A Reading by HanaModular Floor Sofas & Teddy Couches
A cream and rust velvet floor sofa, and why it wears no piping
A letter from Hana about a two-color velvet floor sofa on a jute rug. There is no welt at all. The color change does the drawing.
SaveThe quick answer
A two-color velvet modular floor sofa usually looks best without piping, because the change from cream to rust already draws the line where the pieces meet. Add self piping when a single-color sofa needs a crisper edge, and contrast piping only when you want the outline itself to be the design.
Seattle ·
To you,
You asked about the edge
The line on this sofa is not stitched. It is where cream stops and rust begins.
You wrote to ask whether a velvet modular floor sofa needs piping. Look at this one first.
The body is cream velvet. The end blocks are rust. Every cushion has a square box edge and no welt. Where rust meets cream, the color change draws the seam for you. A piped edge would add a third line, and velvet would make it shine.
Velvet has a pile, and the pile holds light. In golden side light like this, a velvet welt catches it as a bright bead along every edge. On a one-color sofa, that bead can be the whole point. On a two-color sofa, it competes with the color change.
The camera stands above, at standing height. From there you see the depth of the base and a round bolster laid across the middle of it. The bolster is an armrest. It also divides the seat into two places.
The rust is not random. It takes its color from the honey floor, the wicker storage box and the dried pampas. The pampas, in a stoneware jug, repeats cream and straw without adding a new color. The wicker box holds a stack of hardback books and serves as a side table at floor-sofa height. The chunky jute rug lies beside smooth velvet, rough against soft. A trailing plant overhead and a woven wall hanging carry the eye upward, away from the floor.
Is your sofa one color or two? Decide that first. The piping follows.
More layouts are in the modular floor sofa atlas and the living room collection. The fabric sits on the velvet shelf, and piping: matching, contrast or none goes further.
Two colors. One seam. No welt needed.
Pinned by Hana: rust velvet and jute
Five pins, from the rust end block to the jute that sets off the velvet.
- Rust velvet end block
Rust picks up the honey floor and wicker, so the sofa looks part of the room.
- Bolster across base
Set at the middle of the base, the bolster makes an armrest and splits the seat.
- Pampas in a jug
Dried stems repeat the cream and straw tones without adding a new color.
- Wicker box with books
A low basket works as a side table at floor-sofa height.
- Chunky jute rug
Coarse jute sets off the smooth velvet next to it.
- Rust velvet end blockRust picks up the honey floor and wicker, so the sofa looks part of the room.
- Bolster across baseSet at the middle of the base, the bolster makes an armrest and splits the seat.
- Pampas in a jugDried stems repeat the cream and straw tones without adding a new color.
- Wicker box with booksA low basket works as a side table at floor-sofa height.
- Chunky jute rugCoarse jute sets off the smooth velvet next to it.
Self piping, contrast piping or none
| Piping | What it does to the line | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|
| None | The box shape, or a color change, draws the edge | Two fabrics already meet at the seams |
| Self | A soft outline in the same color, crisp but quiet | A one-color sofa needs a firmer edge |
| Contrast | A second color traced around every cushion | The outline itself is meant to be the design |
On the cutting table: the two-color floor sofa
| Piece | Modular floor sofa: base, backrests and a round bolster |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Velvet in two colors, cream body and rust end blocks |
| Edge | Box |
| Piping | None; the color change marks the seams |
| Bolster | Across the middle of the base as an armrest |
| Back and arm fill | Shredded foam, soft by design |
| Frame | Metal support bars; a shortened sofa needs matching bars |
| Raising it | Extra 6.5 in (16.5 cm) seat cushion or padding |
| Best for | Low living rooms and earthy boho corners |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Hana’s workshop
Measure once, slowly. Write the numbers here. The workshop will go over them with you. — Hana
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.
Half an inch in the connectors
A buyer in the US was moving across a city with little room in the van. She ordered a teddy floor sofa shortened to 68 x 39 in (173 x 99 cm) and asked the shop to hold shipment until she had moved in. It did.
When the sofa arrived, the frame joints would not seat, even with a mallet. She believed the L-shaped connectors were about 1/2 in (13 mm) too long.
The shop sent a new set of hardware. It fit.
A shortened sofa needs shortened bars. The cushions are only half of a custom length. The frame is the other half. Mention it in the order, and fit the frame first when the boxes arrive. Floor sofa support bars and assembly shows the parts.
Buyer questions
- A common question
Are the backrests and arms of the floor sofa one block of foam, or shredded foam?
The workshop's answerShredded foam, not a single block, so they stay soft rather than rigid. The shop says that is intentional, and it has not been a common complaint. If arm inserts lose their shape over time, replacement inserts have been sent.
- A common question
Can I add padding or an extra seat cushion to make the floor sofa sit higher?
The workshop's answerYes, at extra cost: an additional 78 x 39 x 6.5 in (198 x 99 x 16.5 cm) seat cushion, or extra padding. On one set, padding raised the height from floor to top of backrest from 16 to 20 in (41 to 51 cm). A floor sofa stays low, so it may not suit guests who need a standard 20 in seat height.
- A common question
Could I use a tufted floor cushion outside, by the pool and the fire pit?
The workshop's answerA tufted cushion lets water in through the tufts, even in outdoor fabric. A non-tufted, foam-filled cushion in outdoor fabric is fine for outdoor use.
A two-color velvet floor sofa needs no piping: the line where cream meets rust already draws every seam, and a welt would add a third.
Hana
Questions buyers ask next
Does a velvet floor sofa need piping?
Not always. On a two-color sofa the color change marks the seams, so piping adds a competing line. On a one-color velvet sofa, self piping gives a crisp edge that catches the light.
What is a bolster for on a floor sofa?
Laid across the base, a round bolster works as an armrest and divides a long seat into places. Set against a back cushion, it supports an elbow or the small of the back.
How should a low floor sofa be styled?
Keep everything near floor height. A low wicker box or basket works as a side table, a coarse jute rug sets off smooth velvet, and tall dried stems or a hanging plant carry the eye upward.
Can a floor sofa be made shorter than standard?
It has been done: one was shortened to 68 x 39 in (173 x 99 cm) for a small apartment. The frame bars and connectors have to match the new length too, so the hardware is part of the order, not just the cushions.
— Hana
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