You long ago accepted that your sofa is your dog’s favorite spot to flop after a long walk. And you long ago accepted that your favorite reading chair is also Her Highness’s (aka, your cat’s) throne. You’ve even grudgingly accepted that the moment you turn off your vacuum cleaner there’s somehow already more fur floating around the room and lingering on your furniture.
Why? It’s not hyperbole or being overly dramatic. Your pets are family. So you accept some inconveniences.
We get it. But — here at the largest online furniture upholstery fabric store – we also have great news. Making a few compromises for the four-legged creatures you love no longer means surrendering your sense of style. Because, these days, if you decorate a little smarter, there are loads of pet-friendly fabrics that can keep up with your real life.
Yes, fabrics that feel good, clean up easily, and last, even with all the shedding, sharp claws, muddy paws, and surprise spills. So, just in time for National Puppy Day this month, your home can feel like your home, no matter how furry it gets sometimes.
Win-Win: What Makes Pet-Friendly Upholstery Fabrics Shine
Finding the perfect pet–friendly fabric is a bit like finding the perfect life partner. (Stick with me.) You know you’ll need some toughness and durability. But you also want softness, style, and charm. The perfect mix is the thing.
With fabrics, that means textiles that can handle the pet without penalizing the humans.
Here’s where performance fabrics shine. Because they’re all designed to be easy to clean, hard to tear or puncture, and literally built to resist the demands of daily life in all its hairy, stain-y glory. Performance is the point — and its performance fabrics’ superpower.
That’s true for woven fabrics like denim and canvas. And it’s also true for performance velvet, microfiber, faux leather, vinyl, genuine leather, and more. Though your particular pet’s needs vary, choosing to partner your home with performance fabrics is the pro move.
Quick Tip: Choose solid or multicolor fabrics that come close to matching your pet’s colors. That way, when vacuuming gets away from you for a bit, it’ll be less noticeable.
Why Upholstery Fabrics With Tight Weaves Are Best For Your Pets
When it comes specifically to pet performance, start with looking closer at the way a fabric is woven. Think of your particular pet(s). Do you have a digger or plucker? A push-in and stretcher? Just your basic scratch and sniffer? Or all of the above?
Then you’re looking for tightly woven fabrics.
Sometimes that means a visibly woven fabric that also happens to be tightly woven — that’s good. It can also mean fabrics like microfiber or velvet, both of which are actually super pet-friendly. The weave of the fabric isn’t even visible, but the soft and luxurious texture sure is.
And all those fabrics are ready-made for when your furry friends behave…well… naturally. They resist those punctures, tears, and “spills,” and vacuum up quick and easy. So you can stack your family room sofa with your favorite pillows, have reading chairs and even dining chairs that double as nap spots, and still keep them looking elegant and elevated. (And we can customize those pillows for you, btw. Quick and easy.)
Bottom line: When in doubt, go with the tighter weave.
Why Faux Fabrics Are The Best Wipe-Clean Fabrics for Pet Owners
Sometimes, however, you need ridiculously durable and wipeable materials to really, really rise to the pet-friendly conversation.
That’s where faux leather and vinyl step up to the plate. And, boy, do they have game. Spill? What spill? Poke? What poke? These materials are practically impervious to any pet-related problem or life-related liquid. And a thorough clean up is just a wipe and vacuum away.
The best part is, today you get the benefits of this profound level of performance without giving up style and flair.
So that kitchen breakfast banquet bench can look alive (and stay that way) in spa green or midnight blue vinyl. Or an entryway bench and kitchen barstools can be crisp and tailored in durable brick red olefin tweed. And a home office loveseat can lock it down in latte brown faux leather.
Soft Skills: How Performance Fabrics Help In Pet-Friendly Homes
Clearly, you’re well aware you need fabrics that perform for pets. To get that performance, there was a time you’d pick the fabric you wanted, bring your new furniture home, and then — before anybody sat on them — you’d cover them in plastic or spray them down in some chemical treatment.
No more.
Now fabrics like Crypton and others are built from the fiber up with durability and stain fighting in mind. Seriously, it’s built into the fibers the fabric is made of. So it’s easier than ever to strike the balance we talked about earlier.
Want your family room to feel soft and inviting, but you don’t want to panic every time your pal’s paws perch on the cushions? No problem. The days of choosing between your home looking like an institution or a place with warmth and style are over. You and your pet get to live.
Which means you get to have a sectional in a warm emerald green velvet with ottomans to kick up your feet in a beige abstract geometric pattern woven fabric. (Or DIY some poufs our very own Aimee from Artisan Upholstery Studio.) Plus, sophisticated and elegant living room armchairs in a green striped durable woven poly olefin blend. And dining chairs beckoning in rosewood Crypton velvet.
Vibing: Pet-Friendly Design Starts With Your Pet’s Personality
Sometimes what outsiders see as your pet’s most annoying characteristics are, for you, part of their charm and uniqueness. That uniqueness is really the big takeaway from our time today.
Because just as your home’s interior design style is personal to you, pet-friendly design and pet-friendly fabrics are personal to your pet. For instance, if you have a senior pet, consider textiles that are super easy to clean, like vinyl and faux leather. For a cat that loves to stretch out, you’ll avoid loosely woven fabrics. For a dog who’s sometimes stinky, drooly, and certainly sheds, consider a Crypton fabric.
Others might look at your furriest family members and see agents of comical chaos. But you see someone you love — in all of their messiness and magic.
You and your pet deserve a home that serves you, and feels like just your style. And we’ve got all the fabrics you could ever need. Plus, we’ve got people who love helping you find the right and perfect fabric for you and your furry friends. Give us a call today.