Medical Cushions Glossary

Cushions: A cushion (from Old French coisson, coussin; from Latin culcita, a quilt), is made from multiple types of material and in multiple shapes that provides comfort when sitting or lying down. Most cushions are filled with foam or some other poly material depending on how much comfort the manufacturer is looking for. Cushions may be used for sitting or kneeling upon, or to soften the hardness or angularity of a chair or couch. Outdoor cushions are becoming more and more popular based on the advanced quality of the outdoor fabrics that are available on the market today. They can be placed on chaise loungers and used to prevent annoyances from itchy grass and insects. The indoor cushion is a very old article of furniture - the inventories of the contents of ancient palaces and grand houses in the early Middle Ages constantly made mention of indoor cushions. Cushions back then were often very large in size - something we would call a floor pillow today. Most of the indoor cushions history has revealed were covered with leather and firm enough to serve as a seat.

Chair Cushions: Cushions were first used on many types of chairs to add comfort for long hours of sitting. Cushions were quickly seen as a way to add both comfort and style to many styles and types of chairs. Early Victorian furniture style combined both chair cushions and upholstery for elegance and individualized decorative tastes. Chair Cushions generally refer to a separate cushion placed upon a chair to add comfort and style. Most chair cushions have ties to keep them from slipping off the chair or from moving about during use. The ties are usually place in the rear corners of the cushions and are tied around the chairs uprights. Chair cushions are also commonly made to have the bottom section of the seat and the back section of the seat as separate cushions or joined together to make one cushion with the seat and back connected. These usually have two sets of ties. One set to keep the seat bottom from moving during usage and another set located at the top of the back section of the cushion to keep it in place at all times.

Bench Cushions: Bench cushions refers to a style or type of cushion that is used to provide comfort and style to an indoor or outdoor seating bench. Bench seat cushions range from a two-seat bench to as long as a four or more seat bench. Our bench cushions are available in both indoor and outdoor fabrics. Bench cushions come in depths from 10 inches up to 54 or more inches to a width up 205 inches or even more. Most common thicknesses for bench cushions is 2 or 3 inches, although recent trends and customer preference are for the more comfortable 4 to as much as 8 inches thick. Like Chair cushions, bench cushions can have the bench bottom and bench back section as two separate cushions or joined together in a bench bottom and bench beck connected style.

Boxed-Edge Cushions: The construction of these cushions have a vertical sidewall that is the same height as the thickness of the cushion. These cushions are made by assembling the top and bottom section of the cut fabric to the sidewall fabric to form a box. A five inch thick cushion would have a five inch thick sidewall sewn together with the top and bottom sections of the cushion fabric.

Cushion Ties: Cushions ties are used to tie or affix a cushion to the individual piece of furniture the cushion is being used on or made for. For a chair bottom cushion the ties are placed in the back corners of the cushion and are tied to the chair uprights. On a chair back cushion the ties are located at the top corners of the cushion and are tied to the top of the chair uprights. One other style cushions the ties are located in a position to allow them to hold the cushion in place on the furniture. A Chaise cushion for example typically has the ties located at the location where the top and bottom section of the chaise cushion are joined together to hold the mid-section of the cushion to the chaise lounge chair. There are also ties places at the top of the chaise cushion to hold the top section of the chaise cushion in place on the chaise lounge chair. Steamer deck chairs usually have similar placement as chaise lounge chairs. Bench cushions ties are usually strategically place the same as seat cushions, on the back rear corners for affixing to the bench upright sections.

Toss Pillows: Pillows that are purely decorative and not designed for support or comfort. See also "Throw Pillows"

Body Pillows: Are larger long pillows used to support the entire body, usually used while sleeping in a bed, or for the body as used on a couch or chair. Body pillows are great for curling up with a good book, watching your favorite movie, or to snuggle up with while sleeping. This is especially true for the long cold winter nights, where the body pillow can provide additional insulation and warmth for the body during sleeping hours. This is when the body's temperature typically drop and body pillows can help provide warmth and comfort.

Throw Pillows: A throw pillow, or toss pillow, is a small, decorative type of pillow. Throw pillows are usually placed on sofas or armchairs but are also frequently used on beds and day beds. Throw pillows serve both an aesthetic and a functional purpose. Decorative pillows are commonly used to tie in color accents within a room, often drawing on the colors in drapes, walls or area rugs. From a functional perspective, throw pillows provide back, neck and head support. Throw pillows come in various sizes and shapes. The most common size throw pillow is 16 to 18 inch square. However, rectangular, circular and cylindrical throw pillows, called bolsters, are also popular. Outside the United States, throw pillows are more commonly referred to as cushions. Throw pillow and decorative cushions are made from a wide range of textiles including silk, leather, micro-fiber or faux suede, cotton, linen and hemp. In recent years, decorative pillows have been revived as an artistic medium. Fashion designers have become increasingly attracted to the lucrative home textiles or furnishings market and this has led to a wide range of more embellished looks and styles.

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