10 best cushions

Transform a tired sofa or tie together a colour scheme with a few choice cushions

Give your sofa an easy face lift, put the finishing touches to your bedroom colour scheme, or indulge your print panache without going OTT with a scatter cushion or two.

1. Darkroom So Sottsass: £70, darkroomlondon.com

An homage to controversial Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, this vibrant cushion is swimming with streaks that resemble bacteria in a petri dish. Flip it over for the reverse pattern; you can choose to show it as white on black, or black on white. This cushion comes trimmed with a range of colourful piping options.

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2. Diagonal Zig Zag: £32, oliverbonas.com

From far away this cushion packs a punch with its comic-like zig zag pattern. Close up you notice the brilliant blue stripes have been hand-embroidered, giving it a luxurious and tactile finish. Team with plain blues or quieter textures for a harmonious effect.

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3. Wrong For Hay Full Printed: £50, monologuelondon.com

The Full cushion from Wrong for Hay’s range of colourful designs is beautifully overstated and designed to grab the attention. The patterns – which remind us of bright and exotic outfits from Africa – are derived from the archive of designer and artist Nathalie du Pasquier.

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4. Claire Gaudion Gull Rock: £53, fao-shop.com

Claire Gaudion has abstracted the sun, sea and sand of Guernsey’s beaches for this nature-inspired cushion design. The intersecting shapes in shades of yellow and blue represent the coastal landscape’s changing light and shadows. It’s comfy too, filled with a cotton pad of curled duck feathers.

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5. Cotton cushion: £6.99, cover only, hm.com/gb

If summer’s weather has been disappointing, let this cushion from H&M Home bring a touch of tropical sunshine into your home. The bright floral design works best for bringing a colourful accent to well-lit spaces: kitchens, conservatories and garden decks.

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6. Benedict Dawn: £65, hokolo.com

The front cover of the Benedict Dawn cushion from London accessories brand Hokolo is made from 100% pure new wool, woven in Scotland. The wool gives it a soft sheen and a luxurious level of comfort that makes it a great final touch when dressing the bed.

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7. Ferm Living Block: £25, goodhoodstore.com

Art doesn’t just have to be for the walls, as this painterly cushion from Ferm Living proves. Hand printed circles and squares in blue are combined with gold embroidered triangles. The cushion is finished with a brass zip and filed with feather and down.

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8. Klippan Shore Bird Blue: £28, husandhem.co.uk

Swedish design duo Bengt Lindberg and Lotta Glave created this cushion illustrated with seaside birds. The simple Scandinavian design has a hint of mid-century modern style about it and would look great on the seat of a vintage wooden armchair.

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9. Zig Patterned: £18, habitat.co.uk

Cushions are a great risk-free way to introduce a little whimsy to your interior. What’s not to love about this green Habitat number delightfully illustrated with marching zebras and red butterflies? Perch it on a plain sofa or bedspread to keep things playful in the home.

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10. Silken Favours Pomegranate: £95, amara.com

London-based designer of whimsical prints Silken Favours have hopped on board the tropical fruit trend with a series of fruit-shaped cushions. The watermelon and pineapple versions are both excellent, but our pick is the slightly less ubiquitous pomegranate.

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Verdict:

We love the geometric patterns of Wrong For Hay and Claire Gaudion's offerings, but for a slightly smaller budget Oliver Bonas's blue zigzags make a versatile choice.