie]

Okay, as you guys know we are moving in May. We are looking at buying some new furniture. We would like a couch and loveseat set. We looked at a fold out couch that becomes a bed, and also reclining couches/loveseats, or just a double recliner set. We like the reclining couch, but then again, it would be nice to have a couch that folds out into a bed (we will be 6+hours from his family, so it will come in handy for someone to sleep on). We are torn on the material though. We really like the micosuede (that fake suede). Then we also like leather, and didnt know if that would be easier to clean. Any suggestions or personal opinions/experiences on either of these materials would be great!

Thanks!

 

[k/c mom]

Originally posted by Caesar's Mommie@Apr 24 2005, 06:26 PM
Okay, as you guys know we are moving in May.  We are looking at buying some new furniture.  We would like a couch and loveseat set.  We looked at a fold out couch that becomes a bed, and also reclining couches/loveseats, or just a double recliner set.  We like the reclining couch, but then again, it would be nice to have a couch that folds out into a bed (we will be 6+hours from his family, so it will come in handy for someone to sleep on).  We are torn on the material though.  We really like the micosuede (that fake suede).  Then we also like leather, and didnt know if that would be easier to clean.  Any suggestions or personal opionions/experiences on either of these materials would be great!

  Thanks!
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The only problem with leather is if Caesar "digs". I have a leather lounge chair and ottoman in my bedroom and I have heck of a time with scratches because Kallie keeps wanting to dig on it..... It is the type of leather that is died all the way through so the scratches don't show up too badly.... However, any new piece of furniture I get in the future will have to be "doggy digging proof"!!

 

[RAZMO]

We had a huge leather sectional at one time ,it was beautiful but cold in the winter hot in the summer.

Now have all cloth but Jasmine tends to dig in all of it

I'm always having to get the sissors to cut off the pulls. That faux sude is nice and stain resistant. Good luck with what ever you get.
BETTY

 

[littlepeanut]

just my opinion, but I don't think leather is that comfy. I would rather have the fabric just because it's more cozy and better to cuddle up on

just my thoughts

 

[Caesar's Mommie]

Thanks guys, I didn't think about the digging thing. Keep the information comming! faux sude is stain resistant?

 

[dr.jaimie]

ours is microfiber......u can throw the covers in the wash (so i found out, thanks to my cat peeing on it) i love the micro fiber..looks like suede

 

[Brinkley & Neyland's Mom]

I like material better than leather too, much more comfy IMO...

We have had both a Lazy Boy fold out couch/bed AND now we have the Lazy Boy double reclining sofa and a huge chair and 1/2 that reclines also. That was the best purchase we have ever made! We love that sofa and chair set! The couch/bed was never really comfortable...I didn't think I wanted the reclining set until I sat on it.

Then I was hooked! The recliner pulls are hidden inside the sides, so you don't know it reclines just by looking at it....(it is a secret! he he)
Anyway, my choice would be the reclining set, as you can tell. Everyone that visits LOVES it and wants to take it home!

When company came and slept on the sofa bed, they said it was not very comfy. They always felt the bar under them or something. I slept on it the last few months of my first pregnancy because there was a not a bathroom upstairs in our loft/bedroom and a bathroom in the middle of the night was a MUST!

We still have it in the den/computer room-even after 10 years of sitting on it, it is not as comfy as the new stuff!

 

[msmagnolia]

I have lots of leather and I really like it - for chairs. For a sofa, I like material cause that's what people stretch out on to watch TV. I love the new microfibers. I am also a big fan of slipcover couches like they sell at Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel. I am a freak about stained stuff so I like being able to clean a slipcover.

 

[ButterCloudandNoriko]

I'm a microsuede fan too! I LOVE IT! I hate the leather couch we have. However, my cousin has a leather sofaset that is SOOOOOOOO comfy, you totally fall asleep in them. I still love microsuede better. I get cold easily and leather couches are COLD in the winter time.

 

[doctorcathy]

i really love IKEA. its cheap...and there's this cute sofa that has different colored covers...i bought the pink and green. and then you can just pull those off and clean them.

 

[Toby's Mom]

 

[Brinkley & Neyland's Mom]

Originally posted by Nichole@Apr 24 2005, 10:47 PM
My parents had a hide-a-bed and it was AWFUL!  There was no support for the cushions and after 6 months the cushions just sank down in the couch.  It really hurt your back to sit on it.  Plus, like tlunn said, it wasn't even comfortable to sleep on--the bar was always in your back.
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My cushions are still in great shape, and we have had it for ten years, but the bed is awful.

 

[saltymalty]

I love slip covered sofas, especially for homes with pets and kids. I have two sofas from Pottery Barn in my den. They are actually manufactured by Mitchell Gold (you can go on their website). MG makes the sofas for many different stores like Restoration, Crate & Barrel, PB, etc. I ordered each sofa with poly cushions (I am allergic to down) and they are about 2 years old and look as good as the day they arrived. I had a furniture upholstery guy make me additional slip covers...so I have a different set for winter, spring, summer and fall. I love the fact that you can change the look of a room with a slip cover. I didn't order the extra slips from PB because they were pricey and the fabrics were limited. The fellow I used had the pattern already, so basically it was the cost of fabric plus a minimal labor charge to cut and sew the fabric. They were all done in one week.

 

[msmagnolia]

That's a good tip about Mitchell Gold. Can you buy directly from them? I got my daughter a slipcovered sofa. She has lots of PB tables, headboard, desk, wine bar, etc., but I found a similar sofa from Klaussner and got that. I have a great slipcover man and think I'll take the actual slipcover to him this summer and get him to use it as a pattern to make a spare. Great idea! When we moved to MS I had a very new sofa that just didn't work with my new decorating scheme and I had a slipcover made and it is great. If you look at magazines like Coastal Living they are still using LOTS of slipcovers. I haven't had any luck with the slipcovers that are one size fit all - I can never make them work. Getting an unholsterer to make a slipcover for a particular piece of furniture is a great way to extend the life and change the look.

 

[FannyMay]

John and I were looking for a living room set last month because our sectional couch is dieing. It was given to us so we can't complain but the pull out bed side sinks in when you sit on it. The bed itself was really bad and ended up breaking anyway so we have no pull out bed anymore and that side of the couch sinks. We put a folded up comforter under the cushions but you still sink. I am always pushing the cushions back into the back of the couch because when you sink the cushions slowly come out from under you. If I let them they would fall onto the floor after a while. I hate the sinking feeling so I try to sit on the side of the couch that doesn't sink. We also have a half reclining chair on the other side but that's almost broken and we never use it for fear of hurting Fantasia with it because she's always near us and you have to really push hard to get it to close again.
Anyway we looked at love seats and couches and couches and chairs. We wanted enough sitting room for company (we hardly get company but when we do it's alot at the same time), but still have it fit in our small apartment (we actually have a big living room but we have two computers so half is an office and the other half is the living room). We never ended up getting anything and still have our old couch because we couldn't agree on anything and everything was too expensive (we are saving for a down payment on a house). He wanted leather and I didn't, I wanted the microsuade (the soft stuff) and he hated the feel so didn't. He wanted designs and I wanted solid, he wanted bright colors and I wanted neutral colors. It was a big mess and we never agreed on anything. We love the fabric of our couch now but couldn't seem to find it anywhere. I don't know how to explain it either. It's thick fabric and I guess it could be described like a hook rub that has been cut really far down so it's just really soft nubs sticking up. When you run your hands over it one way it's really soft and when you run your hands on it the other way it feels soft but prickly. Anyway it's not too soft so John likes it (the soft material he says makes him get the feeling of running your fingernails down a chalkboard) and it's not sticky leather so we finally agree on something lol.
Also Fantasia has tried to dig into this couch and she doesn't get far. She doesn't do any damage to it at all. Our friend bought a really expensive leather couch and a really expensive over stuffed suede chair and ottoman and then he met his girlfriend who wanted a cat and ended up bringing home two 4 week old kittens! They tore his new leather couch (and leather jacket) up! The couch wasn't even paid off yet.

 

[LexiAndNikkisMom]

Originally posted by Caesar's Mommie@Apr 24 2005, 05:26 PM
Okay, as you guys know we are moving in May.  We are looking at buying some new furniture.  We would like a couch and loveseat set.  We looked at a fold out couch that becomes a bed, and also reclining couches/loveseats, or just a double recliner set.  We like the reclining couch, but then again, it would be nice to have a couch that folds out into a bed (we will be 6+hours from his family, so it will come in handy for someone to sleep on). 
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Hide-a-beds are really uncomfortable and heavy. I would get a blow up bed for your guest to use instead. I got a really nice one (like the aerobeds but better and cheaper). My guest use that instead.

 

[saltymalty]

Originally posted by msmagnolia@Apr 25 2005, 09:28 AM
That's a good tip about Mitchell Gold.  Can you buy directly from them?  I got my daughter a slipcovered sofa.  She has lots of PB tables, headboard, desk, wine bar, etc., but I found a similar sofa from Klaussner and got that.  I have a great slipcover man and think I'll take the actual slipcover to him this summer and get him to use it as a pattern to make a spare.  Great idea!  When we moved to MS I had a very new sofa that just didn't work with my new decorating scheme and I had a slipcover made and it is great.  If you look at magazines like Coastal Living they are still using LOTS of slipcovers.  I haven't had any luck with the slipcovers that are one size fit all - I can never make them work.  Getting an unholsterer to make a slipcover for a particular piece of furniture is a great way to extend the life and change the look.
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Mitchell Gold does sell some items on their website, but they do not sell PB slip covers there. When I had my slip covers made, I got one in chenille, one in micro fiber (it looks like ultra-suede), and one in a cotton twill. I am thinking about getting another one in a floral pattern as the others are geometric patterns, stripes and solids. My home is very informally decorated...a formal home at the beach just doesn't cut it. My second "city" house is a much more formal, heavy drapery, tapestry covered sofas, leather side chairs and dark cherry furniture. Here, Pottery Barn fits the bill well. I am now in the market for an entertainment/media center for my den, but I think I'm going to have one built because I just cannot find one I like.

 

[Caesar's Mommie]

Thank you everybody. We have decided not to get a fold out couch, and get the reclining couch instead. I think we are leaning more toward the microsuede now also. Everyone that has had this material, is it very difficult to keep clean?

 

[Caesar's Mommie]

We are ordering our furniture!

We are getting Ashley dura plush reclining couch and double recliner set. We are getting the Mocha color. It is sooo soft! I am very excited. It is that micro stuff but they call it dura pella in the Ashley products. Thanks for all the info!!

 

[Brinkley & Neyland's Mom]

Originally posted by Caesar's Mommie@May 1 2005, 08:09 PM
We are ordering our furniture!

  We are getting Ashley dura plush reclining couch and double recliner set.  We are getting the Mocha color.  It is sooo soft!  I am very excited.  It is that micro stuff but they call it dura pella in the Ashley products.  Thanks for all the info!!

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GREAT! How fun! I LOVE new furniture! Pictures of Caesar on it when you get it!