Persian Ottomans and Foam Interiors

We often see customer's who have returned from a trip to North Africa or the Middle East with beautiful, but empty, ottoman covers. Usually the opening runs across the diameter which means that the best filling material is by hand with either cotton or wool. Recently a customer brought in these ottoman covers that she purchased in Iran.

They were made with a zipper at the bottom that went around the circumference (see below). This allowed us to insert firm pieces of foam cut to make the covers tight and the structure stable. By using foam instead of cotton or wool, the result was stronger and a more even in shape. The dozens of stripes around the side looked vibrant and neat.

This ottoman was the show stopper. The racetrack shape framed the colorful design and made for a unique shape that was the most comfortable of all.

Slouchy Back Cushions Get New Foam

Most back cushions are filled with polyester. With use this type of cushion starts to slouch, dent and look baggy in the cover. Usually we replace these misshapen forms with fresh polyester or down/feather. Sometimes we are after a firmer, more resilient cushion and that is where foam comes in.

The set of slouchy back cushions (pictured above on the left) for this job had an extra challenge. The seams of the cover were knife-edged. This means that we have to taper the edge of the foam so that it meets the single seam of the cover nicely.

We then wrapped the foam with Dacron 91 batting (very resilient to resist denting) and fit the form into a muslin tick. This will allow the customer to easily remove the outer cover. In these pictures, the new cushion sits beside its mate already fitted into the finished cover.

These cushions are going to look fresh and full for many years to come.