We have two destructive cats and plan to have little kids, so when it came time to furnish our family room, we tried for both longevity and cheapness. We ended up with a dark leather sectional from an outlet (floor model), 75% off. It wouldn't be exactly what I would choose just for myself, but I'm hoping will last through years of jumping on and occasional scratching. When the cats pass away and the kids are a bit older, we can put it in the basement and get something a bit nicer. We also got two white leather Tirup chairs from IKEA - pretty cheap and kids can spin on them to their hearts' content! Already toddler and pre-teen approved.

I wrote a post about kid-friendly fabrics on Apartment Therapy that may be helpful http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/new-options-for-128358

I would love to know how to make that alien pillow! Link please????

After observing my son and his wife go bonkers trying to keep their furniture from being totalled by their very active little artist daughter (just turning 8 today) I would suggest holding off on anything you'd regret seeing damaged by plain old everyday life with kids. That said, if you have the space you could always dedicate a formal living room to adults only. If you start off from day one teaching the kids which areas are for going crazy and which for clean, sedate behaviour only you might have a chance, but a lot depends on the kids, your lifestyle and how soon they wear down your determination.

Oh and I love that cushion!

Hand-me-down furniture until our kids were old enough to respond to our commands - no feet on the furniture, no eating here, get those Sharpies off our couch! The kids are 11 and 5, and we just bought new living room furniture last January. We went mid-range, with very washable forgiving fabric in a dark, herringbone patterned microfiber. Seems to be holding up so far... You can pick a nice piece of furniture as long as you get durable, washable fabric.

We have a similar situation. Our place isn't very big, but we're definitely also still dealing with kid messes. I think CM's suggestions, above, are good ones. We've opted to save on big pricy items by going the IKEA slipcovered route. We have the IKEA Ektorp corner sofa and we just love it. It isn't as high-end design-wise as we'd like, but there's a lot you can do with it. And we've washed various pieces of the slipcover many times and it is still in great shape. Besides using slipcovered furniture, we've also used a combination of removable pillow covers and indoor/outdoor fabrics (you can see this here: http://the2bedroomblues.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/choosing-textiles-for-the-living-room/). We're planning an indoor/outdoor rug in our dining area too. Dash and Albert have some great ones. These days, I think there are enough great design options in durable fabrics that you can realy have the best of both worlds! Put your savings into a fund for your "someday sofa." If there's a piece you just can't live without, put it in the master bedroom, away from the kiddos!

We went with the ikea couch and slip covers and thank god we did. My son is only 4 but in the last year has spilled so much the couch im happy we went the ikea route. once hes older we can get the more expensive couch, but until then slipcovers is the way to go.

kids definitely change the furnishing situation. instead of glass, sharp lines, and items that are easy to fall, we opted more for wood and rounded lines, stable and sturdy. for our sofa, we found a vintage piece that needed to be reupholstered. having kids, we upholstered in a cheap, durable (but not-luxurious) linen with the thought that we'd get it redone (again) after the kids grow up in a more expensive fabric.

The photo used for this article, for example, illustrates some very child unfriendly furniture. That little magazine rack with plant? It would get tipped over in the first minute. Then over, and over again :( Plants that children can reach? No. Slipcovered furniture? Yes.

Table and floor lamps can be easily knocked down and broken (I have a $450 table lamp from before I had kids that is now chipped, bent out of shape and broken :((((( from two falls.) Wooden furniture somehow gets chipped very easily. Wooden floors? Forget about it, cover them up with as many rugs as you can get as they will get scratched incredibly easily what with thrown and tossed aside toys. Let's see. ..even cupboards have to be the sort that can be cleaned everyday, and easily, without being worn easily (no wooden stains, the ones at our last place were cleaned so much they became worn down to the original wood!)

Basically, I look for safe furniture, so no sharp corners, nothing that can tip easily, and even big things that you don't think could tip should be screwed into the wall, especially televisions. Then consider all of it garbage in about 5 yrs. This is all in my experience. Perhaps some people have children that aren't walking tornadoes.

We bought a brand new (expensive) sofa when I was still pregnant. Four years later and I can't give it away on Craigslist! This time around we're going for a slipcovered IKEA Karlstad. Has anyone had experience washing the Karlstad slipcovers? Do they fit in a front loading washing machine? Can you dry them in the dryer or do they go back on damp? Thanks!

We finally bought a new sectional from Ashley, knowing it would probably need replacing after awhile but with one clumsy child and one about to potty train we really didn't want to ruin anything nicer. We also bought washable mats that you stick under or over sheets for accidents and put them in between the zippered sofa cover and the cushion.

We went with the Ikea sectional that you can remove the covers and wash.
Speaking of mine could use a good wash now.
With one teen, two elementary school aged children and a newborn it was
important that we have something that couldn't necessarily be "ruined".
I also wanted it to stylish.
With the Ikea sectional you get style, functionality, and kid proof...win.
My rule of thumb is something my mother always said:
"You have kids or things."
I chose kids so my things are either put out of reach or something that the kids and touch too.
I don't think I could live in a home where my kids weren't allowed to just be themselves, a place where I am constantly yelling "NO!".
Sounds horrible.

@ ROUQUINNE: I fell in love with it too :D I found it with "find by image" and théy have sold it just today: http://www.etsy.com/listing/92154383/beast-pillow-custom-order :(

We made a sacrifice in style for practicality--we opted for a beige leather sofa (so not our normal style) over something more sleek. Our daughter was a spit-up machine as a baby and is now a mile-a-minute toddler, and when coupled with a house full of pets, it just wasn't worth the endless maintenance that nice wool would require. Someday we'll have grown-up furniture, but for now I'd rather spend my time on other things than upholstery maintenance.

@Roberto...I know so many adult people who are more evel, destructive and UNECOLOGICAL than little kids. I won't mention that they are more stupid, too.

Btw...the pillow is so cute! <3

No kids, but we do have a small Jack Russell. He sheds... a lot. This has weighed into furniture decisions. We settled on a couch from IKEA that was inexpensive with the most shed-friendly fabric we could find. Bonsai, our Jack, most definitely determines many decisions where fabric is concerned. He doesn't chew things up so that is not an area of concern when it comes to wooden furniture.

We bought a mid-range sofa before our eldest (now 5) was born. Its microfiber--and I have washed the cushions in the machine--and it's not held up real well. We are hopefully getting a new sofa this winter...from Ikea. If its washable, then its in. With our youngest turning 2 soon, I'm looking forward to having a coffee table again! It's a pain to decorate with kids, but they are little and terrible for such a short time.

Love, love, love the alien pillow. Looks like he's settling in!

omg, that pillow is hilarious...!!!

Bought a Karlstad chair for $400 last week, a bit more than i wanted to spend at Ikea but so far, so good. My daughter is turning 4 soon and so far, she has not spilled anything in our living room but with the 2nd on the way, i thought I'd just buy chair from Ikea.
My previous furniture are from higher end stores but I think it's time to give up that luxury.

I bought a drool-worthy couch when it went on deep discount @ DWR. My son was two at the time. Eight years later, I am covering the thing up with throws because of terrible, untreatable stains. Ketchup & wool felt are not compatible.
Other things my son ruined:
Vintage Heywood Wakefield lounge chair - scissors to the vinyl
Vintage danish modern arm chair - scissors to vinyl, sharpie attack
Office chair - tore upholstery then ripped out foam
Desk - gouged the wood
Vintage coffee table - broke off legs

Now he is 10, he has much better impulse control, thank god!
Please, please wait, unless it's fiberglass stuff, which is pretty indestructible.

My husband and I just got back from Ikea(our nearest one is 3 hours away) a couple of weeks ago to replace all of our living room furniture. When we got married we had light, suede furniture. A 4 yr old and 18 month old aren't compatible with that, so we went with furniture that we can wash. Everything down to the chevron rug from Urban Outiftters has already went in our washing machine and turned out great. It's important to us to be able to keep our stuff looking nice without always having to yell at the kids to keep their feet of the couch.

@ Zoombabe, it's just a simple knit project. Nothing that could not done in 3 evenings. I love the pillow myself but I would not pay for it. I have enough yarn remnants so I will have to make one.

Most comments are good answers. What works for us though was an upscale futon with a cherry frame and the pad can be replaced every few years for a minimal cost. Plus we have a futon mattress cover in an earth toned print (sounds ugly but its not) which hides stains well. Handme downs, thrift store finds and Ikea make up the rest of our home until kiddo is older. Until then make your home cozy and fun.

All of our living room furniture predates our kids but we haven't had any major distasters that we weren't able to fix. If we did, we would choose to recover the same pieces of beautiful vintage we have. The coffee table will probably need to be replaced at some point. We could have it refinished and probably would go that route but the size is a little too big these days. It has made an awesome train table though.

I worry more about breakables like fancy bowls, etc. and we have nothing like that out. All of the goodies are carefully packed away.

Of course, we keep the sharpies LOCKED up.

CANADIANMANGO: so am i :) I looked up for a pattern, but only found this, and sent a link, because somebody needed it :)

Ikea, Ikea, Ikea. We have the Ektorp chairs, ottoman and sofa in our living room and a Klippan in our playroom. Washable slipcovers are every mothers best friend. My kids have slipped juice and mushed chocolate into the chairs and drawn on the ottoman with Crayolas ... a little Shout and they came out sparkling white again. My new baby has spit up on EVERY fabric surface in our living room and I am unphased. And my 12 year old spilled salsa on the playroom couch just this weekend. It really doesn't matter how old they are or how strict you are about food ... someone will make a mess sometime and it is wonderful to not have to worry about it. I would rather have fun and share moments with my kids in the living room instead of playing snack police!!!

We have 5 children, 5 cats and a dog.
We tried the slip cover thing - pulling them off, washing, drying, then back on, tucking etc, was too much for me especially once or twice a week due to spills or excessive cat hair. Leather was the way to go for us.
Also, pine, and any other soft wood, dents easily, stick to hard woods, heavy stuff that can't be shifted or tipped and use anchors for the big stuff.. Small throw rugs with non slip matting underneath is great as they can be thrown in the washer and if it's only 1 of 6-8 then your floor is still covered, soft and presentable. Sturdy round tables are always easier on knees, shins and worst case scenario, heads. Wall mounted lamps are good and hanging plants up is best, neither cats, dogs nor kids can dig in the dirt, eat them or tip them over.

Oh yes, and on top of the three kids we also have a lab ... and she is a little sneaky when we leave the house and she sleeps on one of the white chairs ... so that is another reason slipcovers are needed! That cushions gets grimy!!!!

@ LSIMM, YUP! We don't have kids, but 4 pitbulls and a boder collie.
Sofa- Microfiber, where fur gets INTO the tight weave and never leaves. Washing doesn't work. One gets mad and pees, and while covers are in the wash, the others eat the foam.
coffee table- round with a semi circle chewed out on the side
lamp from my trip to Morocco, smashed
rugs- chewed, peed on, victim of tug of war
I ONLY shop craig's list! But I got some nice West Elm stuff and am getting a burgundy chesterfield sofa for 100 bucks!

i have the ikea karlstad, the cushion covers just zip off and go in standard washing machine/dryer, but to take off the covers from the arms and back you'd have to disassemble the couch most of the way. those fit in std washer/drier too (we bought it 2nd hand and washed everything on the way into our house) nonetheless, it's very comfortable and aesthetically inoffensive. if you replace the clunky ikea feet with something like http://www.tablelegs.com/Legs/OtherLegs/Bun-Feet/Mid-Century-Modern-Furniture-Feet.aspx it's almost sleek.
i'd spend the money you save on the couch for some nice(ish) storage pieces-- some low and kid accessible so they can learn to clean up toys, and some tall or otherwise hard to get at (file cabinets?) for a place to store your sharpie collection

I have one kid, soon to be 3 active, hyper, tornado of a girl. Before she was born, we got a sofa sleeper from Jennifer Convertibles in a dark brown leather, we almost went with a 'kid friendly' lighter beige microfiber. Glad we didn't! The sofa survived her reflux infancy and early toddlerhood fine, that's so great about leather, you wipe it off, recondishion and it looks like no disaster happened.. We put away the wooden coffee table when she started crawling around, opted for a cheap faux leather storage ottoman instead. Things she shouldn't mess with are on the top shelves of a bookcase. We're pretty minimalist as long as decor goes, no stuff lying around here. But she's been pretty good about not playing with an occasional vase. She's much more interested in making mess with the dog's food and water. Hardwood floors? Highly recommended! We have hardwoods throughout the living areas now with a small area rug in front of the couch and a play mat for her to play on. We used to have wall-to-wall carpeting in the previous apartment and it never really looked clean, especially with a messy baby AND a messy dog... Now it's easy to sweep daily and mop messes as they appear without busting a steam cleaner.
We're just getting a wooden coffee table now, no glass furniture here, but even without a child, furniture is to live on, putting your feet on, so no fancy stuff for us, leather, wood and slipcovers (we still have a WHITE slipcovered armchair from Ikea, almost 6 years old now, with occasional bleach wash, it still looks great!)..

I don't think you have to worry about it too much, really...I have a 1 and 3 year old with light gray couches and a light rug. Just set rules for no eating or art in living room - reserve that for the kitchen. It teaches kiddos how to respect the house anyways.

Better than buying junk - buy stuff you consider nice enough, but used. It's economical, and it looks exactly they way it will after some time in your house anyway, so you don't have to stress. (I always say I'd rather enjoy our house than have to treat it like a museum.)

Also, I'm with Thera on leather couches. So much easier than fabric, though they can get somewhat discolored from harsh liquids (dog barf to be specific!)

Two kids and two dogs in 760 square feet = Leather Couches for sure. We found two vintage Ekornes Montana leather sofas on Craigslist that have stood up to all of our "Critters". Also, We ditched our fabric upholstered chairs. Everything is washable, including window treatments and rugs. Any furniture that could tip over was sold or donated before this recent move. And the Sharpies are stored up very high where little paws cannot get them.

Buy the shape/size of the couch now and invest. Frames from good pieces of upholstery will last a lifetime. When kids are olde,r re-upholster to something fancy. For now, go for a bright colored ultrasuede...wipable, comfy, aka the cat lady fabric.

I agree with AnnaDouglas and Krikkit. We have a separate dining room that is basically our central location for spill-ish activities like eating, drinking, art-making, etc. The living room & family room are for other play, so we didn't buy the furniture there with a strong consideration of the wear & tear from the kiddos, just with consideration of the wear & tear from life in general.

And wherever possible we like to buy used, just to save the stress of the first dent or snag or whatever. If it comes to use looking a little lived-with, then we don't have to worry so much about what it will look like after we live with it.

They're not for everyone, but we love our futon. We bought a really nice wooden frame and then the cover is washable and if it's really bad, we can replace the pad. Or use some of those foam egg carton pads to cover it up (plus the cover over that too...)

Every time I see posts on here with these fantastically designed homes, I almost always notice they don't have kids. Those who do, teach me the ways of your force. We have kids. Our microfibre couch is a disaster. There's not enough loads of laundry to keep it clean. We're currently working on a basement as a family living/playroom that's going to be IKEA R Us until they're older. Biggest regret is not getting a leather couch. With kids it's so much easier to clean.

I'm living with a couch that is fine but not what I'd really like, since we have two young kids and two big puppies. The couch is not exactly my style, but has stood up to tons of abuse--the quality is pretty good, and price was too because we got it at one of those 80% off furniture discount outlets. We end up eating dinner in the living room more than I'd care to admit, and it is also the main place we curl up and hang out as a family. The fabric is kind of a textured chenille in varying shades of dark taupe and olive green--it does not show dirt AT ALL, and any spills that are wiped up quickly virtually disappear because there are no solid colors or surfaces on the couch for the stain to show up against. So, I'd say darkish color, texture, and pattern are all good things to look for in a couch with kids.

Leather works. For me, and mine, scotch guarded microfiber works, I just use a toothbrush, soft cloth and a little soap and water to get the spill off. I like washable colors, and I don't keep inkpens, sharpies or markers in easy to reach places. I have a dog, and a kid, and I spill a lot of wine and coffee. Salt takes care of the dark stains.

You can buy a more expensive sofa and antiques and beautiful things as long as they're sturdy. A sofa in a high end distressed leather will stand up to children jumping and spilling, cat's clawing and general life. One that has a fine, smooth finish - not so much. Heavy antique desks, dressers, tables, etc. with simple mats covering them while children are little will be fine, but delicate fine details - you're taking your chances.

Things that can be knocked over easily either have to be removed or hard to break. You can still have beautiful delicate pieces but they might go in your room or a guest room where the children/animals don't play. If you don't have room for that - then they are a luxury that you can't afford at the moment. However, children do grow up and learn that things are special - it's not forever, it's just for now. Enjoy it, either way and remember, furniture and things are for people, you're not living in a museum and children are small for such a short time.

@loolabelle I hear ya!
No kids yet, but we have 200lbs of puppy (a newfie and a bernese mountain dog) in our small house. We are slowly replacing our perpetually hairy fabric furniture with quality thrifted/craigslisted leather pieces. It's a slow process, but definitely worth it. Leather is the way to go! Cheap, pre-distressed leather is even better!

We have a patterned couch with great lines that doesn't show spills too terribly and cleans well with club soda. We plan to reupholster once the kiddos are bigger. Our strategy is to always be on the lookout for good, sturdy pieces from stores during floor sample sales. We figure the little ones will nick and scratch the wood anyway. Down the road when we're past this stage we can re-stain the good wood pieces, and in the meantime we can cover any dramatic issues with trays and books.

We found that a high quality leather sofa worked really really well with our kids (and others) & our cats.

I also recommend using Flor carpet tiles! If anyone pukes, pees, spills on it, it can get hosed down & cleaned so easily. The style called House Pet has lasted us over 12 years. They are AWESOME.

One thing that keeps our living room cleaner (we don't have a separate family room) is not allowing food & drink in it. We don't go crazy with the rule, but try to keep the kids eating only in the dining room. Movie nights, the kids are on the floor with pillows & sleeping bags, so popcorn messes are pretty easy to clean up :)

We've taught our kids to respect furniture & not jump on it like it's playground equipment. And I will remind other kids if they are jumping on our stuff that it's our living room, where we sit on furniture. Mostly, kids respect it. Mostly. One year during a party, I heard a weird noise & there was a 75 lb kid spinning on our Heywood Wakefield coffee table. With her mother sitting right there. While my jaw dropped to the floor, another friend walked in & yelled at the kid to get off the furniture.

We don't allow our kids to jump on furniture at anyone's home, either. Even if the parents say it's ok to jump on the couch, we just say it's our rule. Our kids give us the stink eye, but they follow the rule.

No food, sharpies, scissors,etc. in the living room. I will now cover my head because I am abouted to be pounded, I'm sure!

OMG, I really wish I had read these comments before having purchased our sofa recently. We avoided the IKEA route, because we wanted to put our money toward a solid piece of furniture that would last a very long time, and take a real beating. We looked for something really sturdy, not made of pine, etc. We paid a small fortune, but thought it was a wiser choice. It would hold up to our toddler jumping up and down on it better than something cheap from IKEA. But we never took into consideration the whole staining/slipcover thing. Really good points you are all making. Maybe we should have gone the cheapo route, and then tossed that IKEA sofa once he became old enough to treat the sofa with a bit more maturity and care. :/

And YES! I love that alien! Wish we had one too!

My "kid" is almost 17, and I still have to resist buying "nice things" for the house (because I know they probably won't last unless it's only the adults using them). I can't wait for the day that I can buy new dishes instead of the dollar store ones that are so easy to replace, and getting more stylish dining chairs that I don't have to worry about getting stained or all scratched up :-)

Babies and toddlers create predictable messes, but also keep in mind that as they get older there's still lots of wear and tear on household items from things like; getting comfy on the couch with shoes on, having pens and pencils in their pockets, dirt on their clothes from playing outside that transfers to chairs and couches, the interminable crumbs wherever they eat (and how long can you enforce "no snacking on the couch"?).... ahh the joys of parenthood!

I think the answer to your question will different for everyone depending on their and their kids' personalities. There's a delicate balance.

To MOM2THEMONK: You may have done the right thing by getting a solid piece of furniture even though it was expensive. At least you won't have to replace it in 5 years! You can always get it professionally cleaned and/or reupholstered if necessary.
We have nice big leather couches (even though I prefer a more modern fabric look) and they have held up remarkably well from the time our son was very young and they're still going strong over 10 years later! (just don't let anyone sit on the arms, lol!)

So, Elisabeth Wilborn, if you want the expensive sofa, just remember you have to curb the kids before they reach the sofa. Don't want Sharpie on the sofa? Then put them somewhere. Don't want paint? Buy washables and paint only in another room, preferably outdoors.

What's with all the Sharpies and kids? Seriously, avoiding that combo seems like a pretty easy fix (as in: do not buy Sharpies if you have children!)

As my parents always used to say to me, we just can't have nice things as long as we have kids or pets. My parents eventually upgraded - once their kids graduated from high school and were for the most part, out of the house. Even though, me and my younger brother were fairly well behaved - especially compared to some bratty kids I see these days - we gave the family couch quite the beating. Between kids and dogs, the couch looked rather pitiful after a few years.

Now that I'm on my own, I don't have kids, but do have cats, who have decided that the couch makes for a very nice scratching post. I went the IKEA route. Like others have mentioned, you can get decently designed couches from there without breaking the bank. I've had my Karlstad sectional for a 4 years now. It's starting to look a little ragged (but still comfortable to sit on), but all I have to do, is change out the slip cover and bam, new looking couch.

i was hoping that alien cushion was made from recycled sweaters... maybe it could be; i'm hopeless at knitting!

I'm lucky enough to own a one of Debi's small beasts, and he makes me smile every time I see him! The best part is how each one has its own story.

We basically live ikea nowadays. We still have some great pre kiddlet pieces that seem to be holding up fairly well. We've opted for a floating floor as the boys have ruined our once relatively ugly, but clean carpets. If we can wipe it down, we're happy.

Our sofa is fabric, kind of carpety (if you know what I mean), I cannot recommend to avoid this type of material enough!!! Stay away from this!!! Crumbs, crayons, yogurt and baby vomit are but a few things that have made their way into the weave. We make them eat at the table DAMMIT!

I'm desperate for a good hard wearing leather couch. That's my big interiors wish...
Oh yeah and the cushion is RAD!

@rouquinne, check out Comfort Works Kids! They make custom plushies and custom sock toys from yours or your kids drawings.

So much collective experience here. Thanks for all the great suggestions. I think we're going to go the Ikea route with the couch, and mix it up with well-loved vintage pieces. If I were to come across a great vintage leather sofa I wouldn't turn it down. Leather didn't even occur to us, though that does seem like it might be tempting for a puppy to chew. We do keep food and paints in a separate room with wipe down surfaces, but inevitably it does migrate from time to time.

It's so nice to know that even the Apartment Therapy community has to tackle similar kinds of issues and find what works for them. Hopefully the end result will still be presentable. ;-)

When we first had our kid we had a microfiber slip cover on the high-end chenille sofa my mother gifted us for our wedding 3 yrs before. I hated every last minute of the time I wasted putting the slip cover in the washer, dryer and then putting them back on and having to tuck in every few minutes when the kid started crawling, pulling himself up and walking and then climbing...OMG the climbing!!! We then got a mid-priced microfiber upholstered sectional from Ashley (for free even YAY!!) a regular cleaning and scotch guarding (that I do myself after kicking everyone out of the house for a day), and 5yrs later I'm still in love with the sofa!! I was always able to grab just a baby wipe for spots and my Bissel for a deeper, full cleaning. And usually it is someone else's child, not my own, that have attempted to ruin my sofa (i.e. blood, lots of blood, permanent marker, red koolaid, grape juice) because my kids have been constantly reminded of the rules. Either way the microfiber is absolutely amazing and has always come clean!! My area rugs have always been lower end choices (I've only gone through 3 in the last 8 years, even before kids). 5 reasons made me choose the lower end options. 1) Rule 1 is kids don't do anything on the sofa but sit so they do it on the carpet! 2) Guests do what is comfortable and within reason in my house so there might be shoes all over it and needed to stand up to regular cleanings, especially in the North Country during the winter. 3) The North Country WINTERS with salt snow sand and general dirt being thrown EVERYWHERE! 4) I knew they wouldn't make it into the house we will eventually buy because I will not have carpets, but hardwood floors!!!! and 5) being renters on an Army income budget we most certainly did NOT have the funds to send away a high end rug to get professionally cleaned or even have someone come to the house so I always needed to clean it myself... if I can't clean it myself it DOES NOT make it's way into my house! Hence the cheap acrylic material rugs!!! Hope all these opinions help you make your decision!! Happy furniture and rug shopping!!!!

I second the antique suggestion. We've got 3 very energetic young kids and new furniture hasn't lasted long, but our antiques, especially our sofa and dining set, have held up very well. We also got rid of all our carpeting and now use mostly woo/jute blend kilim style rugs over our wood floors. They're thin enough that if they get too dirty or an accident happens we can fit them in our washing machine, and they come out ok if line dried.

thanks @raysdoodle!

I've got 3 boys aged 1-3, i.e. they're all walking, climbing and jumping with vast quantities of energy, and that's definitely affected how I furnish and decorate.

We went for a pretty boring IKEA sofa with loose covers. Actually it's standing up pretty well to being bounced all over, but it means I don't take it personally when bad things happen (and I'm already eyeing up some more interesting loose covers for the future).

No knick knacks/ornaments because I don't want to worry about things getting broken or used to hurt someone (not usually intentional, but they do sometimes swing things with surprising force and I can't be everywhere). No small tables or things that will fall over if they get knocked, so no table lamps. No pictures hung within reach, even if they've climbed onto the back of the sofa when I wasn't looking. etc. etc.

In other words, I've got a library's worth of interior design magazines and I avidly read Apartment Therapy, but my house is pretty spartan because I'm (temporarily I hope!) going for low stress rather than high style.

This thread is the best form of birth control I could ever ask for :-)

I don't know how people with kids have nice looking homes, but kudos!!! You have my respect and admiration.

Let's just skip the part about practical furniture and get to the important part – where on earth did you got that adorable alien!?

We have a leather couch and three kids. Looks brand new (and odor free) like the day we bought it 5 years ago before our oldest was born. Baby spit up, potty-training accidents, puke--cleans right up!!! My parents have a leather sofa and 22 grand kids. Theirs looks great too.

My husband and I found a cornflower blue and ivory patterned couch made by Norwalk at a consignment store for $200, the couch is comfortable and the pattern helps cover up the little spills that come with a 3 year old, 13 month old, 2 beagles, 2 clumsy parents and a baby on the way. We went for cost, style, comfort and character. You want to enjoy your home and the people in it not worry about the furniture!

I most definitely recommend a leather sofa with rounded arms (no sharp corners to bump in and will show less wear over time) and a tight back (no cushions to be squashed out of shape). It is easy to clean up pet hair, spills and holds up to tons of wear. I had one mid-century modern chair re-upholstered in this beautiful, blue, microfiber and while it is beautiful I hate constantly vacuuming it to get the pet hair off and worry about spills. I wish I had kept the original vinyl on the chair. We have two heavy side tables with only a lamp on them. We also have a large china cabinet that we use as a bookcase to store books and keep anything fragile out of the kids reach. We tend to use the living room for reading and story time. Otherwise we tend to live in the kitchen. We also have doors to each room so its easy to keep kids in the kitchen or living room with me so they are never out of sight. There is no standing or jumping on the furniture and no sharpies, markers or scissors in reach so things look good. This is why I love the not open floor plan of older homes.

We have a toddler who has just become fascinated with banging her toys on anything that stands still. We bought furniture that was not kid friendly and is already getting dings and marks on it. Our solution...nice "living room" down stairs with our fancy smancy stuff and the Ikea leather sofa and fat boy bean bag upstairs in the game room. Most of her toys are upstairs so we spend the majority of our time there. So far its worked for us.

We went with the IKEA slip covered sofas and couch and sometimes I feel like we are washing them twice a week with 3 kids under 5. They look a bit worn now, but well worth it, because they ruin anything nice we've had. Glass: consider it broken, fabric: consider it stained, wood floors: consider them dirty 10 minutes after they've been washed. Don't get me wrong, my kids are wonderful and generally good, but be prepared for a messy home. Unless I am following them around ready to clean, the house is a little messy. My hope is that it will get better as they all get into middle and high school...

Wow, glad I don't have kids.

Instead of spending big bucks on a new sofa we replaced the seat cushion on our old one and got a SureFit slipcover to top it off. The old cushion was stolen while in storage, don't ask, and we didn't want to make a big investment with a 1 year old son. The rest of our furniture is thrifted, Ikea or TJ Maxx Home Store. We have chose pieces that fit our style and lifestyle but are not breaking the bank on things that may get broken.

We have nice/pricey sofas -- they are actually the only two pieces of furniture in our house NOT from IKEA, ha. One is leather (nice because everything wipes off) and the other is linen (I voted for microfiber which is more practical, but my husband wanted the linen...!). We currently have a glass coffee table that is easily tipped/shattered, so we will be replacing it soon with a cheaper, more child friendly one from IKEA, once the little man becomes mobile. I think we are going to get the one with wheels on it so we can move it out of the way to make more play space. Honestly, I think its kinda a toss up. I think our couches will hold up because it is high quality, solid construction. I'm a bit worried about the linen, but it has done well so far, even with our rabbit abusing it a bit. We could always get it slipcovered (it has clean lines, so it would be easy to do) if we decided we needed to. I do think leather is a great choice because it cleans up so well (baby spit up has already been tested on it!).

I would suggest getting a sofa that has a solid wood frame. Find the lines you love and get it in a kid friendly fabric now. When the kids are older you can have it reupholstered. Plywood or pressed board are no good for this. There are awesome retro couches on Craigslist all the time or you could buy a new couch. Just ask what the frame is constructed out of. Some places will say it is made of hard wood, what they mean is several layers of hard wood glued together, no bueno. If you get a couch with a sturdy frame it will last, even when you don't like the fabric anymore.

we have a hans olsen couch upholstered in maharam fabric and covered by two cotton sheets under ikea bedcovers. with two cats + 3 yo later, there are a few snags but no stains. i would love to buy a leather sofa if i ever find one that i really love.

we also have eames fiberglass chairs throughout the house, and no one wears shoes indoors (i grew up with that rule).

i guess it depends on the kid (and please, don't tell me that it's just a matter of discipline!). knock on wood, our son hasn't been tough on things. at worst he's drawn on his craft table and the walls with crayons. i'm pretty strict about manners, but i've never tried to regulate his behavior around the furniture.

I haven't had problems with my couch being torn up, but I have had a lot of problems with dressers for my boys. Buy solid wood. If not, then each time something is opened, leaned on, and slammed shut, it will fall apart. Finally, I ended up with hard plastic dressers since I couldn't afford wood. they are the only ones that haven't fallen apart.