To buy this sofa with young kids in the house?

[Lycidas]

DP thinks I'm ridiculous for considering buying this sofa for our new house. Apparently leather is a must and anything else will get trashed by grubby little mits (we have a one year old and another on the way).

I've had a look at leather sofas and they look/feel very bulky. Our living room isn't big so I'd like a sofa that you can see/vacuum underneath...just feels more spacious to me.

Thoughts?

Is there supposed to be a link?

What sofa would that be? 👀👀

I can't see the attachment...

Ah, thanks for the pic

That’s lovely....at the moment

Could you get it Scotchguarded so it’s protected?

Well I hate leather sofas (cold in the winter, sticky in the summer and never cosy - we had one for a while) so I definitely wouldnt go for one. Any new sofa will probably get trashed by 2 young kids but dark grey seems like a sensible colour.

I’m. It a fan of that particular sofa but can’t see why it wouldn’t be practical. I was expecting white or at least cream when I clicked!

I don’t like leather sofas at all.

That sofa doesn’t look very comfy to me tbh. I know what you’re saying, I like clean lines and something that doesn’t take up too much space. But we just bought a leather sofa and it’s a game changer. Our dd is 10 months and right now is wiping her runny nose on EVERYTHING. Big relief to be able to wipe it. I was drawn to ones similar to your picture in the shop, but they’re just not comfy to actually sit on unless all you do is perch. You need something snuggly for the long deeds ahead, and to collapse into at the end of the day.

Leather sofas are vile. That looks fine! The dark colour will hide a lot.

Very nice, are the cushion covers removable? I have a fabric sofa and all covers are washable, has definitely lasted well, leather wears quickly.

Ooh I don’t know about scotchguarding...will look into it

The sofa itself felt very comfortable to me but that could be the padding on my rear

Depends on the kids, the "house rules" (regarding food, drink, etc. on the sofas), and the fabric in question, I'd say. My family always had fabric-covered sofas when I was a child. Three of us, and the sofas held up very well.

Dark, speckled grey seems like a practical choice. Much better than a solid, lighter colour. It won't be as wipe-down-friendly or spill-proof as leather, but it could still last a long time, if you're careful.

It’s lovely! With the mottled fabric any mark should be invisible anyway. Get it scotchguarded and it should be fine!

I’ve got a leather sofa and a fabric sofa, both 12 years old. Guess which one has weathered the kids and mutts best..? Def not the leather one and it was really expensive. 😕

I hate leather sofas. I had one once and as a PP says, they’re cold in winter and sticky in summer. I think that sofa is fine because it’s dark, if it were a lighter colour like cream your DH would have a point.

Should've said that there were three of us kids plus two adults. But we were fairly tidy girls, and when we were young, we didn't eat on the sofas. Cuts down on grimy, sticky, or greasy fingers touching the fabric.

This is almost exactly the one I have been looking at in dfs and I'm a childminder 😂. Scotchgard doesn't stop dirty marks. I got it on my last sofa (beige) and I don't think it made a difference.
I hate leather sofas.

It doesn’t look very comfy to me. Not sure I’d bother buying a new sofa at all with young kids unless your old one is completely falling apart.

I have seen smallish leather sofas.

It is a practical colour though, I was also expecting it to be cream.

Tbh I think if you have kids it’s probably best not to be able to see what’s under your sofa You’ll probably still have to pull it out to remove all the crap that magically ends up under it.

Good point about the covers. Will have to check.

We're moving from rental to out first house so have no furniture. Nice excuse to do lots of window shopping :D

Thanks for the responses. I knew I wasn't being outlandish...

leather sofas are horrid.

does it have machine washable everything? personally I'm not buying new sofas til my youngest is 4+ as i don't need the stress but luckily i don't need any.

What about a stretchy sofa cover for it? It doesn't look amazing but keeps the sofa clean. I got one and use loads of throws to protect the sofa from our toddler

Maybe I’m missing the point, but are you really saying you’ll take the opinion f a group of strangers on the internet over your husbands opinion?
Maybe the guy that’s going to se it, see it daily and live with it should gettge final word, rather than us.
Ps, it’s lovely. But your poor husband being overruled by mumsnet!

@PeterPanGoesWrong

The plan isn't to overrule, but to provide a counterpoint to the 'it must be leather' conviction he seems to have!

I hate leather sofas. I have a grey fabric one which you can unzip the covers and wash

Nice sofa! I don't see the attraction with leather tbh. Always thought it would show up damage more, such as scratches. Removable covers are useful though if you go with a fabric sofa. But not essential.

Get the sofa for the family, and a leather chair for your DH.

I had brand new vey expensive furniture pre-children that looks as good now they’re teens. Without being uptight and clenchy I think it’s not unreasonable to say no to sticky stuff on the sofa. Ditto handprints on walls and cars that look like every sweet in the worlds been rubbed into the upholstery.

Grey is very forgiving OP. Go for it.