Who doesn’t love accessorising? Just as you change up your own look by pairing your outfit with different shoes, bags, scarves, belts and jewellery, your home can get a makeover too using cushions.
Cushions aren’t just comfortable – they are an important style component when decorating your home. They are one of the most striking and visible pieces in a room, and best of all they can be changed easily whenever you want to refresh the look of the room. Putting together a collection of cushions in your room is an art form and will transform your space to one that is both relaxing and cozy as well as visually appealing.
Selecting colours to fit the space
Before you select your cushion covers, you need to determine what colours are going to suit your sofa or bed as well as the whole space they will be in. They should complement other aspects of the room to make the space both stylish and inviting. Cushions add a pop of colour that is a style element and stand out and make the space look sophisticated and chic. Don’t be tempted to use designs that are the same colour as your sofa or bedding – opt for something that will give a contrast, and perhaps even try a combination of complementary colours. But don’t overdo it – don’t use any more than three colours.
Simply Cushions has a great range which you can search for by colour group, giving you fantastic inspiration and the ability to see different cushion covers in complementary colours side by side on the same page.
Determining how many cushions to use
There is no hard and fast rule about how many cushions you should use… it is going to depend on the space you have to work with. For example, if you have a long sofa vs. a two-seater, or if you’re styling a bedroom or outdoor living space. When you’re selecting cushion covers to go on a sofa – indoors or outdoors – you should aim for a number that isn’t going to completely cover the sofa itself. Odd numbers often work well, especially if you are going to mix and match shapes and sizes.
For beds, quite often five additional cushions is the maximum you should use – two larger ones at the back, two medium ones placed in front of them, and one smaller one at the front.
Choosing textures and materials
Cushion covers with distinguishing textures will help to give a room depth, which helps to emphasise the other materials and fabrics in the room. For sofas choose designs made from a different material – for example consider knit cushions on a leather couch, or velvet cushions on a cotton or linen sofa.
Choosing sizes of cushions
Using cushion covers in different sizes and shapes is a great way to inject patterns, contrasts and colour into your home decor. This will allow you to include strong, bold colours in strong doses. Different sizes also help add depth, and it can look boring when you have cushions that are all the same size. Working with the colour palette you have selected for the room, build your collection to reflect this.
Arranging your collection
There are no rules about how you have to position your sofa cushions and you have freedom to mix things up. If you want your room to look traditional then the classic display is matching cushions at either end of the couch. But if you want a more modern look, you can mix things up as you see fit to achieve an eclectic aesthetic. Layer them according to colours, sizes and textures along the sofa, or consider an arrangement where you have one larger cushion on one end of the sofa and an artfully arranged collection of smaller ones on the other end.
Where to buy your cushions
An easy way to buy your cushion covers is from Simply Cushions – they have a great range for indoor and outdoor in a variety of sizes, fabrics and colours. If you’re not sure about putting your own cushion collection together, you can browse their “done-for-you” hand-picked collections to find one that would suit your room. They also have a New Zealand store.
