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Using Cushions to Enhance Your Decor…
Welcome to the wonderful world of cushions! In any space cushions introduce colour, texture and form – all vital ingredients when you’re finessing a room.
Get to know the wider world of cushions as a décor item by understanding the options. We are bombarded with all kinds of styles and shapes for such a simple yet complex vital element. We have made it easy for you to mix ‘n match by keeping the terminology to a few basics:
These are the finishing touches to any space. Scatter cushions look fabulous as a finishing touch on a bed or couch and can be coordinated with the curtain fabric, trimmed or piped in the same cord as the pelmet…the possibilities are endless. Scatter cushions come in all sizes and shapes and trims and inserts.
The standard size for a scatter cushion is 40 cm square – this is because most fabrics are 140 cm wide. Allowing for seams, three pieces of fabric can be cut, avoiding wastage. Custom-designed cushions may cost a little more, but they open up a world of possibilities. Mix up the sizes and shapes to make an interesting display! A large sofa or bed can take the scale of larger cushions – make these the anchors, then add random sizes and shapes, but keep the fabric coordinated to avoid a messy result. We can help you with this.
The knife edge cushion is the simplest and most popular of all the cushions. It has just two pieces of fabric and four seams that taper into sharp corners. Why not add a border in another colour to an otherwise monochromatic cushion?
are great lower back lumbar support, and they look great when mixed with square cushions to add height. The standard size for a rectangle cushion is 50 cm x 35 cm. We can make them soft or firm to personalise the comfort level for the user.
A good visual trick is to make both sides of square and rectangle cushions in different colours – this really makes it easy to change the look of the room quickly.
has a top, a bottom and four sides that form a gusset. The gusset is made in a contrasting pattern but the same colour for front and back adds interest and looks so stylish.
Piping can add structure. This can be either in the same fabric, known as self-piping, or in a contrasting colour. If you have other cushions in the room, link that colour to your piping.
The embellished cushion allows you to be creative. A room takes on a distinct personality when you think hard about your cushion design.
Embellishments are many and varied. Bobble fringes with pom-poms look playful. Ruched or cut fringes look soft and feminine. Braided and flanged cords in contrasting colours add elegance. We can give you lots of advice and inspiration here!
The bolster cushion has many uses. Its tubular shape with round ends is a great head support for something like reading in bed, and a helpful armrest on a banquette. Bolsters also break the visual monotony of square shaped cushions.
As with square cushions, piping on a round cushion can help create a neat finish. Use a colour that is already in the room for your piping.
The flanged cushion is also a change from the standard knife-edge cushion. A flange is a piece of fabric that extends beyond the seam, giving the cushion a gentle, fluttery effect.
Flanged cushion covers can be made with the same fabric as the cover itself (called a self-border) or as an integrated border with a contrasting fabric. Using the same fabric but turning the pattern a different way gives you a stunning result. Think stripes.
The insert should be firm and enhance the structure of the cushion. Synthetic inserts, such as hypoallergenic polyester, are a smart choice for cushions that will suffer from wear and tear. Just as comfortable as feather-down inserts, they’re also great substitutes if you’re allergic to feathers.
Feather and down are the ultimate in cushion inserts, but they are expensive. They look fabulous when fluffed up then “chopped” with your hand in the middle giving that easy elegance designer look.
Tip: ensure the feathers are encased in “japara” – a tightly woven fabric that will stop the feather quills from popping through. We only ever supply japara covers for our feather cushion inserts.
When selecting outdoor cushion inserts ensure you have specialised outdoor foam that can dry out – it needs to be porous so that water can drain through quickly so that mildew does not grow on the inserts and come through to the fabric.
When selecting fabric for outdoor cushions we recommend using specialised outdoor fabric. We have an extensive range of suitable outdoor fabrics that are FR (Fire retardant) tested, stain resistant, lightfast, mould and mildew resistant, able to withstand chlorine damage, durable and easy to clean.
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