Laura Ashley challenge: Alternative uses for a throw

At Fresh Design Blog, we are big fans of throws and, at this time of year especially, they really come into their own. Snuggling up under a throw on the sofa, adding one to your bed on a chilly night or wrapping one around your shoulders are all our favoured approaches to using throws.

Despite these old favourites, Laura Ashley challenged us to come up with an alternative way of using a throw. So we put our thinking caps on…..and came up with a child-friendly idea for miserable, cold or wet winter days when they can’t play outside, but want to do something fun.

With our throw, we created a den!

We used the Laura Ashley tartan cranberry check cotton mix throw, a rich and cosy throw that arrives beautifully wrapped in ribbon. At 180cm by 180cm, it’s a good size for all sorts of requirements, dens included.

A throw is a brilliant tool for creating a warm and cosy den inside your home in the winter (or outside in the summer) and it’s something most children love to play in. For our den, we draped the throw over a couple of chairs, with comfy cushions inside to lean on and a blanket to sit on.

There was plenty of room inside to sit and play, read books or watch a DVD, plus it’s a great little space for children to have a secret picnic or tea party.

You’ll have to excuse the fact that it looks a bit dishevelled. Every time we got it all neat and nicely arranged, Binky the cat decided she wanted to jump on top of it or play with the tassles of the throw. However, after the excitement of exploring what was going on, she rather liked sitting inside it too…

Tartan designs keep popping up in homeware products this season, so the tartan check throw is very apt. It’s also a lovely rich colour for this time of year.

Laura Ashley sell a range of other cosy throws in a rainbow of colours and, whether you make a child or cat-friendly den, or simply wrap up in it on a cold day, they’ve got a multitude of uses.

Fourteen other bloggers have also been challenged to come up with alternative uses for a throw, so it will be interesting to see all the different ideas!