Why Functional Fabrics Matter More Than Ever in the Furniture Industry

Insights from 20 Years of Manufacturing and Working With European Buyers

My name is Sunbin Qi, and over the past two decades, I’ve worked closely with furniture wholesalers, retail buyers, and sourcing teams across Germany, the Netherlands, and beyond. I've had countless conversations around cost, style, logistics—but in recent years, one topic keeps coming back: fabric performance.

In 2015, I founded ASKT Furniture with one goal—to create dining chairs that are not just beautiful, but functional in real-world commercial settings. In this post, I want to share some of the most critical lessons we've learned about high-performance upholstery and why your next fabric choice could make or break your project.

Waterproof Performance

Why Spill Resistance is Now Non-Negotiable

Let me take you into a breakfast café in central London—peak hours, servers rushing, customers reading emails with one hand and sipping lattes with the other. Then it happens: a dropped glass of orange juice. If you’re using standard upholstery, that juice isn’t just a mess—it’s a liability.

That’s why at ASKT, we developed a nano-scale hydrophobic coating on our fabrics. Instead of soaking in, liquid beads up on the surface. The staff can simply wipe it away without leaving a trace.

Real-World Impact

In one of our case studies from a restaurant group in Munich, our chairs reduced cleanup time by nearly half and showed over 70% less liquid absorption than untreated materials. This is especially valuable during peak hours, where every minute of downtime matters.

Waterproofing is no longer a bonus—it’s a core feature for any furniture used in hospitality, commercial dining, or even high-traffic retail.

Abrasion Resistance

Designing for High Turnover and Daily Wear

If you've supplied furniture to cafes, coworking spaces, or hotels, you know the pressure that comes from repeated daily use. The challenge is maintaining a fresh appearance even after thousands of customer visits.

Our fabrics consistently exceed 50,000 Martindale rubs, meeting the global benchmark for high-traffic furniture. This isn’t a theoretical rating—our testing includes chair usage in actual public spaces, where guests don’t treat chairs gently.

Application Example

We partnered with a Berlin-based coffee chain that operates 20+ outlets. After two full years of use, not a single fabric replacement was needed. No pilling. No sagging. The seats looked and felt like new.

When you choose abrasion-resistant materials, you're not just preserving appearance—you're extending your furniture’s life cycle and improving your return on investment.

Breathable Comfort

Comfort Is More Than Cushioning

Years ago, I sat in a coworking space in Poznań for a three-hour meeting. The chairs looked elegant—faux leather with clean lines—but within 30 minutes, it felt like I was sitting on a vinyl mat. I was sweating, shifting, uncomfortable. And I wasn’t alone.

That experience drove us to rethink how fabric interacts with the human body. Our solution: multi-layered construction. The top layer blocks liquids, while an inner mesh enables airflow, heat dissipation, and moisture regulation.

We tested our materials using the ISO 11092 standard for thermal and vapor resistance, scoring above 5 Ret—an indicator of excellent breathability.

Feedback From the Field

In a pilot project at a shared workspace in Poland, our breathable chairs received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Users reported longer sitting periods without discomfort—especially compared to traditional PU leather or budget fabrics.

This matters in environments where comfort is tied directly to productivity, retention, or repeat business.

Pet-Friendly Materials

Meeting the Growing Demand for Animal-Friendly Solutions

Pet-friendly spaces are no longer niche—they're mainstream. In hotels, cafes, and even urban furniture showrooms, buyers increasingly want materials that can handle claws, fur, and wear from our four-legged companions.

At ASKT, we’ve combined anti-scratch filament yarns with a dense textile weave. This design does two things:

Prevents claw damage
Keeps fur from embedding in the fabric

These fabrics have passed over 1200 cycles of claw resistance testing. They’re not just pet-tolerant—they’re pet-ready.

Use Case in the Netherlands

We supplied seating for a group of pet-friendly Airbnb properties in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. After six months of continuous guest stays—many with dogs and cats—the upholstery remained in excellent condition. Property owners praised the time saved on cleaning and the reduced need for cover replacements.

If you're targeting short-term rental suppliers, family-oriented retailers, or pet-welcoming cafes, pet-friendly fabrics are more than a trend. They’re a requirement.

Certified Safety

Fabric That’s Safe for Families, Kids, and the Planet

Furniture fabrics come into daily contact with skin, food, and air. Yet, many suppliers still overlook chemical safety as a core buying factor. We don’t.

Every textile we offer carries the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certification. This globally recognized safety mark confirms that all components—from dyes to threads—are free of harmful substances. We also comply with REACH and EN 14362-1 standards, meeting EU chemical safety laws.

Case in Point

A family-focused German retail chain was looking for a chair collection that was stylish, durable, and safe for homes with young children. After extensive audits, they chose ASKT. Their confidence came not only from our test reports but from knowing we embed safety into every layer of our product development.

Safe fabrics don't just protect the buyer—they protect your brand reputation.

Beyond Fabric: How We Built a System Around Performance

From R&D to Testing to Transparent Quality Control

When I say we care about performance, it’s not just about choosing the right yarns or coatings. We’ve built a full quality control infrastructure to make sure the final product reflects our promises.

At our 1,200-square-meter R&D center, we’ve integrated:

A full testing lab
A dedicated sample production area
Real-life staging environments based on German family living scenes

Our team uses 12 specialized testing machines, each simulating the wear, stress, and environmental factors that dining chairs face in real-world use. These include:

Static and dynamic load tests
Seat and back impact tests
Color fastness and fabric tension durability

And to ensure our inspections are 100% transparent, we equip 11 quality inspectors with wearable video recorders that document every test in real time.

This is how we maintain trust with partners who demand accountability—not just claims.

Why All of This Matters to You

The True Cost of Choosing the Wrong Fabric

Every buyer knows that product returns, poor reviews, and maintenance costs add up quickly. But what many underestimate is how much of this risk is tied to fabric performance.

When chairs stain, pill, tear, or trap odors, the problem isn’t always the frame—it’s often the textile. And yet, because fabric is just one line on a spec sheet, it doesn’t always get the attention it deserves.

I’ve spent years helping buyers avoid that mistake.

Choose a performance fabric, and you’re not just protecting the chair—you’re protecting the experience your customer has with it. You’re reducing service calls, extending product life, and giving your end-users a reason to come back.

A Few Final Words

If you're sourcing for:

Restaurant groups
Furniture wholesalers
Online platforms like Wayfair, Otto, or Amazon
Hotel or coworking operators
Pet-friendly or family-oriented retail channels

…then investing in high-performance, certified fabrics isn’t optional—it’s a competitive edge.

Our team at ASKT would love to support your sourcing goals with materials that are tested, certified, and field-proven. I’d be happy to share detailed specs or send you real samples to experience the difference firsthand.

You can always reach me at sales@sinoaskt.com or message me directly on WhatsApp: +86 18912605997. You can also browse more at www.asktfurniture.net.

Let’s create furniture that doesn’t just survive the market—but thrives in it.

Warm regards,

Sunbin Qi

Founder & CEO, ASKT Furniture