Transform Your Living Room with Designer Cushions
Is your living room feeling a bit bland and boring? Designer cushions might just be the secret ingredient you’ve been missing.
Designer cushions can uplift the entire mood of your living room, adding warmth and personality to even the most tired spaces. They give your old furniture a new lease of life, bring visual interest to your layout, and make your living area feel truly one-of-a-kind.
In today’s blog, our in-house interior designer Tania shares her expert tips on how to get the most out of Vanessa Arbuthnott’s designer cushions, so you can create a statement living space that is a joy to spend time in.
Our designer cushion interior design tips
1) It’s all about balance
When it comes to styling with cushions, there’s a fine art to achieving a look that’s eclectic but never chaotic. Our golden rule is that cushions should add to the comfort of your living room, not compete with it. If you can’t sit down on your sofa without throwing your cushions on the floor, then you probably have too many!
Three cushions is usually spot on for a small sofa (around 150cm). You could add two square cushions on either end and a rectangular one in the centre for added interest. Five or six cushions are perfect for larger sofas (around 200cm), as they help to create that generous, welcoming feel without crowding your seating.
Take a look at this Chedworth Sofa in our Soft Teal Sunflower fabric that we styled with three well-proportioned cushions. The combination of warm Day Lily in our Up the Garden Path pattern and Plain Linen Union pairs beautifully with the stripe of fresh green in our French Ticking design. They help to lift the floral blue upholstery, creating a palette that feels grounded yet full of life.
2) Play with shape and size
Cushions aren’t just about colour and pattern; they’re also a great way of playing with form. Mixing various cushion shapes and sizes helps to add dimension and depth to your seating, making the whole arrangement feel relaxed and lived-in.
We recommend adding generous square cushions (around 50x50cm) to the outer arms of your sofa, and layering in slighter smaller 46x46cm cushions elsewhere on the seating. If you go any smaller, the cushions may end up looking lost. Scatter in some additional rectangular cushions for added visual interest, or choose bolster cushions for extra comfort.
All our designer cushions are filled with responsibly sourced, cruelty-free duck feathers, adding just the right balance of sink-in softness and support. There’s no better feeling than settling into our Cirencester Sofa at the end of a long day, with a book in hand and a feather-filled bolster cushion propped under your arm.
Bolster cushions: Little Fern in Ochre. Rectangular cushions: Berries and Leaves in Cloud and Light Indigo, and Plain Linen Union in Day Lily.
3) Combine different colours and patterns
Combining colour and pattern is one of the most effective ways to inject some personality into your living area. Cushions allow you to dip your toe into experimenting with different prints and palettes in a way that won’t overwhelm the space.
For a plain sofa, we recommend choosing up to three complementary colours and mixing in a variety of small and large scale patterns. If your sofa is already patterned, we recommend opting for plainer linen cushions and pairing these with a select few printed cushions to avoid visual overload. The secret is all in the spacing – try alternating patterns with plains so that each cushion has room to shine.
Read our combining colour and pattern blog for more inspiration on layering different hues and designs.
4) Trim it up
Cushion trims are an often-overlooked detail that can drastically alter the look and feel of your living space. From delicate scalloped frills that soften the edges of your cushion, to smart piped edges that define its shape, trims help to individualise your interiors and add another layer of interest. Even a simple bow-tie detail can bring a hint of playfulness or charm, depending on how you style it.
We offer an extensive range of finishing touches for all our square, rectangular, and bolster cushions: choose from piped and zipped, buttoned and enveloped, pleated edges, ties, or frilled all round. You could echo other details with your trims and pick up a tone from other soft furnishings in your room e.g. curtains, or introduce a contrasting colour for added depth. Don’t be afraid to mix and match your trims, either!
Elevate your living space with our designer cushions
At Vanessa Arbuthnott Fabrics, we are proud to offer some of the finest luxury designer cushions in the UK. You can choose from our beautiful made to measure cushions, available in a wide variety of nature-inspired fabrics, vibrant colours, and finishes, or opt for our ready made cushion range if you need something speedier. Every cushion we create is hand-crafted right here in the Cotswolds and filled with luxury feather pads for ultimate comfort.
Not sure which cushion is right for your living room? Our interior designer, Tania, offers free 30-minute virtual design consultations to help you find the perfect fit for your space. Book your slot today and get ready to choose your perfect cushion combination.
We sell fabrics exclusively designed by Vanessa Arbuthnott, along side small, bespoke collection of Made to Measure items which includes curtains, blinds, sofas, footstools, chairs, headboards, and quilts, all handmade specially for you by master crafts people.
