Cushion Couture

Couture means exclusive and fashionable and stuff, right? Well, Cushion Couture in the Arndale Centre name isn’t very accurate.
Basically, this is a discount home furnishings store that, to me and my personal taste at least, has little to do with couture or exclusivity. Almost all the cushions and furnishing accessories on show are sparkly, trashy and tacky.
However, it is cheap and that is a good thing if you’re looking to do things for a reasonable price. There are bargain cushions for four quid that will be much nicer than the equivalent-​priced cushion at Ikea.
To top things off, there are some garish twist pillows that look like miniature aliens in the entrance. I wouldn’t buy anything from here.

Cushion Couture is one of those shops that I always forget about, until I enter it and then it all comes flooding back; the last twenty times I wandered in, found nothing decent, and left. This, my friends, is not the classy cushion emporium it would like to be. Sure, it’s replete with fabrics such as velvet and satin, but it’s cheapo velvet and nasty satin, in too-​bright colours with questionable beading and whatnot. In short, tacky cushions abound here. And not only are these cushions ugly, they’re stupidly expensive. £21 for a tacky satin cushion is a bit much for me, I’m afraid.
If you don’t fancy that pricey tat, Cushion Couture also stock homeware ranges from Katie Price and Kylie. Ooooooh! Well, if that doesn’t scream ‘classy homewares shop’, I don’t know what does.
This shop is completely unnecessary. It’s ridiculously easy to make cushions (get thee to Abakhan!) and if you really can’t face the needlecraft, much nicer, better value cushion-​ma-​bobs can be found on the internet. Surplus to requirements, and reminiscent of a market stall in quality, Cushion Couture is not for the discerning interior designer…

I walked into Cushion Couture with the brunette once, sniggering slightly at the name but also with a sense of purpose, for I was doing my classic frequent routine of attempting to makeover my apartment with accessories. But I evidently had the wrong shop for my specific want. After circling a great many strange items for what felt like hours, cushions with character faces for the kids and duvets with Robert Pattinson’s mug slapped across them as well as a great many damask and retro patterned softies, a sales assistant took pity on me and offered help.
‘Ooh, could you tell me if you sell cushion covers, please?’ I asked.
‘Sorry, we don’t,’ she replied.
I’m starting to get the feeling that this is a stupid question. Does anywhere sell cushion covers? Seriously, answers on a postcard please, because I’m awash with cushions, it’s new covers I need (the damask and retro would be lovely) and although I’ve read a tutorial a thousand times all about how to make one I’m scared that it’d go horribly wrong. At Cushion Couture’s cheap prices I could always just buy the whole thing and nick the cover, but then I end up with a surplus of uncovered cushions. This is a nightmare of epic proportions.
Meanwhile, as I said, if you’re in need of a few bright bits and bobs to smarten up your lounge or bed area, this is certainly an inexpensive option with a huge range to choose from, and there are many displays in the store to depict what a difference a few cushions can make. I’m just in a sour mood because it doesn’t sell the covers separately, that’s all.

It’s definitely a sign of the times when you come across a store that is completely dedicated to the humble back-​cradler and sofa-​dweller known as the common cushion. TV design programs and coffee table books have turned us into a nation of amateur interior designers. Even my boyfriend shudders in horror after catching himself saying things like ‘I think the table runner compliments the wall colour perfectly babe’.
We may laugh, but stores like these thrive in hard financial times for the simple fact that soft furnishings like cushions and throws can change the feel of your room for little damage to your pocket.
There’s a great range of designers and cheaper brands on offer here in contemporary and traditional styles. Everything is discounted pretty heavily too. From Kylie to Jeff Banks and cheaper own-​brand designs at just £8, cushion couture is accessible to every taste and pocket. I’m particularly keen on the crushed velvets and silks. To me, cushions should be made as luxurious as humanly possible.