Anji’s Picks: Soft Furnishings
Other than paint, one of the quickest and simplest ways to change the look and feel of a space is through soft furnishings. Whether that is some cushions, a few throws, a clever rug or gorgeous bed linen, with their ability to bring colour, texture and style into a space, soft furnishings are one of my favourite interior tools. And when it’s time for a change of scene, replacing a few cushions or some pillow cases is easily done and can be pleasingly transformative. I always keep any old cushion covers and throws, and often pull them out down the track when changing things up again aesthetically.
Here are five of my current favourite soft furnishing items around our house:
01: Nan’s Blankets
My incredible grandmother, who is still cracking jokes at 101, went through a prolific knitting chapter. She was knitting small squares in all sorts of yarn that she had picked up, and then someone sewed these all together to make totally bespoke and individual blankets. We probably have about six of these in my family and we all love them for their warmth, comfort and loving origin. These blankets are a firm number 1.
02: Velvet Cushions
When we made the very grown up purchase of a Bo Concept sofa after moving to our current house in 2020, Bo Concept very kindly gave us these two squishy velvet cushions as a little cherry on top. I’m not sure that I would have reached for the brown and mossy green shades immediately but turns out they knew what they were doing! The colours are warm and luxe, and the way that the sunlight shadows in the folds of the velvet is very pleasing indeed.
03: Thread Design Painted Trees Cushion & Florence Pillow Cases
After making the somewhat unplanned decision to have a green wardrobe in our bedroom plus a gold headboard, the pulling together of our brave colour choices was not easy! This Thread Design Painted Trees cushion worked as a common ground for all of the colours we were using and made some sense of them. Since then, with lovely Bridget Poppelwell’s advice, we have incorporated some gorgeous Thread Design Florence pillowcases, which tie in so amazingly with Dad’s large photo and our other statement colours. The large Thread cushion has now migrated to the window seat and looks like it should always have been there! So, all things end well.
04: Wilson & Dorset Shaggy Bean Bag
This might be a squeeze to call it a soft furnishing, and our beloved beanbag has featured on an earlier Journal post, but it’s just that good! After my initial hesitation to have a bean bag in our bedroom I am now a firm fan. It’s the ideal place to take a moment when you have a moment. It’s unbelievably comfortable and cocoons you in its New Zealand sheepskin coziness. On the Wilson & Dorset website they state: “Often described by our customers as ‘life-changing’ the Shaggy Bean Bag redefines lounging.” and I couldn’t agree more.
05: Sage x Clare Towels & Bonnie and Neil Bath Mat
We don’t want to change a thing in the family bathroom as the original 1930’s tiles are still on show and we are not going to be the custodians who remove them. However, we did want to bring a little bit of us to the space, and after some Cole and Son Palm Jungle Wallpaper and big round Freedom Furniture mirror the bathroom was instantly personalised. Finding the right towels for this area after our bold wallpaper choice was a little tricky though, so I was rapt when we were introduced to these super soft Sage x Clare towels, which along with another splash of colour through a Bonnie and Neil bathmat, have helped create a family bathroom which is a colourful and joyous area for daily rituals.