Dog-Friendly Chairs: The Ultimate Guide for Pet Owners

While I enjoy pet ownership, it does mean that I have to make certain concessions when it comes to furniture.

Whether you’re a proud pet parent of a lazy golden retriever or a mischievous tabby, there’s one challenge all animal lovers face: How to keep furniture clean and hair-free.

If you’ve ever sat down on the couch with a black shirt on, only to get up and discover your clothes are covered in hair you know what I mean. The good news is that some furniture is both easy to keep clean as well as stylish, even if it’s the favorite of your cat or dog. I’ll give you some tips on what to look for along with a few of my personal favorites.

Why Opt for Pet-Friendly Furniture?

It’s not just about a new look for your living room. For pet owners, choosing pet-friendly sofas or chairs means more time enjoying your furry companions and less time with the lint roller or washing machine.

There are some people out there that don’t allow pets on their furniture. I wish that were me, but our cat and dog sit on the couch with us every night. For us it makes sense to consider pet-friendly fabric options.

Pet-Friendly Fabrics: A Deep Dive

1. Performance Fabrics: These are a great choice for pet parents. Sunbrella fabrics, for instance, originally designed as outdoor fabrics, have come a long way and are now making their way into living spaces as sofa upholstery. They’re durable, stain-resistant, and can handle heavy use. This is great if you get a wet weather and your pets bring it in.

2. Synthetic Fabrics: Materials like microfiber velvets are a perfect choice due to their tight weaves. They’re good at resisting stains, and their low pile means pet hair doesn’t embed deeply.

3. Leather: Both genuine leather and faux leather are great options. Leather sofas are easy to clean—usually a damp cloth will do—and are pretty resistant to odors. However, sharp claws and leather don’t mix well. For cat owners, leather furniture might face the wrath of cat claws, unless you have a scratching post or cat trees that your feline prefers. I’m not a huge fan of leather, because I find it too hot.

4. Tightly Woven Fabric: Fabrics with tight weaves, like certain synthetic materials, resist pet hair embeds, making them a good choice for pet-friendly chairs. Some tightly woven fabrics that work well on chairs include denim, percale, gabardine and broadcloth. My all time favorite is of course, ticking which is a tightly woven cotton.

Protecting Your Investment

While pet-friendly fabrics are a great start, additional protection can make a huge difference:

Slip Covers: I am a huge fan of slip covers. Not only are they machine washable, but you can change the look of your room by just changing your slipcovers. This slip covered chair from Pottery Barn has been with me through three dog generations (my husband didn’t want his picture in here).

Wooden or Metal Legs: Avoid wooden legs, as they can be tempting for cats and even some dogs. Metal legs offer a more durable alternative.
Regular Cleaning: Even the tidiest pets leave some hair behind. Regularly using a lint roller (or this handy tool that you can reuse), especially on your velvet sofa or accent chair, keeps your furniture hair-free.

I use affiliate links so I can afford to keep doing this. Hope it saves you time. See my disclosure policy.

Chairs I Like (and a few I’ve owned)

Pottery Barn Basic Slip Covered Chair – I’ve owned this chair through 3 dogs. It is such high quality and I love that the cover is removable if I can’t spot clean. They offer many different fabrics, the denim and the twill are the best.
West Elm Auburn Chair (is on clearance). I have this in midnight twill and it’s Milo’s favorite, I just ordered a second one. It’s also really comfortable and not huge, so it can fit into lots of spaces.

Block Nomad Armchair from Burrow: Burrow has a Nomad collection with sofas and chairs that are all pet friendly. These chairs are customizable with five fabric colors as well as leather and velvet options. The fabrics have a tight weave and are stain-resistant. They also offer six leg finishes, and three armrest heights. The reversible back cushion is tufted on one side and smooth on the other.

Inside Weather: Inside Weather has a wide range of sofas and chairs that are pet friendly. My favorite chair in their collection is the Ace Lounge Chair. The covers are made from high performance fabric that resists stains and holds up to wear and tear. The cushion covers are also removable and machine washable. In addition to choosing from a wide range of fabric colors you can customize the color of the wood frame.

Levity: Levity has a wide variety of chairs to fit any style. All of their chairs have removable and washable fabric covers with slip covers in a wide variety of colors and patterns. You can choose from walnut or white oak wood finishes. I like the Scandinavian lounge chair and the Circque (which also comes in a swivel).

Uppland from Ikea: This is one of those sink in and relax kind of chairs that your furry friends will love. Ikea is my go to store for reasonably priced furniture that lasts. The Uppland collection has chairs and sofas with removable, washable slipcovers. They also make a hassock that goes with the chair and has a removable slipcover.

Owen Chair from Joybird: While the Joybird collection doesn’t have removable covers, they offer a wide variety of pet friendly fabrics. They also have a performance fabric collection they call safe guard fabrics that are stain resistant and durable. I like the Hughes Apartment Chair and the Bell Chair,

In Conclusion

If you’re in the market for new furniture, it’s a good idea to consider pet-friendly sofas and chairs. With the best couch material and right fabrics, you can ensure that every piece of furniture in your living room or small spaces is both a perfect fit for the whole family and stands the test of time.

Remember, with the best pet-friendly furniture, every day is a great day to have a pet home. Embrace the chaos, invest in the right furniture, and enjoy every moment with your best friend!

If you liked this you might enjoy the newest trends in Barkitecture.