A Reading by HarlanStar Poufs & Giant Star Floor Cushions
A letter on an anthracite corduroy star floor cushion, seen from above in a cream nursery
Harlan writes from above, looking down at five even points on a cream carpet, about the porch habits worth bringing indoors and the indoor ones worth keeping.
SaveThe quick answer
A nursery floor cushion should borrow three habits from outdoor cushions: a dark ground that hides everyday marks, a cover that zips off to wash, and a shape built for hard use. From indoors it keeps a soft hand, like this anthracite corduroy star set against pale furniture so one dark piece anchors the room.
High Point ·
My friend,
A letter from above the nursery
Most photographs of a floor cushion are taken from the side. This one looks straight down, and that's the honest angle for a star. You see all five points at once, and you see whether they're even. These are. The sides are deep enough that the points hold their shape instead of curling.
The star is anthracite corduroy, a dark wide wale, with self piping and a box edge. Everything around it is pale: cream carpet, a white chest of drawers with black knobs, pine wall shelves, a white cotton canopy over the corner. One dark piece on the floor anchors all that light. Take it away and the room floats.
There is exactly one warm note, a rust velvet lumbar pillow on the star beside a cream square. The rust answers the rattan frame of a round mirror, the wooden animal figures in a basket, and the stacking rainbow toy on the shelf. A ceramic vase keeps the shelves from being all toys.
Callum, who builds our porch and boat cushions, says to build for the worst day of the season. I have never seen a worse day than a nursery on a bad afternoon, so I borrowed a few of his habits. Buy the cushion once, cry once.
What's the darkest thing on your nursery floor right now?
Pinned by Harlan: one dark star, one warm note
Five pins, from the anthracite star and its rust lumbar out to the rattan mirror, pine shelves and white dresser.
- Anthracite corduroy star
One dark floor piece anchors an otherwise pale nursery.
- Rust velvet lumbar
The single warm note, echoing the rattan and wooden toys.
- Rattan mirror
Natural rattan softens the dark corduroy.
- Pine shelves with toys
Wooden toys tie the rust pillow into the room.
- White dresser
Crisp white furniture makes the dark star read clearly.
- Anthracite corduroy starOne dark floor piece anchors an otherwise pale nursery.
- Rust velvet lumbarThe single warm note, echoing the rattan and wooden toys.
- Rattan mirrorNatural rattan softens the dark corduroy.
- Pine shelves with toysWooden toys tie the rust pillow into the room.
- White dresserCrisp white furniture makes the dark star read clearly.
Porch habits worth bringing into a nursery
- A dark ground. Anthracite wide wale hides the everyday marks a cream cushion would show.
- A cover that comes off. The star's cover unzips for washing, the way a porch cushion's should.
- Built for the worst day. Deep sides and even points keep a star in shape after it has been sat on, jumped on and dragged.
- Soft fabric kept indoors. Corduroy is an indoor cloth; the porch lends habits, not fabric.
- Pale things left pale. One dark piece on the floor, one warm pillow, everything else light.
The cat under the new fireplace
A buyer in the US had just put in a fireplace and noticed the cat had claimed a small nook underneath it. They asked the workshop for an ivory floor cushion, 20 x 8 in (51 x 20 cm), to fit.
The workshop didn't quote a custom piece. It pointed them to an 8 x 20 in option that already existed on the linen floor cushion listing. Small, odd spaces often match a mini size that's already made, so check the size list before asking for a custom quote.
Same lesson as the nursery: measure the space the child, or the cat, actually uses. The star poufs and floor cushions atlases list the shapes, the corduroy swatches show the wales, and kids' room cushions gathers the rest. For the zip-off side, see how to wash cushion covers.
Buyer questions: true colors, a U from an L, and covers that come off
- A common question
The brown corduroy looked much lighter in another photo. What does it really look like?
The workshop's answerThe workshop sent a real-life photo: the brown is fairly dark in person. It also confirmed that a cushion that looked gray was in fact the smoke color ordered, a beige-gray.
- A common question
Could you make a custom-size L-shaped floor sofa and add an ottoman on the open side to make a U?
The workshop's answerYes. The workshop can build a custom-size L-shaped sectional and add an extra ottoman on the other side to close it into a U-shaped layout.
- A common question
Do all the sofa covers come off for washing? I took one off and can't get it back on.
The workshop's answerYes, the covers zip off and can be washed. If refitting one is a struggle, the workshop sends a video showing how to put it back on.
On the cutting table: the anthracite star
| Product | Star floor cushion, five even points |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Anthracite wide-wale corduroy |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Edge | Box edge with deep sides |
| Cover | Unzips for washing |
| Pillows | One rust velvet lumbar, one cream square |
| Borrowed from the porch | Dark ground, removable cover, built for hard use |
| Kept from indoors | Soft corduroy hand; a pale room around it |
| Best for | Nurseries and kids' rooms with light carpet |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Harlan’s workshop
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.
If a nursery is all cream and white, put one dark piece on the floor: an anthracite corduroy star anchors the room and hides everyday marks.
Harlan
Questions buyers ask next
Is a dark floor cushion a good idea in a nursery?
Often, yes. A dark wide-wale corduroy hides the everyday marks a pale cushion shows, and against cream carpet and white furniture it anchors the room. Keep the rest pale and add one warm pillow so the corner doesn't feel heavy.
What does wide-wale corduroy look like on a star floor cushion?
Wale is the raised rib in corduroy, and wide wale has broader, fewer ribs than fine wale, so it looks plush and textured. On a star the ribs catch the light along each side, which helps the five points read clearly.
Why photograph a star floor cushion from above?
Because the shape is the product. From above you see all five points at once and can check that they're even and that the sides hold them out; from the side, a star looks like any round pouf.
Sit well. — Harlan
