A Reading by HarlanStar Poufs & Giant Star Floor Cushions
A sand corduroy star floor cushion under a tall canopy, and why its thickness is its seat height
A canopy hung near the ceiling, a low star at its foot, and a room full of pine and rattan. On the floor there is no chair to help, so the foam does all the work.
SaveThe quick answer
On a star floor cushion, the thickness is the seat height, because nothing sits between the foam and the floor. Keep it low under a tall canopy so the corner stays grounded, and check the foam after unpacking: a vacuum-packed cushion needs a few days to recover, and a spot still flat after a week needs new foam.
The cushion, cut open
Cover fabric. A removable, zippered cover. Machine wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle and air dry.
Piping. A fabric-covered cord sewn into the seams. It sits on the seam line, so it does not change the size.
Fiber wrap. Polyester fiber (Dacron) batting around the foam: it fills the cover out and softens the edges.
Foam core. About 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³) high-resilience foam, firm to medium-firm, cut to the ordered size.
Zipper. Along the back band, as hidden as possible. The zipper side faces down or toward the wall.
Base panel. The underside of the cover. A non-slip fabric backing can cover the whole of it instead.
Pinned by Harlan
Five places where the low star and the tall corner balance each other.
- Sand corduroy star
A low star at the base of a tall canopy keeps the proportions grounded.
- Canopy crown
Hanging from near the ceiling doubles the visual height of the corner.
- Rattan cubbies
Woven baskets repeat the natural texture of the corduroy.
- Wooden animals
Small wooden figures keep the eye moving around the room.
- Terracotta plant
Clay and green balance the blush walls.
- Sand corduroy starA low star at the base of a tall canopy keeps the proportions grounded.
- Canopy crownHanging from near the ceiling doubles the visual height of the corner.
- Rattan cubbiesWoven baskets repeat the natural texture of the corduroy.
- Wooden animalsSmall wooden figures keep the eye moving around the room.
- Terracotta plantClay and green balance the blush walls.
Low star, tall canopy: reading the proportion
Old upholsterers will tell you a room is a conversation between high and low. This corner proves it. The white canopy hangs from near the ceiling and doubles the height of the corner. The sand corduroy star sits at its foot, low and wide, and keeps the whole arrangement from floating off. Put a tall pouf there instead and you would have two towers arguing.
On a star floor cushion the thickness is the seat height. There is no frame and no legs, only foam, cover and floor. That is why a floor piece is judged by its foam before its fabric, and why a spot that sinks to the floor is a fault, not a matter of taste. The floor cushion thickness guide goes deeper on choosing the number.
The cover is corduroy with self piping, the box wall standing up around every point. The ribs give a texture a flat cotton would lack, and the woven rattan baskets in the white wall cubbies answer them in another material. A mint green pillow and a white cloud pillow lean on the star, soft company for a small back.
Everything else keeps the eye moving: a wooden elephant and giraffe on the cube shelf, a pegboard of toys, pine storage with white bins, a few picture books, and a plant in a terracotta pot whose clay and green settle the blush walls. It is a playroom corner built on one idea: tall above, low below.
A seam is a promise, my friend, and in a playroom the promise is that the corner still looks this tidy after a winter of jumping. How high does the smallest person in your house like to sit?
Thickness is height: floor pieces measured
| Floor piece | What sets the height | from past orders |
|---|---|---|
| Star floor cushion | Its own thickness, foam straight on the floor | Made to order; outdoor fabric on request |
| Floor sofa seat cushion | Foam thickness over the floor | 78 × 39 × 6.5 in (198 × 99 × 16.5 cm) |
| Teddy sofa laid flat | One seat mattress per sleeper | Twin size, 39 × 79 in (99 × 201 cm) |
| Folded roll-pack cushion | A fold hump raises one spot | Sit on it and tug it flat |
The corner that wouldn't come back
A buyer in the US unpacked a vacuum-compressed corduroy floor sofa, and one seat cushion, 78 x 39 x 6.5 in (198 x 99 x 16.5 cm), stayed flat in one corner. The workshop asked for a few more days, since compressed foam takes time to come back. After about a week that corner was still down, and a foot pressed there sank to the floor on one side.
That is where patience ends. The buyer sent photos from several angles, and the workshop shipped a replacement foam insert for that one cushion, not the whole sofa. On a seat that sits on the floor, 6.5 in of foam is the entire chair. When part of it quits, you replace the part.
- Sizes
- Seat cushion 78 x 39 x 6.5 in (198 x 99 x 16.5 cm)
- Fabric
- Corduroy
The lesson: Allow a few days for recovery, and if one area is still flat after a week, replace the foam.
Buyer questions: humps, weather and bed sizes
- A common question
My cushion came vacuum packed and folded in half, and now there's a hump in the middle. How do I get it flat?
The workshop's answerSit on the cushion and tug it back into shape, working the filling, even beating it lightly, so it settles. It rarely happens. When one didn't recover, the workshop offered a partial refund or a replacement at a large discount.
- A common question
Could the star floor cushion be made in an outdoor fabric?
The workshop's answerYes. Pick a code from the outdoor fabric chart and write it in the personalization or notes box when you order, and the star is made to order in that fabric.
- A common question
How big a bed does the teddy floor sofa make when it's laid flat?
The workshop's answerEach seat mattress is twin size, 39 x 79 in (99 x 201 cm). Two side by side make a king-size bed, and the L-shaped corner version lays out even bigger than a king.
Inside the star, layer by layer
| Cushion | Five-point star floor cushion |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Sand beige corduroy |
| Piping | Self piping in the same corduroy |
| Edge | Box wall standing around the points |
| Seat height | Equal to the thickness; the floor is the frame |
| Arrives | Vacuum-packed; allow a few days to recover |
| If a spot stays flat | Photos after a week, then replacement foam |
| Outdoor version | A code from the outdoor chart, written in the notes |
| Best for | Playrooms and canopy corners |
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.
A vacuum-packed floor cushion that arrives with a fold hump usually settles if you sit on it and tug it back into shape.
Harlan
Questions buyers ask next
Why does a low pouf suit a tall canopy?
A canopy hung from near the ceiling doubles a corner's height. A low, wide star at its foot grounds that height, so the corner reads as one arrangement. A tall pouf under a tall canopy makes two vertical shapes compete for the eye.
What does self piping look like on a corduroy star?
Self piping is cord covered in the same corduroy as the cushion, so the edge reads as one color with a slim raised line. On a star it traces every point and inner angle, which shows the shape clearly from across a room.
How long should I wait before judging a vacuum-packed floor cushion?
Give it a few days. Compressed foam recovers gradually, and small folds usually settle with sitting and tugging. If one area is still flat after about a week, photograph it from several angles and ask the workshop about replacement foam.
Sit well. — Harlan
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