LMI Q&A: Performance Fabrics

LMI Q&A: Performance Fabrics

Performance fabrics are one of our favorite ways to make a beautiful home a little easier to live in. They’re designed to withstand everyday wear and tear and make spills and stains easier to clean, which makes them especially helpful in homes with kids or pets. We tend to use them in the spaces that work the hardest, like family rooms, breakfast areas, dining chairs, counter stools, and other upholstered pieces that see a lot of daily use. With the holidays coming up, they’re especially nice when your home is full of family, friends, food, and plenty of opportunities for spills.

Are performance fabrics really stain-proof, or just stain-resistant?

I would say stain-resistant rather than stain-proof. Performance fabric gives you a much better chance of getting a spill or stain out, but it doesn’t mean you can spill anything on your sofa, leave it there, and expect it to disappear.

The biggest benefit is peace of mind. If someone spills a glass of wine at a party or your kids climb onto the sofa with snacks, you have a fabric that’s designed to handle real life a little better.

Do performance fabrics still feel soft and luxurious? Do they look as nice as traditional fabrics?

Absolutely. Performance fabric has come a long way. There are beautiful velvets, linens, bouclés, chenilles, and textured wovens that you would never know were performance fabrics just by looking at or touching them. That said, I will always choose fabric based on how it looks and feels first. I don’t want to use something just because it’s practical if it doesn’t work with the design. The goal is always to find that balance between something beautiful and something that makes sense for how our clients actually live.

What’s the best way to clean and care for performance fabric at home?

The most important thing is to follow the care instructions for your specific fabric. Not every performance fabric should be cleaned the same way, and every fabric has a cleaning code that tells you what can safely be used on it. For everyday spills, act quickly and blot rather than scrub. We love Folex for a lot of household stains, but I would always check the manufacturer’s instructions before using any cleaning product on upholstery.

At the end of every LMI project, we gift our clients a cleaning and care guide for the materials we’ve selected. You’ve invested in these pieces, and knowing how to properly care for them is one of the best ways to keep them looking beautiful.

Can performance fabrics be used outdoors? What’s the difference between indoor and outdoor versions?

Some can, but performance and outdoor don’t automatically mean the same thing. An indoor performance fabric may be great at resisting stains but not designed to sit in direct sun or get wet over and over again.

For outdoor spaces, we look specifically for fabrics designed to withstand UV exposure, moisture, mildew, and pollen, in addition to everyday stains. Always check that a fabric is actually rated for outdoor use before specifying it outside.

Do performance fabrics fade in direct sunlight?

They can. Stain resistance and fade resistance are two different things, so just because something is labeled performance doesn’t necessarily mean it can withstand years of direct sunlight. If we’re working with a room that gets a lot of strong sun, we look at the fabric’s UV and fade-resistance specifications in addition to its stain resistance.

Are performance fabrics safe for kids? What should homeowners know about chemical treatments?

Performance fabric can be a great choice for homes with children, but I wouldn’t assume every performance fabric is made the same way. If this is something you’re concerned about, look beyond the word “performance” and ask how the fabric gets its stain resistance. We work with trusted manufacturers and can look for things like PFAS-free fabrics and third-party certifications such as GREENGUARD Gold. It’s another reason we like knowing exactly what we’re specifying rather than choosing something based on a marketing label alone.

Can you add a stain-resistant treatment to a fabric you already love?

Absolutely, and we do this quite a bit when we fall in love with a fabric that isn’t inherently performance. We work with Clean As A Whistle to professionally treat these materials, which can give them an added layer of stain resistance.

Another option is fabric lamination. This can be especially helpful when we find an interesting print or pattern that we want to use somewhere like a breakfast nook or dining chair and want the space to be easily wipeable. Performance selections can sometimes be more limited, so treatments like these allow us to prioritize the design while still making the fabric more practical for everyday life.

Just remember that treatments don’t make a fabric completely stain-proof, and they’re not appropriate for every textile. We always look at the individual fabric and manufacturer’s care requirements first.

Which vendors or lines do you trust most for performance fabrics?

Crypton, InsideOut, and Revolution are three names we come back to again and again. There aren’t endless manufacturers that specialize in true performance fabrics, so we tend to rely on brands with established performance standards and products we’ve had experience using.

Does every piece of furniture need performance fabric?

Definitely not! When selecting fabrics, we think about where the piece is going, who will use it, and how often. I care much more about performance on the family-room sofa that’s used every day than I do on a chair in a formal space that’s used only occasionally. Sometimes the fabric we love most isn’t performance, and if the piece isn’t going to see a lot of wear, that’s perfectly fine. It’s really about choosing the right material for the way that particular piece will be used.

Performance fabric isn’t about making your home indestructible. It’s about being strategic so beautiful spaces can handle real life. It’s one of our favorite ways to give our clients a little more peace of mind and create homes they can actually live in and enjoy. If you have questions about designing a home around the way you live, my inbox is always open. And if you’re ready for some help bringing it all together, we’d love to hear more about your project.