SaveA Reading by HarlanCorner Floor Cushions & Poufs
The navy-striped corner floor cushion, and how to measure one like it
A wide navy stripe in an old white room, and a corner seat that looks simple until you measure it. Sit a spell, my friend: here is what to measure, and where folks go wrong.
Bold navy stripes meet period moldings and herringbone parquet, softened by clay vases, peach flowers and a faded rug.
The quick answer
To measure for a corner floor cushion, measure each wall side from the corner, the curved front, and the thickness you want, then draw the shape with every edge labeled. Compare that drawing with the standard 32 x 32 in (81 x 81 cm) seat before ordering a custom size; standard thickness is 4 in (10 cm), and thicker can be made.
A loud stripe in a quiet room
A corner floor cushion is the easiest seat in the house to love and one of the easiest to mis-measure. This one sits in a white paneled corner on herringbone parquet, dressed in a wide navy and cream awning stripe.
A stripe that bold talks loud, so the room keeps its voice low: white moldings, a tall window, a brass etagere with glass shelves you can see straight through. The stripe stays the heaviest thing in view.
Look at the top. The stripes fan out from the corner toward the curved front like the ribs of a shell, while on the boxing they stand straight up. A cutter plans that before any cloth touches the table. Get it wrong and the stripes slide off the front at an angle.
The props warm the navy: terracotta bud vases with peach ranunculus, trailing pothos up high, a round oak side table. The faded old rug keeps a crisp new stripe from looking store-fresh.
Pinned by Harlan: the striped corner floor seat
Five things in this corner worth a second look.
- Stripes fan to the front
The top is cut so stripes run from the corner out to the curved front, opening like a shell.
- Terracotta vases
Warm clay and peach flowers soften the navy and tie in with the rug's faded reds.
- Brass etagere
Glass shelves keep the side furniture see-through so the stripe stays the heaviest element.
- Vintage rug
A washed-out rug stops a bold new stripe from feeling out of place in an old paneled room.
- Trailing pothos
Height and green on the right balance the flowers on the left.
- Stripes fan to the frontThe top is cut so stripes run from the corner out to the curved front, opening like a shell.
- Terracotta vasesWarm clay and peach flowers soften the navy and tie in with the rug's faded reds.
- Brass etagereGlass shelves keep the side furniture see-through so the stripe stays the heaviest element.
- Vintage rugA washed-out rug stops a bold new stripe from feeling out of place in an old paneled room.
- Trailing pothosHeight and green on the right balance the flowers on the left.
Measuring this exact seat
Each wall side, from the corner
Set the tape in the corner and run it along each wall to where the seat should stop.
The curved front
Run a flexible tape along the curve, wall to wall.
Thickness, on purpose
Standard is 4 in (10 cm); thicker can be made to your number.
Pillows as their own pieces
Each pillow gets its own size on the order.
Draw it before you call it custom
Label every edge and set the sketch beside the standard size. Buy the cushion once, cry once. The quarter-circle sizing guide helps.
The custom corner that turned out standard
A buyer in the US started with a curved corner floor cushion in brick corduroy, then came back for a 22 x 22 in (56 x 56 cm) square pillow in brick and two 20 in (51 cm) flat round pillows in off-white, all piped.
Next came a second corner cushion, and this one was going to be a custom size. The workshop asked for a drawing with every measurement on it. Somewhere between pencil and tape, the buyer saw it: the shape was close to standard after all. They ordered the standard 32 x 32 in, plus another square pillow in off-white.
Custom sizes also take longer to make. So, what does your corner measure along each wall?
- Sizes
- Corner seat 32 x 32 in; pillows 22 x 22 in square and 20 in round
- Fabric
- Brick corduroy with off-white
The lesson: A drawing with every edge measured shows if a custom size is really needed.
A drawing with every edge measured often shows whether a corner floor cushion really needs a custom size, or whether the standard 32 x 32 in seat fits.
Harlan
Buyer questions: thickness, bars and a quiet tracking page
- A common question
How thick is a floor cushion, and can you make it thicker?
The workshop's answerStandard is 4 in (10 cm), and thickness can be customized: one buyer ordered about 6 in (15 cm), and a 12 in thick tufted version exists. Wider sizes can be made too.
- A common question
How do the metal bars behind a floor sofa's backrests fit together?
The workshop's answerTwist and push. A metal insert tightens each joint, and spring dots click into the holes. Loosen a stiff joint by clicking it in and out of the corner piece a few times. A setup video is sent; only the bars need assembling.
- A common question
Tracking still says 'label created' after my order shipped. Is something wrong?
The workshop's answerThe label is created before pickup. Delays have come from holidays when carriers don't collect, a filling or fabric issue, or a special size. Once the parcel moves, ask for the current delivery estimate.
On the cutting table: the navy stripe corner cushion
| Cushion | Corner floor cushion, quarter-round with a curved front |
|---|---|
| Standard size | 32 x 32 in (81 x 81 cm) along the two walls |
| Thickness | 4 in (10 cm) standard; thicker on request |
| Fabric | Striped cotton, wide navy and cream awning stripe |
| Stripe layout | Fanned from the corner on top; upright on the boxing |
| Backrest | Two flanged stripe pillows |
| Best for | Living rooms and reading corners with old floors |
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.
Questions buyers ask next
What is the standard size of a quarter-round corner floor cushion?
The standard corner seat is 32 x 32 in (81 x 81 cm) along the two walls, with a curved front. Compare a drawing of your corner with that size before ordering custom.
Which way should the stripes run on a corner floor seat?
Here the top is cut so the stripes fan from the corner to the curved front, while the boxing keeps them upright. Agree on the direction before any cutting starts.
Can I add matching pillows to a corner floor cushion later?
Yes. The buyer in the story above came back for a 22 x 22 in square pillow and two 20 in flat round pillows, all piped, in brick and off-white.
Sit well. — Harlan
Six more corners, six more fabrics
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