SaveA Reading by HarlanCorner Floor Cushions & Poufs
An orange gingham corner floor cushion that turned an easel corner into a seat
A corner with an easel is a place you stand. Put a low check cushion in it and it becomes a place you stay. That is the whole makeover, and it took one seat.
A tangerine check floor seat set up as a creative corner, beside an easel, a shelf of brushes and a cane armchair.
The quick answer
A corner floor cushion remakes a room by giving an unused corner a job: sitting low, leaning back and looking. Size it to the corner itself, keep the backrest pillows in the same check as the seat, and let one plain fabric nearby carry the color to the walls. Here, orange gingham on sage paneling needs nothing else.
Before and after, with one cushion between them
Picture this corner without the cushion. Sage paneling, an oak floor, an easel with a blank canvas, a cane armchair angled toward the light. Pretty enough, but it is a corner you stand in, paint in and walk out of.
Now the after. A square corner floor cushion sits on the cream rug in bright orange and white gingham, with two backrest pillows in the same check leaned into the grooves. The corner went from a place to make the work to a place to sit back and judge it.
That is how I think about a makeover, my friend. Not a truckload of new things. One seat that changes what the room is for, and the patience to stop there.
Five pins on the orange corner
Five things in the photograph, from the check seat to the cane chair, and the job each one does.
- Orange check seat
Orange against sage is a complementary pairing, so the check pops without extra accents.
- Right backrest pillow
The pillow leans into the grooved paneling, which shows off its flanged edge.
- Easel and canvas
A low soft seat beside an easel is a place to sit back and look at the work.
- Terracotta curtain
The curtain bridges orange and sage in a plain, softer fabric.
- Cane armchair
A second seat at chair height lets two people share the corner at different levels.
- Orange check seatOrange against sage is a complementary pairing, so the check pops without extra accents.
- Right backrest pillowThe pillow leans into the grooved paneling, which shows off its flanged edge.
- Easel and canvasA low soft seat beside an easel is a place to sit back and look at the work.
- Terracotta curtainThe curtain bridges orange and sage in a plain, softer fabric.
- Cane armchairA second seat at chair height lets two people share the corner at different levels.
Why orange can shout here and nobody minds
Orange and sage sit across from each other on the color wheel. Side by side, each makes the other look stronger, which is why this check needs no extra accent. Against a pale gray wall the same cushion would look loud. Against sage it looks planned.
The seat is box-edged with self piping, so the edge stays in the check instead of drawing a second outline. You look down on a floor pillow, and a contrast welt would frame it like a serving tray. A seam is a promise; this one promises not to show off.
The backrest pillows carry a flanged edge, a flat border of fabric past the seam, and it settles into the grooves of the paneling. The terracotta curtain is the go-between: warm like the orange, plain like the walls. The cane armchair gives a second person a seat at a different height, and the brushes in jars tell you what the corner is for.
The nook that allowed 43 inches, and a reply that came late
A buyer in the US wrote to the workshop about a raised platform nook for reading. They wanted a velvet floor cushion, a back cushion the same length, and two very firm bolsters to lean on with a book. The seat was noted at 48 x 42 in (122 x 107 cm), and the platform allowed no more than 43 in (109 cm) of width.
The workshop quoted it. The workshop quoted it late, and by then the buyer had bought elsewhere. I do not blame them. A makeover has momentum, and a slow reply stops it cold.
What I keep from it: when a reading nook has a hard limit, write it in plain words, no wider than 43 in, and make sure the quote repeats that number back to you.
- Sizes
- Seat noted at 48 x 42 in; no more than 43 in (109 cm) wide
- Fabric
- Velvet, with two very firm bolsters
The lesson: A fast quote keeps a nook project alive, and any hard fit limit, like a maximum width, belongs in the quote itself.
If a bold check goes on a floor cushion, give it a wall in the opposite color: orange gingham against sage paneling needs no other accent.
Harlan
Buyer questions: covers, foam and a house full of children
- A common question
Can I buy the floor sofa without its covers, and how much does that take off?
The workshop's answerYes. The price comes down by the cost of the cover set. One buyer asked for two corner backrests, two bottom cushions and the metal support bars without covers, and was quoted the full price less the cover set.
- A common question
What foam is in the floor sofa: high-density or cold foam, and what ILD?
The workshop's answerThe workshop first described it as high-density foam with an ILD of 42. When a buyer noticed that two listings used different words for it, the workshop confirmed it is cold foam and corrected the wording on the other listing.
- A common question
We have six children. Which fabric cleans up best, and do you have performance fabric?
The workshop's answerThe soft-fabric range cleans easily. For a higher-quality, harder-wearing choice in a busy house, the workshop recommends velvet.
On the cutting table
| Cushion | Corner floor cushion, box edge, with two backrest pillows |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Checked gingham in bright orange and white (code D09) |
| Piping | Self piping in the same check |
| Backrest pillows | Flanged edge, same gingham as the seat |
| Sizing | Cut to the corner; send any hard limit, such as a maximum width |
| Setting | Sage vertical paneling, oak floor, cream rug |
| Bridge fabric | A plain terracotta linen curtain |
| Best for | Creative corners, reading corners and living-room floor seating |
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
Can a corner floor cushion and its backrest pillows be made in the same gingham?
Yes. The seat and the backrest pillows can be cut from one check, as in this orange and white gingham. One fabric across all three pieces makes the corner read as a single seat, not a pile.
Should piping on a gingham floor cushion match the check or contrast with it?
On a floor cushion you mostly see the top from above, so self piping in the same check keeps the edge quiet. A contrast welt draws a frame around the seat, which suits a plain fabric better than a busy check.
What should I measure before ordering a corner floor cushion?
Measure along each wall from the corner point, decide how deep you want to sit, and note any hard limit such as a platform edge or a radiator. Write the limit in your message so the quote confirms it.
Sit well. — Harlan
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