--- title: "Color Not Listed in the Dropdown? How to Order It Anyway" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/order-color-not-in-dropdown/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/" published: "2026-05-26" updated: "2026-09-24" keywords: "color not listed in dropdown custom order, order cushion in unlisted color, fabric code in personalization note, custom cushion color chart, off-catalog fabric colors" --- # A color I saw in your photos isn't in the dropdown. Can I still order it? *The dropdown is a short menu, not the whole pantry. Some of the loveliest codes live only in the photos and on the full chart.* Also asked as: Some colors in the photo aren't in the catalog.; Colors that aren't listed but are on your swatch samples? > **The quick answer:** You can usually order a color that isn't in the dropdown, because the dropdown doesn't list every fabric in stock. Choose any color at checkout and write the exact fabric code or color in the personalization or note-to-seller box, or message the workshop after ordering. It can also send the full chart, close-ups of any color, or add the missing one to the listing. ![Olive and cream awning stripe window seat cushion on oak drawers with sage and boucle pillows in a sunny bay](https://cushionguide.com/media/trapezoid-cushions/olive-awning-stripe-window-seat-oak-drawers-1600.webp "An olive stripe links the oak cabinetry to the trees outside; boucle pillows add softness to the crisp pattern.") ## Key facts - The dropdown does not list every color in stock. - Some in-stock fabrics were taken out of the catalog to keep it simple. - Codes for off-catalog fabrics are printed on the product images. - Any swatch color can be ordered by writing its code in the personalization or note-to-seller box. - Colors on the workshop's own website can be requested the same way. - The workshop can add a missing color to a listing on request. - The corduroy teddy sofa is the exception and stays in its listed colors. - Each main indoor chart (linen, velvet, soft fabric) runs to about 40 colors, more than a dropdown shows. - The corduroy teddy sofa comes in about 9-10 listed colors. - Swatches of off-dropdown codes are about 4 x 4 to 6 x 6 in (10 x 10 to 15 x 15 cm). ## Why the menu is shorter than the shelf Every listing has a color dropdown, and every dropdown is shorter than the shelf behind it. Some fabrics were taken out of the catalog simply to keep the choice from overwhelming anyone; they are still in stock, and their codes are printed on the product images. Other colors sit on the workshop's own website and never reached the marketplace listing. So when a shade in a photo stops you, don't assume it's gone. The eye sits down first, and it is usually right. Read the [fabric code](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#fabric-code) off the image, or ask for it. Which color caught you? One exception, my friends: the corduroy teddy sofa keeps to its listed colors. Most other pieces, [trapezoid cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/trapezoid-cushions/) included, can usually take an off-menu code. The [personalization note Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-personalization-note/) shows where to write it, and [swatches before ordering](https://cushionguide.com/guides/fabric-swatches-before-ordering/) covers checking the shade in your own light. ## Ordering a color the dropdown left out 1. **Find the code**: Read it off the product image or the full chart. If all you have is a photo, ask which code it is; similar shades carry different numbers. 2. **Pick any option at checkout**: The dropdown needs an answer before it lets you continue. Any color will do, because the code you write is the one that counts. 3. **Write the exact code**: Put the fabric code, or the color name from the website, in the personalization or note-to-seller box. 4. **Ask to see it first**: The workshop can photograph any chart color up close, or add it to the listing so you can select it directly. ## A fuchsia sofa and a red wine listing A buyer had fallen for a fuchsia on the swatch card, and the sofa listing had no fuchsia. The buyer chose any color at checkout, typed the exact fabric code into the note-to-seller box, and ordered the sofa that way. Another buyer in the US wanted cream, red wine or brown, none of them in the drop-down. The workshop sent its full chart with the cream on it and added red wine to a listing so it could be selected. Neither shade was missing; both were just off the menu. > **Tailor's margin:** A color missing from the dropdown isn't gone: choose any option, then write the exact fabric code in the personalization box. > The color dropdown is shorter than the fabric chart; stocked fabrics dropped from the catalog still carry their codes on the product images. > > — Élodie ## Buyer questions **A common question:** Some colors in your photos aren't on the color chart. Can I still get them? **The workshop's answer:** Yes. A few fabrics were dropped from the catalog to keep it simple but remain in stock, and their codes appear on the product images. The workshop can send close-up phone photos of any chart color and add a missing one to the order options. **A common question:** I love a fuchsia on your swatches, but it isn't in the listing. Can the sofa be made in it? **The workshop's answer:** Yes. Select any color at checkout and type the exact fabric code into the personalization or note-to-seller box. **A common question:** The color I want is on your website but not on the marketplace listing. Can I still order it? **The workshop's answer:** Yes. Order the sofa and write the color you want, plus your phone number, in the personalization section, or message the workshop after the order is placed. **A common question:** I'm after cream, red wine or brown, and none of them show in the drop-down. Do you carry them? **The workshop's answer:** Often, yes. The workshop sent its full chart showing the cream and added red wine to a listing so it could be selected. ## Questions buyers ask next ### What happens if the fabric code I type in the note is wrong? The workshop checks every code before cutting. A missing, non-existent or ambiguous code triggers a message, and production waits for your reply. A valid code is made exactly as written, so read it back once before you check out. ### Can a fabric from a different listing go on my trapezoid cushion? Yes. Fabrics from any listing can be used on custom-shape cushions. Choose your size range on the trapezoid listing and write the fabric code from the other listing in the personalization box. ### Does the off-menu color trick work on the corduroy teddy sofa? Generally not. The corduroy teddy sofa is limited to its listed colors, so a shade outside that range means switching the sofa to velvet or linen and writing that color number in the order note. ## Related at the atelier - [How do I tell which fabric a color code is?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/fabric-code-prefixes-explained/): The prefix of a fabric code tells you the material, because each code family is one fabric. - [Do you make custom seat cushions in faux leather or real leather?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/faux-leather-cowhide-cushion-options/): Yes, custom seat cushions can be made in faux leather for a small extra cost; ask the workshop to show you those fabrics. - [Every cushion shape, drawn once, with the numbers it needs](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-shapes-chart/): Cushion shapes fall into a few families: rectangles and squares, angled shapes such as trapezoids and clipped corners, polygons, corner runs (L, U, T), notched seats, curves, and traced shapes. - [I ordered my trapezoid cushion on the rectangle listing. What do I do now?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/custom-shape-cushion-wrong-listing/): If a trapezoid cushion went through the rectangle listing, reorder on the custom-shape listing and the workshop cancels the first order with a full refund. - [Trapezoid Bench Cushion in Olive Stripe: 5 Mistakes to Avoid](https://cushionguide.com/readings/olive-awning-stripe-window-seat-oak-drawers/): The most common trapezoid bench cushion mistake is leaving edges unlabeled, because front, back and depth decide the slanted sides. - [Trapezoid Bench Cushion Foam: Burgundy Bouclé Under an Arch](https://cushionguide.com/readings/burgundy-boucle-hexagon-seat-gothic-stone-arch/): A trapezoid bench cushion for an angled window seat is best built on 4 in (10 cm) of 32-density polyurethane foam, about 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³), wrapped in polyester wadding. - [How to draw a custom-shaped cushion so it isn't made mirror-image](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-shape-cushion-drawing/) *With color and care — Élodie* --- Written by Élodie Marchand (https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/) 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/order-color-not-in-dropdown/