With our annual Oscars party coming up, we’re facing an annual conundrum: Where will everybody sit? Usually, unless we're serving a sit-down dinner, we don't worry about having a seat for every single guest. But when all eyes are glued to the red carpet, we'll need enough comfy places to lounge. Here are some options we’re considering…
Floor Cushions. These are practical and fun; store them stacked up in a corner for a princess-and-the-pea kind of look. We’ve always avoided them for fear that the dog would co-opt them (case in point: see above), but we do love their relaxed vibe. And they’ve become so popular that a wide variety of prints and styles are available. The Lily Pad Cushion, covered in Amy Butler fabric, comes from sprucehome's Etsy shop.
Many of John Robshaw's gorgeous pillows come in a 26” by 26” size, perfect for lounging up against a couch or ottoman.
If you’re partial to Asian décor—or if, like us, you’re drawn to bright colors and delicate patterns—the Hanami floor pillows from Wrapables.com are a good choice. And they’re not bulky, so you can tuck them away easily in a drawer.
These felted wool stones are handcrafted by artisans at a women’s workshop in Johannesburg. The shape looks awkward, but Vivaterra says they mold comfortably to your back. Anyone tried them?
See more options from AT: Floor Cushion Roundup. Or in honor of DIY month, check out yesterday’s How-To from Shelly and make your own!
If floor pillows aren't you're thing, try another route for Oscar Night...
Poufs. A few of these around the house can be hauled into the living room ahead of time, before the first stiletto heel hits the red carpet. BellJar in the Mission carries them in lots of colors.
Folding Chairs. For guests who might not be comfortable on the floor, it helps to have some folding chairs stashed in a closet (and they come in handy for dinner parties, too). The inexpensive, attractive models above were featured previously as AT's Best Folding Chairs of 2008.
The Terai folding chair from Anthropologie, defiantly non-matchy, will blend right in if your style's eclectic, or stand out as a bolt of color in a more neutral room. The bistro-style Fermob folding chairs are sleeker, and they come in plenty of colors; when we’re having a party, we hose ours down and carry them in from the garden. They’re more comfortable than they look, and you can always keep a few seat cushions on hand as well.
What are some of your favorite solutions for creating a lounge-worthy living room?
Fifties TV Photo: Dish Network
Pouf Photo: sfgirlbybay
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I'm a major movie buff, so Oscar parties are my favorite! Since some people are bound to be sitting on the floor leaning against the sofa or coffee table, some floor cushions plus back pillows would be ideal. Folding chairs are ok, but usually not that comfortable for 3 hours at a time;but, if you hung a blanket over the backs, that would help.
view TrueTex's profile
A friend of mine has some poufs, they're pretty comfy. But I'm a fan of pillows, myself.
I'll likely be going to a small Oscar gathering, but not nearly as exciting as last year. My boyfriend's Dad is a film producer with the NFB - he got to go last year for Madame Tutli-Putli, so it was exciting picking him out on the carpet. They didn't win, but they did win the year before (Best Animated Short - The Danish Poet), but his Dad didn't get to go that year. Apparently producers alternate. :)
Nothing from the NFB is nominated this year, but we'll watch anyway.
view SputnikSpak's profile
Very cool. I love floor pillows, and I definately rocked the bean bag chair back in the day. :-)
view anabelle's profile
oooh I want those felted wool stones!!
view inaku's profile
I love an Oscar party, I love that black and white photo at the top of this post, and I also am in lust with those felted stones -- great post!
I also love extra seaitng, especially floor seating -- it's a fun challenge in a small space, and something about any gathering at which guests are going to want to sit down on the floor wherever the mood takes them... it sounds like a guaranteed good time.
I went looking for some floor seating recently; inspired by this AT house tour, I thought I'd grab a couple of Ikea's rattan foot stools: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/house-tours/house-tour-frances-studio-san-francisco-072383
But when I tried them out at the store, they were pretty uncomfortable. And, I realized I'd be an idiot to bring them back to my two-cat household; they'd just be too tempting as stratching poles. They do look good, and they'd be comfortable enough with a round cushion - but Ikea doesn't sell these. They shouldn't be ruled out completely, but they weren't the lazy solution I was looking for. I thought I'd have to go home empty handed.
BUT - by chance, on my way out, I came across these $15 cushions:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40094544
They're meant for the Poang footstool, but I've now got a few of them as extra seating. They're square and a good size - a medium-sized person can sit cross-legged on one, and even a larger rear would be comfortably accommodated. They're firm, so they keep you from feeling any hint of the hard ground, but they're only a couple of inches thick, so easily stored (I stash mine under the sofa). They come in many colours - I got the "Dala natural", a standard Ikea textured cream/off-white. They're just what I was looking for: comfortable, simple, attractive but without drawing attention to themselves.
A few notes, or potential cons: mine are cream coloured, so they'd show the dirt very easily - you can't have floor seating if your floors aren't clean. For this reason, and also because I'd worry that they'd lose their shape a little with each use (sorry, Ikea...), I wouldn't use them as my every-day seating - I leave them alone except when there are too many people to sit on the sofa and armchairs. Well, and I do use them myself some weekends when I feel like sitting on the floor to read the papers...
But I recommend them highly - cheap, comfortable, very easily stored (I can fit a pile three-high under my sofa), quietly elegant.
Also: my yoga teacher says that if we all sat on the floor instead of on our sofas, our posture would be a thousand times better. I love my sofa, but... three cheers for the floor.
view Melba123's profile
Dining chairs and pillows. Easy.
Okay, now the REAL question is what kind of drinking game are you going to play. Thanking God and Jesus in acceptance speeches seems to be practically non-existent this year. However, it seems like every other celebutard dimwit has something to say about Obama- as if mentioning his presidency lends their otherwise vapid speech some semblance of gravitas. How about a shot every time someone utters the words "change" or "hope" or "history." I can guarantee the party host(ess) will need to round up all of the car keys!
view hejiranyc's profile
Heading to SF in a few weeks, anyone know price range for those belljar poufs?
view DahliaCactus's profile
I love the felt 'stones'. I think they would be really cute in a (spoiled) little boys room, or a very carefully styled adult space (in an ecclectic space it would just scream 'avalanche!').
those poufs, though. eek. they look cheap in the photo, and I imagine they'd be worse in person. a fabric would be more attractive, or a nicer quality, aged brown leather.
view foodefafa's profile
Etsy has cool handmade floor pillows, too. I did an article about:
http://tearinguphouses.blogspot.com/
view k51279's profile