The Cushion Atlas · Chairs, swings & rockers

Papasan and hanging chair cushions, measured across the bowl

Pull up a chair. The papasan is the seat on the porch that everybody curls into and nobody wants to measure, so we'll measure it together: the bowl first, then the hanging basket.

Atlas entry by Rosa

The Porch Keeper of Savannah · January 19, 2026 · Updated September 24, 2026

1reading
12photographs

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A shaped seat-and-back cushion fills a rattan hoop chair hung from the beams of a limewashed loggia.

The quick answer

A papasan cushion is a round, thick cushion made a little wider than the chair's bowl, commonly 44 to 48 in (112 to 122 cm) across for a standard frame. Measure across the rim at its widest point and choose 4 to 6 in of tufted fiber or zippered foam. For hanging and egg chairs, trace a paper template and ask for ties.

Shapes to choose from

Every one is cut to your measurements. The number is how many readings the atelier has published for that shape.

Sizes & measuring

Papasan cushion sizes, and how to measure the bowl

Measure the frame, not the flattened cushion that came with it. An old cushion has sat down so often it has forgotten its own size.

Standard papasan frame	A round about 44 to 48 in (112 to 122 cm) across
Where to measure	Across the rim at its widest point, then the other way to check it's round; the cushion runs a little past the frame to sit deep
How rounds are ordered	Diameter and thickness, with a photo of the chair
Largest round	About 49 in (125 cm); a 59 in (150 cm) round can't be made
Thickness	4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm) for a bowl; 4 in is the workshop standard for seats
Hanging and egg chairs	A paper template of the basket's inside, photographed flat beside a tape measure
Mamasan (double)	Widest and narrowest points across the rim, plus a photo
Staying put	Ties on request only, with position and length in the order note

The bowl chair, the hanging basket, and who sits in them

Every family has one chair that gets fought over. On a lot of porches it's the papasan: a round rattan bowl on a ring base, with a cushion so deep you forget what time it is. Its cousin is the hanging chair, the egg or hoop basket on a ceiling hook or a stand that sways every time somebody laughs.

In the bowl chair the cushion is a big round, made slightly wider than the frame so it sinks in and hugs the curve. In a hanging basket it's a shaped pad that follows the weave. The double-width bowl built for two is a mamasan.

These are chairs for readers, nappers and teenagers who fold up like lawn chairs. If yours sits in a book corner, see reading nook cushions; if it hangs outside, patio and porch cushions.

Round, tufted, or shaped to the basket

A bowl cushion is a circle, and a circle is ordered with two numbers: diameter and thickness. The classic papasan look is tufted, with buttons pulled through the filling so it stays even and doesn't drift to one side of the bowl. The other way is a round foam cushion in a zippered cover, calmer to look at and far easier to wash.

Hanging baskets are different. Egg and hoop chairs are rarely a true circle, so the pad is flat where you sit and curves up behind you. The workshop won't guess a curve from numbers alone; a paper template shows where each curve starts and ends. Read how to make a paper template and measuring a curved cushion.

Fabrics for a chair that lives half outdoors

Decide where the chair lives first. That decides which chart you start in.

Open to rain and damp: outdoor acrylic, like the cream, black and gray stripe on the hoop chair in our hero photo.
A sunroom or screened corner: linen-look weaves, easy to clean and made in a long run of colors.
The den: velvet or corduroy, warm under bare arms, though corduroy ribs can split under hard daily use.
A stripe: striped cotton and ticking. Stripes are matched on one face only, so decide which face shows.

A fully covered porch can take regular fabric. Anywhere the rain reaches, go outdoor-rated.

Open a swatch family

The count is how many published readings use each family. Open a family for its swatch book, care notes and neighbors.

Fiber fill, foam, and how deep to sink

Tufted papasan-style cushions have no foam core. They're packed tight with siliconized polyester fiber balls and deliberately overfilled, so they stay plump instead of pressing flat. The tufting is done by hand and the cushion is sewn closed: no zipper, no removable cover. You spot-clean it, or wash the whole cushion if your machine is big enough.

A zippered foam round is the practical choice for a busy house. High-density foam holds a flatter top, the cover comes off for the wash, and the zipper hides underneath. Workshop firmness sits around 6 to 7 on a 1-to-10 scale; the foam firmness finder will tell you whether that suits your household.

A real project

A rattan chair with a curve in the wrong place

A buyer in the US wrote to the workshop about a classic rattan armchair, the kind with a seat slightly wider at the front and curved back edges. Measured, the seat came to 24 in deep and 21.25 in wide, and the cushion would be under 3 in thick. The workshop called the seat pad straightforward.

The back cushion was another story. A cushion pressed against a curved rattan frame is exactly where a fit goes wrong, so before promising anything the team asked for the measurements of the curve and one straight-on photo of it. That's the secret of wicker and rattan, neighbor: the seat is easy, and the curve is where you slow down.

Measured: Seat 24 x 21.25 in, under 3 in thick
What it taught: Seat pads on curved chairs are easy; back cushions pressed against a curve carry the real fit risk.

Where papasan orders go sideways

Measuring the old, flattened cushion instead of the rim of the bowl.
Describing a hanging basket with two numbers. Curves need a drawing or a paper template.
Typing a request for ties into the size box, where it gets overlooked. Write their position, length and color in the order note.
Ordering a tufted cushion and expecting to unzip it. Choose zippered foam if the cover must come off.
Putting indoor fabric on a chair that catches the rain.
Falling for a round bigger than about 49 in (125 cm) before checking it can be made.

Photographs from the workbench

Open any photograph large; each one has its own link and a Save button.

Round box cushions in coral, teal, mustard and sage stripes on four teak slat-back chairs around a round teak garden table — Round box cushions in a bright stripe echo the round teak table and soften four slatted chairs.

Round dove gray tie-on seat pad on a black bentwood chair beside a Parisian bistro table with coffee, peonies and a book — A round seat pad with ties softens a cane bentwood chair in a Parisian salon with herringbone parquet.

Sage green self-piped seat and back cushions on a teak lounge chair on a stone terrace with ferns and an espresso — Plump sage seat and back cushions fit a low teak lounge chair on a plant-filled stone terrace.

Shaped pastel striped seat cushion with white line pattern on a rattan peacock chair on a wrought-iron city balcony — A shaped pastel cushion with white linework fills the round seat of a rattan peacock chair.

Two iron bistro chairs with round green seat pads, one striped and one leaf print, in a cobbled courtyard with geraniums — A striped pad and a leaf-print pad in the same green make these two bistro chairs a happy, unmatched pair.

Forest green round box seat cushions on four taupe rope-woven outdoor dining chairs around a round teak table with agaves — Deep green round cushions pick up the agave leaves and sit neatly inside four rope-woven chair frames.

Round coral outdoor seat cushions on wooden bar stools at a concrete rooftop bar with cocktails and string lights at dusk — Round coral pads cut to the stool tops add color and comfort to a concrete rooftop bar under festoon lights.

Round box cushions in red, green and navy stripes on a row of bar stools at a rooftop terrace counter above the city — Five round striped pads with gingham bows give a rooftop bar counter a cheerful, café-style rhythm.

Dusty rose outdoor seat and back cushion with ties on a white rocking chair on a porch with fern and iced tea — A tie-on seat and back set in dusty rose turns a white porch rocker into a reading chair.

Round cocoa and cream herringbone striped seat cushion on a black iron bistro chair in a shaded stone courtyard — A round herringbone-stripe cushion cut to fit the seat ring of a black iron bistro chair in dappled shade.

Wine red chenille round cushion with a pull loop on a carved wooden ottoman with turned legs, Persian rug, potted olive tree — A deep wine-red round cushion turns a carved wooden base into a comfortable ottoman. A sewn-in loop makes it easy to lift.

A papasan cushion is measured across the bowl's rim, never from the old flattened cushion. A standard frame takes a round about 44 to 48 in across.
Rosa

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Styling the bowl, and what to read before you order

A papasan is round, so give it one soft square thing and stop: a single pillow or a folded knit throw, like the one in our photo, and a little table for the mug. A second pillow always ends up sat on. A solid mid-tone hides the dog; a stripe curves with the bowl. So which chair in your house does nobody ever give up?

Before ordering, read papasan cushion sizes and where to put ties on chairs and swings. Weighing buttons against a zipper? Tufted or plain settles it. For a seat pad on a rattan armchair, sketch it in the chair cushion builder; rockers and gliders have their own entry, rocking chair cushions.

Buyer questions

A common question
Do you make round cushions, and what do you need from me?
The workshop's answer
Yes. A round cushion is specified by its diameter and thickness, so send both with a drawing or a reference photo of the chair, and the shop tells you how to order. Past rounds include 16 in bar-stool cushions at 4 in thick and a 41 in round made to fit inside a play tent. Several custom sizes can share one order.
A common question
How big can you make a round cushion? My chair needs a really large one.
The workshop's answer
Up to about 49 in (125 cm) across, which is the largest round the workshop makes; 59 in (150 cm) isn't possible. Order the nearest listed size and write your exact diameter in the note. One buyer ordered a 33 in round through the 32 x 32 in option.
A common question
My chair is curved. How do I measure it so the cushion actually fits?
The workshop's answer
Draw it or trace it. For a drawing, give the total width and depth, the straight length of each edge before the curve starts, and where each curve starts and ends. For tricky curves, lay wrapping paper or newspaper on the seat, trace it with a marker, cut it out and photograph it flat beside a tape measure. Every cushion needs its own drawing.
A common question
Will the cushion come with ties, or do I have to ask for them?
The workshop's answer
You have to ask. Ties and non-slip bottoms are only added when you request them at order time. Write it in the personalization note, for example 'two ties at the back', or the cushion ships without them.
A common question
Does a tufted round cushion have a zipper so I can wash the cover?
The workshop's answer
No. Tufted cushions are hand-stitched closed after filling, so there's no zipper. If you want a cover that comes off for washing, the workshop makes a plain foam-filled version with a zippered, removable cover, without the tufting.
A common question
The cushion arrived the wrong size. Will you remake it?
The workshop's answer
Send a photo with a tape measure along the full dimension, taken the day it arrives. When the workshop made the error in past cases, it remade the piece without asking for the wrong one back, remade only the parts that didn't fit, and offered a partial refund to buyers who'd rather keep it.

Have it made

Have your papasan cushion made — ask Rosa’s workshop

Swings sway, rockers rock, dogs circle three times. Tell the workshop what your seat goes through, and they will plan for it. — Rosa

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.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric: The cover cloth: weave, color and care code.
Foam: The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping: The corded seam edge: matching, contrast or none.

Name

Phone Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.

Best time to call optional

What to make optional

Measurements optionalIn inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

Notes optional

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

Porch questions, answered

What size cushion fits a standard papasan frame?

Most standard frames take a round cushion about 44 to 48 in (112 to 122 cm) across. The cushion is made a little wider than the frame so it settles deep into the bowl. Measure your own rim, because frames vary from one maker to the next.

Is a mamasan cushion ordered the same way?

A mamasan is the double-width bowl built for two. Measure across the rim at its widest and narrowest points and send those numbers with a photo. The maker confirms the shape and size before cutting; the largest round made is about 49 in (125 cm) across.

Can a papasan cushion stay outside?

Only in outdoor-rated fabric where rain can reach it; a fully covered porch can take regular fabric. Tufts let rain into the filling, so a zippered foam round in outdoor fabric is the better build for an open porch or patio.

How do I stop a cushion sliding out of a hanging chair?

Ties sewn into the seams, placed where they can knot around the basket's weave or frame. Write their position and length in the order note. Ties need something to tie to, so look at the basket before you decide where they go.

Tufted or zippered foam: which is better for a family papasan?

Zippered foam, if the cushion will meet juice, dogs and muddy knees, because the cover comes off for washing. Tufted fiber is the plumper, classic look, but it is sewn closed and can only be spot-cleaned or washed whole.

Why does the maker want a photo of my chair?

A photo shows what numbers can't: how the rim curves, where the frame pinches and which way the basket leans. The workshop won't guess a curve from measurements alone, so a photo or paper template saves a remake.

Porch light's on — Rosa

Readings

Photographs read by the masters: papasan & hanging chair cushions

Real cushions made for real rooms, each read for proportion, fabric and fit.

A Reading by Rosa
Papasan Cushion for a Hanging Hoop Chair: Ties and Zippers
Rosa · August 4, 2026

The readings index for this entry

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