Waterloo Sunset

I first stumbled upon designer Charlene Mullen and her beautiful cushions at 100% Design but was reminded about her Drawings 1 collection when crossing Waterloo Bridge last Sunday.

Being a fiercely proud Londoner (I've been known to defend it and its ridiculously priced drinks, overcrowding and abruptness to the hilt) I love anything to do with London.

Routemasters (RIP), crossing Westminster Bridge and happening across Big Ben and the view from Waterloo Bridge, which is undoubtedly the most beautiful in London.

Turn to the left and you see St Paul's dwarfed by The Gherkin, to the right The London Eye and the golden glisten of Parliament.

So it will be no surprise I fell for Charlene's beautiful cushions depicting London at its very best.

I'm wondering if I could buy all the designs and start my very own landscape of London in my living room?

Mind The Doors

The thing about the London Underground (the Tube) is that Londoners, whether born and bred or ones with alien status, love to moan about it.

But what you won't hear them admitting often, is they also love it and particularly the fixtures and fittings, in fact Fired Earth recently launched a range of tiles named after London tube stations in homage to the original oblong, bevelled-edged tiles used on the stations walls.

Anyway, I digress, this blog is about cushions not tiles (although what a great idea for a blog, hmmm)

Anyway, a friend recently bought these cushions by Squigee from the TFL shop and I was delighted as since I started this blog, I've been looking for them everywhere.

The cushions are inspired by the seating used on tubes and buses during the 70s and 80s and are available in three colourways.

From Russia With Love

I love, no adore Russian dolls. There's something so intriguing about the way they nest inside each other, starting off large and ending up almost as small as a finger nail.

So, I've also fallen for this cushion by American designer Thomas Paul for Supernice.

His Matryoska cushions are available in two designs; this square one with enlarged dolls or a rectangular option with the dolls going down in size.

I love them both and they'll definitely be a welcome addition to my own collection...

Vintage flair

Contrary to popular belief, cushions aren't always just a bit of fluff, sometimes they have a nice story behind them.

Take this Chrysanthemum and Poppy vintage design from Emma Loves Retro whose cushions are all made from either vintage or recycled fabrics.

I like this one's distinctive 70s vibe and it really reminds me of a dress I saw my Mum wearing in a photo once, in fact, perhaps it is her dress...

Flora and fauna

Mozi is a great Australian design company started by two sisters, that specialises in textiles and accessories for all over the home.

As well as a great collection of decorative plates, they also have a selection of cushions.

My top pick is this Lilly Pilly design in vibrant Turquoise. I love its intricate design which combines two birds and elegant leaves and flowers.

It's a dog's life

I'm a real dog person, and seeing though I love cushions too, this design from Habitat is a match made in heaven.

Ok, granted it's a little big abstract seeing though the dog is bigger than both the buildings and it's teeny, tiny owner but I love the colours and it would look great on my cream sofa, so here's hoping it's in the January sale.

Check it out

Checks are big news on the catwalk at the moment, so it's no surprise they've made it into interiors for spring/summer 09.

To be honest, I've always loved checks (not that I'm trying to imply I'm a trend setter) and think they work as well as they do in fashion as they do in the home.

Which is why I was delighted to find this gorgeous Madras check cushion from Toast.

The bright colours are a nice departure from Toast's usual subtly toned collections and let's face it if we are still looking at the doom and gloom of the credit crunch in 09, then we could all do with a little bit of colour in our lives...

London calling

People Will Always Need Plates are without a doubt one of my favourite design companies, not just because I think their name is genius but also because they put iconic architecture on plates, bags, mugs and now cushions.

Their cushions are available as two designs; the Grade 2 listed Trellick Tower and Kensal Green.

I think they're great; they're stylish and striking, quirky yet serious and more over celebrate London's diverse and often controversial architecture.

Not sure they'll be on HRH Prince of Wales wish list (given his issues with modern buildings) but they're sure on mine...

Ahoy there!

So, after blogging about chairs on Chairs chairs chairs I decided I wanted to start a blog about cushions.

Cushions are another one of my passions and I reckon in the last seven years working as an interiors journalist, I must have written about a fair few!

Lost and Found is a great little company who design a wide range of soft furnishings including these nautical delights.

These ship shape and Bristol fashion cushions are inspired by naval uniforms, printed on hemp cotton and even come complete with antique military brass buttons.

I've had a long stand love affair with the sea so which is why I've fallen for these cushions too.