History and facts of cushions

Cushions have a very noble history. The earliest records of this ancient piece of furniture can be found in old inventories of great palaces and manor houses of the early Middle Ages. At that time, the covering was usually of leather, they were mostly of immense sizes, firmly padded and used as seats. Their use as such was retained even after chairs became commonplace. Chairs prior to this period were of noble importance, lesser mortals than feudal lords sat on cushions, which also designated rank in the courts. Later, cushions were used to make hard wooden chairs, benches and stools more comfortable. Even as late as the 17th and 18th centuries in France and Spain, we glean from historical memoirs that they were still used as seats. In fact in the Spanish court, you were an honored person indeed, if you were allowed to sit on a cushion, while France, the prerogative to kneel on a cushion behind the king in church was a mark of status, firmly held by the privileged and rigidly controlled by those in authority.

The cushion even today has not lost much of its noble heritage, because no substitute has yet been invented to take its place at Royal weddings, coronations and other regal functions. Today, cushions should be expected to play two roles simultaneously, they should fit into your room scheme as a decorative accessory as well as give comfort in use. A comfortable cushion, which is ugly, may be physically acceptable, but it is of no use whatever if it causes you aesthetic discomfort.Cushions, like all soft furnishings, can be classic and stylish or frivolous and just plain fun. Almost any fabrics can be used for cushions, from rich brocades to humble Hessian. Closely woven and crease-resisting fabrics are best. Consider also their laundering and washing qualities.

Cushion covers must stand up to much handling, therefore sturdy, good quality fabrics will ensure durability. This is a realistic attitude to take and it is wise economy to use the best fabric you can afford because if you are going to spend valuable time making them yourself, you don’t want them to fall apart sooner than expected from normal use. Cushions can be of any size and shape and trimmed in a variety of ways. You could use bought trimmings like braids, fringes and tassels or you could trim and hand made trimmings such as frills and self fringes and piping. English and Italian quilting ( Trapunto), patchwork and appliqué are other interesting ways by which to make attractive and exclusive looking cushions.

If no special edge finish is planned for the cushion, they should nevertheless be finished with a self-piping in a fabric of similar weight and thickness. Piped seams are considered very professional; cushions do certainly look much better with piping than without.

Although cushions are made in a variety of shapes, there are only 2 basic types of cushions: the Plain edged cushion, which is sometimes referred as Knife edges, and has a back and front only; and the Boxed cushion, also known as a Walled cushion, which has a wall or boxing striped between the front ( top ) and back ( bottom ) pieces. A boxed cushion always looks larger than a plain edged one of exactly the same size; so keep this in mind when you are planning specific size.

The purposes and functions of curtains

Curtain is almost the first thing one would notice on entering a room. They are also the first soft furnishing project to attempt in a home. Curtains can be put to many purposes, both decorative and practical. They are used to insulate a room, to give privacy and to control light and glare. They are not meant to act as sunshades. Use window blinds inside or awnings outside to counteract the potential ravages of sunlight. All rooms need finishing touches, we find these in accessories such as lovely lamps, cushions and beautiful pictures on the walls, but it is curtains that complete a room's décor. If you imagine a beautifully appointed room without curtains, you will soon notice the resultant discord and lack of unity, the feeling of emptiness, in spite of lovely decorative touches, makes your realize that the room is incomplete without curtains. There are rare occasions when it would be impractical to hang curtains, such as over laundry tubs and kitchen sinks. In such, use a colorful window shade.

Not many rooms are simple and straightforward. Every room has its own needs and deficiencies, which must be reckoned with before you plan curtains for specific windows. Quite often you will find that the window themselves are part of the problem.

First, consider the purpose and function expected of the curtains, then decide how best they can be used to enhance the room. Are they for a bedroom where afternoon naps and Sunday morning sleep-ins are routine? Curtain which cut out all daylight will be needed here. Is the room sunless and bleak? If so, light weight sheers or Terylene curtains will allow as much light in as possible and give daytime privacy at the same time. If unlimited light is needed, hang curtains on tracks, which extend beyond the width of the windows on each side, so that when the curtains are drawn open to their fullest extent, they will expose all the glass area of the windows and only cover the wall area on each side of the windows. This is also a good idea if your want to create an appearance of width on narrow window, or to preserve a lovely view without blocking most of it off at the sides, which is what would happen if curtains were hung in the usual way, i.e. sides in line with the width of the window.

Curtain can change the apparent size of the room. If you want a feeling of more space in a small room, hang curtains in the same tones as the walls. This does not necessarily mean that they should be of the same color as the walls; they may be complementary colors if you wish, but the degree of color intensity should be the same. However, if the curtains and walls were of the same color and tone, the feeling of space would be intensified, and this to could be very dull. It would be more interesting to have patterned curtains with colors that match the wall color in general tones; the pattern should be small to encourage the feeling of spaciousness. It is also a fact that lightweight fabrics help create a feeling of spaciousness more so that heavier fabrics.

If the room is large and you want to reduce the feeling of size, hang curtains o heavier fabric and in strong colors that contrast in depth with those of the walls. If using patterned fabric, choose large and definite motifs. Repeating the same fabric in loose covers or bedcovers will knit the scheme together and create a coziness lacking in a large room. Badly proportioned and indifferently placed windows can be found as often in new houses as in older ones. Problem windows are a fact of life. There is one in nearly every house. This is an occasional cross we have to bear, so treat it as a challenge. You will be the winner in the end, just wait and see.

Curtains also help the acoustics of a room; they act as a buffer against sound and noise in the same way as carpets do. Ever noticed how different a room sounds when you remove curtains for cleaning.

Apart from all the physical reasons for having curtains, there is also the all-important psychological one, which should not be too lightly dismissed. Of course why have curtains if you live on the eighteenth floor of an apartment building, where privacy is no problem and the view is endless and unimpaired by other buildings? You are one in a million, and won’t need curtains if you can stand black patches of nothing on your walls every night without feeling the least bit uneasy. For most of us, it takes more than a stout heart to brave the intimidating emptiness of night pouring in around us. Even with a stout and stoic heart, and excluding witches and such, does anyone really like living with nocturnal black? Who, under these circumstances, would want to do without curtains, when, with just a flick of wrist, you can shut out gloom and bring in comfort and peace where a moment before there was cheerless threatening night? Even though you may only draw your curtains closed at night, you will still want the windows to look co-ordinate from the street in the daytime. Nothing jars the senses as much as a hodge-podge of different colors seen from outside the house. Because curtains are not meant to be use as sunshades, you should either have blinds or, if it is only for privacy you want, have sheer curtains in a neutral shade that is common to the color scheme in each room. This allows you freedom to create each room scheme individually, so that you can have different main curtains at each window. This way you won’t have monotony inside the house while retaining uniformity outside which is really quite important. Uniformity outside may sound dull in theory but in reality it creates a happier mood than would a variety of different colors seen from the street. For this reason also, line all your main curtains in the same shade of lining, just in case you do have to draw them closed in the daytime or do not have blinds. Not to have blinds is an unwise decision to make in our hot sunny climate.

Rethink your walls with creativities

Walls are more than just backdrops for furniture and accessories. Though you may never have thought of them as such, walls are decorating elements that can showcase your creativity as effectively as the furnishing you choose. Inventive wall treatments also can improve a room’s function by providing much-needed storage, or by reshaping space into a more convenient arrangement.
Approach your wall treatments in a more ingenious way instead of a purely decorative element and adapt it to your own particular situation.

Glass brick as backdrop

Use glass bricks as backdrop or room divider provides a glamorous feel for what is otherwise an understated room. Though the bricks are square, you can try shaping them into a sinuous partition that pulls light into a room and adds unusual textual interest. This can be an added interior element and can also be used effectively to construct to replace window or even other walls.




Create storage in disguise

Organizing your storable may sometimes seem like a losing battle, but even the most overwhelming clutter can be contained if you plan carefully on your storage. It can be functional as well as stylish. Consider to build wall system on a handsome fireplace wall not only provides a wealth of storage spaces in a neat manner. Books and collectibles can arrange to be display on open shelving while television, stereo and wine cellar can tucked away behind doors when not in use. Hence, build your wall system according to your need to serve as a bookcase, display cabinet, entertainment center, an office or a bar.

Put your storage on display

Storage shelves needn’t look pedestrian simply because they are functional. Custom cabinets and shelves to meet the diversity of storage needs while creating an attractive focal point.
To display your collectibles, try adjustable shelves with mirror back panels can perform decorative slight-of-hand to lend depth to the display area. For added sparkle, use downlights to highlight the display.
When planning custom storage units, make certain the design is compatible with the rest of the décor. Certain design ingredients integrated into the wall system are repeated in the furnishing. The addition of molding or trim, for instance, can give a utilitarian storage unit an architectural look and meld it with the overall design scheme.

Play tricks with wall columns

If you have some free standing columns, make use of them to turn it into a distinctive feature in your room. Build open shelves in between columns and then install fluorescent light tubes behind the columns. The hidden lighting not only spotlights the shelves, but also lends a dimension of depth to this space. In fact, the light also gives the room its sparkle and excitement. The wash of light on the shelves and wall seems to push the wall back and expand the room dimensions.

Line a wall with books

Aside from the obvious pleasure they bring to reader, books also offer decorative appeal. In your library or den, book collections can be housed in a floor-to-ceiling shelf. The ceiling height bookshelf can create structural interest and provide a focal point in a room. It also injects warmth and vitality and adds colors to the room scheme’s muted palette.
Book storage can assume may forms, from architectural shelving to simple do-it-yourself unit. Depending on the size of your collection, you can line one wall or an entire room with books to create an interesting backdrop.

Camouflage with mirrors

When you want to make a small space seem larger, brighten a windowless corner, or perform a bit of visual legerdemain, consider making use of mirrors. Mirrors can be install directly on walls or as cabinet doors can create design pizzazz. It is fund and functional. Since mirrors reflect light and it is energy saving option.