The clash of… your sofa cushions
The new way to style your sofa is bold and bright, with clashing patterns and plenty of texture… we share how to get the cushion clash just right
Be bold and be brave when it comes to your cushion selection, for as stylist Sophie Robinson (@sophierobinson) says, ‘It’s practically a design crime in my view to have a set of matching cushions on the sofa. This is an area where you can be creative and have some fun… and introduce some colour.’ Sophie, who presents The Great Indoors with Kate Watson-Smyth, certainly knows a thing or two about colour, pattern and styling to the max. 'You can never have too many colours or cushions in my view,' she says. Great news for cushion – and pattern – lovers everywhere.
Hold out for a hero
Sophie says it's all about the one… that single cushion you fall head-over-heels for and simply have to buy. ‘Preferably it’s a cushion that has all of your favourite colours in,’ she says. ‘From here you can pull out a palette for plain ones and identify the colours that will work for other patterned cushions too. If you use your hero cushion as the anchor, then you’ll pull the whole colour scheme together effortlessly.’
Think about the scale of your collective of cushions, too. As Sophie explains, 'The real skill to clashing pattern comes in playing around with sizes. Try a big blowsy floral for example, sit this next to a mid-size geometric and then finish the look with a narrow stripe. And always throw a plain fabric into the mix for balance. The play on scale always makes a pleasing display across your sofa.’
Play with size and texture
Just as you should avoid a sofa of matching cushions, the same applies to texture and size. ‘A successful sofa story has lots of layers,’ says Sophie. When it comes to texture, Sophie always goes with what ‘feels best’, so she'll arrange super-soft velvets next to natural linens, cosy wools and sumptuous silks. ‘I love to see cosy and silky textures together on a sofa – they bring out the best of each other.’
When it comes to size, Sophie says to keep on mixing – not matching, and not lining your sofa with a set of standard 40cm x 40cm cushions. ‘Avoid selecting cushions all the same size. You can layer them on the sofa more successfully with larger cushions at the back and smaller ones to the fore,’ she says.
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