The Cutting Table · a common question
Can I get round bolsters as armrests at each end of my window seat?
Also asked as:Arm rests, the cylinder-like cushionsDo you also do bolster cushions for the sides?
You can, and it is about the oldest trick in the trade for turning a seat into a sofa. Here is how the pair gets sized and matched.
The quick answer
Yes, bolster armrests for a window seat are made to match the seat's fabric and piping, one for each end, usually as long as the seat is deep. A 20 x 73 in (51 x 185 cm) window seat, for example, took two 7 in (18 cm) diameter bolsters 20 in (51 cm) long. They come filled, in indoor or outdoor fabric.
SaveKey facts
- Armrest bolsters can match the seat's fabric and piping.
- One bolster goes at each end, usually as long as the seat is deep.
- A 20 x 73 in (51 x 185 cm) window seat took two bolsters 7 in (18 cm) across and 20 in (51 cm) long.
- Bolsters are sent with the inner filling included.
- Corduroy and outdoor fabrics both work for bolsters.
- The workshop can mock up the set before you order.
- Floor sofa sets already come with round armrest bolsters.
Have it made
Have Harlan’s workshop cut this for you
Fabric has a temper and foam has a memory. Better to settle both in a conversation than to guess at them alone. — Harlan
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.
Why each bolster runs the depth of the seat
A seat without arms is a bench. Put a round bolster at each end and folks start calling it a sofa. That is the whole trick, my friend, and it is an old one.
Each armrest bolster is usually as long as the seat is deep, so it runs from the wall to the front edge and stops where the cushion stops. On a 20 x 73 in (51 x 185 cm) window seat that meant two bolsters 20 in (51 cm) long and 7 in (18 cm) across, cut from the seat's fabric with its piping. They come filled, ready for an elbow.
Corduroy suits a bolster fine, and outdoor fabric works for a porch bench. The workshop can mock up the set before you order, and the bolster pillow sizing Pattern covers diameter. More shapes live under bolster pillows. How deep is your seat, wall to front edge?
Bolster armrests from past orders
| Where it goes | Diameter | Length | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Each end of a 20 x 73 in (51 x 185 cm) window seat | 7 in (18 cm) | 20 in (51 cm) | Body and piping fabric picked by code |
| A single long bolster | 6 in (15 cm) | 47 in (120 cm) | Sent with filling |
| Side cylinder armrests | Quoted to order | 24 in (60 cm) | Quoted with the seat and back cushions |
| Floor sofa set | Round | Sized to the set | Included as standard |
What to send for a matched pair
- The seat size: length x depth x thickness.
- Each bolster's diameter x length, starting the length at the seat depth.
- How many: usually two, one for each end.
- Fabric and piping, the same as the seat or a contrast.
- A request for a mock-up if you want to see the set first.
Two 7 in round bolsters, one at each end of a window seat and matched in fabric and piping, turn a plain ledge into a sofa.
Harlan
Buyer questions
- A common question
Can you make cylinder armrests to go with my window seat cushion?
The workshop's answerYes, in the same fabric and piping. A 20 x 73 in seat was made with two bolsters 7 in across and 20 in long, body and piping each chosen by fabric code. A 47 in (120 cm) long, 6 in (15 cm) diameter bolster comes with filling, and small sausage bolsters are quoted per piece.
- A common question
Do you make matching bolsters for the ends of a bench or window seat?
The workshop's answerYes. They're made to match the seat, for example two bolsters as long as the seat depth, one for each end. Corduroy or outdoor fabric both work, and the workshop can mock up the set first.
- A common question
Can the round armrests be cut to the depth of my seat?
The workshop's answerYes. Floor sofa sets come with round armrest bolsters, and custom cylinder armrests, for example 24 in (60 cm) long, are quoted together with the seat and back cushions.
- A common question
Can my bolsters have piping in a different color?
The workshop's answerYes. Bolsters can have same-fabric piping, contrast piping in a second fabric, or be made fully in a contrast or stripe fabric, in any length and diameter, ordered through a private custom link.
Questions buyers ask next
Will the bolsters stay put at the ends of the seat?
They come loose, without straps, as standard. On request the workshop adds hook-and-loop fasteners to fix armrests to the base, or a strap to hold a bolster on a mattress. Perfectly flat bolster ends aren't possible.
Could one long bolster work as a backrest instead?
Yes. Long cylinder backrests with rounded ends are made to the bench length in matching fabric. Standard diameter is 8 in (20 cm); for a 31.5 in (80 cm) seat depth, plan about 39 in (100 cm) of total depth.
Do the armrest bolsters arrive as empty covers?
No. Bolsters are sent with the inner filling included, so the pair is ready to set at the ends of the seat as soon as it is unpacked.
