THE CUSHION: WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT
We recently announced the news that La Maison de la Maille is expanding its offer by now offering cushions to match the throws. Immense joy. And since everything has a raison d'être in life (apart from maybe the andouillettes and harem pants), we wanted to go back in history to find out more about the origin of the cushion and its symbolism. Some of you might be lost along the way, but the real ones will stay. Happy reading.
CUSHION, WHAT IT MEANS
Because you can never know enough about etymology, the word cushion most likely comes from the Latin coxinus, derived from coxa which means thigh. Cushion having been a term first coined to evoke cushions that are placed on chairs and benches and intended to make sitting more comfortable.
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THE FIRST CUSHION
Was made of... stone. Yes. The earliest cushion-like object dates from around 7,000 BC. BC, a small lease, and was in stone at the time. It was geolocated in ancient Mesopotamia (go, everyone on Google), it had a rectangular shape and was used for what we know to elevate the heads (of rich people) to avoid the intrusion of crawling insects in their orifices. Nice. Not super comfortable, especially since in real life, if an insect wants to enter the mouth, ears or nose, a stone cushion will not prevent it. But OK.
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THE CUSHION ALL AROUND THE WORLD
Depending on the country and culture, the use and aesthetics of the cushion differ. For example, in Asia, the cushion was a sacred object imagined in materials such as porcelain, bronze, wood, bamboo and was covered in paintings of figures, animals or plants. The cushion had a spiritual and almost medical function, it was seen as an ideal ally to relieve pain, cure certain illnesses and boost brain faculties.
In Japan, among the Geishas, the purpose of the cushion was to keep the head above the ground and therefore to prevent hair from tangling, the role of the cushion then became purely aesthetic.
In Egypt, the spiritual virtues of the cushion take precedence over everything else, and its use is religious. Created in marble, ivory, stone or wood, Egyptian cushions were carved with divine figures and placed under the heads of the deceased to ward off evil spirits.
It was in antiquity, among the Greeks and Romans, that the first "comfortable" cushions appeared. Made from cotton, feathers, reeds or straw, they were meant to make sleeping and sitting more pleasant.
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THE CUSHION TODAY
While the use and shapes of the cushion have greatly evolved through the ages, today its primary role is to beautify interiors and provide comfort. Good news, more than 2000 years after the mineral/whiplash version, it is in France, in the premises of La Maison de la Maille, that the first upcycled luxury cushions are appearing. It's about not stopping progress.
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To avoid waste as much as possible, La Maison de la Maille presents its latest innovation: a line of upcycled cushions. They are beautiful, they are comfortable, they are eco-friendly and will be a real plus in your decor.
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