Concept Sketches · 7 scenes
Hearth cushions: softening the stone in front of the fire
The hearth is a bench nobody built on purpose. Babies pull up on it, cats sleep on the warm end, and sooner or later somebody asks the workshop to make it soft.
SaveThe quick answer
A hearth cushion is a made-to-measure floor cushion that covers the raised stone in front of a fireplace, as a soft guard for a toddler or a fireside seat, and it comes off whenever the fire is lit. Send every stone measurement and photos; one guard was planned slightly larger than 37 x 13.2 x 2 in (94 x 33.5 x 5 cm) stones, with a recess underneath.
The mason's ledge that turned into a seat
A mason lays a raised hearth to catch sparks and ash. A year later the baby is pulling up on it, the cat owns the warm end, and somebody reads there with a back against the stone.
A hearth cushion softens that ledge: a guard so a crawler meets foam instead of rock, or a seat deep enough to stretch out on. Either way it is a floor cushion or bench cushion cut to a shape the mason chose, and it is ordered with a drawing, every edge measured, and photos of the room.
One rule runs through every sketch below, my friend. Fabric never goes near an open flame or a hot firebox, so a hearth cushion comes off before the fire is lit and goes back once the stone is cold. That is household sense, not a rating on any cushion.
How high does your hearth stand off the floor, and how far does it run?
Seven fireside sketches from the cutting table
01A past project
A recessed cushion over raised hearth stones
A family with a baby wrote to the workshop about the raised stones in front of their fireplace: 37 x 13.2 in (94 x 33.5 cm), standing 2 in (5 cm) high. The plan was a cushion slightly larger all around, with a recess underneath so it sits down over the stones. They sent a file of photos, and the workshop began working out sizes from those exact measurements.
The takeaway: A hearth guard starts with the stone's length, depth and height, plus photos.
02A past project
A curved hearth traced on paper
One buyer wrote in wanting a cushion that follows the curve of a fireplace hearth. The workshop asked for the shape and its sizes drawn on paper instead of described in words, then quoted the curved piece from that drawing. The buyer chose linen.
The takeaway: Trace a curved hearth on paper, write the sizes on it and photograph it flat.
03A past project
A deep fireside reading bench with wedge backs
A buyer got in touch about a deep built-in bench beside a fireplace, meant for lounging and reading, its seat 31.5 x 70.9 x 4.7 in (80 x 180 x 12 cm). The workshop advised wedge backrests over flat rectangles: 35.4 in (90 cm) long, 15.7 in (40 cm) high, 8.7 in (22 cm) at the base and 5.9 in (15 cm) at the top. Wanting a natural fiber, the buyer chose a brown linen blend.
The takeaway: On a deep lounge seat, ask for wedge backs, thick at the base and thinner on top.
04A past project
A soft flap over a bench corner at crawling height
A parent in the US wanted the hard corner of a wooden bench padded for a baby, with the cushion covering it. The workshop agreed to attach a fabric flap, and asked for a wide-angle photo to place it relative to the zipper side and for the corner's thickness, 1.75 in (4.4 cm), to set how far it drops.
The takeaway: Place an add-on flap from the zipper side, and measure the edge it covers.
05A past project
The cat's nook under a new fireplace
A buyer in the US found the cat sleeping in the small nook under a newly installed fireplace and asked for a 20 x 8 in (51 x 20 cm) ivory floor cushion to fit. The workshop pointed to an 8 x 20 in size already on the linen floor cushion listing. Same rule as the hearth: if the firebox above runs hot, the cushion comes out.
The takeaway: Check the size list before asking for a custom piece.
06A past project
A curve along a railing, drafted from two straight sides
A buyer in the US wanted a floor cushion about 74 x 24 in (188 x 61 cm) for a foyer nook, one side curving along a stair railing. The space was not a corner, so a quarter-round cushion would not do; the workshop asked for a paper drawing, the two straight sides to calculate the curve, and one wide photo of the area.
The takeaway: A curved hearth measures the same way: two straight sides, the curve drawn, one wide photo.
07A past project
A bench with one rounded end
A buyer in the US had a custom 33 x 20 in (84 x 51 cm) bench with one rounded end and shared the builder's drawings of the exact curve. The workshop asked for exact dimensions, worked out the pattern and quoted it. Expect a curved piece to cost more than a plain rectangle.
The takeaway: A scaled drawing of the curve is what makes a rounded end quotable.
Before you order a hearth cushion
- Measure the stone's length, depth and height, and every edge of any curve or angle.
- Trace a curve on paper and photograph the tracing flat beside a tape measure; curves are never read from numbers alone.
- Send one wide photo of the hearth and the room around it.
- Order on the custom-shape listing if any edge curves, angles or steps down. A rectangle order never asks for a drawing.
- For a small pet spot, check the existing size list first.
- Lift the cushion off before you light the fire, and put it back once the stone is cold.
Linen or velvet by the fireplace
Linen and cotton-linen suits a house that wants natural fiber; the reading bench and the curved hearth above both went to linen or a linen blend. Velvet is the other road. Velvet remembers the hand that brushed it, but its tight weave stands up to claws, and it washes at 86°F (30°C).
The paper template and curved cushion Patterns cover the drawing, and the trapezoid cushion calculator checks an angled hearth before you send it. Small hands have kids' room cushions; the cat has custom dog beds and cat corners.
A hearth cushion comes off before the fire is lit: fabric belongs on cold stone, never near an open flame or a hot firebox.
Harlan
Fireside questions
- A common question
How do I measure a cushion with a curved edge or one rounded end?
The workshop's answerNumbers alone won't carry a curve. Sketch the total width and depth, the straight length of each edge before the curve, and where each curve starts and ends and how deep it runs; or trace the seat onto wrapping paper, cut it out and photograph it flat beside a tape measure. The shop confirms the shape before production.
- A common question
Can you make a floor cushion shaped for a nook or a quarter-round corner?
The workshop's answerYes. Before you order, send the shape, the measurements, a sketch if you have one and a few room photos taken from a distance, so everything is agreed. For a quarter-round or curved space the workshop needs the two straight sides to calculate the curve, and it tells you up front whether a size-based customization fee applies.
- A common question
How do I measure a long curved bench seat?
The workshop's answerRun a flexible tape, or a string you measure flat afterward, along the inner curve at the front and the outer curve at the back. Add the straight end-to-end distance, the depth at both ends and the middle, and a photo. Curved benches are recommended at 2 to 3 in (5 to 8 cm) thick, and very long curves come as matching segments.
- A common question
Which listing do I use for a cushion that isn't a rectangle?
The workshop's answerThe custom-shape (trapezoid) listing. Pick the size range by the longest length and the deepest depth; it only sets the price bracket. Upload a drawing with every edge measured and a photo of the space, and put the thickness and fabric code in the personalization box. The cushion is cut to your drawing.
Have it made
Have an idea like this made — ask Harlan’s workshop
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.
Questions buyers ask next
Can a hearth cushion stay in place while the fire is burning?
No. Keep fabric away from open flames and hot fireboxes: lift the hearth cushion off before you light the fire and put it back once the stone has cooled. This is general household guidance, not a fire rating for any cushion or fabric.
How does a hearth cushion stay put on raised stones?
It can be made slightly larger than the stones all around, with a recess on the underside that sits down over them. That calls for the stones' exact length, depth and height, 37 x 13.2 x 2 in (94 x 33.5 x 5 cm) in one family's case, plus photos.
What backrest suits a deep fireside reading bench?
Wedge backrests. For a 31.5 in (80 cm) deep seat the workshop advised wedges over flat rectangles: 35.4 in (90 cm) long, 15.7 in (40 cm) high, 8.7 in (22 cm) at the base and 5.9 in (15 cm) at the top.
Does a small cushion for a pet's spot by the fireplace need custom sizing?
Often not. Small odd spaces frequently match an existing mini size, so check the size list before asking for a quote. A cat's nook under one new fireplace took an 8 x 20 in (20 x 51 cm) floor cushion that was already listed.
