Nardi Maximo Fabrics & Cushions: The Complete Buyer's Guide (2026)

If you are choosing a Nardi Maximo for your garden, terrace or balcony, one decision will shape how it looks and feels for the next decade more than any other: the fabric. The Maximo is a modular outdoor lounge system built around big, deep, welcoming cushions, and those cushions are dressed in premium Sunbrella® acrylic. Get the fabric and colour right and you have a sofa that shrugs off Irish rain, coastal salt air and full summer sun while still looking showroom-fresh years from now. This is the complete, no-nonsense buyer's guide to Maximo fabrics and cushions — what they are, which colours we supply, how they perform, and how to care for them.

Meet the Nardi Maximo: a modular sofa built around its cushions

The Maximo is Nardi's flagship outdoor lounge collection — a fully modular seating system designed and manufactured in Italy. Rather than a single fixed sofa, Maximo is a family of interlocking pieces you combine to fit your space: a generous armchair, a centre seat module, left and right end modules, a corner module and a matching pouf. Because every element shares the same seat height, depth and cushion language, you can build anything from a compact two-seater for a balcony to a sprawling U-shaped conversation pit for a big terrace.

What sets Maximo apart from ordinary garden sofas is the depth of the seat and the plumpness of the cushions. This is proper "sink in with a glass of wine and stay for the evening" seating, not perch-on-the-edge patio furniture. And because the cushions are the whole experience — you sit on them, lean into them, run your hand across them — the fabric is not a finishing touch. It is the product. Nardi understands this, which is why Maximo cushions are upholstered in solution-dyed Sunbrella® acrylic, the benchmark textile for outdoor living.

Pro tip: Because Maximo is modular, you do not have to decide on your final layout today. Start with an armchair and a centre module in a fabric you love, then add corners, ends and poufs later — as long as you note the exact fabric and frame colour, everything will match years down the line.

The two-part colour system: frame + fabric

Every Maximo seating piece is specified as a combination of a frame (base) colour and a cushion fabric colour. The frame — the powder-coated aluminium and resin structure — comes in four earthy tones: Terra (warm clay), Gesso (chalky off-white), Cactus (soft sage-green) and Basalto (deep basalt grey/anthracite). The cushions then come in four Sunbrella® fabric colours: Timo, Perla, Lava and Cannella. Mixing and matching these two layers is how you make a Maximo feel like yours, and we will walk through every pairing further down.

The Maximo cushion fabrics: what Sunbrella® actually is

All Maximo seat and back cushions — and the matching corner back cushions and scatter 50x50 and 60x40 cushions — are covered in Sunbrella® performance acrylic. Sunbrella is not a coating or a treatment sprayed onto ordinary cloth; it is a woven textile engineered specifically to live outdoors, and it has been the gold standard for marine and garden fabrics for decades.

Solution-dyed vs surface-dyed — and why it matters for Maximo

This is the single most important fabric fact for anyone buying outdoor furniture in Ireland or the UK. There are two ways to put colour into a textile:

• Surface-dyed (piece-dyed): the fabric is woven first, then dipped in dye. The colour sits on the outside of each fibre, like paint on a fence. UV light and washing gradually strip that surface colour away, so cheap outdoor cushions look tired and washed-out within a season or two.
• Solution-dyed (like Sunbrella): the pigment is locked into the acrylic while it is still liquid, before the fibre is spun. The colour runs all the way through every strand, like a stick of rock. There is no surface layer to fade off because the colour is the fibre itself.

Maximo cushions use solution-dyed Sunbrella, which is exactly why they hold their colour through years of Irish summers and coastal glare. It is also why you can scrub them, and even use diluted bleach on stubborn stains, without lifting the colour. When you are investing in deep, large-format cushions like Maximo's, that through-and-through colour is what protects your investment.

Maximo cushion colours: the full range we supply

We supply all four Maximo Sunbrella cushion colours, each made to order. Here is an honest, designer's-eye look at each one and the interiors and gardens it flatters.

Timo — sage green

Timo (Italian for thyme) is a muted, herbal sage green — the colour of the moment in garden design and, happily, a colour that never really dates. It reads as calm and organic rather than loud, so it settles beautifully into planting, gravel, timber decking and stone. Timo is the natural choice if you want your Maximo to feel like part of the garden rather than an object dropped into it. It is stunning against a Gesso (chalk) frame for a fresh, botanical look, and quietly sophisticated on a Basalto frame for something moodier. If you love the green-and-neutral, plant-forward aesthetic, Timo is your fabric.

Perla — pearl grey

Perla is a soft, light pearl-grey with a gentle warmth to it — the ultimate safe-but-never-boring neutral. It is the colour we recommend most often to homeowners who want a timeless, elegant look that will still feel right if they redecorate the house or replant the borders. Perla amplifies light, which makes it wonderful for shaded courtyards and north-facing balconies where you want the seating to feel bright. Pair it with a Gesso frame for a serene, all-pale coastal scheme, or with Basalto for a crisp light-on-dark contrast that feels distinctly modern. If in doubt, Perla is the fail-safe.

Lava — charcoal grey

Lava is a deep, sophisticated charcoal — the go-to for a contemporary, architectural, high-contrast scheme. It is the most forgiving colour for busy family life because it disguises the odd bit of garden dust or a stray paw-print between cleans (though, as we will see, everything wipes off Sunbrella anyway). Lava looks razor-sharp on a Gesso or Terra frame, where the pale base throws the dark cushions into relief, and it goes full stealth-luxe when combined with a Basalto frame for an all-over dark, moody terrace. Choose Lava if your home and garden lean modern, monochrome or minimalist.

Cannella — cinnamon

Cannella (cinnamon) is a warm, spiced terracotta-brown — the most characterful of the four and the one that brings instant Mediterranean warmth to a scheme. It is gorgeous in sunlight, glowing against terracotta pots, ochre walls and natural timber, and it feels especially at home in a sun-trap courtyard or a garden with a southern-European accent. Pair Cannella with a Terra frame for a rich, tonal earthy look, or with Gesso for a softer, sun-washed feel. If you want your terrace to feel like a Tuscan or Spanish escape, Cannella is the one.

Pairing cushion colours with the Maximo frame colours

Because the frame reads as a strong colour block underneath the cushions, the frame-and-fabric pairing genuinely changes the whole mood. Here is a quick designer's cheat-sheet:

• Gesso frame (chalk white): the most versatile base. Fresh and coastal with Perla or Timo, high-contrast and modern with Lava, sun-washed and warm with Cannella. If you cannot decide on a frame, Gesso flatters every cushion colour.
• Basalto frame (basalt/anthracite): the designer's choice for drama. Tonal and moody with Lava, striking light-on-dark with Perla, unexpectedly elegant with Timo, and richly grounded with Cannella.
• Terra frame (warm clay): earthy and organic. Sings with Cannella for a full Mediterranean scheme and looks smart and modern with Lava.
• Cactus frame (sage green): the most garden-integrated base. Beautifully harmonious with Timo for a green-on-green botanical look, and softened by Perla for something calmer.

Pro tip: Match your Maximo frame to a fixed element in your garden (paving, render, decking) and match your cushions to the mood you want. A neutral frame with a bolder cushion colour ages more gracefully than the other way around — and cushions are far easier to refresh than frames.

How Maximo fabrics perform outdoors

Deep, large cushions are only a joy if they can genuinely live outside without babysitting. This is where Sunbrella earns its reputation, and it matters more for Maximo than for smaller pieces precisely because the cushions are so big — there is a lot of fabric doing a lot of work.

UV and fade resistance

Thanks to solution-dyeing, Maximo cushions are exceptionally colourfast. Sunbrella acrylic is rated to resist fading through years of direct sun exposure — the kind of performance that comes with a multi-year manufacturer fade guarantee on the fabric itself. In practical Irish and UK terms, that means a south-facing terrace will not bleach your Timo green to a sad grey or wash the depth out of your Lava. The colour you buy is the colour you keep.

Water, mould and mildew resistance

Sunbrella fabric is woven to shed water — rain beads and rolls off the surface rather than soaking straight in. Crucially, the acrylic fibre does not absorb water into itself and provides nothing for mould or mildew to feed on, so the fabric itself will not rot. Paired with Nardi's quick-dry foam cores — open-cell foam that lets water drain through and air circulate rather than trapping it — a Maximo cushion caught in a shower drains and dries far faster than a conventional dense-foam cushion. That open structure and breathability is why the cushions feel dry and fresh to sit on soon after rain, and why they resist the musty smell that plagues cheaper sets.

Salt air and coastal suitability

Along the Irish and British coast, salt-laden air is brutal on furniture. Sunbrella acrylic is inherently unaffected by salt, and Nardi's fibreglass-reinforced resin and treated aluminium frames are built for marine environments. Maximo is genuinely a coastal-appropriate choice — a rinse with fresh water now and then keeps salt from building up, and that is about the extent of the extra effort.

Breathability and comfort in the sun

Because the weave breathes, Maximo cushions do not turn clammy or trap heat the way vinyl-backed or plastic-coated cushions do. Air moves through the fabric and the open foam, so the seat stays comfortable to sit on even after a warm afternoon. That breathability is a big part of why Maximo feels like indoor-sofa comfort that just happens to live outside.

Caring for your Maximo cushions

The best news about Sunbrella is that keeping it looking new is genuinely easy. Here is everything you need to know.

Routine cleaning

• Brush off loose dirt, leaves and pollen regularly — before they have a chance to work into the weave.
• For general freshening, sponge with a solution of mild soap and lukewarm water (no hotter than around 38°C), then rinse thoroughly so no soap residue is left, and let air dry.
• Hose the cushions down occasionally, especially in coastal or dusty locations. The fabric will not be harmed by water — the quick-dry foam means it drains and dries quickly.

Stain removal — the common culprits

• Suncream and body oils: the most common outdoor-sofa stain. Blot (do not rub) to lift excess, then clean with mild soapy water. For stubborn oily marks, a small amount of degreasing washing-up liquid works well.
• Food and drink spills: blot up the spill quickly, then sponge with soapy water. Because the colour is locked into the fibre, you can be confident cleaning firmly.
• Bird mess: let it dry, lift off the solid, then clean the area with soapy water and rinse.
• Mould or mildew (usually from trapped dirt, not the fabric itself): Sunbrella tolerates a diluted bleach solution — roughly one cup of household bleach to a gallon of water — because the solution-dyed colour will not lift. Apply, let it sit, sponge clean and rinse thoroughly. Always spot-test first.

Pro tip: Rinse thoroughly after every clean. The most common cause of a "dull" or streaky Sunbrella cushion is leftover soap residue attracting dirt — not the fabric wearing out. A final clear-water rinse solves it.

Removable, washable covers

Maximo cushion covers are removable, which is a real advantage on such large cushions — you can take the cover off for a deeper clean rather than wrestling with the whole cushion. Follow the care label: as a rule, zip covers off, wash cool, never tumble dry on heat, and re-fit while very slightly damp so they settle back onto the foam without creasing. Avoid harsh detergents and fabric softeners, which can interfere with the fabric's water-shedding finish.

Winter storage of the big cushions

Sunbrella and Nardi's frames can weather the Irish winter outdoors, but the sensible approach that maximises lifespan is to protect the cushions from months of relentless damp. You have two good options: bring the large seat and back cushions indoors (a garage, shed or utility room) over winter, or leave the set assembled and shelter it under a fitted Nardi Maximo furniture cover, available in small, medium and large to suit your layout. If you store cushions away, make sure they are completely dry first and keep them somewhere ventilated — never sealed in plastic while damp.

Do's and don'ts at a glance

• Do brush off debris regularly and rinse after coastal exposure.
• Do blot spills promptly and always rinse cleaning solution out fully.
• Do use a fitted cover or store cushions dry over winter.
• Don't use a pressure washer directly on the cushions or scrub with abrasive pads.
• Don't put covers in a hot tumble dryer or iron them.
• Don't store cushions damp or wrapped airtight — that is the one thing that can cause mildew.

Durability and lifespan: why the quality is worth it

Maximo sits at the premium end of outdoor furniture, and the fabric is a big part of why. A well-cared-for set of Sunbrella-covered Maximo cushions will comfortably give you many years of everyday use while holding its colour and structure — the fabric carries a multi-year manufacturer guarantee against fading, and Nardi's Italian construction is engineered for the demands of commercial hotel and restaurant terraces, not just gentle domestic use. That contract-grade pedigree is why you see Maximo specified for hospitality settings that see relentless daily traffic.

The economics are simple: cheap outdoor cushions are a recurring cost, replaced every couple of seasons as they fade, sag and go mouldy. A Maximo is a one-time investment that stays looking and feeling good, and because it is modular, you can extend or reconfigure it over the years rather than replacing it. When a single cushion does eventually need refreshing, individual Maximo components — backrests, corner cushions and scatter cushions — are available to order separately, so you are never forced to bin the whole sofa.

Layouts: how one fabric ties a modular set together

The secret to a Maximo that looks designed rather than assembled is fabric consistency. Because the collection is modular, you will often be combining several pieces — and the fastest way to make disparate modules read as one considered sofa is to keep the same frame colour and the same seat-cushion fabric across every element. The eye reads the unbroken run of, say, Perla on Gesso as a single luxurious sofa, even though it is really an armchair, two centre modules, a corner and a pouf clicked together.

Here are the building blocks you will be working with:

• Maximo armchair — the standalone seat and the natural end-cap of a run.
• Centre seat module — the armless middle piece you add to lengthen a sofa.
• Left/right end modules — finished with a single armrest to close off each end.
• Corner module — turns your sofa through 90° to create an L- or U-shape.
• Pouf — footstool, extra seat, or push it in to create a chaise/daybed.
• Armrest components and storage pocket accessories to finish and personalise the set.

Using accent scatter cushions

Once your seat and back cushions are all one calm, consistent colour, the scatter cushions are where you get to play. This is the cheapest, easiest way to inject personality and to change the look season to season. The Maximo 50x50 cushion and the rectangular Maximo 60x40 cushion come in the same four Sunbrella colours, so you can mix and match with confidence — a couple of Cannella scatters on a Perla sofa for warmth, or Lava scatters on a Timo sofa for a crisp modern edge. Because they are all Sunbrella, your accent cushions are every bit as weatherproof as the sofa itself.

Completing the look with tables

Maximo also includes a family of coordinating low tables that share the frame finishes, so your coffee and side tables tie into the scheme too — from the generous Tavolino 80 coffee table down to the space-saving Tavolino 33 modular side table that tucks neatly beside a seat. Matching the table frame to your sofa frame is the final touch that pulls the whole terrace together.

Which Maximo setup and fabric for which use?

Every garden is different. Here is how to tailor your Maximo — layout and fabric — to how you actually live.

Full-sun terrace

On a bright, exposed, south-facing terrace, fade resistance is everything — and this is exactly where solution-dyed Sunbrella shines. Any colour will hold up, but paler tones like Perla and green Timo stay coolest to the touch and show sun-glare least. A generous open layout with a corner module and a pouf suits sociable summer entertaining.

Shaded balcony or courtyard

In shade, you want the seating to bring its own light and warmth. Perla lifts a dim corner, while Cannella adds cosy warmth. Space is usually tighter here, so an armchair plus a single centre module, or a compact two-module run, is the smart footprint. Good airflow and quick-dry foam mean cushions stay fresh even where the sun cannot reach to dry them.

Poolside

By the pool you want fabric that handles constant splashing, wet swimwear and suncream. Sunbrella's water resistance and easy suncream clean-up make it ideal; Lava is the pragmatic pick for hiding the odd oily mark between washes. A run of modules alongside a couple of Nardi Plano sun loungers makes a complete, coordinated poolside lounge.

Coastal homes

For seafront and estuary gardens, Maximo's salt-resistant fabric and marine-grade frame are built for the job. A rinse-down routine keeps salt at bay. Coastal light tends to be bright and silvery, which flatters Timo and Perla beautifully for that relaxed, breezy seaside look.

Families with kids and dogs

This is where Maximo really proves its worth. Spills, muddy paws, ice-cream and suncream all wipe or wash off Sunbrella, and the removable covers mean you can deep-clean when you need to. Lava and Cannella are the most forgiving day-to-day colours, and the modular design lets kids rearrange the pieces into forts without harming a thing. Add a couple of poufs as extra flexible seating for when everyone piles on.

A note on the wider Nardi cushion family

If you fall in love with the Maximo look but need something for a different spot, the same solution-dyed Sunbrella philosophy runs through Nardi's other cushioned pieces — from the Komodo modular sofa to a wide range of chair cushions. Everything is designed to coordinate, so a Maximo lounge and a Komodo set can happily share a garden. You can browse the full range in our Nardi outdoor furniture collection.

Frequently asked questions

What fabric are Nardi Maximo cushions?

Maximo cushions are upholstered in solution-dyed Sunbrella® performance acrylic — the leading outdoor furniture fabric — over quick-dry, open-cell foam cores. The colour is locked into the fibre during manufacture, which is what gives Maximo its outstanding fade, water and mildew resistance.

Are Maximo cushions waterproof?

They are highly water-resistant rather than fully waterproof. Sunbrella fabric sheds rain and does not absorb water into the fibre, and the quick-dry foam lets any moisture drain through and dry fast, so the cushions cope easily with showers. For long spells of wet weather, a fitted cover or indoor storage keeps them at their best.

Can I leave Maximo cushions outside?

Yes — the fabric and frame are designed to live outdoors and resist UV, rain, mould and salt air. To maximise lifespan we recommend sheltering the cushions under a Nardi Maximo cover during prolonged bad weather and storing them dry over the depths of winter.

Do Maximo cushions fade?

Because they are solution-dyed rather than surface-dyed, Maximo cushions are exceptionally fade-resistant and carry a multi-year manufacturer fade guarantee on the fabric. Even on a bright, south-facing terrace they hold their colour for many years.

How do I clean Maximo Sunbrella cushions?

For routine care, brush off debris and sponge with mild soap and lukewarm water, then rinse thoroughly and air dry. For stubborn marks, mould or mildew, Sunbrella tolerates a diluted bleach solution (about one cup of bleach per gallon of water) without harming the colour. Always rinse fully and spot-test first.

Are Maximo covers removable and washable?

Yes. Maximo cushion covers unzip for easier cleaning and refreshing — a real bonus on such large cushions. Follow the care label: wash cool, avoid harsh detergents and fabric softeners, do not tumble dry on heat, and re-fit while slightly damp for the neatest finish.

What colours does the Maximo come in?

Maximo cushions come in four Sunbrella colours — Timo (sage green), Perla (pearl grey), Lava (charcoal) and Cannella (cinnamon) — combined with four frame finishes: Terra, Gesso, Cactus and Basalto. Mixing frame and fabric lets you create anything from a fresh coastal scheme to a moody, contemporary terrace.

Ready to build your Maximo?

The Maximo is one of the finest modular outdoor lounges you can buy, and with solution-dyed Sunbrella cushions it is built to look brilliant for years with almost no fuss. Start by choosing the fabric colour that speaks to your garden, pick a frame to match, and build the layout around how you love to relax. Explore the full Maximo range and the wider collection in our Nardi outdoor furniture collection, and get in touch if you would like help configuring the perfect set for your space.