Embrace woven colour in a multicoloured jacquard cushion

Colour behaves differently when it is woven in. On a multicoloured jacquard cushion cover each shade arrives as its own thread, so the hues meet and separate across the cloth instead of blending into a flat printed field. Move around the room and the surface shifts slightly, because the raised parts of the weave catch light whilst the recessed parts hold shadow. That is the practical reason a jacquard reads as richer than a print at the same distance, and why a single cover can carry a whole colour story without shouting for attention.

It comes in a rectangular 30 x 50 cm format rather than a square, which changes how you use it. A lumbar-sized jacquard cushion sits forward of the square covers behind it, giving an arrangement a front row and genuine depth. It also happens to be the size that actually supports the small of your back on a deep sofa, so it earns its place by being used rather than only looked at. Treat it as the one piece allowed to be colourful, and keep everything around it plain.

Getting the shape and the setting right

Fill it with the compatible Fluff filling in the matching rectangular size. Rectangles are less forgiving than squares: an insert that is too short leaves the ends limp and the woven colour pattern distorted at the seams, whilst a correctly sized one keeps the panel flat and the design properly presented. Stand the cushion on its long edge against the sofa back or lay it flat across the seat; both work, though the first shows more of the pattern to the room.

Because the colour is carried in the yarn, a multicoloured cushion cover like this pulls tones out of the rest of the room rather than imposing new ones. Pick up one of its shades in a throw or a glazed pot on a nearby shelf and the connection does the decorating for you. Keep it out of harsh, sustained sunlight, which flattens dyed yarns over time, and hoover gently along the weave to lift dust from the raised sections of the jacquard cushion cover.