If you have ever debated having children or a dog – I can appreciate some of your concerns, they are frankly downright messy. From eating things they shouldn’t have at the park to keeping their little paws clean, kids (and dogs) can test “Performance” fabrics to the limit.
Locking In On Light
If you’d like to stay in the realm of lighter colors for chairs and couches, as I often do, I require one of two things: washable materials or Performance-based textured weaves. Companies like Six Penny and Ruggable have reimagined the look of slipcovers to redefining the washable rug space. Not only are these durable products, yet at their worst, they are fully washable. Textured weave (performance-based) fabrics, such as basketweave or a tweed, are commonly sold by Pottery Barn, Room & Board to Crate & Barrel, and offer great alternatives as they help camouflage stains significantly better than a flat weave. Another sneaky parenting hack is to buy your lighter styling pieces as smaller textiles such as zipper-off pillow covers to decorative throws. Due to their size, at best they are straight into the washer and at worst, dry-cleanable!
Everything Dark
Gray and navy tones are colorways that can hide a lot while still feeling light and airy. My favorite alternative to darker hues is the use of leather. Leather is a great alternative to upholstery as it warms up a space and truly gets better with age. Plus, I just spilled an entire glass of wine on our leather sofa last night when my kiddo tackled me, and the wine massacre was invisible this morning.
Pattern Play:
Another potential obvious way to hide real life messes is with patterns. Patterns on rugs, to pillows, to throws, helps dramatically hide wear and tear over time. Go with patterns that have a softness to their lines (think ‘vintage-inspired’ or abstract) so that the spills & stains tend to weave in nicely.
Outdoor to Indoor:
The world of outdoor furniture and decor has become beautiful enough to bring inside, and a great way to bring “indestructible” to the indoors. I use outdoor rugs, outdoor pillows and outdoor fabric material selections for any indoor spaces that take a lot of wear and tear!
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