New outdoor fabrics are as tough as they are fashion-forward

"People are coming in and buying outdoor fabrics to upholster their indoor couches," says Darlene Patterson of Terris Draheim, a Seattle Design Center showroom specializing in garden furniture and fabrics. New outdoor fabrics are so soft, pretty and comfortable you'd never guess they're bulletproof, resisting stains, mildew, fading — even the onslaught of kids, cats and dogs. No wonder these fabrics are crossing the threshold to enliven and soften our interior spaces as well as our gardens.

Fabric technology has come a long way. Remember when a summer-evening ritual was to collect all the cushions and bring them indoors? You could leave those hard, woven plastic things outdoors, but they were so stiff and cold you never wanted to sit on them anyway. The best of the new outdoor fabrics are cushy, yet water beads up, dirt washes off with a little soap and water, and they're impervious to mildew.

"Crossover fabrics are a big trend; they're so family-friendly," says Patterson. She explains that the "hand" of outdoor fabrics, how supple and drapey they are, is now indistinguishable from interior fabrics. Which is pretty amazing for 100 percent solution-dyed acrylic. Solution dying locks the colors into the fabric. Although you probably don't want to, you can use bleach to clean these fabrics without fearing loss of color.

"Any fabrics you can find for indoors, you can get for outdoors — even chenille, plush velvet and classic damask," says Patterson. I show my ignorance by asking if she's talking about Sunbrella, the term I've always used for these Teflon-like fabrics. Turns out that's a trademark name that's become popular, like Kleenex. There are a great many brands of these fabrics now; Sunbrella was just the first on the scene, and widely available at Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Crate and Barrel, and Design Within Reach among others.

With the Sunbrella confusion straightened out, we went on to the fun part. What colors are new this spring? Last year orange was the big seller, but this summer you'll find more aqua, teal and other watery blues, along with sunflower yellow. Patterson is keen on a new line from Italy called Maria Flora, which she describes as having "clean, bright European colors and incredible quality." The Nomi brand includes textural wovens and hand-screened prints. And these fabrics aren't just for chair or chaise cushions. They're also made into tablecloths, napkins and umbrellas.

And now fashion designer Trina Turk has turned her hand to outdoor fabrics in a color palette bright enough to warm up even a Seattle summer. Turk, who studied apparel at the University of Washington and found her first job at Seattle-based Britannia jeans, is a wildly successful designer of chic sportswear with a California vibe. She's known for her signature fashion prints and carries that aesthetic into her upholstery fabrics with near-vibratory patterns slightly reminiscent of old kitchen linoleum. But in a sophisticated way. "Trina's fabrics are so different from the usual Northwest designs," says Jan Carter of the Schumacher showroom at the Seattle Design Center. "The line was launched just last March. It's doing well . . . People love the vibrant, brilliant colors."

All of Turk's prints have an organic feel; some look a bit like feathers, others like trellising, bubbles or maybe amoeba. The colors, like soft pumpkin, mossy green and rich brown, get me thinking about which plants would look best growing around them. It's a good sign for outdoor fabric when we start matching our plants to what the designer has come up with, rather than the other way around.

Valerie Easton is a Seattle freelance writer. Check out her blog at www.valeaston.com.