Welcome Back!  

By Sheryl Novak

Be they snowbirds or year-rounder ex-pats, Northerners who make their homes in Huatulco can be taken aback at how hard the climate, especially the sun and salt air, is on their furniture.  Upholstered furniture and cushion covers can deteriorate at an alarming rate.

Until a few years ago, there were just two options for sofa and sectional covers – fabric or leather.  Now there’s a new online company – SOLutions Mexico (www.solutionsmexico.com) that offers a different option for ocean-front homes:  furniture upholstered with performance fabric.

Performance fabric, originally created for the military, quickly caught on with sports apparel industry.  These fabrics then became the material of choice for awnings, outdoor furniture and boating, and now, they have been picked up by furniture industry to give longer life to upholstery.  In the past, a sofa might have had an average life span of 5 to 8 years.  With performance fabrics, the forecast is for 20 years or more.  Basically, you’ll get tired of your sofa before your sofa tires of you!

Sometimes referred to as smart textiles, these fabrics resist fading, repel liquids, and prevent stains from dirt and oils. These textiles are also fire-retardant and prevent the growth of bacteria, fungi and mold. Although you might think they would feel hard or plastic, they are soft and comfortable.  

Before being woven into the fabric, each individual thread is coated with nanofibers.  Once woven, the entire fabric is coated again.  The best part is that these easy-care performance fabric covers are available in hundreds of great designs and styles. 

To test out whether performance fabrics could really pass muster, we did our own inhouse test.  We poured red wine on a white performance fabric and left it overnight.  (We also spilled a few tears when we used up the red wine!)   With high hopes, we checked the fabric in the morning and true to its hype, the red wine came right off with just one swipe of a cloth.  No stain!   (For those interested in seeing this experiment with your own eyes, bring over two bottles of wine and we’ll show you – one for the experiment and one to drink while we wait!)

In the past few years, due to the demand for this type of textile, production has increased and the price per square meter has dropped significantly, making furniture covered with performance fabrics more affordable.  For ocean-side homes in humid environments, there is simply no better choice than a stain resistant, stylish and affordable sofa in performance fabric.  

Sheryl Novak is the owner of SOLutions Mexico.  After working through the difficulties in furnishing her home in Bucerias, Nayarit, she decided to make it easier for others by creating an online store.  SOLutions Mexico (www.solutionsmexico.com) offers brands such as Lazyboy, Palliser, Murphy Beds Mexico, and more!