For reasons unknown, the living room inside a boat is called a "salon" - very old timey and boat-y apparently, but we still just call it "the couch" - for reasons of simplicity. 

Our couch cushions were due for a tune-up, a trip to the salon, as it were. We love how big and long they are and a nice number of people can sit on them, and they would make a great middle-of-the-boat bed as well. We weren't going to change the shape at all, just a refresh of foam and new fabric. It's a bit of an endeavour to track these items down, for a reasonable price and that look and feel nice. I mean, the internet is great and everything, but there are quite a few options to choose from, and not all of them are great.

We found our fabric from a Canadian company (yay!), for a great price after receiving a few well-priced samples. And then the foam we sourced from the Foam Shop on the island (which a friend graciously picked up for us - yay friends!).

Turns out, that was sorta the easy part. Then it was a million YouTube videos on how to sew a box cushion - the right way, the wrong way, the easy way, the detailed way, the french way...?

Luckily, Matt was really eager to give it a go, and learn how to use the zipper foot on our sewing machine. A few hiccups along the way and before we knew it, we had a few nice big cushions sewn up for the bottom of the couch and a some cushion backs stapled on the existing backs (that the kids had helped strip, sand and paint earlier).
We really did follow what was already there, and it worked really well. Piper was able to sew all the edges of the back cushions, which was a huge help and then Matt and I wiggled and jiggled the big couch cushions in for the bottom. I'm glad we wrapped some extra batting around them, as it really smooths the edges down and looks a little less like a block of foam. These certainly aren't perfect, but a really nice and bright upgrade for the interior of the boat. We'll bring in some throw cushions and really make it feel homey, but for now, this has been a really empowering upgrade that will make living on the boat extra comfy - and classy!