SaveA Reading by HarlanStar Poufs & Giant Star Floor Cushions
A cornflower and marigold striped star floor cushion in a cream nursery, and a buyer's lesson about timing
A star, a navy star pillow, a cloud and a canopy of small lights. And one story from a past order about ordering on time rather than in a hurry.
Swatch strip measured from the photograph
- taupe#9c816730%
- sand#b9a79721%
- chestnut#66513d19%
- oatmeal#d2c4b717%
- linen#e1dcd812%
The quick answer
A striped star floor cushion works in a nursery when the room around it stays quiet: here cream walls, carpet and dresser let cornflower and marigold lead. The stripes are woven 100% cotton, indoor only and matched on one face. Stars have been made about 35 1/2 and 50 in (90 and 127 cm) across, foam-filled under a zippered cover.
Five colors from a cream nursery corner
Named by eye from the photograph; the strip above is measured from it.
- Cornflower blue#6f8fd0The cool half of the stripe. A clear blue with a breath of violet, bright against cream.
- Marigold#e3a236The warm half. Under the fairy lights at night it leans toward amber.
- Star-pillow navy#26345aThe small star on the big one. The darkest note in the corner, and its anchor.
- Cloud cream#ece4d6Cloud pillow, canopy and walls. The quiet that lets the stripe sing.
- Rattan honey#b58c5aThe mirror frame. A natural brown so the corner isn't all sugar.
What a loud stripe needs from a quiet room
Some rooms ask a cushion to whisper. This nursery asks it to sing, and it can, because everything else keeps still. Cream walls, beige carpet, a white chest of drawers. Into that hush goes a five-point star floor cushion in cornflower and marigold stripes, and nothing argues with it.
Look at the edge. The piping is cut from the same striped cloth, so the stripe travels around the star instead of a second color drawing a line. On a shape with ten edges, a contrast welt would be a lot of fuss. The box wall stands up under the points so the star holds its shape. A seam is a promise, and on a star you make it ten times over.
The props repeat the idea at smaller sizes. A navy star pillow sits on the big star, the same shape in miniature. A cream cloud leans beside it and softens all those points. Fairy lights woven through the voile canopy throw warm light on the marigold after dark, so the corner glows at bedtime. The rattan mirror and the trailing greenery keep it from going sweet, and a little macramé rainbow hangs off a drawer knob at a child's height.
Now the cloth, my friend. Striped cotton and ticking is woven 100% cotton. It is indoor only and takes a stain more easily than a performance weave, so a nursery star wants its zippered cover and a gentle 86°F (30°C) wash. The stripes are woven in, so you choose from the chart, and they are matched on one face only.
Pinned by Harlan
Five pins, from the stripe itself to the rattan mirror.
- Cornflower and marigold stripe
A cheerful stripe that stands out against cream walls and carpet.
- Navy star pillow
A small star on a big star repeats the shape at a smaller scale.
- Cream cloud pillow
The soft cloud balances the crisp star pillow.
- Fairy-lit canopy
Lights woven through the voile warm the marigold stripe at night.
- Rattan mirror
Natural rattan keeps the corner from feeling too sweet.
- Cornflower and marigold stripeA cheerful stripe that stands out against cream walls and carpet.
- Navy star pillowA small star on a big star repeats the shape at a smaller scale.
- Cream cloud pillowThe soft cloud balances the crisp star pillow.
- Fairy-lit canopyLights woven through the voile warm the marigold stripe at night.
- Rattan mirrorNatural rattan keeps the corner from feeling too sweet.
A sofa that waited for its house
A buyer in the US had her eye on a brick corduroy floor sofa while a sale was running. Trouble was, she wasn't moving into her new home until late April. She wrote to ask what to do: wait and miss the sale, or buy and have nowhere to put it.
The answer was neither. Order now and send the date. The workshop timed the shipment so the sofa arrived after she had moved in, and she wrote back to thank them for matching the delivery to her move.
Nurseries get planned the same way, around a date on the calendar. Custom work can often wait for you. Ask for the date instead of letting the date make the decision.
- Sizes
- Standard floor sofa
- Fabric
- Brick corduroy
The lesson: Custom workshops can often hold a finished order, so ask for a delivery date instead of missing a sale.
Buyer questions: stacking, poufs and a sofa with no wall
- A common question
Could I stack two thinner cushions instead of buying one 12 in cushion, to bring the cost down?
The workshop's answerYes. A 12 in cushion costs considerably more. One buyer brought a large quote well down by ordering two 6 in seat cushions per seat to stack, with 4 in backrests. Reducing thickness to 6 or 8 in is the main way to lower the price.
- A common question
Is there a better price if I buy two or three pouf sofas, maybe in different colors?
The workshop's answerYes, the price per piece comes down on a multi-piece order. To mix colors, pick one color at checkout and send the others in a message.
- A common question
Are the two floor sofa seat cushions attached to each other? Does the sofa need a wall behind it?
The workshop's answerThe two mattresses are separate pieces, so you can move them around. Metal bars run behind the backrest and along the sides, so the sofa stands on its own, away from a wall.
If the walls, carpet and dresser are cream, a striped star floor cushion can carry two bright colors; in a busy room, choose a one-color star.
Harlan
The star, as it sits
| Cushion | Five-point star floor cushion |
|---|---|
| Sizes | About 35 1/2 in or 50 in (90 or 127 cm) across the points |
| Fabric | Cornflower and marigold stripe, woven 100% cotton |
| Use | Indoor only; stains more easily than performance weaves |
| Stripe matching | On one face only |
| Piping | Self piping, cut from the same stripe |
| Fill | Foam, shipped vacuum-packed |
| Care | Zippered cover; 86°F (30°C) gentle wash, air dry |
| Outdoor version | Made to order in an outdoor fabric code |
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.
Questions buyers ask next
What sizes does a star floor cushion come in?
Stars have been made about 35 1/2 in (90 cm) and 50 in (127 cm) across the points. Measure the floor you can spare, and leave room to walk around the points without stepping on them.
Can I choose my own stripe colors for a star cushion?
No. The stripes are woven into the cloth, so custom color combinations aren't possible. Choose from the striped charts, where stripe widths run from about 1/4 in (0.7 cm) up to about 2 in (5 to 6 cm).
Can a star floor cushion go outside?
Yes, if it is made in outdoor fabric. Pick a code from the outdoor chart and write it in the personalization box when you order; the star is then made in that fabric instead of cotton.
Sit well. — Harlan
Stripes and plains from other corners of the workshop
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