You can have lounge room furniture on your patio... without replacing it every summer!
Did you invest in a gorgeous outdoor furniture set not so long ago? Have you whipped off the covers this summer to reveal scruffy disintegrating edges, faded blotches, and your slick patio sofa looking generally unkempt?
I’ve been there.
I love the outdoor room aesthetic: an indoor-outdoor vibe with ultra-comfortable garden sofas, chaise-longue-style loungers, and more cushions than is strictly necessary.
I do not love speckles of black mould, soggy rotting cushions, bleached grey splodges, and wasting money on patio furniture that falls apart!
Can outdoor seating be seriously comfortable, without the need to cover it every time a rain shower threatens?
Yes! The secret is in the fabric.
Image: the Armadillo Sun garden sofa set is comfortable and long-lasting. It can be left outdoors all year.
The best fabric for patio furniture
If you find yourself sitting on the base of your garden chairs all summer because you can't be bothered to take the cushions on and off, then this is for you...
There are modern outdoor fabrics that are designed to stay outside!
The highest quality fabrics for patio furniture, and the ones we use at Armadillo Sun, are woven from threads of solution-dyed acrylic or solution-dyed olefin.
Look at the label on other outdoor cushions and furniture and they’ll be made of polyester.
What’s the difference?
I’m not a Chemistry teacher - and I suspect you don’t want a lesson in chemical engineering - but three important points of difference are:
1. Susceptibility to damage by sunlight
The chemical make-up of premium outdoor fabric stands up significantly better to UV damage than polyester, and other similar synthetic fibres. This means they won’t weaken or disintegrate when left in the sun.
2. Water resistance
The outdoor fabrics Armadillo Sun uses are inherently resistant to moisture. Water beads on their surface and runs off, rather than being absorbed.
Image: water beading on an Armadillo Sun garden sofa chair after heavy rain. This hydrophobic reaction stops the fibres rotting and helps it dry quickly - so you can get back to sitting in your garden as soon as the rainshower passes.
By comparison, polyester has limited water resistance - it’ll manage a brief rain shower but repeated soakings will cause the fibre to rot. To improve its outdoor durability, polyester fabric may be woven with PVC or treated with a waterproof coating. This affects the material's breathability, making it stiff, crunchy, and uncomfortable – and there’s always a risk that the treatment wears off over time.
The absorbency of natural fibres, like cotton, is why they are not the first choice of fabric for patio furniture. Whilst beautiful and soft, cotton holds onto moisture, rots easily, and becomes a breeding ground for nasties.
3. Colour-fastness
The highest quality outdoor fabrics are not dyed like conventional fabrics, in which the thread or whole piece of fabric is dipped in a vat of dye. Instead they are solution-dyed: highly UV-resistant pigments are mixed into the material when it is still a solution, before it becomes a fibre.
The colour is therefore part of the yarn – it goes all the way through (like the orange of a carrot) rather than sitting on the surface (like the green of a cucumber).
The colour will not rub or chip off, and will not fade.
Why fabric matters when choosing long-lasting outdoor furniture
I carefully researched the fabric for Armadillo Sun outdoor furniture, starting way back in 2012, years before the company opened in 2020. I looked especially to America and Australia to lean on their experience of harsh climates.
At the time, solution-dyed acrylic (used by fabric manufacturers like Sunbrella) stood head and shoulders above the rest. It was designed to meet the tough requirements of the marine industry, but with upholstery in mind. We have since added solution-dyed olefin into our portfolio.
In the quest for comfortable long-lasting patio seating, these fabrics mean:
1) Furniture with superior outdoor durability
Outdoor furniture that is made to withstand the elements and:
- won't bleach in the sun,
- resists mould and mildew,
- is easy to clean and won’t stain,
- won’t rot, and
- will dry fast.
2) A wide range of colours & designs to choose from
I recently sent a sample outdoor cushion to an interior design client. She loved it, but added: ‘it needs to be made in outdoor fabric.’
It already was!
Outdoor soft furnishings don’t need to look shiny and crunchy, in solid blocky colours. Solution-dyed acrylic and olefin can be made into bouclé or chenille fabric - or woven on jacquard looms into detailed pattens.
The wide variety of patterns and textures available are all good enough for indoor use, but last incredibly outdoors.
Image: the Armadillo Sun premium weatherproof garden cushion in Waffle - made from olefin threads woven into a soft textured fabric.
3) Soft inviting upholstery
Outdoor materials are often stiff and uncomfortable due to waterproofing treatments. Or they leave you sweaty when you sit on them because they have little breathability.
Using a woven fabric with inherent water-resistance means it’s soft, airy, and as inviting as indoor upholstery.
4) Minimal maintenance and more time to relax
It's easy to imagine that to keep outdoor fabric furniture water-fast and looking gorgeous, it needs to be sprayed and treated.
It doesn't!
Wipe up spills with a damp cloth. That’s it.
If outdoor sofa cushions have become really grubby, they can be jetwashed for quick and easy cleaning (as shown in the video below).
Video: Armadillo Sun chaise longue-style sunlounger having mould and red wine stains easily removed with a hose or jetwash.
Comfortable outdoor furniture, that lasts outdoors
Traditional outdoor furniture sets comfort against durability: you’re expected to choose one or the other.
But I’m a demanding soul and expect both! (I suspect you are too.)
I want a luxury outdoor living space with furniture that looks good year after year. This was my inspiration for Armadillo Sun.
Image: sofa cushions made by Armadillo Sun are not damaged by sun, rain, or even snow. So you can enjoy your garden all year round.
The premium performance fabrics we use, allow our customers to create an inviting outdoor space with furniture that is durable, low maintenance, and 100% fuss-free.
All our furniture,
- uses premium solution-dyed fabrics designed specifically for indoor and outdoor upholstery uses;
- comes with a 5-year fabric guarantee; and
- is sewn by hand in the UK for the very best finish.
Find out more about why Armadillo Sun garden furniture cushions can be left outside in the rain and have your questions about fabric outdoor furniture answered in our FAQs.
We can also reupholster your existing furniture or provide replacement cushions in our premium outdoor fabric.
Customer reviews of Armadillo Sun outdoor fabric furniture
“It's comfortable and of excellent quality... and it's coping well with all the rain!” Ian C.
“Ideal for outdoor living.” Meriel N.
“Very comfortable and also weatherproof.” Patrick M.
“Fantastic product, looks great, and is really durable!” Paul A.
