We wanted a very firm and supportive sofa at an affordable price, small enough for a cramped Bay Area apartment but not too small for 3 people to watch a movie, attractive, and upholstered in a pet-friendly fabric like microfiber. We got all that with this sofa. It looks like the velvet sofas I so desperately want, but you can wipe the cat hair right off it. I have high hopes for when the cat pukes on it for the first time.