Contributed by Steven Carver

Even though my place is decorated, it still doesn't feel "finished." The walls in the living room have pictures, the hardwood floors are covered with a rug, the ceiling has a pretty light fixture, but the sofa looks plain. To remedy that, I need to purchase a few cushions to jazz it up.

Located at 881 Queen Street West, FLUF resembles a narrow loft with high ceilings, and walls decorated with rows upon rows of colourful cushions. Within a few minutes of entering the store, I'm unconsciously squeezing the cushions to see how soft they are.

With fabrics hailing from all parts of the world, there's a style for everyone. On the colour-coordinated shelves, I find several cushions made with tweeds, boucles, and felts; most are cotton, linen, and silk.

The cushions come in various sizes. There are small ones that can act as a bolster for the back of a chair, to large ones perfect for sitting on the floor and watching TV. The more popular models tend to be 18 X 18 since they're the most versatile and can be used in several rooms in one's home (living room, family room, bedroom).

These Canadian-made cushions have inserts that are hypoallergenic - a good choice for those with allergies. To top it off, the feather-filled inserts help the cushions return to their original shape after being squished a number of times.

There are a couple of cushions that catch my eye:

There is a small one in a beige/brown tweed that reminds me of a suit my mother had when I was young. Another one is hand-knit and resembles a soft and woolly sweater. The last one is a large, burlap sac that looks like a flour bag. The fabric is imported from France and it reminds me of the flour mill my father's uncle used to work at.

After I ask the two sales people - who I later find out are the owners - a couple of questions, I find out FLUF also makes cushions in any sizes depending on availability of fabric (they purchase their fabric in small quantities) and they also do custom work (bring in any fabric and they will make a cushion).

In the end, I choose a couple of linen cushions. They're simple, they're classic, they're not very expensive, and I know they won't go out of style. And if I ever get tired of looking at them, I can go back to FLUF to purchase a few more.