How to Choose the Best Fabric for Furniture (And Your Lifestyle)

Sharing tips and tricks for choosing the best fabric for your furniture and lifestyle, as well as the tests I love to perform on fabric samples before purchasing!

Selecting the perfect fabric for your furniture is one of the most important design decisions you’ll make. While color and silhouette often get all the attention, the fabric is what truly determines how your furniture performs over time – especially in busy, real-life homes.

Whether you’re furnishing a beach house, updating your living room, or investing in a forever sofa, here’s everything you need to know to choose a fabric that’s both beautiful and practical.

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Why Fabric Choice Matters More Than You Think

All too often, people tend to choose furniture based solely on looks and comfort. But, the fabric you choose impacts:

• Durability and longevity
• Ease of cleaning and maintenance
• Comfort and feel
• Overall aesthetic of the space

A gorgeous sofa in the wrong fabric can quickly become frustrating – especially if it stains easily or doesn’t hold up to daily use. Alternatively, it may not be as important to invest in a more expensive performance fabric for your furniture if it’s in a home without pets, children, and/or a space that receives little use (like a bed in a guest room)!

If you’ve ever read my York Sofa review post (and more importantly the comments section) you’ll quickly see what a hot topic fabric selection can be! One person can despise a piece of furniture and the other can absolutely love it, and many times it comes down to fabric selection.

We’ve had our current sofas in our living room for nearly nine years (they’re the same ones linked in the review above). We ordered them in a performance linen (which I tested a recent swatch of later in this post) and they have held up incredibly well. So much so, my sister-in-law and best friends have ordered the same sofas! We have experienced a little fading with them, but they’ve lived all nine years in front of windows and have gone through the washing machine many times. Long story short, we’ll be ordering these sofas again for the new house (I’ll share further down what fabric we’re considering).

LIVING ROOM SOURCES: Sofas (read my full review here) | Chairs | Coffee Table | Indoor/Outdoor Striped Rug | Linen Pillows (color: Mineral Blue) | Patterned Pillows | Oversized Baskets | Frame TV | Vase | Similar Grapewood Branch | “Surf Tribe” Coffee Table Book | “Joie” Coffee Table Book | “Summer to Summer” Coffee Table Book | Ceramic Urchin Catchall | Woven Shades (color: Bonaire Flaxen) | Wall & Trim Paint Color: Sherwin Williams Snowbound

We also have this sofa and these chairs that we got about five years ago for our pool house in Omaha. They’ve been sat in with wet bathing suits and, since our move south, have sat outside in Florida for years and still look incredible. They’re also a performance fabric (Perennials in Chalk and Coastal Blue) which again, I tested new samples of recently, as well. We also plan to re-order these chairs, despite their expense (just waiting on a big sale!), because we know they’re pretty much indestructible and the comfort level can’t be beat!

CARRIAGE HOUSE LIVING ROOM SOURCES: Indoor/Outdoor Sofa (fabric is Perennials in Chalk) | Leather Chairs | Coffee Table | Block Print Rug | Bamboo Side Tables | Rattan Lamps | Palm Art | Striped Throw Pillow Cover | Palm Throw Pillow Cover White Teak Bowl: sources locally at Maison 30A OUTDOOR LIVING AREA SOURCES:  Rope Chandeliers | Outdoor Sofa | Outdoor Striped Pillows | Outdoor Coffee Table | Striped Rug | Similar White Melamine Tray (same collection) | Vase | Outdoor Swivel Chairs (Perennials Performance Basketweave in Coastal Blue)

The Most Popular Furniture Fabric Options

1. Performance Fabrics (Best Overall for Most Homes)

Performance fabric is a specially engineered upholstery material designed to withstand everyday wear and tear while still looking beautiful. It’s typically treated to be resistant to stains, spills, fading, and even odors – making it a great choice for high-traffic areas, homes with kids or pets, or outdoor-adjacent spaces. Despite its durability, today’s performance fabrics are surprisingly soft and come in a wide range of colors and textures, so you don’t have to sacrifice style for practicality.

With that, performance fabrics have completely changed the game, and they’re my go-to recommendation for most homes. They do have a higher price tag in many cases, but they can end up making your furniture last years and years longer.

Pros:

• Stain-resistant and easy to clean
• Durable for kids and pets
• Often fade-resistant (great for sunny rooms or beach homes)

Cons:

• Can be more expensive
• Some options may feel slightly less soft than natural fibers

Best for:
High-traffic areas, family rooms, rentals, and beach houses (hello, 30A living 🌊)

In our 30A rental, we used this slipcovered sofa that comes in four performance fabric options (we chose the Presly Pearl). Despite what many believe, white can be one of the easiest fabrics to clean because you don’t have to worry about fading or bleaching. With this being a rental, we also love that you can purchase additional slipcovers to have a backup on hand between turns (or if you want to change the look entirely)! Ours is two years old and still looks like new!

LIVING ROOM & KITCHEN SOURCES: Slipcovered Sofa | Media Cabinet | Blue Pillow Covers | Blue Swivel Arm Chairs | Fringe Lumbar Pillow Covers | Coffee Table | Moss Bowl | Rug | Ceiling Fans

2. Linen (Light, Airy, and Coastal)

If you love that relaxed, Nancy Meyers meets Serena & Lily aesthetic, linen can be a dream.

Pros:

• Breathable and soft
• Beautiful, casual drape
• Perfect for that effortless coastal look

Cons:

• Wrinkles easily
• Can stain more easily without treatment
• Less durable in high-traffic homes

Best for:
Low-traffic spaces, formal living rooms, or styled areas. However, you can now find many performance linens that are a blend with synthetics to make them more stain resistant or a treated cotton blend which keeps the fibers 100% natural.

3. Cotton (Classic and Versatile)

Cotton is a tried-and-true favorite that works in almost any setting.

Pros:

• Soft and comfortable
• Widely available
• Typically more affordable
• A crisp white cotton can typically be bleached if necessary

Cons:

• Can stain and wrinkle
• May fade over time

Best for:
Everyday use if treated or blended with performance fibers. I typically also recommend going with a slipcover in this situation so you can easily remove it and wash as needed.

4. Velvet (Luxe and Elevated)

Velvet instantly elevates a space and adds depth and richness.

Pros:

• Beautiful texture and depth
• Surprisingly durable when high-quality
• Resistant to pilling

Cons:

• Can show marks or pressure lines
• Not ideal for sandy or beach-heavy environments

Best for:
Accent chairs, formal spaces, or statement pieces.

5. Leather (Timeless and Durable)

Leather is one of the most durable and timeless choices available.

Pros:

• Extremely durable
• Easy to wipe clean
• Develops a beautiful patina over time

Cons:

• Can be expensive
• May feel cold or sticky depending on climate

Best for:
High-use spaces, offices, or homes wanting a classic Ralph Lauren look.

How to Choose the Right Fabric for Your Needs

Here’s where things really come together – because the best fabric is the one that works for your lifestyle.

1. Consider Your Lifestyle First

In order to choose the best fabric for your needs, you’ll first need to ask yourself:

• Do you have kids or pets?
• Entertain regularly with a house full of people?
• Will this piece be used daily or occasionally?
• Is it in a high-traffic area?
• Is there a high-chance of spills (i.e. dining chair vs a headboard)

👉 If yes to any of the above:
Go with performance fabric, a slipcovered piece of furniture that is machine washable, or leather.

2. Think About Your Environment

For homes near the coast or those that get a lot of traffic and use:

• Look for fade-resistant fabrics
• Avoid delicate materials like untreated linen
• Choose easy-clean options for sand and sunscreen

3. Evaluate Maintenance Level

Be honest about how much upkeep you’re willing to handle:

• Low maintenance: Performance fabrics, leather
• Medium: Cotton blends
• High: Linen, velvet

4. Pay Attention to Fabric Durability Ratings

When selecting a fabric, it’s important to look for:

• Double rub count rating (Wyzenbeek test), which tests durability and simulates a person sitting down and getting up. You’ll want to ensure a rating of:
  • 15,000+ = residential use (ideally 30,000+)
  • 25,000+ = heavy use (ideally 40,000+)

This is especially important if you’re investing in custom upholstery. Most performance fabrics I’ve recently tested have rub counts of 50,000 to 100,000 so there have definitely been advances in this area over the years! One important thing to note: rub count is not indicative of whether or not a fabric will pill. It purely tests how many sits/rubs until it will become threadbare and a hole develops.

5. Order Samples (Always!)

Fabric can look completely different in your home’s lighting or with other decor in the space. Not only that, samples give you the option to test how well a fabric cleans up when faced with stains. Here are some other tips:

• View samples in natural and evening light
• Test how they feel
• Try a small spill test if possible

Most retailers will ship free fabric samples to you or charge a minimal fee. I one million percent recommend ordering samples for any piece of furniture you plan to purchase unless it’s a very affordable accent piece you’re okay replacing down the line. If you have any interest in ordering furniture, order the samples, so when an item goes on sale or you’re ready to purchase, you’ll be prepared and won’t make a snap decision that could lead to regret! I share a lot more on this topic in the next section of this post.

The Fabric Samples I Tested

I’ve been collecting fabric samples since the day we knew we were building our new home. As I narrowed down my furniture selections (particularly once we knew we’d be selling our home fully furnished), I did some aggressive sample testing. And by that, I mean I tried to destroy every single fabric I was considering! You can watch a quick video of everything in action here.

Here are the fabrics that were lead contenders on various pieces of furniture for our new house, some indoors, some outdoors, some high-traffic like counter stools and others low-traffic like headboards.

I’m a strong believer in performance fabrics if that isn’t already clear, but I did test one fabric (the bottom one- White Twill) that wasn’t performance for comparison. It’s actually the fabric we currently have on this bed in our guest room. We’ve owned the bed for six or seven years now and it does have a few dirty areas (mostly from moving) but otherwise has worked great on a bed, despite it not being a performance fabric. But I wouldn’t recommend the fabric on anything that could come in contact with spills, stains or really much action and you’ll quickly see why.

While all of these samples came from Serena & Lily and Pottery Barn, several of the fabrics are national brands (like Sunbrella, Perennials, etc.) that you can typically find with multiple retailers so don’t let the store name distract you!

SOURCES (top to bottom, left to right): Perennials Basketweave in Sky (a lighter blue but same fabric of our outdoor swivel chairs) | Perennials Basketweave in Chalk (what we have on our carriage house sofa above)| Perennials Pinstripe in Coastal Blue | Perennials Pinstripe in Sand | Performance Twill in Warm White | Sunbrella Performance Slub Tweed in White | Performance Everydaylinen in Ivory | Performance Rustic Linen in White | Performance Everydaylinen in Oatmeal (the fabric currently on our living room sofas) | Performance Rustic Linen in Chambray | Performance Rustic Linen in Parchment | Twill in White (the only non-performance fabric tested)

Here you can see each fabric with the five items I used to try and stain them: red wine, coffee, a blue Sharpie, yellow mustard and olive oil. For your own tests, I recommend trying items that you’ve had issues with historically: dirt, dark chocolate, sunscreen, etc. This is your chance to see how well each fabric performs with items you come in contact with most frequently!

Starting at the top and working my way down, I went in order and first applied the red wine to everything, then the coffee to all samples, then the mustard, olive oil and finally the blue Sharpie as a last minute test. You can see during that timeframe which fabrics were still repelling the wine/coffee/oil and which had started absorbing them rather quickly.

I then took a paper towel and tried to blot up any of the liquid. Once I did that, I then took a wet microfiber rag and allowed myself about 5-10 seconds to try and scrub out the other items. Here were the results of that test:

Lastly, I sprayed some Miss Mouths spray on all of the remaining stains to see what I could lift. Again, I used I white microfiber cloth and only allowed myself about 10 seconds of scrubbing. Here’s how things stood at that point! They’re still a bit damp here, but you can quickly see the mustard lifted pretty dramatically with the spray, and the Sharpie definitely faded on most.

Nearly two weeks later, I then decided I should cut them off cardstock backing and throw them in the washing machine to see if I could get any more out. You’ll obviously always want to follow each individual fabric’s washing instructions, but for this case I just threw them all in one load.

I probably couldn’t have used duller scissors, and some of the fabrics obviously shredded a bit since they were raw edges, but you can see which ones came out in the wash even better! They were still a smidge damp here and some wouldn’t lay flat, but I was losing daylight and it’s still pretty clear which ones cleaned up the best. And it also helps emphasize why slipcovers can be such a great option for many pieces of furniture – you can get many even cleaner in the wash!

By far, the best performing fabrics were:

• The entire Perennials line, with the Basketweave being even tougher (a long-time favorite of ours)
• Sunbrella Performance Slub Tweed in White (which has me swapping out the original fabric I had planned for our dining chairs)
• Performance Everydaylinen in Oatmeal (what we currently have on our nine year old sofas)!

The new Performance Rustic Linens from Pottery Barn came in as close seconds (particularly since they have a 100,000 rub count and are a linen/cotton blend so zero synthetics involved).

My Go-To Recommendation (Especially for Coastal Homes)

If you want that light, airy, coastal look without the stress, I almost always recommend:

👉 A performance linen blend or performance acrylic in a soft white, ivory, or warm neutral. Shades of blue are also a great option!

It gives you:

• The relaxed, casual aesthetic
• Much better durability
• Peace of mind for real life

At the end of the day, the “best” fabric isn’t just about looks – it’s about how you live.

The goal is to find that sweet spot where:

• Your furniture looks beautiful
• It feels comfortable
• And it actually works for your everyday life

Because the best spaces aren’t just pretty – they’re meant to be lived in. Do you have any fabrics or pieces of furniture that have cleaned up and/or held up remarkably well over the years? I’d love to hear in the comments!

I hope you found this exercise helpful and interesting!

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