A home is, above all, a place for living. It’s where children build forts, pets stretch out for a nap, and everyday life flows with all its joy and its inevitable mess. In a family home, interior design shouldn’t be a compromise between beauty and practicality. With the right choices, your home can be both stylish and carefree – a place where everyone feels at ease.
The materials you choose for your furniture matter. A high-quality, durable and easy-care upholstery fabric is your best protection to ensure that sofas and armchairs withstand the pace of daily life and stay beautiful for years to come.
At Lauritzon, we understand family life – sticky fingers, muddy paws, spilled juice and curious claws are simply part of it. Thankfully, textile technology has come a long way. Today, you can choose luxurious-looking fabrics that not only feel premium but also handle wear and tear and are surprisingly easy to keep clean. This lets you enjoy your home without worry – just as it is.
Keeping Up With Everyday Life – What Should Upholstery Fabric Offer?
Before choosing a fabric, it’s worth taking a moment to think about what your everyday life looks like. With a busy household, the range of options can feel overwhelming, but once you know what to look for, selecting the right fabric becomes much easier.
1. Exceptional abrasion resistance
When your sofa serves not only for sitting but also for building forts and play, the fabric needs to be tough. Constant movement causes wear, so abrasion resistance is key. In the Martindale test, the fabric is rubbed until its yarns break. For normal home use, at least 20 000 cycles are recommended, but with children or pets you should aim for 30 000–50 000. Our everyday champion Yedi reaches an impressive 100 000 Martindale.
2. Easy stain removal – Lauritzon watercare & easycare
Spills happen – that’s life. Ice cream melts, cocoa drips, and sand gets tracked inside. The important thing is that stains come off easily, without harsh chemicals. Fabrics with Lauritzon watercare or easycare technology prevent dirt from penetrating the fibres and are simple to clean. Most everyday stains come off by removing loose dirt, moistening the stain, and gently dabbing with a cloth. Mild soap can be used if needed. Our new watercare fabrics Cobbles, Tiptop and Chime are wonderfully soft, extremely easy to maintain and still beautifully stylish.
3. A durable fabric for homes with pets
Cats, dogs and other furry family members bring joy, but sometimes a challenge for fabrics. Long loops or loose weaves, such as traditional bouclé, can snag on claws. In pet households, a tightly woven fabric or soft pile surface is usually the most practical option.
It’s also worth checking the fabric’s pilling rating (1–5): the closer to five, the better it retains a neat surface. A 4–5 rating is ideal. Our soft pile fabric Dylan remains a long-time favourite among pet owners.
Everyday hero fabrics
There is no single perfect fabric, but some materials clearly perform better in everyday life than others. In active households, easy-care and washable fabrics often become the top choice – they withstand frequent use and stay beautiful with minimal effort. In Lauritzon’s collection, you’ll find a wide range of options that combine practicality with style.
Suede-like pile fabrics
Synthetic suede-like fabrics are true heroes in homes with children and pets. They are dense, soft, stain-resistant and easy to clean. Pet hair often comes off easily with vacuuming or brushing. Examples from Lauritzon: Alcantara, Deluxe and Marley.
Synthetic fibres that mimic natural materials
Modern synthetic fabrics and their blends beautifully mimic the look and feel of natural fibres such as linen or wool – while offering superior durability and ease of care. A high-quality, beautifully woven synthetic upholstery fabric combines style, strength, and practicality. This makes them the perfect choice when you want a carefree everyday life without compromising on a beautiful interior. Good examples from Lauritzon’s collection include Alfons, Muru, Lumi, Oikos, and Randolf.
Velvet – the everyday surprise
Velvet evokes luxury, but modern polyester velvets are impressively durable and easy to maintain. The dense pile also makes them suitable for homes with pets – no loops to snag, and hair doesn’t cling as tightly. Examples from Lauritzon include Luxor, Frost, Reborn, Elysee and Bolshoi, as well as washable corduroys Chime and Sorrento.
Beautiful colours and patterns – your best allies in daily life
Beyond material, colour and pattern also influence how well a fabric handles everyday use. Light colours are elegant but show stains easily, while dark colours reveal dust and light pet hair. Mid-tone, lightly textured or melange shades are often the safest and most practical choice. Melange fabrics, with multiple tones woven together, hide dust, hair and small marks beautifully. Families with pets may also choose colours close to their pet’s fur shade – a clever way to make everyday life easier.
Patterned fabrics are another great tool for carefree living. Small stains or pilling blend naturally into the pattern, keeping the surface tidy for longer. Classic small-scale patterns or larger motifs both distract the eye and help disguise everyday wear.
The right upholstery fabric is more than just technically durable – it brings visual harmony and calm to your home. You don’t need to compromise your dream interior even if your home is full of life. Lauritzon’s experts are here to help you find the perfect fabric that stands up to daily living and looks beautiful every day. Explore our collection – let’s create a home meant for living.
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