Robert Langford – What Andrea thinks of scatter cushions
We are so excited that Andrea Benedettini has taken the plunge and started his own design practice. This chap is so incredibly talented and is going to become the cornerstone of the design industry sooner than even he thinks.
All of that and he is a nice guy, some people just have it all. It’s a known fact that “cushions are his life” and we were so excited that he agreed to take part in our magnificent seven cushion questions feature, here is what he had to say…
We asked Andrea the seven questions:
What size of scatter cushion is your go to when putting together a scheme?
The safest option would probably be square 55cm x 55cm.
How many scatter cushions do you feel belong on a king sized bed?
My motto is ‘quality over quantity’ therefore on a King size bed I think 2 scatter cushions should be enough if done with the right fabrics and level of detail. If the room doesn’t have a lot of furniture and you feel like you need to add more cushions on the bed you can add a second row in a slightly smaller size so 4 in total but definitely not more than that.
What is your favourite cushion filling and do you prefer overstuffed or under stuffed?
My favourite cushion filling is definitely a combination of feather and down as it provides a plush look and soft feel. The cushion will need to be slightly overstuffed - as nobody likes saggy cushions - but at the same time it needs to maintain an element of softness whilst looking full.
How do you like mixing fabric, contrast piping and different shapes of cushions in a scheme?
When creating a cushion scheme I generally select 3 main fabrics. Two of these fabrics will be the main colour tones with subtle textures and possibly a smaller scale tonal pattern and then I would look for a third fabric that brings these 2 colours together and if available a slightly larger scale pattern. Once I have selected the main 3 fabrics I will start thinking about detailing with piping and trimmings. The latter are great to add an extra layer of detail (remember that Detail = Luxury). Finally, I believe that the shape of a cushion is dictated by the furniture piece that will be sitting on and/or by the overall aesthetic of the room. For example recently I designed a masculine bedroom and on the bed I used slightly off-set square and rectangular cushions which looked great.
Round scatter cushions, should they ever see the light of day?
No.
Do you chop or not?
I do love a good cushion chop. I find that it looks better when it’s done in a casual way so it doesn’t look forced or too sharp. I usually chop the cushions on the sides to give them volume and finish off with a gentle top/bottom chop with refines their silhouette.
How many cushions do you have on your bed/sofa?
This really depends on the size of the bed and sofa.
Generally speaking for a Super king size bed (which is what we aim to use in most bedrooms) I would do 5 cushions: a back row of 3 larger cushions 60cm x 60cm with a front row of smaller rectangular cushions 60cm x 45cm. I also think that on sofas odd numbers look better therefore for 3 seater sofa (220cm wide) I would probably do 3 cushions – a pair on one side and a single one on the opposite side and for a larger sofa I would do 5 (3 on one side and 2 on the opposite) and so on.
Scatter cushions play an important role of the design of any room however they need to be as practical as they are aesthetically pleasing. The cushion quantity must be carefully considered so that there are enough to create a nice visual impact but also there is enough space to sit on the furniture.