Christmas cushions are the quickest way to make a living room feel festive without moving a single piece of furniture. Swap two or three covers and a plain sofa suddenly looks ready for December. Because they are covers rather than whole cushions, you keep the inserts you already own and pack the prints away in January.
For a simple starting point, pair the Christmas Pine Cushion Cover with the Red Gingham Cushion Cover. The little fir trees do the Christmas part, while the gingham keeps the look classic rather than novelty.
This guide covers how to choose colours, how to mix patterns, how many Christmas cushions to use, which insert to buy and combinations to copy for every room.
Why Christmas cushions are the easiest festive update
Most Christmas decorating happens at eye level and above: the tree, the mantel, the garland on the stairs. The sofa is where everyone actually sits, and it is usually the one thing that still looks like October.
Christmas cushion covers fix that in a minute. They cost less than a throw, take up almost no storage space and, because ours are 100% cotton with piped edges, they wash and press back into shape year after year.
They also suit rented homes and small flats where there is no room for a big tree. Two festive cushions and a candle on the coffee table are enough to read as Christmas.
Choose a Christmas colour palette
The mistake most people make with festive cushions is buying every red thing they can find. Red works best when it is balanced by cream and green, and the easiest way to do that is to pick covers that share a cream background.
Seven of the eight covers in our Christmas range are printed on a cream background, and the eighth, the Maroon Sprig, is designed to sit next to them. That is why they mix so easily.
A simple colour formula
- One red or maroon cushion for depth
- One green-led print for the Christmas feel
- One cream-based cushion to lighten the sofa
For example: the Maroon Sprig Cushion Cover for depth, the Christmas Wreath Cushion Cover for green, and the Red Gingham Cushion Cover to lighten. Three cushions, three patterns, one shared palette.
Checks, gingham and plaid
Checks are the backbone of a Christmas sofa. They add pattern without a picture, so they sit happily next to wreaths, trees and florals.
The Christmas Plaid Cushion Cover has a broad red and cream check with fine crossing lines. It is bold enough to use as a pair on a large sofa, and it anchors smaller prints on either side.
The Red Gingham Cushion Cover is the smaller check. It is the most useful cover in the range because it works with everything: pine trees, wreaths, berries and plain cream. If you only buy one Christmas cushion cover, make it this one.
Use one scale of check per sofa. If you want both, keep the plaid as a pair at the back and the gingham at the front.
Wreaths, pine trees and berries
These are the prints that make a cushion unmistakably Christmas, so use them sparingly: one or two per sofa, never all of them at once.
The Christmas Pine Cushion Cover is rows of small green fir trees on cream. It is the calmest print in the range and the one we would start a set with.
The Christmas Wreath Cushion Cover has tiny green wreaths tied with red bows. It matches the wreath print on our Set of 2 Red Christmas Tea Towels – Gingham & Wreath, so the kitchen and living room can share a pattern.
The two rectangular covers are for layering. The Embroidered Winter Wreath Cushion Cover is a single embroidered wreath with dark green piping, and the Winter Berry Cushion Cover is scattered red berry sprigs on cream. Both are 50 x 30cm and sit in front of a square cushion rather than beside it.
Maroon and mulberry for a softer Christmas look
Not everyone wants bright red. If your living room is mostly neutral, greige or sage, a deep maroon sits more comfortably than a pillar-box red and still reads as festive.
The Maroon Sprig Cushion Cover is a small cream sprig on a deep maroon ground. It is the darkest cover in the range and gives a sofa some weight. The Mulberry Floral Cushion Cover reverses it: tiny mulberry-red sprigs on cream, so it is lighter and softer.
Use the two together with one gingham and you have Christmas cushions that will still look right in February. Neither print has a tree or a wreath on it, which is exactly why they last past the season.
How many Christmas cushions should you use?
Fewer than you think. The sofa still needs to be sat on.
- Two-seater sofa: two square cushions, or one square and one rectangular
- Three-seater sofa: three square cushions, or two square with one rectangular in the middle
- Corner sofa: three in the corner and one at each end
- Armchair: one square or one rectangular, never both
An odd number usually looks better than an even one, and mixing one rectangular cushion in with the squares looks more considered than five identical squares. The same rules that stop a mantel looking busy apply to a sofa; we cover them in Why Your Christmas Decorations Look Cluttered (And How to Fix It).
Christmas cushions with covers: what insert do you need?
All of our Christmas cushion covers are sold as covers only, so you can use the inserts already on your sofa. If you are buying new, size up by about 5cm so the cover fills out to the corners.
- 50 x 50cm covers (all the square designs) take the Duck Feather-Filled Cushion Pad 56 x 56cm
- 50 x 30cm covers (Embroidered Winter Wreath and Winter Berry) take the Duck Feather-Filled Cushion Pad 56 x 33cm
If you want Christmas cushions with covers ready to go, add one pad per cover to your order and they arrive together. Feather pads give the soft, slightly slouched look you see in styled rooms; hollow-fibre pads are firmer and cheaper but go flat faster. We explain the sizing in more detail in 50x50 Cushion Covers: What Size Insert Do You Need?.
Christmas cushions for different rooms
Living room
This is where the full set goes. Three or four cushions in a shared palette, plus one plain cream cushion if the sofa is dark.
Bedroom
Keep it to one or two. A Mulberry Floral Cushion Cover against white bedding, or the Winter Berry Cushion Cover in front of your usual pillows, is enough. Save the trees and wreaths for downstairs.
Kitchen and hallway benches
A single Red Gingham Cushion Cover on a kitchen bench or hallway seat ties the room to the living room without a full set. Hang the Set of 2 Christmas Tea Towels – Wreath & Mistletoe on the oven door and the two rooms match.
Which Christmas cushions suit your sofa colour?
- Cream or beige sofa: anything works, but lead with the Maroon Sprig or the Christmas Plaid so the cushions do not disappear into the sofa.
- Grey sofa: red reads brightest against grey. Use the Christmas Plaid and Red Gingham with the Winter Berry in front.
- Navy or dark green sofa: choose the cream-based prints. The Christmas Pine, Christmas Wreath and Mulberry Floral all stand out; skip the maroon.
- Brown leather sofa: the Maroon Sprig and Embroidered Winter Wreath sit well against leather, with one Red Gingham to lift it.
Three combinations to copy
Classic Christmas. Two Christmas Plaid Cushion Covers at the back, one Christmas Wreath Cushion Cover, and the Winter Berry Cushion Cover in front. Red, green and cream in one look.
Calm and neutral. The Christmas Pine Cushion Cover, the Mulberry Floral Cushion Cover and the Embroidered Winter Wreath Cushion Cover in front. Mostly cream, with green and a little red.
Rich and cosy. Two Maroon Sprig Cushion Covers, one Red Gingham Cushion Cover and the Winter Berry Cushion Cover in front. Deep colour for dark evenings, and it suits a cream, beige or grey sofa.
The classic and rich sets need three 56 x 56cm pads and one 56 x 33cm pad. The calm set needs two 56 x 56cm pads and one 56 x 33cm pad.
Mistakes to avoid
- Matching everything. Four identical cushions look like a showroom. Mix at least two patterns.
- Too many pictures. Trees, wreaths and berries all at once fight each other. Pick one or two picture prints and let the checks do the rest.
- Undersized inserts. A 50cm pad in a 50cm cover leaves empty corners. Size up.
- Ignoring the sofa colour. Red cushions on a red sofa disappear. Cream-based prints stand out on a dark sofa; maroon stands out on a pale one.
- Forgetting the rest of the room. Christmas cushions look best when they share a colour with something else, whether that is the wreath on the door, a runner on the table or the hot chocolate station in the kitchen.
After Christmas
Xmas cushions are the easiest decoration to store. Wash the covers on a cool cycle, dry flat, fold and keep them with the baubles. Swap back to plain covers in January, or leave the Maroon Sprig and Mulberry Floral out, as both work right through winter.
To see how the same sofa moves through the year, our autumn cushions guide shows the September version of this look, and our Christmas decor guide covers the rest of the room.
Final thoughts
Christmas cushions do more for a living room than almost any other decoration for the money. Start with a gingham, add one picture print, keep everything on a cream background and size your inserts up. That is the whole method.
Share your sofa with us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or TikTok. We love seeing how our Christmas cushion covers look in real homes.
FAQs
What are Christmas cushions?
Christmas cushions are cushion covers printed with festive patterns such as wreaths, pine trees, berries, plaid and gingham, used to dress a sofa, armchair or bed for the season. Most are sold as covers so you can reuse your existing inserts.
Are Christmas cushion covers better than buying whole cushions?
For most homes, yes. Covers cost less, take up a fraction of the storage space and can be washed. You keep the same inserts all year and change only the covers.
What size are Christmas cushion covers?
Our square Christmas cushion covers are 50 x 50cm and the rectangular ones are 50 x 30cm. Use a 56 x 56cm or 56 x 33cm insert so the cover is full to the corners.
How many Christmas cushions should I put on a sofa?
Two on a two-seater, three on a three-seater and up to five on a corner sofa. Use an odd number where you can and mix one rectangular cushion in with the squares.
What colours go with Christmas cushions?
Red, green and cream are the classic mix. For a softer look, use maroon or mulberry with cream. Keep every cushion on the same cream background so the patterns match.
Can I use Christmas cushions in a bedroom?
Yes. One or two cushions in a soft print such as a mulberry floral or berry sprig work best. Keep the bolder trees and wreaths for the living room.
When should I put Christmas cushions out?
Most UK homes swap autumn cushions for Christmas cushions in the last week of November or on 1 December. If you want longer use, put the Maroon Sprig and Mulberry Floral out in November and add the wreaths and trees in December.
Are Xmas cushions machine washable?
Our cotton Christmas cushion covers are machine washable. Wash cool, dry flat and press on a low heat before storing them for next year.
Do Christmas cushion covers come with inserts?
No, ours are covers only. Choose the 56 x 56cm feather pad for square covers and the 56 x 33cm pad for rectangular covers, or reuse the pads already on your sofa.
