Pet friendly sofas
Read this if you want a new sofa but are worried that your dog or cat will ruin it…
Most cats and dogs like to have a cuddle on the sofa with their humans, or curl up somewhere soft for a snooze, and if that’s what your pet is used to, then it’s only fair that you think about their needs as well as your own when buying a replacement sofa or armchair.
At Bowerbirds, we’ll help you design your new sofa or armchair to suit all your needs and requirements, and that includes your pets.
We’ve got an enormous selection of fabrics for you to choose from and many of them have stain resistant properties that will protect your upholstery from accidents, doggy dribble and wet or dirty paws, because any mess just sits on top of the fabric and can be wiped away. Alternatively, you could also go for a loose cover sofa or chair with a removable cover that can easily be cleaned in your washing machine at home, or taken to a dry cleaners to be professionally cleaned.
If you have a cat that likes to scratch at your furniture and you’re worried about the fabric snagging on their claws, then you need a fabric that will be tough and durable. Bowerbirds would therefore advise you to avoid damasks and flat weaves that one of their nails could get caught in, and suggest instead to use one of the cut pile chenilles or velvets, which have nothing for their claws to get stuck into. If you did want to go for a flat weave then you will need to pick a tight weave that is harder to penetrate.
If you’ve got a dog that sheds hair, you might want to avoid chenille and deep pile velvets, as the hair may cling more easily to those fabrics than it would do on a flat weave. Pet hair can easily be removed from a chenille or velvet by using a hand held upholstery brush, or with the brush attachment on a vacuum cleaner, but it depends on how often you’re willing to do that and how much hair your pet sheds. Hair will slide off a flat weave with a sweeping brush of your hand.
If you’ve got cats AND dogs, Bowerbirds would suggest a stain resistant or machine washable tight flat weave or short pile velvet.
The final consideration is colour and pattern. Obviously the lighter and plainer the fabric, the more the dirt, dust or hair can be visible, but a very dark plain colour can also show hairs and dust too, so pick a shade that works well in your room from the middle of the colour palette.
At Bowerbirds, we’ve got hundreds of fabrics across a wide range of colours, with loads of semi-plain fabrics and lots of gorgeous patterned fabrics to choose from; many of which are stain resistant or machine washable, and they come in tight weaves as well as short pile velvets and chenilles.
So whilst there is a lot for pet owners to think about, when you’re choosing the ideal fabric for your new sofas and chairs, be reassured that you have still got plenty of options to select from at Bowerbirds. With fabrics from just £20 per metre, you’ll find something that suits your budget as well as your home and your pets.
