Our living room does triple duty as a living room, family room, and playspace. So when we started the hunt for a new sofa, we knew it had to be pet and kiddo proof, comfortable enough for the whole family to snuggle up and watch a movie, and look nice enough to be the main feature of the room.

I did a little research and found modern fabrics that are resistant to stains and durable enough for paws. (As well as  jumping and building forts, which happen on a regular basis at our house.)

1. Performance Velvet // With micro-fiber technology velvet can be stain and fade resistant and adds instant luxe to a living or family room.  Lounge II Sectional Sofa from Crate and Barrel in Dune, Sky.

2. Slipcover // This fabric from Sunbrella is soft, durable, and bleachable. Get it on a slipcovered couch and make clean up a breeze. Pottery Barn Comfort Square Arm Slipcovered Sofa in Sunbrella Performance Canvas, Flax.

3. Stain Repellant // There are plenty of stain resistant options out there where the fabric is pre-treated. This sofa is upholstered in a thick basketweave made of 100% acrylic. Barton L-Sectional from Serena & Lily in Perennials Basketweave, Platinum.

4. Microfiber // You probably can’t go wrong with microfiber when it comes to stain resistance and holding up to pets, especially if you have cats. This microfiber from CB2 looks and feels like velvet, but at a much lower price point. Decker 2-Piece Sectional in Bella, Smoke.

5. Performance Weave // This is the sofa and the fabric we ended up choosing. It’s a plain-weave polyester fabric that is family, dog, and cat friendly. I love that it’s as durable as a microfiber, but without the suede texture and it has a subtle pattern for a little color variation. Metro Custom Sectional from Room & Board in Dawson, Cement.