Performance fabric is a term used in the furniture industry to differentiate high-performing fabric from standard upholstery fabric. What sets performance fabric apart from other fabrics is its ability to withstand the heavy wear and tear of everyday life. The most common threads used for performance upholstery fabric are olefin, acrylic, nylon, and polyester. While some high performing fabrics get their accolades from being chemically treated, others rely upon their inherent ability to deliver a high level of performance naturally without any use of chemicals. Performance fabrics are ideal for families, seniors, pet owners, or, really, anyone with a tendency to spill their wine or coffee after a sip or two.

#1 High performance materials are antimicrobial

The pandemic in the last two years made everyone more aware of the word “microbial”, but what does it mean? An antimicrobial fabric offers protection against bacteria, mold, mildew, and other hazardous microbes you wouldn’t want to hang around on your swivel chairs with your family. If a family member or person that has been over has a cold or flu, the materials that cover the furniture will offer more protection than the average upholstery fabric. Rather than soaking up all the bacteria and storing it away within the fibers, the yarns prevent the growth and spread of microorganisms within the fabric itself.

#2 Performance fabric better resists stains, chemicals, and abrasion

When you design a piece of fine, custom furniture, you obviously want it to last for generations to come. With an abrasion-resistance fabric, you shouldn’t see the fabric start to fall apart after a year or two of use. With a high-performance fabric, stains should be able to come out with some water and blotting. And tough stains like chocolate, coffee, icing, and dirty paws should be able to come out with some upholstery cleaner or a homemade mixture of vinegar and water. See these helpful videos for more tips on how to remove tough stains from upholstery. Performance fabric stands the test of time because of its proven durability while remaining comfortable for indoor use.

#3 High performing upholstery materials wick away moisture

Speaking of spill clean-ups and durability, no one likes a big damp spot on the sofa during movie night after a clean-up. A huge benefit of high performing fabric is its ability to repel moisture and dry quickly. Not only will it not absorb all the original spill, but it will also clean up in a flash and dry in no time! It is important to note that high performance fabrics are sensitive to higher heat temperatures.

#4 Not all performance fabric is chemically treated

Many high performing upholstery fabrics use perfluorochemicals (PFCs) which are a group of chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. Which are all the substances that you don’t want soaking into your furniture, yes, but does it have to involve chemicals that could be potentially harmful to your health? Fortunately, not all high-performance fabrics have to use chemicals and treatments to become the top upholstery contenders they are today. Consumers have non-chemically treated options available to them.

#5 Performance fabric can include a variety of textures designs

While these fabrics were first adopted by the outdoor cushion and fabric manufacturers, both indoor and outdoor spaces benefit from them now that they can be customized into a variety of textures, including textured designs and even velvets. These fabrics can be woven by itself or with other performance or nonperformance fibers to create even more unique looks. The sky is the limit when it comes down to the aesthetic of the design, especially with fine, custom furniture.

Revolution Fabrics is woven in the USA and loved by Amish Elegance!

At Amish Elegance, we knew our customers would need a luxury performance upholstery brand that would stand the test of time with our handcrafted, custom Amish furniture. When we recognized in Revolution fabrics the same dedication to service and integrity that we strive for ourselves, we knew we had found a luxury performance fabric brand that we could stand behind. Revolution is proud to offer a fabric that achieves a high level of performance without the use of PFC chemicals by using 100% olefin fabric. When you upholster your custom furniture with us and choose a performance fabric, know our attention to detail isn’t only in design.

It’s in the companies we work with, the employees we hire, the service we provide, the coffee we serve you in our showroom – it’s about integrity, ownership, and craftmanship. It’s who we are, and we can’t wait see inspires you. Come visit our showroom so we can get started on helping you design your next home furniture project! Visit our website here.