I want to buy some cushions for the sofas in the sitting room. Don't get get wrong, we do have four deep maroon velvet ones, that happily shed their feathers at every opportunity already. I don't want to replace them, I want to add to their number. It seems to me that buying the basic, practical cushion is a relatively easy task. There are literally thousands available in most of the usual fabrics (velvet, linen, silk, faux fur even) and in virtually any colour you can imagine. Is there a cushion colour match service similar to that we use for paints? Surely it's just one step away.
The Original deep-maroon-feather-filled Cushions
It's not the basic 'behind the scenes' luxury cushion I'm after, it's the 'adding personality' cushion that I'm in search of. I know this as I have been asked the purpose of my cushion search several times over. Apparently, there are four reasons we buy cushions:
1. For practical reasons, for example our comfort. To support our slouchy frames as we collapse at the end of another long day shopping for cushions.
2. To add warmth, style and colour to our room.
3. To express ourselves and give our room personality, making a statement with our chosen design
4. To refresh a room, to bring a seasonal feel or to change up a tired scheme without having to reach for the paint brush.
My trusty deep-maroon-feather-filled have got one and two covered. They've supported my back when I've spent too long in the garden and my head when I'm watching my favourite films. I'm not really looking for a refresh either but an injection of personality is what's needed. The statement cushions.
I've consulted the 'How to Dress a Sofa' blogs. I know to leave my trusty originals as the 'plain darker colours at the back', with the 'eye catching shades on top'. It makes sense. The new cushions needs to be seen, that's the point of statement pieces. I'm talking plural instinctively. But should I be considering cushions of the same injection of personality, one design repeated over several cushions? Or should the new cushion choices be a reflection of the complexity of my personality and be all different? A 'playful pattern clash' using similar colours perhaps?
The Fabulous Pookey Lamp Shade that's Inspiring my Colour Choice
I should say at this point that I am fully aware that my cushion choice is a very minor dilemma in the scheme of the things in life. A 'first world problem' as we often refer to them. Cushions have been part of people's lives for many centuries. The word itself first appeared in the English language in the fourteenth century. Cushions were used in large households from the middle ages. They were usually leather and often used as seats by more lower ranking members of the household. (These days our beanbag chair is reserved for the same). As the centuries progressed, cushions became a status symbol. The more you owned the greater your wealth. They began appearing in middle class homes in the nineteenth century as the industrial revolution made weaving, dying and fabric production more efficient and cheaper. Today, they are big business and found in a majority of western homes. They remain for their practicality but we are drawn to them because of the design statements they help us make.
Elements of Faux Fur are Enjoyed on The Sofa
We have never been more free to break so called rules of design - preconceptions about what goes well or what is fashionable. This is reflected in the breadth of cushions out there to choose from. I have made some choices to help me narrow my selection:
1.Texture - To go with my existing deep-maroon-feather-filled family favourites, I'm looking for something in a soft to touch fabric. I'm not a fan or rough or hard cushions. I'm looking for a tactile, luxury feel. They are for the sitting room sofas after all.
2. Family of Colours - The originals (deep-maroon-feather-filled) are a deep colour, I know I want to stick to that colour pallet. Deep with deep. I'm not a fan of pastels and as the originals are not overly bold, the 'personality purchases' need to be in the same colour family. Possibly with a base of deep green.
3. Design - I'm a big fan of nature inspired design. Leaves, flowers, maybe that's the way to go. Our house is a modern country house and I want to bring the countryside inside when I can. It also fits with the sitting room being an area for relaxation and wellness. A battery recharge.
The Other Side of the Sitting Room - Some Natural Inspiration
I suspect the choice has been over complicated by bringing personality into the equation. Surely, by finding something I like my personality will be sufficiently reflected. At least that's the way I'm going about it.
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