Spring is almost here and it’s time to start the process to replace your outdoor cushions so they are done in time for the warm weather. But first there is one more thing to consider for your cushions, the style and design options.
Most often when you have new cushions made you are redoing your current cushions and the style is pretty set. You just want new fabric, possibly new foam and that’s it. Other times, you might find a great frame with no cushions whatsoever. You have a blank slate and you get to decide what you want. But there is also the scenario where you could change the look of your cushions slightly but changing the design style. Below I will break down the different types of bottom and top cushions as well as other design features to consider when redoing your cushions.
Bottom Cushions
Most seat cushions will have a boxing of some sort to provide for the depth of the cushion. The boxing is the panel of fabric that goes around the perimeter of the cushion. It could have a piping or not. You would want to be sure if using this box style, the that pattern is matched from the top of the cushion following through to the boxing.
You could also have a bullnose style where the face fabric wraps around the front of the cushion onto the back, giving more casual look. This style is a good option if you have a busy pattern that is hard to match with the traditional boxing, providing a seamless smooth look all the way around. Again you could have a piping or no piping.
Top Cushions
Top cushions have a few more style options: knife edged pillow, pleated corners, Turkish corners, and box cushions.
First, you could opt for a simple knife edge pillow group that covers the entire back. This is a very casual look. You will want to be sure to have enough coverage for overlap to avoid spaces in the back and to be sure you have the depth you need when sitting on the piece of furniture. The picture shows knife edge pillows that actually could use another pillow or two.
Another style is the Turkish or a pleated corner of the top cushions. This is sort of a cross between the boxed cushion and the knife edge pillows. The pleated corners gives a relaxed depth of a boxed cushions with a little more design style. It can be accented with a cording for more definition, but doesn’t necessarily have it.
Most often the cushions you have already on your existing set is the best design for your piece and is often shaped to fit your piece specifically.
Style Options
Style accents are another piece to the decision making process when making new covers for your cushions. Do you want to have cording or fringe? If using cording, will it be the same fabric (self-cording) or contrast fabric? Maybe you don’t want cording at all going for a more casual relaxed look. Should you consider topstitching? Do you want a buttons or tufting in top cushions? Doing this will take away the ability to remove the casing and wash them, if that is important.
Extra Details
One of the last things to consider in replacing your cushions is the zippers, ties and Velcro. I will always put a zipper in the cushions that I make to make it easier to remove for cleaning. The exception to this is the top cushions with center tuft buttons, in which case there would be no zippers.
Most times if the cushions have ties or Velcro, those will be also part of the design of the new cushions. Sometimes you might have cushions that don’t have them but you see the need for them.
Final Thoughts
From fabric, to foam, to design, there are many considerations in updating your current cushions to fit your lifestyle and situation. Are you ready to start? Give me a call or email me to help you get started.
Denise
detailsbydenise.com 