SaveA Reading by HarlanCorner Floor Cushions & Poufs
A sky blue and yellow corner floor cushion that seats a whole crowd of children
A striped corner seat on the floor, a terracotta wall painted halfway up, and a bentwood chair for the grown-up who reads aloud. Some rooms are built for company.
A sunny striped floor seat sits against a half-painted terracotta wall, joined by a bentwood chair and a pastel rainbow rug.
The quick answer
A corner floor cushion is the most generous seat in a kids' room: it takes a pile of children at floor level, where a small sofa takes three. A box edge with self piping holds its shape when they climb and flop, and a thickness chosen for the job keeps the cost sensible. Add backrest pillows and one adult chair for reading aloud.
The seat where every birthday party ends up
Watch any gathering with children in it. The grown-ups take the chairs, and the children take the floor. This corner floor cushion plans for that.
It sits in the corner of a kids' room, sky blue and sunshine yellow in a wide stripe, with two flanged backrest pillows cut from the same cloth. The front is rounded, the edge is boxed, and a self-piped welt runs the whole curve. That welt matters more than it looks. When a six-year-old climbs on and flops down, the piping keeps the edge firm instead of letting it slump. A seam is a promise, and this one gets tested every afternoon.
Beside it stands a bentwood plywood chair, curved like the seat front, in warm wood. That is the grown-up's place. Floor for the listeners, chair for the reader. Now tell me, my friend, where do the children end up in your house when company comes?
Pinned by Harlan: a wall, a chair, a stripe and a rug
Five pins, from the terracotta paint line that frames the seat to the piped curve that survives the climbing.
- Color-block wall
Terracotta painted to just above pillow height creates a built-in backdrop.
- Bentwood chair
A curved plywood chair mirrors the rounded seat front in warm wood.
- Blue and yellow stripe
Bright stripes suit a kids' corner and hide everyday marks.
- Rainbow rug
Pastel stripes underfoot soften the brighter fabric.
- Self-piped curve
Piping holds the curved edge firm when children climb and flop.
- Color-block wallTerracotta painted to just above pillow height creates a built-in backdrop.
- Bentwood chairA curved plywood chair mirrors the rounded seat front in warm wood.
- Blue and yellow stripeBright stripes suit a kids' corner and hide everyday marks.
- Rainbow rugPastel stripes underfoot soften the brighter fabric.
- Self-piped curvePiping holds the curved edge firm when children climb and flop.
Why the wall is painted only halfway up
The terracotta stops just above the tops of the backrest pillows. It gives a floor seat a colored frame at its own height, and a loose cushion framed that way looks built in. Cheap trick, old trick, good trick.
The clay color calms the stripe, too. Blue and yellow alone can tip into a primary-color cliché; against terracotta they look sunny instead of loud. Underfoot, a pastel rainbow rug softens the brighter fabric. And a striped cotton hides everyday marks, which in a room full of children is half the reason to choose a stripe at all. For the fuller story on hardy cloth, see kid-friendly cushion fabric.
Ten inches thick, and a question worth asking
A buyer in the US asked for our largest tufted corner floor cushion, 48 x 48 in (122 x 122 cm), at 10 in (25 cm) thick. The quote came back well over what they meant to spend on a corner decor piece.
So the workshop asked the question that should come first: what is the extra height for? Thickness drives cost steeply, because every added inch runs across the whole square. A cushion for napping, a cushion for perching and a cushion for show want different heights. The floor cushion thickness guide shows what each inch buys you, and sizing a quarter-circle corner helps with the footprint.
On the cutting table: the kids' corner seat
| Product | Corner floor cushion, rounded front, two backrest pillows |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Striped cotton, sky blue and sunshine yellow |
| Edge | Box edge |
| Piping | Self piping along the curve |
| Backrest | Two flanged pillows in the same stripe |
| Largest corner size in past orders | 48 x 48 in (122 x 122 cm) |
| Tufting | Optional; can be made without buttons for napping |
| Best for | Kids' rooms, playrooms, reading aloud, sleepovers |
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.
Buyer questions: no buttons, a tired zipper and piped edges
- A common question
Could the tufted floor cushions be made without buttons? We'd like to sleep on them.
The workshop's answerYes. They can be made without tufting buttons, and the hand-sewn edges you see in the photos stay just as they are.
- A common question
After about a year the zipper on my sofa cover came off and a few seams opened. Is there any help?
The workshop's answerYes. The workshop sent a free replacement cover for that piece, the L-shaped top section, and the buyer paid only the shipping.
- A common question
Is it possible to add piping around the edges?
The workshop's answerYes, piping is no problem. It comes standard on the non-tufted zippered covers.
Children take the floor at every gathering, so a corner floor cushion with self piping on its curve will seat more of them than a sofa.
Harlan
Questions buyers ask next
Is a corner floor cushion better than a small sofa in a kids' room?
For gatherings, usually yes. A floor seat has no arms to limit how many children pile on, nothing to fall off, and it fits a corner a sofa can't use. Keep one adult chair nearby for whoever does the reading aloud.
Why does thickness change the cost of a floor cushion so much?
Because each extra inch runs across the whole footprint. On a 48 x 48 in (122 x 122 cm) corner cushion, one more inch of height means a good deal more foam and a taller side band of fabric. Decide what the seat is for, then choose the thickness.
Are stripes a practical choice for a kids' corner seat?
Yes. A lively stripe hides everyday marks far better than a plain pale color, and cotton stripes feel familiar and soft. Pair a bright stripe with a calm wall color, like the terracotta here, so the corner reads sunny rather than loud.
Sit well. — Harlan
