Save- Gallery wall
Navy and black prints repeat the rug and pillow colors above the seat.
- Swing-arm lamp
An adjustable lamp reaches over the seat for reading without a side table.
- Red seat, self piping
A red seat with matching piping makes the base the focal color.
- Charcoal backrest
Dark pillows behind a red seat read as a solid chair back.
- Navy rug
A navy rug cools the red and outlines the seat's footprint.
Plate Red Seat and Charcoal Backrest Corner Floor Cushion Reading Nook
Splitting colors between seat and backrest gives this floor seat the look of a real chair: red below, charcoal behind.
A Reading by HarlanCorner Floor Cushions & Poufs
A Red and Charcoal Corner Floor Cushion, and the Case for Self Piping
Red below, charcoal behind, and piping the same color as the cloth it finishes. Here's why I wouldn't change that last decision.
The quick answer
For a two-color corner floor cushion, self piping is usually the right call: each piece keeps its own clean outline, while a third color on the edges would break up the red seat and charcoal backrest. Give the darker color to the backrest so it recedes like a chair back, and the seat stays the focus of the reading nook.
Reading the edges before the red
A seam is a promise, and piping is the part of that promise folks can see from across the room. So when I read this photograph, I look at the edges before I look at the red.
The piece is a corner floor cushion set in a cream reading nook: a bright red box-edge seat on the floor and two charcoal flanged backrest pillows against the walls. Two fabrics, one for each job. The seat is piped in its own red. The backrest pillows finish with a flat flange in their own charcoal. Nothing on any edge is a third color.
Here's why that matters, my friend. Dark pillows behind a red seat read as a solid chair back, and the red comes forward as the main event. Wrap a cream contrast piping cord around both pieces and you'd draw four outlines where the eye wants two blocks. The seat would stop being a seat and start being a diagram.
The rest of the corner keeps the balance. A navy rug under the seat cools the red and outlines its footprint. The gallery wall of wave, butterfly and abstract prints repeats navy and black above. A black swing-arm floor lamp reaches over the middle of the seat, which tells me the corner was planned around reading, no side table needed. A pine bookcase with books and white ceramics, a trailing plant and a monstera in a white pot keep it lived in.
The cloth is from our linen-look family, and in warm, soft light the red reads lively rather than loud. The piping Pattern lays out all three choices side by side. Which color in your room would you give the backrest?
Five pins in a red reading corner
Five pins, from the gallery wall to the navy rug, showing how a two-color seat stays balanced.
The numbers match the pins on the plate.
- Gallery wallNavy and black prints repeat the rug and pillow colors above the seat.
- Swing-arm lampAn adjustable lamp reaches over the seat for reading without a side table.
- Red seat, self pipingA red seat with matching piping makes the base the focal color.
- Charcoal backrestDark pillows behind a red seat read as a solid chair back.
- Navy rugA navy rug cools the red and outlines the seat's footprint.
Self, contrast or no piping: what each does to the line
| Edge finish | What it does to the line | On this nook |
|---|---|---|
| Self piping | Outlines the shape in the fabric's own color, so the piece reads as one block | Chosen for the red seat |
| Contrast piping | Draws a second-color line around every edge | Would add a third color and cut the seat off from the back |
| No piping, plain or flanged | A softer, quieter silhouette; a flange adds a flat border instead of a cord | The charcoal backrest pillows |
Fifteen floor cushions for a museum, palette first
A design firm in the US ordered 15 linen floor cushions, each 26 x 26 x 5 in (66 x 66 x 13 cm), for the seating area of a museum, matched to a palette the client had already approved. Before anything was cut, the firm received a large set of linen samples for the cost of shipping.
The details were spelled out one by one. The handles stayed on and were reinforced. The leather label was left off. Eight colors were split across the fifteen cushions: L80, L19, L16, L63 and L43, with Red Wine, Emerald and Tobacco. Once the specifics were settled the quote came down a little, and five more cushions were ordered later from the same listing.
That's how commercial work goes right. Sample the whole palette first, then write down every piece of hardware and every label, in or out.
Buyer questions: loose buttons, weights and a corduroy that isn't red
- A common question
A tufting button came off my floor cushion. How do I put it back?
The workshop's answerThe workshop sends a short video showing how to sew the button back on through the cushion.
- A common question
How much does a cushion weigh? I'd like to estimate return shipping.
The workshop's answerA 16 x 40 in (41 x 102 cm) velvet cushion weighs about 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 lb (2 to 3 kg). Return shipping on a cushion that size is expensive, so it pays to confirm sizes and colors before ordering.
- A common question
Is the COR205 corduroy a red terracotta?
The workshop's answerIt is closer to burnt orange. Lighting changes how the tone looks in photos.
On the cutting table: the reading corner
| Piece | Corner floor cushion with backrest pillows |
|---|---|
| Seat | Bright red linen-look (917), box edge |
| Backrest | Two charcoal (904) flanged pillows |
| Edge finish | Self piping on the seat; flange on the backrests |
| Color split | Darker color behind, brighter color on the seat |
| Light | Black swing-arm lamp reaching over the seat |
| Floor | Navy rug under the full footprint |
| Best for | Reading corners and small living rooms |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Harlan’s workshop
The best cushions I have known began with somebody asking one more question. Ask yours here. — 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 two-color floor cushion, give the darker fabric to the backrest and pipe each piece in its own color; a contrast cord draws four outlines instead of two blocks.
Harlan
Questions buyers ask next
Can I order a floor cushion seat and backrest in different colors?
Yes. Ordering the seat and backrest in two fabrics is a simple custom request. Give the darker color to the backrest so it reads like a chair back, and write both fabric codes on the order.
When is contrast piping a good idea on a floor cushion?
When the cushion is one color and you want its outline to show, for example a pale seat on a pale floor. On a piece that already uses two colors, a contrast cord tends to add clutter rather than shape.
What lamp suits a corner floor seat?
One that reaches. A swing-arm floor lamp set beside the corner can hang its shade over the middle of the seat, so you read without a side table taking up floor space.
Sit well. — Harlan
