Innovations in Outdoor Fabrics

During the last few years, we've all felt the benefit of spending time outside. Experiencing life in the great outdoors has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, as well as increase feelings of wellbeing and contentment. So it's hardly surprising that sales of properties with gardens have soared as more of us choose to treat our outside space as an extension of our indoor living areas.

But did you know that the fabric industry has responded to the growing popularity of al fresco living? New, innovative fabrics are emerging that are specifically designed for outdoor use.

Here, we take a look at the technical advances that have led to the creation of high-performance fabrics designed to withstand whatever nature may throw at them.

WHY OUTDOORS IS THE NEW INDOORS

Following numerous pandemic lockdowns, the ability to escape the four walls of the home to enjoy time outside has become increasingly valuable. As a result, there has been a move towards viewing your outside space as a 'fifth room' – an outdoor seating area that can become an extension of your indoor living space.

The key with this approach is to treat your outside space very much as you would your interior. This means comfortable places to sit, and the use of outdoor versions of interior items such as lamps, coffee tables, rugs, and even mirrors.

The design of garden furniture has also been adapted to reflect the popularity of outdoor sitting rooms. You can now buy sofas and armchairs that are very similar in style to those typically found inside the home, but they are specifically designed to withstand weather, water and stains.

HOW FABRICS ARE ADAPTING IN RESPONSE TO OUR CHANGING LIFESTYLES

With more of us placing an emphasis on enjoying our outdoor spaces, it makes sense that fabric experts have been hard at work to adapt materials to keep pace with our changing lifestyles. FibreGuard Outdoor's fabrics have been designed using the latest, cutting-edge technologies to create a solution-dyed polyolefin yarn specifically developed for outside use.

This 'solution-dyed' process is crucial in this context because it enables colour to be securely locked into the fabric. The result? Colour fast and highly durable surface. And because these fabrics are specially engineered for outdoor use, they will repel water and dirt as well as prove resistant to mould, mildew and bad odours.

What does this mean for you? That you can get on with enjoying the great outdoors without having to worry about any nasties lurking in your furniture!

Related read: Choosing the best fabric for outdoor furniture >

WHY CHOOSE FIBREGUARD OUTDOOR FABRICS?

1. The FibreGuard Outdoor range offers innovative, breathable fabrics that are highly resistant to weather, water and stains.
2. Our high-performance fabrics are impressively durable. They are built to last for many years to come, despite what the weather may throw at them.
3. Created using solution-dyed polyolefin yarn, FibreGuard Outdoor fabrics are colour fast and fade resistant making them perfect for exterior use.
4. Our high-tech outdoor fabrics are resistant to mould, mildew and bad odours. They are also easy to clean because of FibreGuard's embedded stain-free technology. Any spills can be simply cleaned up with water and a rub with a bar of soap. In addition, the fabrics are stain-resistant, even to sun cream, making them perfect for summer use.
5. FibreGuard Outdoor fabrics are available in a range of exciting patterns and textures. Gone are the days when fabrics for exterior use were plain and boring. Instead, you’ll now find a variety of textures more normally associated with interior fabrics. And they're all soft to the touch as well as highly durable and weather resistant.

Want to find out more about FibreGuard Outdoor? Taking your indoor style into the great outdoors has never been easier with our range of durable, weather-resistant fabrics.