Cushion Styles

Safety

As there are people out there who are just beginning on their journey of complete home furnishing. I would advise taking great care when it comes to dealing with sharp knives, scissors and especially pins.

Where silicon padded gloves if necessary and make sure you use a pin cushion for all your collection of pins. Stay away from the fireplace in your house, as the majority of the fabrics are highly flammable.

(Please ignore the bad editing or white cut-offs done on the images in this article, as the images were taken from a very old and classical book from my library)

Cushions

Because of their inherent mobility and versatility, cushions are among the most useful of soft furnishings, bringing comfort to seating areas such as sofas, chairs, and floors, and providing decorative focal points of colour, texture, and pattern to a room.

There are two basic types of cushions. Tailor-made types, such as box seat cushions, which are used where a fitted shape is required - for example, on a wicker chair. Scatter cushions, on the other hand, are not made to fit, and can be moved around.

Of the two categories, scatter cushions are the most adaptable and popular, and are commonly used on beds, chairs, and sofas.

This chapter shows how to make up a variety of scatter cushions, bolsters, and fitted seat cushions; describes how to make the inner pads, decorative edgings, and fastenings; and reveals how to make the most of special fabrics for cushion covers.

Choosing a Style

Adding a few cushions to your room can instantly change its character. When grouped together on a sofa or bed, cushions can provide bright splashes of colour, perhaps echoing the style of a picture above them, or complementing the scheme of a room by highlighting the dominant colour of the wallpaper.

Any type of fabric can be used to make up a cushion. Precious laced backed with a coloured or plain fabric can create an old-fashioned look. Unique fabrics, such as crewal embroidery or small scraps of kilim, can supplement the overall design theme, and stand out as center pieces.

Effective Contrasts

Scatter cushions of various sizes and in contrasting fabric designs can be used to complement the pattern on the cover of a large, fitted seat cushion. Chair cushions provide welcome comfort, and serve as attractive accessories.

Coordinated Designs

Cushions made in fabrics that match disparate elements within a room help to unify a design scheme. Here, one scatter cushion is made from the same material as the curtain, while the other coordinates attractively with the table cloth.

Ethnic Influences

In a room where the design scheme is quite specific, scatter cushions can be used to provide a variety in shape, while complementing the overall decoration. Wthnic textiles, such as dhurries, kilims, and Native American flat weaves like the ones shown here, can be used to make cushions of different sizes and shapes.

Careful consideration is required when determining how and where particularly delicate fabrics are to be used. Large scatter cushions and box seat cushions should always be covered with heavy durable fabrics.

Soft and Luxurious

Cushions of various size propped against large, coordinating pillows add to the sheer comfort of a bed. A group of scatter cushions in a similar style can be used to form a decorative focal point on a large bed.

Simple and Functional

When padded seat cushions are secured to the struts or legs of a chair with matching or contrasting fabric ties, the chair becomes an integrated decorative piece in the room, without losing its functional qualities.

Decorative Edgings

Edgings can be used to provide additional colour, texture, and pattern to cushions. They can be made in fabrics that either match or contrast with the cushions. Here, a sofa serves as a display for square floral cushions with matching frills.

Plain and Patterned

Cushions made from unpatterned fine silk or dress fabric can be used to counter balance furniture that is covered in highly textured or patterned material, particularly one with a strong contemporary design.

Here, the rich blue of the cushion highlights the blue stripes of the sofa fabric, and tempers the dominant yellow of the wallpaper and table cloth.