A Reading by HarlanCorner Floor Cushions & Poufs
A gray corduroy corner floor cushion under a nursery canopy, and where the money should go
Harlan takes a quarter-round nursery seat apart piece by piece and tells you which parts earn the spend and which can change as the child grows.
SaveThe quick answer
Spend on the corner floor cushion itself and save on everything around it: a mid-gray corduroy quarter-round shows fewer marks than white and will outlast the nursery, while pillows, canopy and prints can change as the child grows. Two quarter-circle cushions side by side also make a half-circle seat later, on any flat wall.
The cushion, cut open
Cover fabric. A removable, zippered cover. Machine wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle and air dry.
Piping. A fabric-covered cord sewn into the seams. It sits on the seam line, so it does not change the size.
Fiber wrap. Polyester fiber (Dacron) batting around the foam: it fills the cover out and softens the edges.
Foam core. About 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³) high-resilience foam, firm to medium-firm, cut to the ordered size.
Zipper. Along the back band, as hidden as possible. The zipper side faces down or toward the wall.
Base panel. The underside of the cover. A non-slip fabric backing can cover the whole of it instead.
Taking the quarter-round apart
The part of this nursery corner that costs the most is the part that will still be in the house when the canopy is long gone. Buy the cushion once, cry once.
Start with the shape. A corner floor cushion is a quarter circle: two straight sides that sit against the walls and one curved front that faces the room. Here the box wall, the gusset, runs all the way around in mid-gray corduroy, with no piping. That is honest work. Without a cord to hide behind, the seams have to be straight on their own.
The corduroy is the second thing I would spend on. Mid-gray shows fewer marks than white yet keeps a small room light. Corduroy has a nap, like velvet's plainer cousin, so every panel must be cut with the wales running the same way, or the gusset will look like two shades of gray in the afternoon. The wale and nap notes show how.
Now the pieces you can save on. The gray tulle canopy with its fairy lights matches the cushion, and that matching, not the price of the tulle, is what makes the corner read as one piece. The blush flower pillow sits dead center where the eye lands first, with the gray star and cream cloud pillows lower on each side. A plush elephant waits on the rug, beside wooden alphabet blocks and an open picture book; the toys say this spot is for play. Five framed animal prints hang above. The round rug's cream rings echo the curved front edge and draw the eye into the nook.
Every one of those can change next year. The cushion should not have to. What will this corner be when your little one is ten?
Where to spend, where to save
| Part | Spend or save | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Size and shape of the cushion | Spend | A quarter-round cut right fits now and pairs into a half circle later |
| Mid-gray corduroy | Spend | Shows fewer marks than white and keeps a small room light |
| Flower, star and cloud pillows | Save | They change with the child; one warm pillow is enough |
| Canopy and fairy lights | Save | Matching the cushion color does the work, not the price |
| Prints and toys | Save | Five framed prints and a plush elephant can be swapped any year |
| Round rug | Middle | The rings frame the curve; any pale round rug will do |
Pinned by Harlan: gusset, pillow, elephant, rug and canopy
The pins start on the gray corduroy gusset and move to the blush pillow, the plush elephant, the ringed rug and the canopy above.
- Gray corduroy gusset
Mid-gray corduroy shows fewer marks than white yet still keeps a small nursery looking light.
- Blush flower pillow
One warm pillow in the center is enough to lift an otherwise all-gray corner.
- Plush elephant
A soft toy sitting on the rug tells you this spot is for play, not only for sitting.
- Ringed round rug
The concentric rings mirror the curved front edge and draw the eye into the nook.
- Gray canopy drape
Matching the canopy to the cushion color makes the whole corner read as one piece.
- Gray corduroy gussetMid-gray corduroy shows fewer marks than white yet still keeps a small nursery looking light.
- Blush flower pillowOne warm pillow in the center is enough to lift an otherwise all-gray corner.
- Plush elephantA soft toy sitting on the rug tells you this spot is for play, not only for sitting.
- Ringed round rugThe concentric rings mirror the curved front edge and draw the eye into the nook.
- Gray canopy drapeMatching the canopy to the cushion color makes the whole corner read as one piece.
Two quarters, one half circle
A buyer in the US wanted corner cushions where there was no corner at all. Against a flat blue wall, where a plant and a stack of records used to stand, they planned two quarter-circle cushions side by side to make a half circle. They sent a photo of the space.
The workshop confirmed it: two quarter circles make a half circle, and in mustard velvet it would sit well against the blue. That is why the cushion is the piece to spend on. It moves with you, from nursery corner to living room wall. The quarter-circle sizing pattern explains how the straight sides are measured, and the corner floor cushions show the other colors. More ideas for small people wait in kids' room cushions.
- Sizes
- Two quarter-circle corner cushions
- Fabric
- Mustard velvet
The lesson: Corner cushions don't need a corner: two quarter circles make a half-circle seat on any flat wall.
On the cutting table: the gray quarter-round
| Piece | Corner floor cushion, quarter-round |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Mid-gray corduroy |
| Edge | Box gusset, no piping |
| Front | Curved, echoed by a ringed round rug |
| Pillows | Blush flower, gray star, cream cloud |
| Canopy | Gray tulle with fairy lights |
| Later life | Pair two for a half-circle seat on a flat wall |
| Best for | Nurseries, reading corners and playrooms |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Harlan’s workshop
Old upholsterers will tell you the real cutting happens in the conversation, long before the shears come out. Tell the workshop what you sit on, and they will talk it through with you. — 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.
Buyer questions: odd sizes and the colors on offer
- A common question
Can you make a velvet floor cushion in a size you don't list, like 20 x 38 in?
The workshop's answerYes. The shop added a 20 x 38 in (51 x 97 cm) option to the listing so the buyer could order it directly, in pink, color number 27.
- A common question
What colors does the teddy floor sofa come in? Any dark green or electric blue?
The workshop's answerOnly the colors shown on the listing, plus indigo and silver gray. Dark green and electric blue were not offered.
- A common question
Can linen floor cushions be made to odd sizes?
The workshop's answerYes, and each is quoted by its size. Recent examples: 15 x 52 in (38 x 132 cm); a pair in dark blue at 15.5 x 48 in and 15.5 x 67 in (39 x 122 and 39 x 170 cm); and 22.75 x 75 x 5 in (58 x 191 x 13 cm) in fabric number 19.
Two quarter-circle corner floor cushions set side by side make a half-circle seat on any flat wall, so a nursery corner cushion can move rooms later.
Harlan
Questions buyers ask next
Is corduroy practical for a nursery corner floor cushion?
In a mid-tone, yes. Mid-gray corduroy shows fewer marks than white yet keeps a small room light, and the ribbed surface is soft on bare knees. Check it in daylight, since corduroy's nap can make two panels look like different shades.
Should a nursery canopy match the floor cushion?
Matching them is the cheapest way to make a corner look designed. A gray canopy over a gray cushion reads as one piece, so the eye goes to the single blush pillow in the middle instead of counting separate objects.
What becomes of a quarter-round nursery cushion when the child grows?
It moves. A quarter-round works in any corner, in a reading nook or a playroom, and two of them side by side make a half-circle seat against a flat wall. The pillows and prints are what you replace.
Why put the only pink pillow in the middle of the corner?
Because the eye lands in the center of a corner first. One warm blush pillow placed there lifts an all-gray scheme, and the star and cloud pillows set lower on each side lead the eye to it without competing.
Sit well. — Harlan
More photographs to read
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