Corduroy bench cushions and window seats: the ribs, the palette and the care
Corduroy is velvet that learned to work. It wears ribs instead of a flat pile, it warms a window seat like nothing else, and it asks only two things of you: a gentle wash, and a little patience the day it comes out of the box.
SaveThe cushion fills an oak-lined alcove edge to edge, turning a deep window into a proper perch over the fields.
Swatch stripmeasured from the photographs on this page
chestnut#7f6a59
sand#c4b297
charcoal#34323f
camel#ac957b
chalk#f2f3f3
charcoal#291f20
camel#92806e
dark denim blue#2e475b
The quick answer
Corduroy is a ribbed pile fabric that suits indoor window seats, benches and floor sofas; the plush cord on the workshop's floor sofas is 100% polyester. Covers unzip and machine wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle or delicate cycle, then air dry. Colors are a short, fixed list with no black, and for rentals or very hard use, linen or velvet wears better.
Swatch book · 4 cards
The swatch book
Swatch cards photographed in daylight. Open any card to zoom into the weave. Swipe or scroll sideways for all of them. Screens shift color, so a sample in your own light is the final word.
SaveNine chunky-rib corduroys stacked so you can compare how deep each wale looks in light and dark colors. Mustard and rust carry the most retro warmth.SaveA tidy corduroy card of eleven colors, including a dusty pink and a sage that rarely appear in chunky ribs. Each strip is tagged so the exact shade can be quoted when ordering.SaveEleven thick-rib corduroys hung against a white wall so the ribs catch side light. Lilac and sage are the softer surprises in the range.SaveThe wide wale bends smoothly around the curve without puckering.
Counted from the readings the masters have published in this family. Open a cushion type for its sizes and measuring.
Ribs you can count with your thumb
Lay your palm flat on corduroy and you feel rows, not a field. Each rib is a raised line of short pile, the wale, with a low channel between. Stroke along a rib and it is soft as velvet. Stroke across and you can count them.
The cards on this page are mostly jumbo-wale, the fat ribs of wide-wale corduroy you can see from across a room. The plush cord on the workshop's floor sofas is 100% polyester, and the trade calls it velvet corduroy. Fair enough. Velvet remembers the hand that brushed it, and corduroy remembers the same way, only in stripes.
Window seats, reading corners and floor sofas
Corduroy is a sit-a-while fabric. The photographs here show it plainly: navy in a deep oak window alcove, teal beside a dark wood library, mustard on a painted window ledge, chocolate on a cube storage bench over wicker baskets. It belongs on a window seat, in a reading nook and on a storage bench, anywhere a body settles in with a book.
Keep it indoors. Where rain or damp can reach, you want outdoor acrylic; a fully covered porch can take regular fabric. A buyer with a sunny trapezoid bay about 160 in (406 cm) long asked for a sun-resistant cloth instead of corduroy, and the workshop had one, cut in two pieces for the length.
Where corduroy gives out, and how to keep it
I will tell you straight, my friend: corduroy is not the toughest cloth on the wall. Under hard daily use the ribs can split. When that happened, the workshop remade those covers in a harder-wearing linen, and for rentals and heavy family use I steer folks to velvet or performance linen first.
The other thing corduroy does is crease in the box. Cushions travel compressed, and the pile gets pressed into diagonal lines, often harder on one side. Unpack the day it arrives and give the foam 2 days to rise. Then smooth the cover along the ribs and steam on low heat. Most marks ease in 36 to 48 hours; some take a week.
One family kept a blanket over a new floor sofa, and the creases were still there four weeks on. Steam early. If marks remain after a week, photograph them and send the pictures to the workshop. In past cases where they outlasted that by about 10 days, the workshop sent new covers.
Washing a corduroy cover
Unzip the cover, take it off the foam and turn it inside out.
Machine wash at 86°F (30°C) at most on the gentle or delicate program. The 30 is Celsius, not Fahrenheit.
Use a mild detergent and no bleach.
Air dry it. Keep it out of the tumble dryer.
Smooth the ribs along the pile with your palm, and iron or steam on low only if needed.
On a floor sofa, take off the white non-slip bottom first; it never goes in the machine.
Spare cover sets are sold, so the sofa can stay dressed on wash day.
A short color list, chosen with care
Corduroy colors are a fixed, short list, and they differ from chart to chart. On the floor sofas it runs about ten: off white, beige, mustard, brick, water green, dark blue, indigo, silver gray, anthracite and dark brown. There is no black; the darkest you will get is anthracite or brown. For deeper shades and purples, velvet and the performance weave run far wider.
Ribs catch the light in lines, and a phone screen flattens them. Send the workshop a photo of the room and it names the closest codes. Then order swatches of your shortlist and hold them to your own window. Ordering swatches first saves a great deal of regret.
For a porch or patio, look to outdoor acrylic or the water-repellent fabrics.
In real rooms
Open any photograph large; each one has its own link and a Save button.
SaveTeal corduroy is the natural partner for a wall of old leather spines: rich, but never competing with them.SaveRust piping picks up the walnut slats and ochre rug, while teal corduroy cools the sunny window.SaveAgainst a deep clay wall, a pale ribbed cushion reads as a bright block of light under the window.SaveA mustard corduroy cushion turns a shallow painted ledge into a reading seat facing the living room. The navy pillow and armchair answer it from across the corner.SaveA thick teal corduroy cushion runs the full width of a deep window recess, turning the ledge into a garden-view reading seat. Matching velvet pillows keep the palette to one calm color.SaveSand corduroy lets the swagged sage canopy lead, while terracotta and striped pillows warm the back of the nook.SaveShelves, paneling and window reveal are painted one terracotta shade, which leaves the blue cushion as the single cool note. The kilim rug ties the two colors together at floor level.SaveThe seat runs from the hearth to the window corner, so it gets both the fire's warmth and the forest view. A knit throw hangs ready over the end.SaveDeep brown cord, a leather lumbar pillow and a chunky knit throw turn a plain cube bench into a warm seat by the sofa.
A real project
A 154.5-inch window seat, cut in two
A buyer in the US had a built-in window seat 154.5 in (392 cm) long and 22 in (56 cm) deep and wanted corduroy on it. That is a long run for one cushion, so the workshop asked for each piece's size, and the seat became two identical cushions of 77.25 x 22 in (196 x 56 cm). They were ordered at the nearest menu size with the exact numbers in the personalization box. More on that choice in one piece or two.
The cushions fit. The trouble came at the front door: they arrived tightly shrink-wrapped with no protective layer, and the knife that opened them cut the covers. The workshop offered new covers at cost. The buyer kept the cushions and came back later to order for other benches.
Measured
154.5 x 22 in total; two pieces of 77.25 x 22 in
What it taught
Split a very long seat into equal pieces, and cut only the outer plastic when you open a vacuum pack.
New corduroy cushions arrive creased from the box. Give the foam 2 days to rise, smooth the cover along the ribs, steam on low, and never throw a blanket over them.
How should I wash a corduroy cover, and is that 30 degrees Fahrenheit?
The workshop's answer
Unzip it, take it off the foam and turn it inside out. Machine wash at 86°F (30°C) at most on the gentle or delicate program, with a mild detergent and no bleach. The 30 is Celsius. Air dry instead of tumble drying, and iron on low if needed.
A common question
What colors does the corduroy floor sofa come in, and can you do a custom shade?
The workshop's answer
About ten fixed colors, normally all in stock: off white, beige, mustard, brick, water green, dark blue, indigo, silver gray, anthracite and dark brown. Custom corduroy colors such as emerald or hot pink aren't made. If you need one, ask about velvet or linen, or buy the filling only.
A common question
Can I get corduroy in black, maroon or lilac?
The workshop's answer
No. Black, maroon, fuchsia, lilac and lavender aren't in the corduroy palette, and there are no plans to add them. Those shades exist in velvet and in the performance weave. The workshop advises against dyeing corduroy.
A common question
Does my floor sofa have to be corduroy?
The workshop's answer
No. Corduroy is the standard, but floor sofas, pouf sofas and daybed covers can be made in velvet, the smooth performance weave, linen or a washable white canvas. Pick from the charts and write the fabric and color in the personalization box. Some models have fixed sizes, but the fabric can always change.
A common question
If I send a picture of my room, can you tell me which corduroy is closest?
The workshop's answer
Yes. Send the photo in messages and the workshop compares it with the charts, names the closest codes, checks stock and sends side-by-side photos. Screens vary, so for a large piece, order swatches of the shortlist first.
Have it made
Have it made in corduroy — 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.
Corduroy questions, asked next
Is corduroy a good fabric for a rental or a bench the kids live on?
It is lovely but not the toughest. Under hard daily use corduroy ribs can split, so for rentals and heavy family wear the workshop recommends performance linen or velvet. For kids and pets, a tight, washable weave in a mid-tone with zip-off covers is the safer bet.
Why does my new corduroy cushion have diagonal lines across it?
Those are creases from compressed shipping. Unpack right away, give the foam two days to expand, then smooth the cover along the ribs and steam on low heat. Most marks ease within 36 to 48 hours to a week; photograph any that remain after that.
Can corduroy cushions go on a porch?
Only a fully covered one. Corduroy is an indoor fabric, and wherever rain or damp can reach you want an outdoor-rated fabric instead. Tell the maker indoor or outdoor first, so the color search starts in the right chart.
Can I mix corduroy colors on one floor sofa?
Yes. Choose the mix-color option and write in the order note which piece gets which color, ottoman and loveseat included. You aren't limited to the colors in the photos, and some buyers keep a spare cover set in a second color to swap between.
Sit well. — Harlan
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Readings
Cushions made in corduroy
Real pieces in real rooms, read by the masters for color, light and wear.
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