The Cutting Table · a checklist answer
Which color number is white or cream on the floor cushion chart?
Also asked as:Which of these is the white color?I don't see a white or off-white option
Swatch charts are like a gray morning on the water: everything looks a shade darker than it is. Here is how to read the light ones.
SaveThe quick answer
For white on the floor cushion linen chart, choose 19, a cream very close to white that matches the lightest cushion in the photos, or 1, which reads white-cream and looks brighter in person. There is no pure white linen. For a true white, pick velvet 11, a warm white; soft fabric also comes in a cream.
Key facts
- There is no pure white linen; linen 19 is the cream closest to white.
- Linen 1 reads white-cream and looks brighter in person.
- On the chart, linen 1 and 19 look cream-beige, darker than the real fabric.
- You receive the color shown in the listing photos.
- Velvet 11 is a warm white rather than an icy white; velvet 1 is a white cream.
- Soft fabric comes in a cream.
- For soft sand linen, K001 is bright and K012 is a softer sand.
- Fabric swatches are roughly palm-sized, about 4 x 4 to 6 x 6 in (10 x 10 to 15 x 15 cm), the surest way to compare the light shades by a window.
- The floor cushion listing photos show a 28 x 56 in (70 x 140 cm) set; 28 x 64 in (70 x 160 cm) is one of the most chosen sizes.
Have it made
Have Callum’s workshop cut this for you
Tell them where it lives. Porch, deck or boat: the weather picks the fabric and the foam before anyone else does. — Callum
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.
Before you pick a white
- Trust the listing photos over the chart; that's the color you receive.
- Decide linen or velvet first: a true white only comes in velvet.
- Write the fabric with the number, 'linen 19', never just '19'.
- Ask the shop for photos of the light shades.
- Look at those photos by a window in daylight, not on a dim screen at night.
The light shades, side by side
| Number | Fabric | How it reads in person |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Linen | Cream, the closest linen gets to white |
| 1 | Linen | White-cream, brighter than the chart |
| 11 | Velvet | Warm white, not icy |
| 1 | Velvet | White cream |
| K001 | Linen | Bright |
| K012 | Linen | Softer sand |
Why the chart looks darker than the cushion
A swatch chart is a photograph of fabric, friend, and photographs of pale colors go gray the way a harbor does under low cloud. Linen 1 and 19 both come out cream-beige on the chart. On a floor cushion they are the light white and cream in the listing photos, and the shop confirms that is what you receive.
Read color the way you read weather: outside the screen, in real light. The screen versus daylight Pattern explains why pale shades drift, and off-white cushions shows how the creams behave in a room.
There is no pure white linen: linen 19 is the cream closest to white, and velvet 11 is the true warm white.
Callum
Buyer questions
- A common question
What's the closest thing to white in the linen range?
The workshop's answerThere's no pure white linen. Color 19 is a cream very close to white and matches the lightest cushion in the photos. Numbers are chart-specific, so 19 on a velvet chart is a blue, not a cream.
- A common question
Which number gives me the cream or white in the photos?
The workshop's answerIn linen, number 19 for the light cream on the top cushion in the photos. In velvet, number 11 is a warm white rather than an icy white, and number 1 is a white cream.
- A common question
Your chart swatch looks darker than the product photo. Which will I get?
The workshop's answerSome chart swatches photograph darker than the fabric really is. Linen 1 and 19 look cream-beige on the chart but are the light white and cream in the listing photos, and you receive the color as it appears in the product photo.
- A common question
I need something near white, cream or a soft sand. Which number?
The workshop's answerIn linen the lightest shade is a light beige, and #1 reads white-cream and looks brighter in person. True white comes in velvet #11. For soft sand, the shop compared K001 (bright) with K012 (softer sand) and sent photos of the light shades to choose from.
Questions buyers ask next
Is linen 19 beige or cream?
Cream. It looks cream-beige on the color chart because pale swatches photograph darker, but in person it's a cream very close to white, the same as the lightest cushion in the listing photos.
Should I choose velvet or linen for a white floor cushion?
Velvet, if you want a true white: velvet 11 is a warm white. Linen stops at cream, with 19 closest to white and 1 a brighter white-cream. Soft fabric also offers a cream.
Can I see the light shades before I order?
Yes. The shop sends photos of the light shades so you can compare them, as it did for a buyer weighing a bright linen against a softer sand. Look at them in daylight before you decide.
