--- title: "Floor Cushion Backrest: Attached or Separate From the Seat?" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/are-backrest-and-seat-cushions-attached/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Harlan Pruitt, The Elder of High Point" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/harlan/" published: "2026-05-15" updated: "2026-05-15" keywords: "floor cushion backrest attached, are backrest and seat cushions attached, floor cushion with backrest, tufted floor cushion set, cushion corner ties" --- # Are the seat, backrest and armrest cushions attached to each other? *No, and that is on purpose. Each piece is its own cushion, closed and finished on its own, and a set lives longer that way.* Also asked as: Are the cushions all attached?; Are the back and armrests removable? > **The quick answer:** No, the seat, backrest and armrest bolsters are separate pieces, not sewn or fixed together. The backrest can lie flat or be used on its own, and the bolsters move like pillows. A 24 x 48 in (61 x 122 cm) seat comes with a 16 x 48 in (41 x 122 cm) backrest. If you want the set held together, ties can be sewn on the corners. ![Gray melange box cushion with self piping on an oak waterfall bench, boucle pillow, olive tree and black floor lamp](https://cushionguide.com/media/bench-cushions/gray-melange-oak-bench-cushion-olive-tree-1600.webp "A slim gray melange cushion on an oak bench, styled with an olive tree, line drawings and a single boucle pillow.") ## Key facts - The seat, backrest and armrest bolsters are separate pieces. - The backrest can lie flat or be used on its own. - A 24 x 48 in (61 x 122 cm) seat comes with a 16 x 48 in (41 x 122 cm) backrest. - Tufted pieces do not have zip-off covers. - The backrest is not freestanding and needs a wall or something solid behind it. - Corner ties can be sewn on so the pieces tie to each other. - Layouts pictured as one connected piece are quoted as separate sections. ## "Are they all one piece?" No, my friend. The seat, the backrest and the armrest bolsters come as separate cushions. Nothing is sewn between them, and nothing is fixed. For a 24 x 48 in (61 x 122 cm) seat, the backrest is 16 x 48 in (41 x 122 cm), the same length, so the two line up clean. Lay the back flat and it's a second seat. Move the [armrest bolsters](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#armrest-bolster) wherever an elbow wants them, the way you would a [bolster pillow](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bolster-pillows/). ## "Then what holds the back up?" A wall. The backrest isn't freestanding; it leans against something solid. Push the set up to the wall and let the wall do the work. If you'd sooner the pieces stayed together, the workshop can sew [ties](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#ties) on the corners so they tie to each other. [Keeping back cushions upright](https://cushionguide.com/guides/back-cushions-staying-upright/) covers the other ways. Will yours sit against a wall, or out in the middle of the room? ## "Can I zip the covers off to wash them?" Not on the tufted pieces. [Tufting](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#tufting) draws cover and fill together at every button, so those covers stay on for good. That's the trade for a top that holds its shape. The [tufted cushion care Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/tufted-cushion-care-buttons-cleaning/) shows how to keep them clean in place. ## "The photo shows one connected piece. Can I have that?" A bench seat with a back on each side reads as one piece in a picture. It is cut as sections. One such layout was quoted as two 15 3/4 x 19 3/4 in (40 x 50 cm) pieces plus one 15 3/4 x 63 in (40 x 160 cm) piece, and the workshop confirmed each size before quoting. Sections carry through a doorway, turn around when one side wears, and close up tight. A seam is a promise, and so is a section that fits. The [tufted floor couch sizes](https://cushionguide.com/guides/tufted-floor-couch-set-sizes/) show how sets are built, and more seats live under [bench cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bench-cushions/). > **Tailor's margin:** A floor cushion backrest isn't freestanding: set it against a wall, or ask for corner ties so the seat and back tie together. > The seat, backrest and bolsters of a floor cushion set are separate: a 24 x 48 in seat takes a 16 x 48 in back, and corner ties can hold them together. > > — Harlan ## Buyer questions **A common question:** For the French-style tufted bench cushion, how big is the back, and do the backrest and armrests come off? **The workshop's answer:** The backrest and armrests come with the seat. On a 24 x 48 in seat the backrest is 16 x 48 in. They're separate, not attached to each other or to the base, so the back can lie flat and the armrests move like pillows. Being tufted, the covers don't zip off. **A common question:** Are the seat, back and side pillows connected to each other? **The workshop's answer:** No. Every piece is separate, so the backrest can lie flat and be used on its own, and the armrest bolsters are loose. **A common question:** How does the back cushion stay on the floor cushion? Will the set hold together? **The workshop's answer:** The pieces aren't freestanding or fixed together, so the backrest needs to lean against something solid like a wall. To keep them together, ties can be sewn on the corners so the pieces tie to each other. **A common question:** Can a bench seat with a backrest on each side be made as one connected piece? **The workshop's answer:** It is made and quoted as separate sections: two 15 3/4 x 19 3/4 in (40 x 50 cm) pieces plus one 15 3/4 x 63 in (40 x 160 cm) piece, with each size confirmed before the total. **A common question:** Can I add a back cushion to a corner floor cushion? **The workshop's answer:** Yes, one or two matching backrests, for example a 38 x 15 3/4 x 4 in (97 x 40 x 10 cm) back on one side of a 38 x 38 in (97 x 97 cm) cushion. Order with the custom option for a set quote. ## Questions buyers ask next ### Can the backrest double as an extra seat? Yes. Because it isn't sewn to the seat, the backrest can lie flat on the floor as a second cushion or be used on its own elsewhere in the room, then stood back against the wall when you want the set whole again. ### Should a back cushion be foam or soft like a pillow? Either works. Foam backs hold their shape better, suit outdoor use and stay put when wedge-shaped; pillow backs are softer and more relaxed. You can pair a firm foam seat with a softer pillow back. ### How tall should a back cushion be on a bench under a window? Size it to clear the sill and window hardware. With a window lever 11 in above the seat, a loose back 14 to 16 in tall and 3 to 4 in thick works. Under a low sill, a flat short back replaces a bolster. ## Related at the atelier - [What comes in the French-style tufted cushion set, and is the backrest included?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/tufted-floor-cushion-set-whats-included/): Yes, the backrest is included: the French-style tufted set is one seat cushion (floor or bench), one backrest cushion and two round armrest bolsters, the bolsters as a gift. - [Velvet bench cushion for a stair landing: how to measure it](https://cushionguide.com/readings/purple-velvet-staircase-landing-bench-cushion/): Measure a stair-landing bench cushion from the bench itself, wood to wood, at the back and again at the front. - [Velvet Bench Cushion in Emerald: Outdoor Habits Brought Indoors](https://cushionguide.com/readings/emerald-velvet-bench-cushion-oak-linen-curtains/): An indoor velvet bench cushion can borrow the outdoor habit of building for the hardest use, from a sturdier fabric on a busy entry bench to an extra flap that covers a hard corner. - [Custom Bench Cushion in Antique Pink Velvet: Feel, Wear, Care](https://cushionguide.com/readings/antique-pink-velvet-bench-cushion-wildflower-arranging/): A velvet custom bench cushion feels soft and warm, shows color deeply, and shows marks: pile pressed by a hand, a scratch from a tool, a ring of water. - [Can I get one quote for several cushions in different sizes?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/one-quote-several-cushion-sizes/): Send every size, quantity and fabric together, and the workshop quotes multiple custom cushions as one total, often a little below the sum of the listing prices. - [Can you make a seat cushion set with matching bolsters and back pillows?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/seat-cushion-set-with-bolsters-back-pillows/): Yes, a seat cushion can be made as a set with matching bolsters, back pillows and lumbar pillows. - [Cushion measurements explained: length, depth, thickness and units](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-measurements-length-depth-thickness/) - [Made to measure or off the shelf? A fair test for your seat](https://cushionguide.com/guides/made-to-measure-vs-ready-made-cushions/) *Sit well. — Harlan* --- Written by Harlan Pruitt (https://cushionguide.com/masters/harlan/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/answers/are-backrest-and-seat-cushions-attached/