7 ways to kid- and pet-proof your home ... without sacrificing style

By M ichelle B runner

The Washington Post

For a hot second around the time my son was born, my husband and I actually entertained the idea of buying a pristine white mid-century sofa. Then we came to our senses and bought something dark enough to conceal the sins of our family, including our dog, Pepper, who’s contributed so much to the decor that her name has become a verb around our house, as in, “Wow, she really Peppered up the rug.”

Life with kids and pets can get messy, but these days a white sofa needn’t cause fear. Advances in technology have created materials and treatments that resist stains, have increased durability and, in some cases, can even prevent odors from developing. Best of all, these fabrics, rugs and wall coverings don’t sacrifice style in the service of practicality. We talked to designers and fabric experts to glean tips on how to kid- and petproof your decor. Here’s what they had to say.

1. Choose performance fabrics

Look for labels that say Crypton, Perennials, Sunbrella and InsideOut — all brands trusted by designers to withstand the occasional wine spill or ketchup accident. Crypton, in particular, is a favorite because it repels spills and stains, resists odors and all Crypton fabrics are free of PFAS — fluorinated chemicals that build up in our bodies and stick around in the environment. (The other brands all have PFAS-free options.) Plus, Crypton’s plush texture is ideal for sofas and lounge chairs. “Crypton has come a long way in terms of its pliability; the hand of the fabric feels really soft,” says D.C. interior designer Annie Elliott. For the spaces that get the most abuse — think anywhere your family is eating — opt for wipeable materials: “There are some surfaces where I won’t even consider putting fabric when there are young kids,” says Kelly Finley, CEO and creative director of Joy Street Design in Oakland, Calif. “For a banquette, bar stools or kitchen chairs, I almost always encourage clients to get leather or vinyl — anything that can be wiped clean.”

Not all leathers hold up the same. Top-grain aniline leathers are going to show every claw mark from your cat. If that sounds more like destruction than patina, opt for a more textured leather that’s better at resisting scratches. Elliott suggests asking for a leather sample and running your fingernail across it to assess its toughness.

2. Treat your upholstery

When a charming printed linen is too delicate to use on furniture, there are things you can do to increase its durability. Designers Kerri Goldfarb and Mia Brous, who specialize in creating kid-friendly spaces under the name Madre Dallas, regularly send yards of fabric out to Texas-based company SBI Finishing to be treated before it becomes upholstery. Such treatments range from make house calls to clean or treat your existing furniture. Madre Dallas uses Fiber-Seal, a nationwide company that offers upholstery cleaning and eco-friendly stain-protection treatments in your home. There are fabric protection sprays on the market that claim to do the same, such as RepelWell and Vectra; just follow the instructions carefully.

3. Consider color and pattern

Spot’s spot can minimize wear and tear. Brous recommends using an Indian kantha quilt as a stylish protective measure, and Elliott likes mohair throws for their thick pile, which she says “doesn’t hold onto fur in a way that’s visible.” stain-proofing to knit-backing, which is the process of bonding a lightweight knitted fabric to the material to reinforce it. “Knit-backing really helps with durability when kids are jumping on sofas,” says Goldfarb.

According to Daniel Banks, director of research and development at SBI, the combination of adding stain protection and knit-backing can double a fabric’s life span. “We’ve seen the number of double rubs go from 50,000 or 60,000 to almost 100,000,” he says. What’s a double rub, you might ask? Banks explains: “Every time you sit on a chair, your pants rub the fabric twice: once when you sit down and again when you get up.” That’s one double rub, and it’s the yardstick by which the durability of a fabric is measured.

Another treatment designers swear by is vinylizing: the application of a barely detectable vinyl film to the surface of fabric, which makes it wipeable and water-resistant. “We vinylize seat covers a lot; that way we can use fabulous fabrics from high-end designers and not sacrifice style,” says Goldfarb.

Some companies will

Unless fabrics are performance or stain-treated, approach light-colored furnishings and floor coverings with caution when there are kids and pets in the house. “Obviously, a darker fabric or carpet with some color variability is going to be much more forgiving than something that’s a light color,” says Brous.

Busy patterns help, too. Intricate designs can camouflage a multitude of messes. “An Oushak or Persian rug is a great way to hide spills and everyday traffic,” says Goldfarb.

4. Protect furnishings with a throw

Most dogs have a favorite place on the sofa where they snooze the day away. Tossing a soft throw or blanket over

5.

Look for wool or polypropylene rugs

“Any kind of flooring is going to get filthy with a dog in the house so if you pick a rug that’s 100 percent wool, it’s going to be easier to spotclean,” says Finley. Wool is the gold standard among the designers we spoke to — it naturally resists stains and holds its shape, thanks to its coilshaped fibers, which stand up to heavy foot traffic.

Indoor/outdoor area rugs made of polypropylene also got approving nods from our designers for their durability — Brous likes Dash & Albert by Annie Selke. For houses with felines, Finley recommends low-pile flatweaves, such as kilims, since there are no large loops for little claws to yank out. She’s also a fan of carpet tiles by Flor for rooms that are all-kids-all-the-time. “If a tile gets a stain, you can pop it out and wash it or replace it if you need to,” she says.