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The Cutting Table · a checklist answer

Can you work out the cushion size from a photo of my space?

Also asked as:Can I send pictures of the space?What size for this space above?

A photo shows the workshop the shape of your seat; it can't show the size, partner. Here is the list that replaces the guess.

Answered by

The Pattern Engineer of Detroit · · Updated

Indigo ticking stripe box cushion on a weathered oak ladder-back chair in a white kitchen with limestone floorSave
Indigo ticking softens a weathered ladder-back chair on a limestone kitchen floor.

The quick answer

No: the workshop won't estimate a cushion size from a photo, because that leads to mistakes, and it can't give an exact size without your measurements. Photos still help show the shape. Type out the front width, back width, depth and thickness in inches or cm, and for anything that isn't a plain rectangle, send a paper sketch with every side labeled.

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Key facts

  • The workshop does not estimate sizes from photos.
  • An exact size needs your own measurements.
  • Typed numbers are preferred over photos of a tape measure.
  • Inches or centimeters are both accepted.
  • Odd shapes need a paper sketch with every side labeled.
  • Unreadable or incomplete drawings are sent back for a clearer one.
  • A template with your figures beside each edge comes back for you to verify before the quote.

Have it made

Have Nate’s workshop cut this for you

Send the numbers in inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angle. The workshop checks them with you, because foam has no undo button. — Nate

Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
The cover cloth: weave, color and care code.
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
The corded seam edge: matching, contrast or none.
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

Send these, typed out

  • Front width, with the unit written after it.
  • Back width, even if you think it matches the front.
  • Depth, from the front edge to the back wall.
  • The thickness you want.
  • For any shape that isn't a plain rectangle: a paper sketch with every side labeled, photographed and sent.
  • Photos of the space, to show the shape.

What can't be sized

  • A photo of the space with no numbers.
  • A tape measure in a photo instead of typed figures.
  • A drawing with unreadable numbers or missing edges.
  • A number with no unit beside it.

Why the tape in your photo isn't enough

A camera sees the tape at an angle, and a tape at an angle reads wrong. Across a whole bench, small misreads add up to a cushion that almost fits. Typed numbers win.

The method is laid out in what to send for a custom cushion quote and drawing a custom shape. For a plain bench, try your numbers in the bench cushion builder.

A real project

The buyer who photographed the tape

A buyer sent photos, each with a tape measure stretched across the seat. Helpful, not enough: exact numbers can't be read reliably from a picture. The workshop asked for them typed out, then drew templates with each figure beside its edge. The buyer checked every line before the quote.

What it taught
Photos show the shape; typed numbers set the size.

Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Can you work the sizes out from my photos, or should I write the measurements down?

    The workshop's answer

    Write out the exact measurements, please. Sizes aren't worked out from photos because that leads to mistakes. The clearest option is a simple paper drawing with every edge measured; if numbers are unreadable or edges are missing, you'll be asked for a new one.

  2. A common question

    How do I measure a corner floor cushion?

    The workshop's answer

    By the two straight sides along the walls that meet at the right angle, for example 48 x 48 in (122 x 122 cm). Measure along each wall from the back corner, not diagonally and not along the curved front edge.

  3. A common question

    What if my measurements don't add up because my walls aren't square?

    The workshop's answer

    Your cushion is drawn to scale and checked to see that it closes. If it doesn't, you'll be asked to re-measure, check both diagonals or fill in a lettered outline. A gap within 1/4 in is accepted, and nothing is cut until you confirm.

Questions buyers ask next

Should custom cushion measurements be in inches or centimeters?

Either works. Label the unit on every number, because unclear units are checked before quoting and an order made in the wrong unit has to be remade.

Is a photo of the seat useful at all?

Yes, for the shape: where posts stand, which corners are angled, how the seat meets the wall. The sizes themselves must arrive as typed numbers or a labeled sketch.

Will I see a drawing before the quote?

For shaped cushions, yes. A template with your figures beside each edge comes back for you to verify first, so a misread number is caught on paper.