Until recently, prepping outdoor seating for the season mostly meant a bottle of Windex and a broom, sweeping out spiders, dusting, and wiping mildew from stiff, cracked, and faded outdoor cushions.
Those cushions were durable-ish, even comfortable-ish. If you didn’t look too close.
Happily, the performance of today’s outdoor fabrics have liberated outdoor furniture from looking (and feeling) like it belongs exclusively outdoors.
Here at the largest online furniture fabric upholstery store, we’re thrilled to see that news echoing throughout the design world, including from the likes of Architectural Digest, celebrating how outdoor setups have “gone fully upholstered.”
So, today, we’ll dig into what that means for your outdoor setup — be it patio or porch. We’ll simplify the what, how-to, and where-to start into three basic themes so you can decide what’s right for you and your home. Ahhh, summer feels pretty good already.
Quick-take: Patios Are (Finally) Feeling More Like Living Rooms
What was: You look outside as the seasons warm. You want to be outside. Therefore, you find a way to put furniture outside.
What is: You look outside from the comfort of your living room as the seasons warm. You want to be outside, but you don’t want to leave your living room. Therefore, you find a way to bring your living room outside.
That’s the shift in a nutshell. The emphasis has shifted from simply offering outdoor seating to offering softness and comfort, too.
The result, as insiders like Better Homes & Gardens share, is you get to think of your outdoor setup like a “second living room.” Yes, with its own unique character. But as another room in your overall vibe, offering the comfort and style of home.
Fabrics get you there, freeing furniture to shift from survival mode to living a little already. Like outdoor furniture dressed in a silver gray boucle, steel blue striped linen, or garden beige basketweave fabric. You and your guests may lose track of where the indoor stops and the outdoors begin.
That’s the quick-take. Comfort and style are coming home — outside. Let’s talk about how.
Theme #1: How Fabric Texture Makes Outdoor Spaces Feel Comfier
There was a particularly consistent texture in outdoor seating of the past: stiffness. Fast forward, and today’s outdoor trends have one request to make of you: Choose fabrics that feel textured and comfy. (I know, twist my arm, right?)
It’s time to reimagine the feel of fabrics you use on your outdoor furniture and decor. Specifically, focus on woven fabrics and the kind of fabrics that make it easy to forget you’re outside.
At first, this may seem like much ado about nothing. But wait ‘til you settle into your newly reupholstered outdoor furniture. You’ll find subtle differences are sometimes not subtle at all.
A porch swing feels as soothing as it looks with a bench cushion in sage green textured woven Sunbrella jacquard. Conversations bloom with chair cushions in indigo blue abstract diamond and floral pattern woven textured fabric. Even the simple addition of pillows to either or both in a white textured jacquard brings a snuggle factor never before felt outside.
(Pro tip: Throw pillows are super easy with our custom pillow cover service. Browse fabrics, pick your pillows, and we’ll send them to your door.)
How will you know if you’re choosing the right textures? If you and your guests sit down and don’t feel like getting back up because you’re so comfortable, you nailed it. So, I guess, fair warning to all you hosts. *wink*
Theme #2: Riviera Stripes Are Bringing Resort Vibes Home
Our second theme brings a smile — and a whole lot of charm.
Fun fact. There’s a difference in fabric stripe patterns. For example, nautical stripes are the stripes you often see as things like a basic navy blue and white horizontal stripe. They march in uniform.
Then there are Riviera stripes.
Riviera stripes do the salsa. Stripes of varying widths and diverse, rich colors, they have an energized and jubilant feel. And trendspotters like Homes & Gardens say Riviera stripes are setting the mood outside this year.
If you’re still not clear about the difference, why you’d care, or when to use them, think of it like this. A nautical stripe is welcoming and elegant, while a bit more serious and formal. Riviera stripes feel like I imagine hanging out on the Riviera feels. There’s still an elevated sense to it, but also a sense that cocktail hour has arrived.
Play with both. Like a sofa in a dolphin grey painterly twist on the nautical stripe. Or kick back with a smile in a lounge chair in an ocean blue Riviera stripe. Let shaded armchairs welcome you to evening cocktails in classic fern green or calming redwood stripes.
Takeaway: Use stripes to create the sense that you’re in a faraway resort destination. That also happens to be your backyard.
Theme #3: Summer Fabrics Colors Bring A Cozy, Bold Joy
Colors are getting in on the indoor-feel-outdoors fun. Here’s a simple way to visualize the palette. When you go to the beach, there are lots of warm neutrals. Literal sand tones, green grasses, taupes, and more. But on the people? In short, not that.
At the beach, people roll out their colorful, playful hues. That’s where outdoor fabrics are landing too, combining neutral foundations with accents in warm, rich, and joyful shades. Think saturated tones and bold prints.
We love the added insight about the trend from designer Eric Ross in Martha Stewart magazine, “Darker colors can hide pollen and dirt better than white or light fabrics. They also create a richer, cozier feel.”
So start with neutral foundations, and then throw in some playful pieces. Like a loveseat in textured solid coastal royal blue with botanical pattern pillows. Or a green tweed chaise lounge with goldenrod stripe print pillows. Or armchairs in cherry red canvas with abstract floral vintage vibe pillows.
It’s not bold for the sake of being bold. It’s bold for the sake of joy, for the sake of offering a break from the ordinary. Familiar foundations — with a bit of fancy fun, too.
Bonus: Why Outdoor Spaces No Longer Need To Match To Feel Right
Indoor interior design has long embraced a diversity of looks. But outdoor setups have remained committed to a matchy-matchy situation. No more.
Expressing. That’s what’s trending. Letting your furniture have a little bit of an attitude. (In a good way.) In short, if we’re aiming to make the outside feel as comfortable and lived-in as the inside, then let’s aim for something that doesn’t feel overly coordinated and pre-fab outside. Something more personal and evolving.
Not only does that take the pressure off having to do it all “right” and get everything to work with everything else. But it also frees you to gradually build whatever new theme is striking your fancy. (Like trying a DIY lounge cushion or two in a playful new pattern.)
And we’re here with all the fabrics to get you there. Because we think you deserve a softer, more colorful, and more expressive summer this year. Drop us a line or call today.
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Architectural Digest
Better Homes & Gardens
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Homes & Gardens
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Martha Stewart
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