Floor pillows are back!
It seems that every generation discovers the simple pleasure of the lowly floor pillow. Not only is it fun to flop on the floor, but also large floor pillows often take the place of more bulky pieces of furniture.
Floor pillows invite you to lounge around in a particularly attractive method that has roots in many cultures, from the ancient Chinese to Bedouin to the Ottoman Empire.
While getting down on the floor isn't as easy as people age, senior visitors can take the chairs. There are many children who adore being on the floor, and that draw lasts from toddler years to rebellious teenage days. In my 30s, we regularly sat on pillows around our coffee table and ate dinner. Often this was with guests in our first apartment, who were generously offered the love seat as we took the “host and hostess” position on the floor!
We thought it was chic and relaxed. In fact, it was great fun.
Then there was the beanbag craze. The beanbag chair as we know it first came into existence in 1969. Italian designers Gatti, Paolini and Teodora, who worked for Zanotta Design, sought to design a chair that was trendy, useful and fit with the '60s easygoing, unadorned lifestyle of the hippy generation. Most beanbags were covered in simulated leather or real leather and by the 1970s were offered in regular department and furniture stores.
It is not that easy to find large pillows “off the shelf,” but the good news is any local upholstery shop can easily make a 24- or 30-inch shape for you. Select interesting non-matching fabrics that will add to your style and color scheme. Floor pillows can be made of old Kilim carpets or vintage fabrics that you might find in resale shops, Goodwill or thrift stores. You can buy upholstery grade fabric remnants at discount fabric stores for a fraction of the retail price. This is a great way to introduce some vibrant color or pattern to an otherwise neutral color scheme.
Floor pillows can be stashed when not needed in a variety of places, which makes them perfect for a studio or one-bedroom unit. Put them behind the sofa or a chair. Toss them into the hall closet or under the bed when you don't need them for guests. Because they are soft, they might easily sit on top of a bookcase or under a piece of furniture that stands up off the floor on legs. They might even be stored under a coffee table where they are within immediate reach.
If you don't have much space for a kid's playroom, floor pillows can be the perfect companion in the room. Adults can sit more comfortably on the floor while the children play and you don't have to eat up the floor space with traditional furniture.
I particularly like the fact that you can make floor pillows into an ethnic or textural statement. Look for really nubby fabrics or woven leather.
You will want the fabric to be practical. In fact, the covering could be made of washable textiles or very durable indoor/outdoor fabrics. These days you will find very soft-to-the-touch indoor/outdoor textiles available that are mildew, fade and stain resistant. You clean such fabrics with a little bleach and mild soap and water. Nothing can be tougher!
• Christine Brun is a San Diego-based interior designer and the author of “Small Space Living.” Send questions and comments to her by email at christinebrun@sbcglobal.net.
© 2014, Creators.com