Cushions

How to choose cushions

Cushions do more visual work per pound than almost anything else in a room. The right pile of cushions on a sofa adds layered texture, breaks up flat upholstery, and is the cheapest way to refresh a room without buying anything bigger. The wrong pile reads cluttered and ages faster than the sofa underneath.

How many to buy depends on the sofa size. The rule that works:

• 2-seater sofa: two cushions, often a matched pair, or one of each in two sizes (45cm + 50cm).
• 3-seater sofa: three to five cushions, mixing two sizes. An odd number reads more relaxed than an even number.
• Corner sofa or 4-seater: five to seven cushions, mixing two or three sizes (45cm, 50cm, 55cm) and two or three colours.
• Bed: two for a single, three to five for a double, four to six for a king-size. Removed at night, replaced in the morning, no exceptions.

Filling is the spec that decides whether the cushion holds shape.

• Feather and down: the classic. Plumps to a soft, layered shape, holds well, needs occasional fluffing. Slightly higher price (£15 to £40 covered, £30 to £80 with cover).
• Feather-and-foam mix: feather wrap around a foam core. Holds shape better than pure feather, less plumping needed, comparable price.
• Polyester / hollowfibre: the budget standard. Cheaper (£8 to £25), washes more easily, flattens faster.
• Memory foam: only relevant for orthopaedic and lumbar-support cushions, not for decorative ones.

Size matters more than people realise. Most ready-made cushion covers are 45cm or 50cm square; the inner pad needs to be 2-3cm bigger than the cover (so a 50cm cover takes a 53cm pad) to give the plump, full look you see in catalogue photos. A pad that matches the cover dimension reads flat and tired by year two.

Colour and pattern follow what's already in the room. Two rules that work: pick three to five colours total, including the wall colour, the sofa colour, and one or two accent colours; mix one bold pattern with two or three plain or textured pieces, never the reverse. If the sofa is patterned, all the cushions go plain. If the sofa is plain, two patterned cushions plus one plain in the dominant pattern colour is the safest formula.

The brands and retailers we list

We pull around 19,600 cushions from across the UK retailer network.

The Range stocks the broadest selection by far, around 11,700 cushions across plain, patterned, embroidered, velvet and outdoor styles. The £8 to £30 ready-made bracket is where they dominate.

Robert Dyas covers around 2,100 cushions, leaning into branded ranges and seasonal stock.

Andrew Martin sits at the upper end with around 360 designer-led cushions in the £80 to £250 bracket. Worth a look for one or two statement pieces in a room where the rest is more muted.

Filter the grid above by colour, material or price to narrow things down, or browse the full cushion range without filters to see everything in stock. Prices update daily.