The Upholstery Forum

Hi,
I have a sofa that I designed & had custom made with down filled cushions. I have an issue with the back cushions holding their shape. They have a tendency to slouch down & get fat at the bottom. The covers are removable & the inner "bag" is also zippered. I am looking at 2 possible solutions, but want a sanity check since I have no experience in this area. I can add tufting to pull in the front of the cushions & hopefully they will retain their height & proper thickness or I can add firm foam up the center of the filling to add some structure. I guess I could do both? Any insight will be appreciated. The cushions are about 38" long x 18" high x 9" thick.
Thanks,
Kev

I only sleep on a down filled pillow, for the same reason you're having an issue with. many moons ago a down filled jacket was all the rage, after a some time the down would settle in the chambers, we would have to fluff it back up, flip it upside down and all around to even the down out. You're fighting and up hill battle.

Welcome to the forum @bugeyed !! Happy to have your here.

I don't have any experience with this problem but there are a few experienced furniture trimmers on here. Hopefully they will have some suggestions.
@kl4bidn Do you have any ideas on this one?

Feather cushions need to be built with baffles. All feather cushions will settle as you use them. Every upholsterer will (should) tell you that there is a lot daily fluffing involved in the upkeep. Tufting will only make it harder to fluff as the father's will still settle past them. Cushions with foam centers need to be built with baffles around them on both sides. There will retain their shape be still will need some slapping around to keep fluffy. Not sure where you are located but foam supply houses like Albany Foam in upstate NY, you can send your cushion cover and they will make and fit it appropriately. I hope this helps.

Thanks for all the replies. My back cushions are made with 3 chambers. There is a front pillow & a back one with a separate "pillow" in the center. all in the same bag. Sorry, don't know the lingo. That allows me to experiment a bit with foam in the middle section in place of the down filled one.
Thanks,
Kev