The Pattern Room · a measuring pattern
Velvet floor cushions: pile, tufts and the marks a box leaves behind
Velvet close to the floor gets sat on, leaned on and walked past in every light of the day. Here is how the workshop sizes it, builds it, and gets it looking right after the trip.
SaveThe quick answer
A velvet floor cushion set is four pieces: a tufted floor cushion about 4 in (10 cm) thick, a backrest pillow 16 in (40 cm) tall and two round bolsters. Any size can be made; for an in-between size, choose the next option up and write yours in the note. The tufted cover doesn't come off, and packing marks brush out in a few days.
It comes out of the box looking bruised
A velvet floor cushion comes out of its box looking bruised. Square marks, flat patches, a crease across the middle. Give it a few days and a soft hand before you judge it.
Velvet is a cut pile: short fibers standing on end, all leaning a little one way. Press them flat in a vacuum pack and they lie down where they were pressed. Velvet remembers. It also forgets, if you let it: lay the piece flat and uncovered, brush it by hand the way the pile lies, and the marks settle over a few days, up to about ten. Upholstery care guides say the same in their own words: pressure marks and shading are how velvet behaves, not damage. The workshop's short version is in velvet and corduroy marks after vacuum packing.
The lean of the pile moves the color, too. Brushed one way it catches the light and goes pale; the other way it goes deep. A buyer once wrote that an off-white velvet had arrived beige. The workshop checked: the right off-white, matching its pre-shipping photo. Brushed back and seen in daylight, it was off-white again.
The workshop sews velvet floor cushions as tufted sets, and makes its floor sofas in velvet when asked; ribbed corduroy is their standard. The sofa at the top of this page is velvet: a long base, two backrests and a bolster arm, cream through the middle and dusty rose at the ends. The rest of the floor cushion family, in every fabric, lives on its own page.
The velvet floor set, piece by piece
| Floor cushion | Tufted, about 4 in (10 cm) thick; any length and width to order |
|---|---|
| Backrest pillow | 16 in (40 cm) tall, about 4 in (10 cm) thick, the same length as the seat |
| Bolsters | Two, round, for arms |
| The size you pick | The seat's width and length; the set price covers every piece |
| In-between sizes | Choose the next option up and write the exact size in the order note |
| Joining | Pieces are separate; ties or hook-and-loop can join them on request |
| Taller | French tufted cushions can be made taller than the standard |
| Largest tufted square | About 48 x 48 in (122 x 122 cm) |
| Oversized, one piece | Around 84 x 59 in (214 x 151 cm) can't be tufted; it is made foam-filled and untufted |
| Fill | Packed polyester fiber, closed by hand |
| Cover | No zipper: the buttons pass through the filling, so spot-clean only |
| Velvet | Synthetic, polyester or a poly-cotton blend, with a short, tight pile; numbered color codes |
| Velvet floor seat | About 6 in (15 cm) thick, 8 in (20 cm) on request |
| Floor sofas | Ribbed corduroy as standard; velvet by request |
Ordering a velvet floor cushion in seven steps
Measure the floor, then name the seat
The seat's width and length are the size you order. The backrest runs that same length and stands 16 in (40 cm), so look at what sits above it. One nook in the US had a window sill only 11 in off the floor; a 4 in cushion left 7 in, so the workshop made a low, flat back piece to fit under the sill. What will your backrest lean on?
Between sizes, go up and write it down
Pick the next size option up, then write your exact measurements in the order note. The workshop makes the size you wrote, not the one on the button.
Choose the height
Four inches is the tufted standard. French tufted cushions can be made taller, to custom length and width. Thickness drives the price, so name the height you want when you ask for a quote.
Give the backrest a wall
The backrest and bolsters lean; they do not stand on their own. Set the cushion against a wall, and on a hard floor lay a rug or grip mat underneath.
Know the one-piece limits
About 48 x 48 in (122 x 122 cm) is the largest tufted square. Past that, a one-piece cushion goes foam-filled and untufted, as one of about 84 x 59 in did. Or split the run: a 108 x 40 in velvet seat was made as two 54 x 40 in cushions.
Check big corners against the roll
Velvet comes off a roll about 55 in (140 cm) wide. A corner cushion with 53 in (134 cm) sides could not be cut from one piece of velvet, so it was made in the workshop's soft fabric, which just fit. Corner sizing is covered under corner floor cushions.
Choose the color by number
Velvet codes are numeric. Ask for a photo of the real cloth, taken by a window, before you settle on one.
Have it made
Measured it? Have Harlan’s workshop make it
Fabric has a temper and foam has a memory. Better to settle both in a conversation than to guess at them alone. — Harlan
Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.
Key facts
- The velvet floor cushion set is a 4 in (10 cm) tufted floor cushion, a 16 in (40 cm) backrest pillow and two round bolsters.
- The size you choose is the seat; in-between sizes go under the next option up, with the exact size in the note.
- One-piece cushions around 84 x 59 in (214 x 151 cm) can't be tufted and are made foam-filled instead.
- Tufted covers aren't removable, so they are spot-cleaned.
- The velvet is synthetic, with numbered color codes.
- Vacuum-pack marks on velvet settle in a few days, up to about 10, with brushing along the pile.
- Floor sofas are ribbed corduroy as standard and made in velvet by request.
Why the cover stays on a tufted cushion
Every button on a tufted cushion is sewn straight through the cover and the filling, and the cushion is closed by hand around them. There is no zipper, and no way to add one without undoing the tufts.
So a tufted velvet cushion is cleaned where it lies. Vacuum the surface, blot a spill, wipe gently with a damp cloth and a little mild soap, and let it dry flat. Never soak it and never machine wash it. The longer version is in tufted cushion care, and set sizes are in tufted floor cushion sets.
If you need a washable cover, for children or a dog, the workshop makes the same size as a plain foam-filled cushion with a zippered cover. You give up the buttons and the French edge. You gain the washing machine. Cats settle the question for some houses: one buyer asked for an untufted corner cushion because their cats pulled the buttons.
The first days out of the box
- Open it the day it arrives. Long vacuum storage sets the deepest creases in velvet.
- Lay each piece flat and uncovered in a warm, airy room.
- Brush the pile by hand, in long strokes, the way it lies.
- Give it a few days. Marks can take up to about 10 to settle.
- In a hurry, hold a low-heat steamer a little away from the cloth. Never press an iron onto the pile.
- Marks still there once it has settled? Send a photo. When they stayed, a replacement cover has been sent.
The nook that went elsewhere
A buyer in the US wrote about a reading nook on a raised platform. The limit was plain: nothing wider than 43 in. They wanted a velvet floor cushion to that limit, a back cushion the same length, and two bolsters very firm, firm enough to lean on with a book open.
It was a good order, clearly described. The workshop answered late. By the time the quote went out, the buyer had bought a cushion somewhere else.
I tell this one on purpose, because both halves of it teach. The workshop learned that a reply is part of the work. And the request itself shows what makes a nook easy to quote: a hard limit named as a maximum, a backrest tied to the seat's length, and the firmness of the bolsters said out loud.
If your nook has a number it cannot go past, put it in the first line, my friend, and call it a maximum.
Velvet or ribbed corduroy on the floor
| Velvet | Ribbed corduroy | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is standard | Tufted floor cushion sets | Modular and teddy floor sofas |
| Surface | Short, dense pile; the shade shifts with the brush | Raised ribs with a nap; can read two-toned from different sides |
| Colors | About 40 on a numbered chart | About 9 to 10 listed colors; no black, maroon or lilac |
| After vacuum packing | Pressure marks; brush with the pile for a few days, up to about 10 | Pile pushed different ways; smooth by hand along the ribs |
| Washing | Tufted: spot-clean only. Zippered covers: 86°F (30°C), gentle cycle | Sofa covers zip off; 86°F (30°C) max, gentle cycle |
| On a floor sofa | By request, often for a color corduroy doesn't come in | The standard |
Judge a velvet floor cushion on day three, not day one: lay it flat, brush it the way the pile lies, and let the box marks go.
Harlan Pruitt
Buyer questions: sizes, storage and patterned velvet
- A common question
Can I leave the velvet cushion in its vacuum pack until we move in?
The workshop's answerNot for long. Open it as soon as it arrives. Foam recovers fine within a few weeks, but keep it compressed no more than 2 to 3 weeks, and never past a month. Long vacuum storage also leaves heavy creases, especially in velvet. If you are waiting on a move, unpack it, let it expand, and store it uncompressed.
- A common question
Can you make the velvet floor cushion to my exact measurements?
The workshop's answerYes. Every cushion is made to order, so any length, width and thickness works, in inches or centimeters, lengths over 79 in (200 cm) included. Send length, depth and thickness, plus a drawing for anything that isn't a rectangle. You then order the nearest size with your exact size in the note, or pay through a custom order link. A matching backrest can be added.
- A common question
My corner needs an in-between size. How do I order the corner floor cushion?
The workshop's answerOrder the next standard size up and write your size in the note: a 35 x 35 in corner went under the 39 x 39 in option, and a 43 x 43 in (110 x 110 cm) one under the 47 x 47 in (120 x 120 cm) option. Smaller corners down to 25 x 25 in, a rectangular version and a taller one to match an ottoman have all been made. You pay the price of the size you select.
- A common question
Is velvet only in plain colors, or do you have patterns too?
The workshop's answerThe core range is mostly plain solids, but patterned velvets exist, black-and-white designs among them, alongside stripes, plaid and oriental designs on extra charts. There is no price difference among the workshop's own fabrics. A print you found elsewhere usually isn't stocked; send a photo and the workshop will try to source it, at a higher price than standard fabrics.
Velvet on the floor, answered plainly
Is velvet a sensible floor cushion fabric in a house with kids or pets?
It can be. The workshop steers heavy-use buyers toward velvet or linen and finds its velvet easy to spot-clean. The catch is the tufted cover, which doesn't come off. Where spills or claws are likely, choose the untufted build with a zippered, washable cover.
Can a velvet floor cushion be thicker than 4 inches?
Yes. French tufted cushions can be made taller than the standard 4 in (10 cm), and the velvet floor seat is about 6 in (15 cm), with 8 in (20 cm) on request. Thickness drives the price, so give the height you need when you ask for a quote.
What is the velvet actually made of?
It is synthetic, polyester or a poly-cotton blend, with a short, tight pile; there is no cotton or silk velvet in the standard range. Cotton velvet crushes and wears faster on seating. If you want natural fiber, ask for the 100% linen range instead.
Can the floor sofa be made in velvet instead of corduroy?
Yes, on request. The modular floor sofa is ribbed corduroy as standard, in about 9 to 10 colors. Colors the corduroy range doesn't have, black among them, can often be made in velvet, at extra cost and with longer production.
