I own an Ethan Allen leather sofa that has had constant use in my family room for 14 years and it still looks great.

IMO in a family room leather is the answer, the first bin of popcorn that spills on fabric will leave a grease mark and it is all down hill after that.As for the actual sofa if this is your forever home get a sectional if not get separate pieces as sectional are very site specific and where you have no arms the seating in not comfortable a sofa and 2 chairs or 2 sofas are a much more comfortable seating arrangement

As an Ethan Allen professional I can tell you that the Retreat section is one of our top selling sectionals. If this is going to be your everyday place to play and relax and prefer fabric I would suggest going with a sunbrella fabric or micro fiber for ease of care. Leather is great as well, but can tend to be stiffer than fabric. It does have great defense against stains, but shouldn't be considered "bullet proof". It will absorb anything left on it if not taken care of and will overtime absorb body oils, etc. I hope this helps and please feel free to ask me any other questions you may have. I'd be happy to help.