From the back streets of Kunming
These cushions come from a textile workshop off Qingnian Lu in Kunming — a tiny atelier where two sisters, Miao weavers from the hills, stitch floor cushions for the local chá lóu. The linen comes from a mill in Dali, stone-washed with river water, and the dyes are plant-based: ochre from turmeric, moss from tea leaves, clay from red earth, charcoal from bamboo ash.
Each cushion is cut and sewn by hand, with a hidden zip so the cover can be slipped off and washed. The cotton fill is carded, never blown — meaning it won’t clump or go flat. A prototype was tested on a tea-room floor for six months, through wet Kunming summers and dry winters, before the order was signed. The cushions breathe: you can sit on them for two hours and stand up without that clammy feeling. The result is a cushion set that feels crafted, not manufactured — four seats that turn any floor into a quiet invitation to sit, pour, and stay.