A Reading by HarlanStar Poufs & Giant Star Floor Cushions
An ivory corduroy star floor cushion, seen straight on, and how it seats a crowd
Every house has a night with more people than chairs. A good star cushion earns its keep that night, and you can judge one from the front.
SaveThe quick answer
A star floor cushion makes a good extra seat when it is densely filled and firm, and when its box wall is cut as one continuous band with the rib level all the way round. Judge any maker from a straight-on photo of that wall. After a vacuum-packed delivery, give the foam at least 48 hours before guests arrive.
Heard across the counter: firm, sliding, and the checkout total
- A common question
I want to use thick floor cushions as a sofa. Are they firm, or squishy like a bean bag?
The workshop's answerFirm, and heavy, because they're densely filled. A 12 in (30 cm) thick set was made specifically for sofa use.
- A common question
How do I stop two big floor cushions from sliding apart when they sit side by side?
The workshop's answerThe underside of each seat cushion has a removable nonslip fabric, so they shouldn't move much when placed next to each other.
- A common question
Why is my checkout total higher than the advertised price?
The workshop's answerFor US addresses, state sales tax is added automatically at checkout. It's a government tax that applies to every US buyer, not a fee from the shop.
Now, the reading
“The seats are still flat,” they wrote
This one came in a week after a floor sofa was unpacked in a US home.
“Both seat mattresses are still flattened in places. The arms came back fine.”
The shop wrote back: give them 36 to 48 hours and shake them well. Then another 4 to 5 days. Then send photos.
The photos came. The covers were fine; the seat foam was the trouble. So instead of whole new cushions, the shop shipped two new seat inserts, and the buyer slipped them in through the zippers.
I've watched that remedy work for more than fifty years. Replace what failed, keep what didn't. A seam is a promise, and a good zipper lets you keep it without starting over. If company's coming, unpack early; the first 72 hours of a vacuum-packed cushion are worth reading before the box arrives.
Reading the star from the front
Now to the photograph, my friend. It's a nursery, not a living room, but stay with me; the lesson is about company all the same.
This ivory corduroy star floor cushion is shot head-on, and that's the view to study. The box wall is one continuous band, bent into every inner angle of the star, and the rib runs level all the way round. No seam at each point, no rib wandering uphill. Self piping keeps the top edge crisp without calling attention to itself. That is patient work.
The walls are pale yellow, and the pillows cool them: a soft gray cloud that steps gently from the ivory pouf up to the white ceiling canopy, and a blue star, the only saturated color under that canopy. A white bookcase holds books and a little rainbow cushion. A framed polar bear sketch, a rocket poster, an orange tiger plush and a wooden ring stacker on the floor all say the same thing: this seat is for play. The crib with its plaid blanket sits an arm's length away, so the star is the chair for bedtime stories and night feeds.
More people than chairs
When the grandparents come to meet the baby, or the cousins pile in for the holidays, floor cushions are how you seat everyone well. A few rules hold in any room.
Choose them firm. The workshop fills its floor cushions densely, so they're firm and heavy, and a grown-up sits on one rather than into it.
Keep them together. Big floor-sofa seat cushions carry a nonslip fabric underneath, so two side by side don't drift apart under a shifting crowd.
Let them stand up after shipping, as the story above tells.
Where would your extra guest sit tonight? If the honest answer is the stairs, look through the star poufs, the wider range of floor cushions and the corduroy swatches.
Pinned by Harlan: five places to look
Five pins, from the continuous box wall at the front to the wooden ring stacker on the rug.
- Continuous box wall
The wall is one band bent into each inner angle, with the rib kept level all the way round.
- Gray cloud pillow
Soft gray sits between the ivory pouf and the white canopy without a hard jump.
- Blue star pillow
The only saturated color inside the canopy.
- Crib with plaid
The pouf is placed an arm's length from the crib, handy for night feeds and stories.
- Ring stacker
A toy in front shows the pouf is meant for play, not only for looks.
- Continuous box wallThe wall is one band bent into each inner angle, with the rib kept level all the way round.
- Gray cloud pillowSoft gray sits between the ivory pouf and the white canopy without a hard jump.
- Blue star pillowThe only saturated color inside the canopy.
- Crib with plaidThe pouf is placed an arm's length from the crib, handy for night feeds and stories.
- Ring stackerA toy in front shows the pouf is meant for play, not only for looks.
On the cutting table: the nursery star
| Product | Star floor cushion (pouf) |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Ivory corduroy |
| Wall | One continuous box band, bent into each inner angle |
| Rib | Level all the way round |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Pillows | Gray cloud and blue star |
| Placement | An arm's length from the crib |
| Best for | Story time, and an extra floor seat when the house fills up |
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.
On a star floor cushion, the box wall should be one continuous band bent into every inner angle, with the rib running level all the way round.
Harlan
Questions buyers ask next
Is a star floor cushion a good extra seat for guests?
Yes, if it's firm. It sits low, moves easily to wherever the crowd gathers, and in a nursery it doubles as the story seat within reach of the crib. A densely filled one holds a grown-up without sinking.
What should I look for in a star cushion's box wall?
One continuous band that bends into every inner angle, with the corduroy rib running level all the way round. A seam at every point, or a rib that wanders uphill, tells you the cutting was hurried.
How long before a vacuum-packed floor cushion is ready for company?
Give it 36 to 48 hours out of the packaging and shake it well. If seats are still flat in places after another 4 to 5 days, photograph them and write to the workshop.
Sit well. — Harlan
More photographs to read
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