11 pet-friendly furniture ideas that are im-paw-sibly stylish

No matter how cute your home decor is, there will always be one thing that’s cuter — your pets. A cat lounging in the window or a dog snoozing on the sofa not only makes your place picturesque, it also makes your house a home. But fur clinging to every inch of your upholstery and bite marks on your table legs make your home a mess.

The right design choices can help you restore order and live more comfortably with your pets. We’ll look at the most common issues that come up when furry friends meet furniture — like shedding, stains, scratch marks, and bite marks. We’ll explain what to look for in your furniture to solve each problem, and we’ll share some of our favorite pieces of pet-friendly furniture so you and your pets can enjoy more snuggles and fewer struggles.

The best pet-friendly furniture to minimize shedding and stains

If you’re struggling with pet hair and dirt getting embedded into your furniture, you need better upholstery. Both of these pet problems are signs that your upholstered furniture, like sofas, sectionals, love seats, or accent chairs, aren’t made with pet-friendly fabrics. So it’s time to swap them out.

Look for furniture that has stain-resistant performance fabric, machine-washable covers, or replaceable slipcovers. Fabrics without a visible weave, like microfiber, genuine leather, or faux leather, will be less likely to trap pet hairs. Dark colors and features like reversible cushions can also help hide stains.

Avoid delicate fabrics, like silk and chenille, that are easily damaged, and avoid woven fabrics, as pet hair tends to get stuck between the weave where it’s difficult to remove. Also, be wary of light-colored upholstery if it doesn’t claim to be stain-resistant.

Here are our favorite pet-friendly couches, sectionals, and chairs made with durable upholstery.

Ashlyn Upholstered Sloped Arms Sofa

It may seem like a bold choice to start our pet-friendly furniture round-up with a white sofa, but the Ashlyn sofa features a polyester blend, performance fabric and reversible back and seat cushions. It gives you double protection against stains to keep your sofa looking crisp and clean.

Thatcher Upholstered Button Tufted Sofa

This microfiber leather sofa can be wiped clean. It won’t hold onto pet hairs, and the rustic finish and dark color help hide stains. The Thatcher sofa has a mid-century modern silhouette that is perfect for small spaces, and you can add a matching loveseat and accent chair to complete your design.

Chatsboro Upholstered Twin Daybed With Trundle

The ultimate hack for a pet-friendly sofa is to swap out a traditional sofa for a daybed. When you choose a daybed, you’ll add a twin-size mattress (and a memory foam mattress topper to create the most comfortable sleeper sofa of all time), then cover it with sheets.

The sheets serve as a removable cover. You can take them off, throw them in the washing machine, and refresh your couch cover anytime you need. The Chatsboro Daybed features pet-friendly velvet upholstery in a dark grey hue.

Freddie 7-Piece Upholstered Modular Sectional

The Freddie modular sectional is another light-colored option that proves pet owners can still have magazine-worthy style. This sectional sofa is made with performance fabric, and the modular design can be customized to fit your space.

The best pet-friendly furniture to prevent scratch marks

Scratch marks from cats and scratch marks from dogs happen for different reasons. So if you have both pets, you’ll have to be extra careful. Cats intentionally scratch certain upholstery. In particular, they like the texture of woven fabrics and will happily turn your favorite accent chair into their scratching post.

Dogs, on the other hand, scratch on accident. Their nails, combined with their weight, can leave scratch marks on your cushion covers as they climb on and off your couch. They can also scratch solid wood furniture if they stand with their paws pressing into it like they might do with the footboard of your bed or with a side table that’s next to a window.

But regardless of which pets you have, you can avoid scratch marks with these tips.

Look for fabric that doesn’t have a visible weave, like microfiber and genuine or faux leather, for cats. Upholstered furniture that’s framed with wood or plastic can also discourage cat scratching. Engineered wood and metal can help you avoid dog scratch marks.

Avoid woven fabrics (not to sound like a broken record, but we can’t stress this enough). If you have a very large dog, you may also want to avoid genuine and faux leather upholstery. Large dogs put more weight on the fabric as they climb on and off, so they’re more likely to scratch a leather couch than small dogs or cats. Also, avoid wood footboards on your bed and try to keep your dog’s nails trimmed to reduce the risk of scratches.

Here are our favorite pieces of pet-friendly furniture to avoid scratch marks.

Ricky Metal Queen Panel Bed

This industrial-modern bed is rustic and durable. The low footboard ensures your dog won’t use this furniture as their personal launching pad when they jump off the bed, which will help keep it free of scratch marks. And since there’s no upholstery on the Ricky Metal Queen Panel Bed, your cat won’t be tempted to scratch up the headboard.

Addington Upholstered Adjustable Office Desk Chair

The Addington home office desk chair offers double the defense against cat scratching. Your cat won’t want to scratch the back of your chair because it’s covered in a curved, engineered wood. And they won’t try to scratch the cushions because they’re upholstered with a smooth leatherette.

Brentwood Upholstered Recliner Chair

The smooth, suede-like upholstery on the Brentwood recliner makes it difficult for claws to dig into the fabric. Cats won’t find this material satisfying to use as a scratcher, and dogs will be able to more easily climb on and off without leaving a trace.

Packlan Queen Metal Panel Bed

If you love the vintage look of a footboard on your bed frame, choose metal over wood. A metal frame, like the timeless frame on the Packlan panel bed, will discourage your pets from standing on it because it’s not as easy to grip as wood. And when your pets don’t put their paws on your bed frame, they won’t scratch it. It’s the simplest pet training you’ll ever do.

The best pet-friendly furniture to discourage chewing

If you have a young dog (or a particularly mouthy labrador retriever), it can take time to teach them not to chew up your house. During that time, a lot of furniture can get destroyed. Save yourself the expense and the eyesore of bitten-up furniture by choosing more chew-proof pieces.

Look for furniture with a metal frame or legs. Metal is not fun to chew, so very few dogs will do it.

Avoid furniture with wood legs, which are easier to shred. If you have a particularly aggressive chewer, you may also want to keep them away from wood and upholstered furniture when you can’t watch them closely. Gating off your kitchen or dining room can be a perfect solution to give them space while protecting the upholstered furniture in your living room.

Chalet Tuxedo Arm Sofa

This modern sofa may look too glamorous to qualify as pet-friendly furniture, but the slender legs are made of durable metal, which discourages chewing. The velvet upholstery on the Chalet Tuxedo Arm Sofa is a smooth texture that cats are less likely to scratch. It also doesn’t trap pet hair, and the dark color hides stains. So don’t be deceived by looks; this is one of the best couches for cats and dogs.

Avon Round Marble Top Stainless Steel Coffee Table

With no wood in sight, this coffee table is a great way to discourage chewing (and encourage style). The Avon round coffee table is made with a high-quality stainless steel metal base. The round shape of the base will be difficult for your dog to get their mouth around compared to a table with thin wooden legs, making it unlikely to become your pup’s next chew toy.

Maverick Rectangular Tapered Legs Dining Table

Puppy-proof your dining room with the Maverick Dining Table, which features tapered black iron table legs. The solid wood tabletop will be well out of reach for young pups. You can pair this table with a matching bench and complementary genuine leather side chairs, both of which also have metal legs.

Design for your dog and cat

Good interior design should not only make your space more beautiful; it should make it more functional. And we can’t function without our pets. (Those daily snuggles keep us sane.)

Finding pet-friendly furniture can be a little more difficult, but once you do, it will make your life a lot easier. Now that you know what to look for, head to your local Coaster Furniture retailer and shop in person.

When you shop in person, you can ensure you’re getting furniture that both you and your furry friends will love. Feel the upholstery, snuggle up on those couch cushions, and make sure every piece you purchase will make cuddle time as comfy as possible — because even the most irresistible couch isn’t as irresistible as that furry little face.

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