As it turns out, furniture is a bit like botany. In the same way that certain plants require little to no care, there are certain pieces of furniture that will look beautiful no matter what surroundings you put them in. A wooden accent chair, for example, or a couch covered in durable pigmented leather are especially versatile. Other plants, however, need constant watering, lots of sunlight, and soil with a specific pH balance to thrive. Like a full aniline leather sofa, such flora and fauna could be considered high-maintenance (or at least higher maintenance than their hard-to-kill counterparts).
If you're a family searching for the best sofa for your home, or someone who knows they don't have the time to buff and wax their expensive sofa to keep it looking nice, you're probably looking for something in that first category: a couch that, like a succulent or pothos, requires little TLC, and looks good all on its own. Of course, you should care for any expensive purchase you make, but you don't want to be working at it constantly.
For the record, I define a low-maintenance sofa as such:
- one that resists stains and marks but is still easy to clean
- one that looks good without constant care and upkeep
- one that resists pet hair
- one that will last a long time
- and, if the information is available, one whose upholstery has a Martindale above the industry standard of 20,000 rubs (note: the Martindale is a fabric durability test meant to analyze how many "rubs" a textile can withstand before piling/fading/shedding/showing wear. Not every retailer shares this information, but it's a good bonus quality benchmark).
To get to the bottom of this, I spoke with an expert (read: an interior designer) for a deciding opinion. I might be a sofa maven myself, especially now that I've spent 50+ hours sitting on, talking about, and interviewing couch virtuosos regarding the best options on the market, but I pulled in some extra authority to advise here. Thankfully, I think we figured it out — and even tied in some shopping for you along the way. Drum roll, please ...
And the winner is ... performance fabrics
"I always prioritize performance fabrics when selecting couches, especially for families and pet owners," says Laetitia Laurent, principal designer at Laure Nell Interiors. "These fabrics have become much more widely available recently and are a fantastic blend of style and durability." They're also "specifically designed to handle stains, fading, and everyday wear, making them ideal for busy households."
Performance fabrics are crafted from threads that are either inherently stain-resistant or treated/coated in a way that makes them so. Per Revolution Fabrics, the most common threads used for these types of textiles are olefin, acrylic, nylon, and polyester, though it's true that any fabric with a performance coating is also considered a performance fabric.
A previous version of this article actually deemed performance velvet to be the most low-maintenance material, but I disagree — of course, performance velvet is lower maintenance than its non-performance counterpart, but velvet itself still requires a bit more care than the average textile.
"While it's softer and more durable than traditional velvet, [performance velvet] still requires a little more upkeep compared to other performance fabrics," Laetitia tells me. "It’s great if you're after a plush, luxurious look, but for high-traffic family rooms, I usually recommend leather or a more tightly woven performance fabric that’s both durable and low maintenance" — perhaps a performance microfiber or a weave.
"Of all the options, performance fabrics are my go-to for families," Laetitia concludes. "They offer a great combination of comfort and long-lasting durability without sacrificing style," plus "the range of colors and textures available also allows families to keep their spaces looking polished, even with the daily wear and tear of life."
Price: $2707 (Was: $4164)
Size: 120"W x 39"H x 79"D
Material: Performance boucle
Albany Park is one of the internet's favorite sofa brands. This place has everything: modular sofas, streamlined shipping and delivery, and a plethora of fabrics with differing use cases, like performance, machine washable, OEKO-Tex certified, and sustainably made. The Kova is probably its best-known sectional sofa. It's known for its comfort and modularity, and the seat cushions are removable (but boast an "anti-slip" upgrade so they stay in place).
Price: $2599
Size: 77.5" W x 38.5" D x 37" H
Material: Performance Casual Chenille
Rub Count: 50,000
The PB Comfort Modern is a best-selling Pottery Barn sofa and one of my favorites I tried during a recent store visit. It boasts just the right amount of customization options — things like overall width, seat depth, cushion fill, and, of course, upholstery — plus it just looks really good. From a material standpoint, not only is this green chenille performance, but it boasts a rub count of 50,000 (30,000 above the industry standard). Plus, chenille is generally another solid low-maintenance fabric thanks to thickness, strength, and inherent stain resistance.
Price: $2029
Size: 25"H x 83" W x 41"D
Material: Nile performance microfiber
The Lounge Sofa earned rave reviews from my colleague Emily, who described her purchase as her "pride and joy." She spoke highly of the comfort and depth and said it offers the perfect lounge vibes. From my POV, I love this performance microfiber fabric, with its lovely jewel tone and velvet-esque texture. A timeless sofa color.
The Runner-Up
If a performance fabric isn't in the cards for whatever reason, I'd recommend opting for leather, per my conversations with Laetitia and other designers. "Leather is naturally tough and easy to clean," she says, so long as you choose the right kind; otherwise, you might unintentionally create more work for yourself. An aniline leather, for example, lacks a protective coating, meaning it will beautifully patina and soften over time, but could also stain and mark easily. A pigmented leather sofa boasts a protective layer of dye that resists scratches and stains; look for something in line with that. Semi-aniline, while not as protected as pigmented leather, and genuine leather could also work here.
Price: From $3299
Size: 85.5" W x 38.5" D x 35" H
Material: Semi-aniline leather
The Turner is another PB sofa I tried during my store visit. It was unsurprisingly comfortable and high quality and looked incredibly chic, thanks in no small part to the supple chocolate leather upholstery. The majority if not all of Pottery Barn's leathers are semi-aniline, which means there is some protection on top. Good for busy homes! A darker choice like that shown above will also do a better job of hiding marks than something lighter.
Price: $1659
Size: 33'' H X 86'' W X 38'' D
Material: Genuine leather
You might not classify this as an affordable sofa, but with the contemporary silhouette and leather upholstery, I honestly do. This is a fabric that's stain-resistant, scratch-resistant, and fade-resistant, so you can situate the couch anywhere in the room, and it comes fully assembled; just add the legs. It has also been Wayfair vetted and is quite beloved in the customer review department; 4.8 stars across 116 reviews.
Price: $4292
Size: 94.5" W x 37" D x 31" H
Material: Microfiber leather
Bet you didn't know microfiber could be stylized as leather, now did you? This positively stunning armless sofa from Rove Concepts already has a lot going for it (just look at that tufting), but this unique upholstery really takes the cake for me. For one thing, it's sustainable, so if you have qualms about real leather you needn't worry. It's also water- and odor-resistant and coated with high-performance resin to give it that leather feel.
