I absolutely adore cushions – floor cushions, scatter cushions, bolster cushions, silk cushions, linen cushions… the whole lot! I really don’t get other peoples’ houses where there isn’t a cushion in sight but I realised I’d gone to the other extreme last night when a bunch of friends came over and there was literally not enough space for them to sit… how embarassing… all our seating was covered in cushions! In fact, afterwards, I counted a total of 14 cushions just in our living room (8 of which were on the main sofa)!!!

So I’ve decided it’s time to go back to basics, to tone down the accessories and restyle the room a bit… Out with the old, in with the new! I’ve set myself a maximum of six cushions and to make the selection process easier, each cushion must meet the below criteria otherwise it’s bye bye… (I think I’ve taken this too seriously, sounds like a college application!)

Anyway, so the cushions to be saved must:

• be in a good condition i.e. no misshapen, saggy or grubby looking cushions (that’s minus 2 already)
• add a splash of colour, pattern or have a reflective quality (down to 10)
• bring in lots of texture and warmth to the room (they all meet this condition)
• feel soft to the touch or have an interesting feature, like a satin band or a decorative button
• have a specific purpose

I’m definitely keeping my two Tiffany cushions as they are colourful, super soft and have a fine pleat and beads detail (and are from Coco Målé!). I think I should also keep the two large floor cushions for extra seating, and then it’s between the remaining six. This is going to be hard – a cushion is so much more than just a piece of fabric – cushions can bring a whole scheme together and can literally make or break a room…

If you have also accumulated tons of cushions over the years but don’t want to part with them just yet, another solution would be to bring them out in turns so for example you can use red velvety cushions around the Christmas season, soft pastel coloured ones in Spring and bright coloured linen ones in the Summer. This way, you’ll also be regularly giving your rooms a mini facelift!

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