Let me tell you about "The Great Blueberry Smoothie Incident of 2014." A rather unfortunate collision involving myself, a door, and a toddler resulted in an entire cupful of deeply hued blue stuff spilling all over my office rug. And I mean all over.
Normally this would be a cue for violins, weeping, or at the very least a softly muttered curse word. (Got to be aware of little ears, you know). But, as it turned out, cleaning everything up was no biggie, because my rug is this one, made of indoor/outdoor fibers.
Fans of this blog know that I love indoor/outdoor products, and I think it's easy to see why. They clean up with just a little elbow grease and water (and sometimes a mild soap solution). That means you can have a sparkling white sofa, even if you have kids or pets. They're also great if you live in a place with a lot of sun, like I do, as they won't fade like normal fabrics. In short, they're rather awesome, and I recommend them quite often in my work.
There's one drawback to them, though: the breadth of offerings--while growing all the time--is not as deep as it is with regular fabrics. I searched for a good looking pink suzani option for a client's dining chairs recently, and came up short. (Fabric manufacturers out there: take note! You have a hole in your lines.)
But that search did lead me to a great resource that I'm excited to share with you: Link Outdoor. They may not have a suzani on tap, but they do have some absolutely charming block print styles that I haven't seen anywhere else, at least not in indoor/outdoor form. And their geometric and stripe options--not to mention their trims--are pretty swell too. The line is the result of a collaboration with design duo Doug and Gene Meyer, who are noted for their skill with color. That's readily apparent here.
I think these fabrics and trims would be just smashing on any indoor upholstery, and of course they'd make for some darling outdoor furniture, too. Available from a variety of design showrooms nationwide, they give you that urbane, John Robshaw vibe wrapped up in a totally space age fiber. How's that for the best of both worlds?