Ask Décor Diva: Where Can I Buy Retro Cushions?

One of our readers recently contacted The Design Tabloid to ask our resident Décor Diva some advice…

She asks:

“I have a dark brown suede L shape couch and want retro, bright scatter cushions but not sure where and how to get them…

Décor Diva says:

This is actually a tricky question, without a particularly straight forward answer.  The reason being that the term “retro style” could mean one thing to me and another to you, coming out of our individual perceptions of “retro”.

In décor & interior design “retro” basically speaks of a trend or style that is reminiscent of those styles of the 50’s and 60’s.  However, the definition of “retro” is in actuality anything that is older than 20 years.  To some retro means “vintage” or “mid-century modern” or the pop culture styles prominent in the 60’s and early 70’s.  In recent times even those fashion and décor items and styles appropriated in the 80’s is gaining momentum.

This all then begs the question: what is your perception of retro patterns and styles?

But in an attempt to assist you with your scatter cushion décor dilemma, I think it best that I just simply point you in the direction of some of the local suppliers of fabrics & cushions that we would regard as retro – in a more universal sense. You take your pick from these and hopefully it will help you to move forward. If you struggle to find ready-made scatter cushions in the shops, there is a good few fabric houses that sell awesome retro-inspired fabrics that can be made into scatters. In the event that you are not needle and tread capable, approach a local curtain manufacturer to make up the scatter cushions for you.

Here is the suggested suppliers of retro patterned fabrics:

Unfortunately most fabric houses do not sell directly to the public BUT luckily if you see a fabric you like you can contact us and we will order it for you!

  • Local Cape Town designer Skinny laMinx (not necessarily bright, but certainly retro)!
  • Hertex has a handful of quirky fabrics with retro comic strip motifs on it.
  • Then there is a fabulous range of fabrics and patterns to be found from Design Team, especially their Young at Heart and Baha ranges. Their website has a full and comprehensive range of fabrics to be viewed. If want you could spend some time looking through their range, you may strike it lucky.

Love, Rose  x x x

{Below find some awesome local retro-inspired scatter cushions. Please click on images to enlarge}

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Décor Dictionary: Bolster

Round & rectangular bolster cushions via The Design Tabloid
On the left a cylindrical bolster cushion and a rectangular bolster on the right.

Bolster:  is a long narrow pillow or cushion. Most often cylindrical, bolsters can be added to a bed or sofa as a decorative element. They can also function as head or back support and are often used as bumpers in cribs or act as barriers in the beds of small children. 

Images via: a’ La Mode & Coastal Style

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Scatter cushion stuffing

Quick Tip #8: Scatter Cushions – It’s All In The Stuffing

Scatter cushion stuffing

That cheap scatter cushion might be beautiful but you should think twice before buying a stack of them…a good scatter is all in the stuffing you see.

#8   When selecting a scatter cushion the density of the inner is quite important. Try not to buy scatters that are either too hard or too soft as they have a low comfort factor and will be an irritant when sitting. Down or feather-mix inners are considered to be the premium choice and can easily be reshaped and plumped. Try avoiding cushions with shredded foam as it gets lumpy or 100% polyester/hollow fibre inners that become as flat as a pancake. Rather have 2 quality feather-mix scatters on your sofa than 5 inferior scatters.

Images: Granny GooseCaitlin Wilson

 

Quick Tips - Decor Diva - The Design Tabloid

Quick Tip #7: A Scatter Cushion No-No

A BIG scatter cushion no-no and one of our pet-peeves…

#7   Whether it’s on your bed or on your sofa, never ever arrange scatter cushions at 45 degree angle (aka the dreaded diamond shape) – it looks terribly tacky and old-fashioned (“lekker oudoos”). No matter how beautiful the cushion, putting it at a 45 degree angle does your sofa no favours as it disrupts the natural eye-line of your space.  

Images via Dreamstime

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