The most kid and pet friendly couch material is leather. So far our blue leather couch has coped with 18 years of toddlers falling asleep and weeing on it, cat vomit, Easter eggs melting between the cushions, spilt milk, spilt orange juice, spilt red wine, spilt coffee, and muddy dog paws. It just wipes clean. Our white leather chair is just as durable and is now 24 years old and just starting to look grubby. So go with beige or cream if you want. It would be a lovely choice, just make sure it is leather. Black or mid or dark brown would also look lovely with that beautiful rug but I think lighter colours would look fresher. Don't be at all scared to use light coloured leather.

Congratulations on your new home. I think you have been very sensible to live in it for a year before starting your decorating, it has given you time to consider the lighting and aspect of each room in all seasons as well as time to evaluate how you want to live in your home and exactly what you need. The lounge does look very big and bulky and will definitely dominate the room, so I would keep to the lighter colour. Don't worry about the kids and dirt - as Kookykaren said, leather cleans easily - sharp objects and textas are your bigger worry regardless of what colour you choose. Laying newspaper on the floor to the size of the lounge is another way of checking how it will look as it gives you a better indication of bulk than tape. I would keep your ottoman simple (one with storage is an excellent idea with the children), just a tone on tone fabric or a pattern using the colours in the rug on the floor of the photo of the lounge. I don't think you have room for too large an ottoman but I would have a square one made the same height as the lounge so when just you and DH are watching TV you can push it against the other end of the lounge and both have a chaise. You can then bring some colour with art work or some patterned cushions on the lounges.

That's an interesting dilemma. I would be inclined to go with the dark grey chairs because: - the chairs will be under the table surface most of the time, so it shouldn't be "too dark" when combined with the dark grey sofa; - the dark grey should tie in well with the sofa; and - the dark grey will provide a nicer contrast with the concrete table surface. Does the store you're purchasing from have a returns policy? If you explained your dilemma, they may allow you to take one of each colour home to see which colour works best in the space. Alternatively, can you go to the store which stocks the table, see what other chairs they have in the showroom and see if there are some light grey and dark grey variations that you can try in the store?

If you have a bit of storage space then consider buying a couple of inexpensive easy wipe stackable chairs (eg ikea) for visiting kids to use. Parents and you can then relax and enjoy the meal without worrying about your upholstery. Alternatively, tie-on seat cushions will give some protection plus a height boost for little ones.