I special ordered a couch with fabric similar to the chenille you pictured. It’s a cream color. The couch is the comfiest, coziest thing to curl up on and watch tv or read or take a nap! Love it. (Disclaimer though - we have a childfree petfree smokefree home, so not much dirt or rough treatment.) It’s 4 years old now and looks great!

I don’t care for the reclining sofa concept, but that’s just me. My grown sons when visiting at Christmastime insisted I should have multiple reclining seats for my visitors, but that’s not going to happen. We have one recliner in the room and that’s DH’s. I make an exception for him. 😏

Oh great! I’d love to see a photo if I may! My kids are grown and my home is smoke free no pets. I’m on my feet 12 hours a day for work so I really wanted a way to put my feet up and relax. I’m not a fan of reclining sofas but this one is sleek and modern. Kind of like a recliner in disguise. Doesn’t look
grandpa-ish.

Get a sample of the fabric that you don't need to return so you can test it for stains. I tested ink, wine, ketchup and oil in different spots and used the suggested method to clean them. The toughest stain was the ketchup but the others came clean.

I totally get wanting to put your feet up after a long day. But, I think recliners are odd beasts - yep even the sleek and modern ones just look like a Lazy Boy strangly dressed up. Why not a comfortable sofa with a great ottoman in front, or a sectional with a chaise at the end of it?

I've been sofa shopping lately and looking at oodles of fabric samples. Chenille really depends on the quality of the fabric itself. Some look durable and classy, yet others look and feel like the back of a Goodwill bargain bin. The first two pics of chenille close ups don't look like the best quality. But neither does the furniture the way the fabric is sagging and hanging off of it.

It might be difficult to find a reclining sofa that looks attractive; just my opinion. A sofa is a big investment.

IMO no recliningg sofas ever get a nice sofa and ottomans and put the TV at the proper viewing height for when you are seated. I would never have chemille fabric in a space where there might be food and yes it stretches just like any fabric over time . I also dislike sectionals and for sure ones with a chaise . But all of this really depends on the space and its use .I would never have recling in a space where I have guests but if this is aTV space for 2 get wht you like I guess.

@kendrah the material in the photo where wrinkling is velvet.
It’s the one in the showroom.
The brand is Natuzzi. High quality. I’m just unsure.

@Patricia Colwell
Why wouldn’t you put a reclining sofa where you receive guests?
You don’t have to use a reclining feature, you could just have it look like a regular sofa like this one does when it’s closed?

The reclining sofa looks rather odd to me in the upright position. I think it's the thick flat horizontal back piece gives it a 1970's conversation pit vibe. The thickness of the back looks like it might be causing the seat cushion to be short when the couch is upright - is the couch comfortable to sit on when it's not reclined?

Here are pictures of my couch as requested. Flexsteel brand, not especially expensive but we do not need a couch to last 20+ years at this stage of our lives. The tag says (multiple times!) not to remove the cushion covers to wash but I have done it with no ill effects. The footstool is the same brand.

We have a reclining sofa in our second living area, used as a media room. I would highly recommend this brand. I have a DH that isn't careful and 3 dogs, although the dogs aren't supposed to be up on the furniture they still might put a wet snout or dirty paw on it. DH has dropped chocolate on it, which I found later, and was easily able to spot clean with water. The material feels and looks like suede and is rated for high usage and high stain resistance.

This is the one we have, which I think has the slimmest profile.

https://www.braccisofas.com/collections/smart-sofa/

No creases on ours, but I think that is due to the design of the sofa and not the fabric. Look at the photos on the website and you'll see that the Bracci sofas have more sections, specially on the footrest area, to avoid the creases/wrinkles that you see on the Natuzzi sofa.

@little bug.
Thank you for sending this over, your sofa is very beautiful !

Thank you everyone for your comments you have been a big help and I think I need to reassess the needs of my living room. I have a very small living. It’s a real challenge so I think I need to go back to the drawing board and go look for two loveseats that don’t exceed 40 inches in depth and perhaps get an ottoman. It’s just very difficult because all of the sofas are very low and offering no head support so ideally if I can find a nice loveseat with headrest, that would be great, thank you guys again for all your help!

I love my reclining sofas. They are stylish and comfortable!

Very nice!
I decided not to get reclining as I’ll reserve reclining for basement.
I’m looking into this sofa in a stone velvety shade. Very neutral shade which works for daily use.