Enlight your home interiors with inspiring designer cushions.

While the pandemic and the much-dreaded lockdown are still with us, our senses and emotions may have been challenged and are in need of a reawakening.  We have become more aware of our immediate environment, in our home setting.  As the night is drawing in earlier during the colder months, we can look at ways to address our relationship with our interiors, by looking at ways to brighten up or create spaces to make them more user friendly, more cosy and comfortable. Or simply to be more stimulating.

One small step at a time, we can inject new patterns and colours into our homes.  

A number of British designers have launched new cushions to help us on our way of transforming a home space to become more personal and intimate, enriching and inspiring.

Among new collections just launched is celebrated British textile designer, Clarissa Hulse’ new cushions for autumn/ winter 2020 – Salvia, Hot House, Sea Holly and Water Reeds.

The Salvia, available in four colourways of pink, teal, dark blue and grey, features a metallic floral print.  Sumptuously made in velvet cushion, the design was inspired by pressed leaves Clarissa collected in the Peloponnese mountains – an area of Greece where Clarissa’s mother comes from. The full set looks wonderfully vibrant together, or perfect for adding a singular pop of colour to compliment a room.

The Hot House cushion is a riot of colour featuring pink, mustard, teal and paprika, and a celebration of botanicals. This design is based on Clarissa's famous backing cloth, which covers her London studio print table and gradually evolves with serendipitous layers of ferns, dill and vines overlapping to create a kaleidoscopic effect – once Clarissa feels it is complete, the fabric backing cloth is carefully cut, mounted and sold as unique artwork pieces, which are hugely popular. 

Meanwhile, the Sea Holly was inspired by Clarissa’s family travels to Greece, featuring an ombre blue sky, embroidered with a gold sea holly motif for added luxury. 

On the other hand, the Water Reeds cushion which comes in mustard and teal colourways with a metallic overprint, was inspired by photographs Clarissa took in Suffolk marshlands, where layers of gold would glint in the low winter sun and shine above the water. 

Separately, illustrator and interior designer Catherine Rowe has a selection of luxurious handmade velvet cushions featuring exotic animals in striking colour ranges showcasing her love of wildlife and nature.

All cushions are printed and handmade to order in the London, UK. As well as being anti-allergy and dust mite resistant, they are filled in eco-freindly wool.  

Catherine Rowe is a British designer whose work encompasses wallpaper, lampshades and other home products. Inspired largely by her love of nature and wildlife, Catherine’s illustrations marry tradition with contemporary style.

Her medium is highly unusual - all of her drawings are created by hand using the technique of scraperboard. Colour is then added separately and digitally, enhancing Catherine’s analogue drawings.

All of Catherine's fabrics are made with a small production company in Faveersham, Kent, UK, who share Catherine's eco-friendly and sustainability values, and are currently available on charltonisland.com.

Catherine Rowe won the Liberty Open Call for a new iconic Liberty fabric in 2018. Her winning design ‘Palace Gardens’ was launched in 2019 and her career has flourished ever since.  Trained as an illustrator at Cambridge School of Art, Catherine works with an impressive list of clients including Anthropologie, Museums & Galleries, Cocoon Home, Paperchase, The National Trust, Lagom Design, and Liberty Fabrics.

Another exciting interior design label is Charlotte Jade founded by illustrator Charlotte O’Reilly in 2015, who has made a name for herself for taking a fresh and edgy look at nature with her eye-catching hand drawn designs that celebrate the fascinating plants and animals living on our planet. 

Just recently relaunched her website along with an announcement of a new collection of luxurious velvet cushions in collaboration with the famous Harrods department store in London, Charlotte Jade’s designs have grown internationally in both commercial and residential projects, working with interior clients such as Kelly Hoppen, Richmond International, Muza Lab, Scott Brownrigg and the Rockwell Group on hotel and commercial developments such as LUX*, Belmond, Hyatt and Assembly Hotel. Charlotte Jade also works with a number of restaurant and bar chains across the UK, with a variety of luxury fabrics and wallpapers being used within interior schemes for Slug & Lettuce, Mitchells & Butlers 'Premium Luxury Pubs' collection and Daisy Green Food Company.

The ethos behind the company is simple: to reconnect us with the natural world. Based on the concept of Biophilic Design, the Charlotte Jade collections focus on the benefits of bringing elements of nature back into our lives, to reduce stress, aid mental wellbeing and improve productivity. 

Every Charlotte Jade pattern is hand drawn and crafted by Charlotte herself. The design process starts with a pencil drawing, which captures the intricate details and beauty of the subject. From the distinctive black and white ringed tail of a Lemur to the dramatically bold leaves and botanical designs, every detail is captured to tell a unique story. These drawings are then brought to life with modern, digital colouring and printing techniques, which add vibrancy and bring a distinct style to the Charlotte Jade collection.

In addition to cushions, the Charlotte Jade design collections are available on a wide range of home products such as wallpaper, wall murals, textiles, upholstery fabrics, furniture, ceramic tiles, stationery, home accessories and now even yoga mats and face masks. All interior products are printed and made in the UK.