Outdoors, Indoors & Everywhere in Between
By now, we’re all aware of the bonuses of performance grade fabrics. There will always be a place for the luxury of more delicate wovens, but our need for washable resiliency has grown along with the design industry’s ability to meet it. If there is a place in your life for a dog, a cat, a baby, (a teen!), a home theater, a breakfast nook or dining chairs, the desire to entertain guests regularly, or simply the desire to put your feet up on the sofa, chances are— there’s a place in your life for high traffic materials. Luckily, every Casa Branca commercial-grade fabric is held to such a high quality standard that you'd never know how hard wearing they are unless we told you.
✤ It's Sun Season ✤
When it comes to hyper-durable performance fabrics, the best are solution dyed acrylics— which means they’re made using pigment dyed fibers, instead of dip-dyed material. The process makes them water and stain resistant, and they don’t fade in the sun. (As anyone who has spent the time and effort to upholster their outdoor furniture suite in a beloved pattern knows, sun fading is enough to bring you to tears.)
And where do we go for the best-in-the-world solution dyed acrylics? Italy, of course. When outdoor fabrics were first designed decades ago, the very durability of the fibers made them more difficult to work with than cottons, silks and linen. Italian textile makers employed their hundreds of years of mastery and understanding of materials to make outdoor fabrics that could drape and be worked as easily as more traditional fabrics. While they refined their skills in outdoor fabric production, technology caught up with the industry, and now Italian mills are yards ahead (pun intended) of the game. Those mills are now able to create the most resilient fabrics, with a hand as soft and luxurious as that of indoor materials. Plus, who better to appreciate the importance of beautiful outdoor lounging than the Italians, who have been perfecting the art of sun worshiping from theMediterraneantoLake Comofor centuries?
✤ Giardino ✤
Casa Branca Giardino is 100% solution dyed acrylic, color-fast even in intense sun exposure, mold and fungi resistant, easily cleaned, richly pigmented and work as well indoors as out.
At the Windsor Beach Club, Alessandra used our Giardino to swath upholstery everywhere throughout guest suites and common areas. We’re available to answer any specific questions or give more information on abrasion, flammability, and hospitality and commercial grade guidelines.
(And Cotton Velvet)
✤ More Mohair! ✤
For the timeless classic in durability, there’s nothing like velvet. Mohair is made from the super silky fleece of Angora goats and resistant to crushing... Upholstery weight cotton velvet can hold up for decades, maintaining its color and knap like brand new fabric. Casa Branca Garda Mohair and Varese Cotton Velvet are a brilliant way to add texture and elegance to the busiest areas.
✤ Glass Fiber Papers ✤
Did you know our any of our wallcoverings can be printed on high traffic, PVC-free, woven glass fiber ground? The embossed woven texture presents the same luxe finish as a natural sisal or grasscloth paper, but is easily cleaned, breathable (helps prevent mildew in humid areas), scratch resistant, and perfect for medium to heavy traffic in office, commercial, hospitality or heavy-use residential environments. Reach out anytime for a custom quote or to let us know what you’re dreaming up.
