Style picks · Journal

Sofas that survive kids: what I recommend and why

Performance fabrics, slipcovers, and the seat depth that makes the difference between a sofa and a trampoline.

I get asked about sofas more than anything else, and the question is always the same underneath: can I have something that looks like the ones in the magazines and also survive my children. Yes. But the reasons a sofa survives are not the reasons it looks good, so you have to check both.

Fabric first, always

Performance fabrics have gotten good enough that I specify them on almost every family project, including the ones with generous budgets. Look for a high double-rub count, a solution-dyed fiber, and a fabric that has been tested for cleanability rather than just marketed as performance. Linen looks are available; real linen on a sofa with a five-year-old is a choice you will make once.

Slipcovers, if you can live with the look

A washable slipcover is the most forgiving sofa there is. The trade-off is a slightly relaxed silhouette. If you like that look, and a lot of the warm minimal rooms we do are built on it, a slipcovered sofa is the easiest decision on the project.

Seat depth

Here is the one nobody talks about. Deep seats, roughly twenty-four inches or more, are wonderful for lounging and are also, functionally, a trampoline. Kids climb, jump, and nest on deep sofas. A slightly shallower seat sits more upright and gets treated more like furniture. For a family room where you actually want to sprawl, go deep and accept the trampoline. For a living room that needs to stay a living room, go shallower.

Cushions

Down-wrapped foam holds its shape and still feels soft. All-down looks incredible for a week. Tight-back sofas hide more sins than loose-back ones because there are no cushions to end up on the floor.

Legs and frame

Kiln-dried hardwood frame, eight-way hand-tied or a good sinuous spring, and legs high enough that a robot vacuum fits underneath. That last one is a real Miami-family design criterion now.

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Camila Borges ChiangFounder, Casa Chiang Interiors. Miami native, usually with a cafecito.