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A Reading by HarlanCorner Floor Cushions & Poufs

A sand corner floor cushion with burgundy backrests: reading the box edge, the curve and the corner

A low corner seat on travertine, nearly as pale as the stone under it. I read its edges and corners the way I'd read a seam, and lay six other corner seats beside it.

The quick answer

A corner floor cushion keeps its shape best with a box edge: a side band between top and bottom holds a square, upright front that stays neat under a backrest. Self piping in the seat fabric keeps a large pale base quiet. Size a corner cushion by measuring along each wall from the back corner, never across the diagonal.

Read by

The Elder of High PointPublished 5 min read

Sand linen-look corner floor cushion with burgundy backrest pillows by an arched brass mirror on travertine tilesSave
A sand-colored seat melts into travertine tiles while burgundy pillows and an arched mirror add depth behind.
Navy and cream wide-stripe corner floor cushion with backrest pillows in a white paneled room on a vintage rugSave
Bold navy stripes meet period moldings and herringbone parquet, softened by clay vases, peach flowers and a faded rug.
Sage green and cream gingham corner floor cushion with backrest pillows in a cream paneled alcove with round mirrorSave
Green check and cream paneling make a quiet cottage corner, with a brass mirror above and a stool of books within reach.
Cornflower blue and ivory striped corner floor pouf with backrest pillows beside a monstera, oak wall shelf and art printsSave
Blue and ivory stripes under a cluster of abstract prints, with a monstera and a slim floor lamp on either side.
Gray and gold leaf-print corner floor cushion with backrest pillows between potted palms and a lit table lampSave
The same leaf print moves into a greener living room, surrounded by palms, a snake plant and a warm lamp.
Charcoal gray and white striped corner floor cushion with two backrest pillows against white vertical wall panelingSave
Gray-and-white stripes line up with white tongue-and-groove boards, while a lattice rug adds a second pattern underfoot.
Light teal and cream striped corner floor cushion with two backrest pillows next to a white nightstand with tulipsSave
A sea-glass stripe floor seat fills the gap between nightstand and wall, lit by black sconces and a mushroom lamp.

Pinned by Harlan

Five pins, from the arched brass mirror above the seat to the travertine tiles it nearly disappears into.

Pinned: Sand linen-look corner floor cushion with burgundy backrest pillows by an arched brass mirror on travertine tiles
  1. Arched brass mirror

    An arched mirror adds height and a soft curve behind the low seat.

  2. Burgundy slub pillows

    A slubby wine weave adds richness against the pale seat.

  3. Sand seat with piping

    Self piping in the same sand fabric keeps the base quiet and tailored.

  4. Rattan side table

    Rattan adds a natural Mediterranean texture beside the fabric.

  5. Travertine floor

    Warm stone underfoot matches the sand seat so the cushion feels part of the floor.

  1. Arched brass mirrorAn arched mirror adds height and a soft curve behind the low seat.
  2. Burgundy slub pillowsA slubby wine weave adds richness against the pale seat.
  3. Sand seat with pipingSelf piping in the same sand fabric keeps the base quiet and tailored.
  4. Rattan side tableRattan adds a natural Mediterranean texture beside the fabric.
  5. Travertine floorWarm stone underfoot matches the sand seat so the cushion feels part of the floor.

Seven corner seats, one question: where does the edge go?

Lay seven corner floor seats side by side, the way this page does, and the fabrics shout first: a navy awning stripe in a paneled room, sage gingham under a round brass mirror, a cornflower stripe, a leaf print framed by palms, charcoal stripe, light teal beside a nightstand. Look a second time and you'll see the edges doing the quiet work.

The edge. This sand seat has a box edge, a side band between top and bottom that keeps the front square and upright. On a low seat you lean back into, that square front is what keeps it looking like furniture and not a dog bed.

The piping. Self piping in the same sand weave. On a big pale cushion, a contrast cord would draw a line around every seam. This keeps the base quiet.

The curve. The front of the seat is softly rounded, and the arched brass mirror and the rattan side table repeat that curve. Shape talks to shape.

The color. The seat is matched almost exactly to the travertine floor, tone on tone, so a large cushion looks lighter than it is. All the color goes into the two burgundy slub-weave backrest pillows, which bring texture as well as depth. A sage-blue rug, a stack of books and a glass carafe finish the corner.

On a floor cushion, my friend, the test of an edge is whether it's still square next year. What is the floor made of where your corner seat will go? There is more in our corner floor cushions, the linen-look fabrics and the Pattern on sizing a quarter-circle corner.

Box, knife, rounded, angled: what each does on a floor corner

Edge or cornerHow it is madeOn a corner floor seat
Box edgeA side band (gusset) joins the top and bottom panelsSquare, upright front that holds under a backrest; the edge in this photo
Knife edgeTop and bottom meet in one seam, no side bandThinner, softer rim; better suited to throw pillows than a seat you lean into
Rounded frontFront corners cut to a curveEasy to walk past, and it echoes arched mirrors and round tables
Angled cornerA corner clipped straight acrossSoftens a point without a curve where a sharp corner would jut into a walkway
A real project

The velvet that remembered its journey

A buyer ordered our floor ottoman with backrest, the one that ships with metal bars, in dark mauve velvet instead of corduroy. It took a week in production and three or four days on the road.

When it arrived, the velvet was marked from being compressed in the box. The buyer brushed it for a few days, then gave it another week. The marks stayed. The workshop agreed to make a replacement cover, and that took longer than anybody wanted, held up by fabric supply and public holidays. Late in the day the buyer asked for a darker color, but the fabric was already cut.

Velvet remembers. It holds a crease from packing longer than a flat weave does, and the darker shades hide it better. That's one reason I like this sand seat in a linen-look weave: there's no pile to hold a grudge.

Sizes
standard floor ottoman with backrest

The lesson: Velvet shows compression marks more than other fabrics; darker shades hide them better.

Buyer questions: bed sizes, sewn-shut covers and a seat made too long

  1. A common question

    How big is each floor sofa mattress, and what size bed do they make laid flat?

    The workshop's answer

    Each floor couch mattress is 39 x 79 in (99 x 201 cm), close to twin XL; the standard piece with its cushion is 39 x 79 x 13 in (99 x 201 x 33 cm). Two side by side make a bed of about 79 x 79 in (201 x 201 cm), and two twin XL sheets cover them. The ottoman on its own is about twin size.

  2. A common question

    Do the tufted floor cushions have zippers, so the covers can be washed?

    The workshop's answer

    No. Tufted cushions are sewn closed around the filling, so the cover can't be removed or changed. For a children's space that needed washable covers, the workshop suggested a sponge-type cushion set with removable, washable covers, made to a custom size and color.

  3. A common question

    My custom floor couch came 35 x 50 in instead of the 35 x 40 in I ordered. What now?

    The workshop's answer

    The workshop first offered a second piece at a discount. When the buyer pointed out that the sizing error was the workshop's, it remade the seat cushion and backrest free of charge and let the buyer keep the original set. The armrests fit, so they weren't remade, and the buyer chose to cover the shipping.

On the cutting table

CushionCorner floor cushion with two backrest pillows
Seat fabricWarm sand linen-look weave
BackrestsBurgundy slub weave
EdgeBox edge with a softly rounded front
PipingSelf piping in the sand fabric
MeasureAlong each wall from the back corner, never the diagonal
Color ruleSeat color from the floor, accent in the backrest
Best forStone, tile and pale wood living rooms

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Have it made

Have this made — ask Harlan’s workshop

Fabric has a temper and foam has a memory. Better to settle both in a conversation than to guess at them alone. — 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.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
Warm sand linen-look weave
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Self piping in the sand fabric
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

In a stone or tiled room, take the corner floor cushion's color from the floor and let the backrest pillows carry the accent.

Harlan
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Questions buyers ask next

What is the difference between a box edge and a knife edge on a floor cushion?

A box edge has a side band between the top and bottom panels, so the cushion keeps square, upright sides. A knife edge joins top and bottom in one seam and thins toward the rim. For a floor seat you lean into, the box edge holds its front line.

Why match a floor cushion to the floor?

Tone on tone makes a large cushion look lighter. When the seat is nearly the color of the travertine or tile under it, it reads as part of the floor, and the backrest pillows are free to carry all the color.

Does a linen-look floor cushion show packing marks like velvet?

Far less. Velvet's pile can hold compression marks from packing for more than a week, which is why darker velvets are the safer pick. A flat linen-look weave has no pile to crush, so it arrives looking closer to how it will stay.

Sit well. — Harlan