Concept Sketches · 9 scenes
Kallax bench ideas, seven ways: from kids' rooms to kitchen banquettes
The catalog describes the shelf. The top describes the cushion. Seven Kallax benches from past orders, each one measured where someone actually sits.
SaveThe quick answer
A Kallax bench cushion for the long 1x4 unit laid on its side is about 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in (39 x 146.5 cm), and the square 2x2 top is about 15 3/8 x 30 1/8 in (39 x 76.5 cm). The 16 3/8 x 57 5/8 in in the product title is the unit, not the seat. IKEA sizes vary, so measure your own top.
The catalog says 16 3/8 inches. The seat says 15 3/8.
Kallax is the furniture fit people ask about most. Many buy a Kallax bench cushion without asking anything. Most of those cushions fit. The ones that don't all trace back to one number.
The product title reads 16 3/8 x 57 5/8 in. That is the unit standing up, width by height. Lay the long 1x4 on its side and the top you sit on is about 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in (39 x 146.5 cm). The 16 3/8 in becomes the height of the bench.
The Kallax orders keep teaching four things. Measure the top, not the catalog. Measure joined units as one run. Keep the fraction. Trust your own centimeters over a rounded label.
The builds below are real, with their sizes kept. The Kallax cushion hub holds the options, and the Kallax sizing Pattern has the long version. What does your top measure, to the eighth of an inch?
Seven Kallax benches, and two notes that sit beside them
01A past project
The title figures were the shelf, not the top
A buyer wrote to the workshop and ordered with the figures from the Kallax product title. The workshop flagged that those are the unit's width and height, and that on its side the top usually measures about 57 5/8 x 15 3/8 in. The buyer measured and found 57 7/8 x 15 3/8 in (147 x 39 cm). The cushion was cut to that.
The takeaway: Measure the surface you will sit on. The catalog describes the box.
02A past project
No size on the menu matched, so the next one up
A buyer wanted to turn a 4-cube Kallax into a bench and found no listed size that matched. The workshop gave the top as about 15 x 57 in (39 x 146.5 cm), pointed to the 16 x 59 in option, and made the cushion to the exact Kallax size.
The takeaway: The dropdown sets the price bracket. The note in personalization sets the cushion.
03A past project
A kitchen banquette, cut to the eighth
A buyer in the US was turning Kallax shelving into kitchen banquette seating. They sent 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in, and the workshop confirmed it would cut to those fractions rather than round up. Fabric and color came from the linen range.
The takeaway: Measure to the nearest 1/8 in. There is no reason to round.
04A past project
Five cubes under a window, measured as one
A buyer joined a 4-cube Kallax and a single cube into a five-cube storage bench under a window. She measured the combined top as one piece: 15 3/8 x 74 3/8 in (39 x 189 cm). The color she wanted was a smoke gray.
The takeaway: Measure the whole run end to end, not unit by unit.
05A past project
A kids' room bench in parliament blue
A buyer in the US built bench seating in a kids' room from three Kallax units, two long and one square. The workshop confirmed the top first and settled on cushions 15 3/8 in (39 cm) deep: two at 57 5/8 in (146.5 cm) long and one at 30 1/8 in (76.5 cm). All three came through the Kallax option, in a blue called parliament.
The takeaway: Confirm the depth once, then let every cushion on the bench share it.
06A past project
The label said 15 x 57. The cushion did not.
A buyer messaged the workshop with a Kallax top of 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in (39 x 146.5 cm) and saw a listing option labeled '15x57 in - Ikea Kallax'. They worried it would be too small. The workshop explained the label was shortened only for character limits, and the cushion would be made at the full 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in.
The takeaway: Send your centimeters to the half and ask the maker to confirm them in writing.
07A past project
Olive-sage, not a green green
A parent wrote to the workshop about a Kallax bench in a young girl's room with peachy-pink walls. She wanted an olive or sage stripe that wasn't a strong green. The workshop sent a photo of a finished cushion in that stripe so she could judge the real tone, and offered the velvet chart as a second path. It was a birthday surprise, so she chose priority handling and the cushion reached the carrier within three days.
The takeaway: Judge a stripe's undertone from a finished cushion, not a chart swatch.
08A past project
Stripes on a top longer than the roll
A designer in the US ordered a 32 x 57.5 x 4 in (81 x 146 x 10 cm) bench cushion in a black-and-white cotton stripe and asked for the stripes to run side to side. They arrived running front to back: the fabric roll could not run them the other way without a seam, and the designer agreed a seamless top was better. A long Kallax top, 57 5/8 in, sits past the same line.
The takeaway: State the stripe direction for each cushion and ask whether that direction needs a seam.
09A past project
The bins, the wall, and the cushion between them
One of the quieter Kallax questions: will the cushion go with the storage bins and the wall paint? The bins are fixed colors and the wall is already painted, so the cushion is the one thing still free to choose. The workshop answers with swatches, or a photo of a finished cushion, to hold against the real room.
The takeaway: Hold the swatch against a bin and the wall together, in daylight.
Every Kallax top from past orders, side by side
Sketch yours in the bench cushion builder before you write the note. The builds above went to the linen range and to stripes, so start with linen-look fabrics and striped cotton and ticking. Benches in bedrooms belong with the kids' room cushions.
| Kallax setup | Top to measure | What past orders showed |
|---|---|---|
| Long 1x4, on its side | About 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in (39 x 146.5 cm) | One unit measured 57 7/8 in long. Measure yours. |
| Square 2x2 | About 15 3/8 x 30 1/8 in (39 x 76.5 cm) | Paired with two long units in a kids' room |
| 4-cube plus 1-cube, joined | One run: 15 3/8 x 74 3/8 in (39 x 189 cm) | One cushion, measured end to end |
| Catalog title figures | 16 3/8 x 57 5/8 in is width x height | Not the seat. The 16 3/8 in becomes the bench height. |
| '15x57 in' listing label | Made at the full 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in (39 x 146.5 cm) | Shortened only for character limits |
| IKEA Besta as a bench | Your measured top, e.g. 70 7/8 x 16 1/8 in (180 x 41 cm) | Pick the nearest option, write the real size |
A Kallax bench cushion is cut to the top, about 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in on a long unit, never to the 16 3/8 in from the catalog title.
Hana
Three lines to keep by the tape measure
Children measure comfort with their whole body. Adults measure it with a tape, and the tape is kinder when the numbers carry labels: 15 3/8 in deep, 57 5/8 in across.
Measure the top.
Keep the fraction.
The label is only a name.
Kallax and IKEA questions
- A common question
I'm using a Kallax as a bench. What size cushion fits the top?
The workshop's answerThe 16 3/8 x 57 5/8 in in the Kallax product title is width by height, not the seat. On its side, the long 1x4 unit has a top of about 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in (39 x 146.5 cm), and the 16 3/8 in becomes the bench height. The square 2x2 top is about 15 3/8 x 30 1/8 in (39 x 76.5 cm). The Kallax option on the window seat listing is labeled '15x57 in' because of character limits, but the cushion is made to the full size. IKEA dimensions vary by country, so measure your unit and write the size in personalization if it differs.
- A common question
My Kallax units stand side by side. Can one long cushion cover them all?
The workshop's answerYes. Measure the whole run and one cushion is made to it. A 4-cube unit plus a single cube under a window came to 15 3/8 x 74 3/8 in (39 x 189 cm) as one piece. A single Kallax used as kitchen banquette seating is made to the exact 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in top, in your choice of fabric and color. Custom lengths are quoted from the size and fabric you send.
- A common question
On the size menu, which number is the length and which is the width?
The workshop's answerLength is the long side, measured left to right across the front. Width is the short side, measured from the front edge to the back edge, which is the seat depth. Thickness is how tall the cushion stands. On a Kallax bench, 'width' on the listing means the depth from front to back. If in doubt, label your numbers, for example 20 in deep x 60 in across, and the cushion will be made correctly.
- A common question
Do you make cushions for other IKEA pieces, like a Trofast or a Småstad toy chest?
The workshop's answerYes. IKEA pieces come up often, but sizes vary slightly between countries and models, so measure the top of your own unit or the existing cushion. Pick the closest size option and write the real width, depth and thickness with your fabric code in the personalization box. A Småstad toy chest ordered on the 19 3/4 x 35 3/8 in (50 x 90 cm) option, with 20 1/2 x 35 3/8 in (52 x 90 cm) in the note, was made at the noted size. Thin pads, such as 48 x 14 in (122 x 36 cm) at about 3 in (7.5 cm) thick, can be made too. For an L-shaped bench built from IKEA shelves, name the model you bought.
Have it made
Have an idea like this made — ask Hana’s workshop
Measure once, slowly. Write the numbers here. The workshop will go over them with you. — Hana
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
Does a Kallax cushion have a removable cover?
Yes. Every foam cushion comes with a zippered, fully removable cover at no extra cost. The zipper is hidden on the back edge, facing the wall, or on the underside, and you choose which. On bench covers it often wraps two corners in an L so the insert slides out. More in zipper placement.
How do I stop a cushion sliding on a Kallax top?
A Kallax top is flat and smooth, with nothing to tie around, so a non-slip base is the usual answer. Fabric ties can also be sewn into the seams at the corners or the back on request. Write either in the order note; see ties and non-slip bases.
Does the same method work for an IKEA Besta used as a bench?
Yes. For a 70 7/8 x 16 1/8 in (180 x 41 cm) Besta, choose the 15¾ x 70¾ in (40 x 180 cm) option and write your exact size. Matching pairs have been made with the same piping, and a custom 2 3/4 in (7 cm) thickness is available. Lock the final size before production begins.
How long does a made-to-measure Kallax cushion take?
Production depends on the piece: simple ones are quicker, while bespoke work and very large sets take longer. When one Kallax cushion was a birthday gift, the order moved to the front of the queue and reached the carrier within three days.
