A Reading by HarlanStar Poufs & Giant Star Floor Cushions
A sunny striped star floor cushion, and where the money belongs
Spend on the seams and the cloth. Save on size and trimmings. A yellow-and-blue star in a nursery corner makes the case better than I can.
SaveThe quick answer
On a striped star floor cushion, spend on what wears: tight seams, piping cut from the same stripe, and a fabric that survives washing. Save on size and trimmings. Pick the smallest star that fills the corner, name the thickness when you order, since many buyers picture more than 4 in (10 cm), and ask for a smaller standard set if a quote runs high.
High Point ·
My friend,
A letter from the cutting table, about a yellow star
A star cushion has ten edges, and every one of them is a seam somebody has to trust.
My friend, I have been looking at this photograph a good while. It was taken low, about the height of a child on the rug, across a star floor cushion in sunny yellow and powder blue bands. The bands are the same width, so neither color wins. Powder blue instead of a primary blue keeps the pair gentle, the way a nursery ought to be.
Look at the edge. The piping is cut from the same stripe, so where it wraps the box edge it becomes a dashed line, yellow, blue, yellow, running round all ten sides of the star. A solid cord would have drawn a hard outline. This one traces the shape and stays out of the argument. That is the idea I would borrow for any child's room: a candy stripe with its own striped piping.
Behind it, every piece has a job. The navy star pillow deepens the blue and gives the eye somewhere to rest. The white cloud pillow is a pale shape between the pouf and the canopy, so the two do not run together. The fairy-light sheer hangs a little sparkle above a crisp, graphic seat. The white dresser and the bookcase, with its small rainbow cushion on a shelf, keep the walls quiet so the stripe can talk.
Now to money, since that is what you asked me about. Buy the cushion once, cry once. The seams and the cloth are where a child's cushion lives or dies, so that is where the spending goes. The size is where the saving goes. More rooms like this sit under kids' room cushions, and the whole family of striped cotton and ticking is worth a slow look. What corner is your star going into?
Pinned by Harlan, from knee height
Five pins, from the striped piping at the front point to the fairy-light sheer overhead.
- Striped piping V
Piping cut from the same stripe becomes a dashed yellow-and-blue line around the star.
- Equal-width bands
Powder blue rather than primary blue keeps the pairing soft.
- Navy star pillow
Deepens the blue and gives the eye a resting point.
- White cloud pillow
A pale shape to separate pouf and canopy.
- Fairy-light sheer
Soft sparkle above a crisp, graphic seat.
- Striped piping VPiping cut from the same stripe becomes a dashed yellow-and-blue line around the star.
- Equal-width bandsPowder blue rather than primary blue keeps the pairing soft.
- Navy star pillowDeepens the blue and gives the eye a resting point.
- White cloud pillowA pale shape to separate pouf and canopy.
- Fairy-light sheerSoft sparkle above a crisp, graphic seat.
Where the money goes on a child's star
How I would split a modest budget, part by part.
| Part | Spend or save | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Seams and box edge | Spend | Ten edges and five points to climb on; the seams carry all of it |
| Piping | Spend a little | Cut from the same stripe, it outlines the star without adding a color |
| Fabric | Spend | Ask how it washes; for weekly washing, linen-look polyester or velvet outlasts cotton |
| Size | Save | The smallest star that fills the corner, measured across the points |
| Thickness | Decide, then write it down | Many buyers picture more than 4 in (10 cm); name the number |
| Extra pillows | Save | One navy pillow does the work of three |
| Delivery date | Costs nothing | Order early and write the date you need in the note |
Two linen floor cushions and a date on the calendar
A buyer in the US wrote to the workshop needing two linen floor cushions, each 48 x 36 in (122 x 91 cm), delivered by a particular date. Before anything else, the workshop told them the thing that saves the most grief: these are 4 in (10 cm) thick. Many people picture a floor cushion plumper than that, and a surprise at the door is the dearest kind.
The shop promised the pair would arrive in time if the order went in right away. The buyer was weighing a shade, color 14 on the chart, so the workshop sent a larger photograph of it to judge by. Small swatches flatter nobody.
The lesson: say the thickness up front, and let the buyer see the cloth big. The floor cushion thickness guide walks through the choice plainly.
Buyer questions
- A common question
We're between houses right now. Can you hold my order so it arrives after we've moved in?
The workshop's answerYes. Order whenever suits you and write the delivery date you want in the personalization note; the workshop holds production so the parcel lands on time. With UPS, the person receiving it can also schedule the delivery or hold it for pickup.
- A common question
How does a floor sofa get to my door, and how many boxes should I expect?
The workshop's answerIt travels vacuum-compressed, with the air taken out. One closed-corner sectional came as four big boxes plus a small one for the metal support bars, and it arrived 3 to 4 days after it shipped.
- A common question
The quote for my floor seating set is more than I planned to spend. What could I get instead?
The workshop's answerA smaller standard set or a shorter length. The workshop suggests sets such as a 20 x 56 in (50 x 140 cm) seat with a 16 in (41 cm) backrest and two round armrests, and it will sometimes meet a budget you name.
On the cutting table, one star
| Cushion | Star floor cushion, five points, box edge |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Striped cotton, sunny yellow and powder blue in equal bands |
| Piping | Self piping cut from the same stripe |
| Accents | Navy star pillow, white cloud pillow |
| Sizing | By the overall width across the points |
| Thickness | Name it; floor cushions often run 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm) |
| Spend on | Seams, piping, a fabric that washes well |
| Save on | Size, extras, a smaller standard set |
| Best for | Nursery corners and kids' reading spots |
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.
A star floor cushion has ten edges and every one is a seam. Spend on the seams and the cloth; save on size and trimmings.
Harlan
Questions buyers ask next
How thick should a star floor cushion be for a nursery?
Floor cushions commonly run 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm) thick. Many buyers imagine something plumper than 4 in, so write the thickness into the order. For a small child's reading corner, the thinner end is easier to climb onto and still keeps the floor away.
Is striped cotton sensible for a star cushion that gets washed a lot?
Cotton stripe looks crisp, but the workshop has told nursery buyers that cotton copes less well with heavy washing and daily use. Linen-look polyester, which can be machine washed and line dried, or velvet are the sturdier picks for a busy nursery.
Why pipe a striped star in its own stripe instead of a solid cord?
Striped piping becomes a dashed line of both colors that traces the star without adding a third. A solid cord pulls one color out and draws a hard outline around all ten sides. In a room already full of color, the quieter edge is easier to live with.
Sit well. — Harlan
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