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Style Those Sofa Cushions
If you find yourself in a sofa rut, a fresh batch of cushions may be what's needed to refresh the room or tie a look up
Siow Yuen Wong
25 March 2017
Houzz Contributor. Torn between my love for peering into people’s homes and writing, I picked both. I have been involved with both, working for several magazines over the last 21 years. Why choose?
Houzz Contributor. Torn between my love for peering into people’s homes and writing,... More
Think of cushions as accessories on clothes and you’ll begin to see how they can create or change the mood of your living room. Whether you buy them ready-made or get them custom made, these plump beauties breathe new life into your space with very little effort.
Colour choices
Look around your room and see if there are colour themes you haven’t noticed. In this open plan space, it would have been hard to see the blue and white colour theme without the cushions as the canisters on the coffee table, framed print on the wall and bar stools are at a visual distance from each other.
Does Your Home Need a Colour Consultant?
Look around your room and see if there are colour themes you haven’t noticed. In this open plan space, it would have been hard to see the blue and white colour theme without the cushions as the canisters on the coffee table, framed print on the wall and bar stools are at a visual distance from each other.
Does Your Home Need a Colour Consultant?
Similarly for this London home, the burnished brick and sandstone colours were picked from what’s in the room as well as outside in the sunken courtyard.
Monochromatic
Vary the intensity of the same colour for a fail-safe colour scheme. If there is a further unifying element like the stripes here, then you know you’ve got yourself a winning look.
A Guide to Getting Your Bespoke Upholstery Done Right
Vary the intensity of the same colour for a fail-safe colour scheme. If there is a further unifying element like the stripes here, then you know you’ve got yourself a winning look.
A Guide to Getting Your Bespoke Upholstery Done Right
This monochromatic scheme got a little punchier thanks to the ‘oddball’ inclusion of a leafy green centrepiece cushion. Don’t be afraid to insert a single surprise cushion. If it doesn’t gel, all you have to do is whisk it away!
Complementary
Let the colour wheel be your guide and select colours that sit opposite each other if you seek contrast. The energy complementary colours bring to this living room is so palpable!
Let the colour wheel be your guide and select colours that sit opposite each other if you seek contrast. The energy complementary colours bring to this living room is so palpable!
Analogous
If purple and orange is too loud for your space, opt for colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel. Aim for two to six hues like in this living room where the colours create a quiet and polished look. Fail-safe!
If purple and orange is too loud for your space, opt for colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel. Aim for two to six hues like in this living room where the colours create a quiet and polished look. Fail-safe!
How many?
Observe the rule of odd numbers when it comes to deciding how many cushions to have. Don’t go overboard by leaving only a sliver of sofa to park yourself on. You know there are one too many if you have to move cushions out of the way to sit comfortably.
Observe the rule of odd numbers when it comes to deciding how many cushions to have. Don’t go overboard by leaving only a sliver of sofa to park yourself on. You know there are one too many if you have to move cushions out of the way to sit comfortably.
Size matters
Generally, the largest cushions are in the far corners of the sofas and as you move towards the middle of the sofa, the cushions should get smaller. Remember the rule of odd numbers? Finish in the middle with a sole cushion, usually of a different shape (circular or rectangular).
Generally, the largest cushions are in the far corners of the sofas and as you move towards the middle of the sofa, the cushions should get smaller. Remember the rule of odd numbers? Finish in the middle with a sole cushion, usually of a different shape (circular or rectangular).
To chop or not to chop?
The artfully executed dent in the middle of cushions is a matter of preference. Proponents for it like that chopped cushions prevent a room from looking too manicured and give a lived-in feeling. Those against it cite the visual mess especially if cushions are patterned. Only feather cushions can be chopped so if yours are polyester, the decision’s been made for you!
Read more about denting cushions
The artfully executed dent in the middle of cushions is a matter of preference. Proponents for it like that chopped cushions prevent a room from looking too manicured and give a lived-in feeling. Those against it cite the visual mess especially if cushions are patterned. Only feather cushions can be chopped so if yours are polyester, the decision’s been made for you!
Read more about denting cushions
Mishmash
Which brave soul curated this assemblage of delightfully-different cushions? An all-white sofa in a white room is a canvas that’s open to so many colour and pattern possibilities!
Which brave soul curated this assemblage of delightfully-different cushions? An all-white sofa in a white room is a canvas that’s open to so many colour and pattern possibilities!
Instead of a colour theme, pick up a motif or pattern from another item in the room. This airy warehouse space that exudes youthfulness echoes the primitive figure in the painting through similar characters on the cushions. The two don’t share similar colours but hey, it works!
The case for solids
When there are so many lovely patterns to choose from, it’s easy to dismiss solid coloured cushions for being boring. In the right space, solid cushions can really establish the room’s colour palette like in this dove grey and buttery yellow living room.
16 Rewarding Grey Colour Combos
When there are so many lovely patterns to choose from, it’s easy to dismiss solid coloured cushions for being boring. In the right space, solid cushions can really establish the room’s colour palette like in this dove grey and buttery yellow living room.
16 Rewarding Grey Colour Combos
Picture this brooding sexy room without the yellow ochre cushions and you get a forgettable neutral space. These silk lovelies also pick up the metallic glint of the ottoman frame and wall sconce.
Tip: Low-back sofas could do with a little more structured support in the form of firm bolster. In this home, the bolster functions like a second back cushion.
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