Throws and cushions are surely a piece of furnishing that add a dash of colour, comfort and oomph to our living spaces. But long back they started as a true luxury article, available only to the wealthiest. The earliest known is use is circa 7,000 BC, in the early civilizations of Mesopotamia. Wealthy Greeks used these to rest their heads and feet on ornately embroidered cushions while sleeping. Ancient Egyptians, who believed the head to be the seat of life, not only spent heavily on lavish pillows for themselves, they also placed them in the tombs of their honored dead. Chinese had an opinion that soft pillows deprived the body of its vitality and hence made their pillows out of wood, leather or even ceramic.
Cushions were a status symbol – the more you owned the more affluent you were considered. As dyes and fabrics were very expensive, cushions became individual pieces of art that represented the taste and wealth of the owner.
Like many other articles of furnishings that were once luxuries, cushions and pillows too made its way to middle class homes during the 19th century and were available to a wider audience. Cushions have made their way into the modern era too and continue to play traditional role of adding comfort and style to the bedroom, couches and chairs.
With all the different shapes, sizes, fabrics, and embellishments, the varieties of pillows are endless. But you can group them into a few basic types.
Toss/Throw-
These are small, decorator pillows you can toss onto a chair, a couch, a bed – anywhere you need a splash of color and design. They can be any shape and really any size.
Box-
If your pillow has depth and dimension, you have a box-edge pillow, which doesn’t always have to be “box shaped”.
Flange-
A flange is fabric that extends out from the side seams, usually at least two inches or more. It softens the look of the pillow.
Piped-
Also known as welting, this is a covered cord that is sewn into the seam as a decorative detail. It’s like an outline for the pillow.
Embellished-
These are heavily decorated pillows. It can include fancy trims around the edges, such as beading and fringes, or dimensional adornments attached to the front of the pillow, like embroidery, beading, tassels or buttons.
Cushion-
The next step up in size from the pillow is the cushion. Giant floor pillows, chair pads and meditation rounds, all belong to the cushion family. Since they are usually meant to be sat upon, there are not too many embellishments to the top of a cushion.
Bolster or Roll-
Cylindrical in shape, the bolster is a classic pillow type. Bolsters are the manicotti pasta of the pillow world. Adding a bolster shape to any grouping of pillows always works.
Bed Pillow-
Our favorite kind. The one we rest our head on for sweet dreams. These come in four basic sizes: Standard: (19″ x 26″), Queen: (19″ x 30″), King: (20″ x 36″), Euro: (26″ x 26″)
