Sofas Meant For Living: What to expect from your Clad Home sofa

Can we let you in on a little secret?  Most designers much prefer a room that looks relaxed, comfortable, and even a little bit tousled, to a perfectly-styled room that looks like it's straight out of a corporate catalogue. The same goes for your sofa. There's just something so much more soulful and inviting about furniture in a space that feels inhabited and lived in!

Some of our favorite designers embrace this tousled look in the beautiful spaces they create . . .

Loosely slipcovered chairs in a living room by Lauren Liess

Relaxed down-filled sectional in a cozy den by Heidi Cailler Design

A perfectly rumpled sofa in a room by Amber Interiors

The seating in your home can go a long way towards helping to create this kind of comfy and relaxed vibe.  All sofa cushions will inevitably relax and break in a bit over time, so you can expect that of your Clad sofa too.  And since buying a Clad Home piece means you'll also get to customize it to perfectly fit your needs, here's a primer on how to achieve a look you'll love forever.

THREE TYPES OF CUSHIONS:

All our seat cushions are constructed of premium high-resilience medium density foam at their core, a material made to last for years of everyday use. You'll choose from 3 different types of fiber fill to encase the foam seat core and fill up your back cushions (which have no foam core, Back cushions are stuffed with a baffled insert made from your fill of choice.) Keep in mind that all sofa cushions will naturally compact over time as the sofa wears in. The 3 cushion fill options are:

PREMIUM FOAM

These cushions (which come standard at no extra cost) are made of our premium foam wrapped in layers of springy polyester batting. This is probably our flattest and firmest option, recommended for upright sitters and backs that need a little extra support. These cushions have a more structured look and are less pouf-y and absorbing than our down feather and Trillium cushions. They're low maintenance and need little fluffing or upkeep, although we do recommend rotating and/or flipping all cushions periodically to help them wear evenly over time. Linear or blocky upholstery styles like mid-century and streamlined contemporary seating are generally ordered in premium foam. 

Here are some examples of sofas made with our premium foam cushions:

A Clad Home Westlake sofa with a premium foam seat cushion in a project by Rosa Beltran Design

DOWN FEATHERS

Our down feather cushions are encased in a baffled envelope of down and feathers.  Classic sofa connoisseurs rejoice - down fill has been used for centuries and is still loved today. Our down fill is made of a 90% goose feathers, 10% goose down blend for a luxe cushion experience. The inserts are made with special down-proof ticking fabric to help corral escaping feathers, but please know that with any down sofa you'll have some stray rogue feathers escaping over time.  It's just the way it is with down.  As you would expect, down sofa cushions have a very rounded, domed look when they're fluffed up, which conforms to your body when you sink into them.  They require some shaping and fluffing to keep them in top form. Down fill is used in both traditional and contemporary sofas...it's perfect for that soft, pouf-y, over-stuffed look. People who love down feather sofas love the ones we make!

TRILLIUM

Trillium is an alternative to down that mimics the way down cushions look and feel.  These cushions are enveloped in a down-alternative made from specially lofted polyester fiber that is hypo-allergenic and animal-free.  They have a full and rounded look and they benefit from fluffing and shaping now and them to keep them that way. We see Trillium and down fill used in both traditional and more contemporary sofas...anywhere you want that soft, pouf-y, over-stuffed look. 

 Here are some examples of sofas made with our down and Trillium cushions:

Our Lindley sofa with down fill, design by Rosa Beltran Design

Our Sherwood sofa with trillium fill, photo courtesy Sarah Sherman Samuel

When designer Sarah Sherman Samuel designed her sofa with us, she said that "One key component I knew not to pass up was the Trillium Fill option. The cushions weigh a ton but that is what makes them something you want to dive into."  Her Sherwood sofa demonstrates perfectly the relaxed and comfy vibes that our furniture is known for!

THE BOTTOM LINE

No matter where you source your seating or what type of cushions you choose, there a few things you can expect from just about any sofa, ours included:

*All sofa cushions will start their life with a very full and taught appearance and will gradually relax and settle as your sofa breaks in. Two things happen to cause this, both of which are perfectly natural: the foam and fiber fill inside your cushions will inevitably compact slightly over time and with use, and the fabric of your cushions covers will also stretch and give a bit as you enjoy your sofa. Neither of these are design flaws, and in fact we think that our sofas look even better as they start to relax! If you're loving and using your sofa the way we hope you will, your cushions should not look like a page out of a catalogue, because your living room is meant for living.

*All detached Clad Home upholstery cushions are fully upholstered on both sides with zippered, removable covers. This means you can conveniently flip them over to hide a smudge (though all our fabrics are so high-wearing that they clean up great!) or to help ensure even wear over time. Our sofas are made to last!

*No fabric is indestructible, but our carefully curated selection of durable performance fabrics come close!  (And we consider ALL of our fabrics to be performance fabrics :) For ultimate stain resistance choose a high-wearing performance velvet or one of our striated, heathered performance linens (those that have some visible variations in tone and color woven in) that are brilliant at hiding stains and smudges. 

*As described above, we recommend flipping, fluffing, and shaping your cushions from time to time to help them wear in evenly and keep them looking lovely.

When you choose Clad Home you choose quality as well as comfort and style, and we know you'll be living with AND loving your Clad Home sofas for many years to come!