Jacquard, damask and chenille: pattern woven in, color read in daylight
A jacquard carries its pattern in the weave, not on top of it, and a damask draws its flowers in sheen. Chenille brings the plush hand. Together they make the quiet, textured window seats on this page, if you choose them in real light.
SaveWithout piping, the ivory weave rounds softly over the edge, giving the built-in a relaxed, upholstered look.
Swatch stripmeasured from the photographs on this page
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The quick answer
Jacquard, damask and chenille are indoor cushion fabrics whose pattern or texture is woven into the cloth, and they suit window seats, dining chairs and banquettes. The workshop's cards include dotted chenille in 23 shades from cream to black (P-50 to P-72) and damask and trellis jacquards (H-501 to H-532). None of them belongs outdoors, especially in humid air.
Swatch book · 7 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.
SaveNumbered swatches pair each dotted weave with plain velvets that can be used for contrast piping.SaveThe full jacquard family in one view, from bold damasks at the top to stripes and quiet weaves below.SaveUp close, ivory loops sit over a gray ground, and the piping is covered in the same yarn. This is the texture you feel when you sit down.SaveThirteen heavy textured upholstery fabrics, mostly neutrals, ending in warm ochre, camel and rust.SaveA gray-heavy upholstery range where plain chenilles sit beside faded floral jacquards in blue, taupe and rust. Useful when a bench should echo patterned curtains without matching them.SaveNubby chenille plains in earthy tones, broken up by cream kilim-style weaves with rust and blue arrows. A ready palette for a boho reading corner.SaveEleven tapestry jacquards with paisley and trailing florals, in a light cream family and a dark brown family shot through with blue and gold.
Counted from the readings the masters have published in this family. Open a cushion type for its sizes and measuring.
The pattern is in the thread, not on it
Run a thumbnail over a printed cushion and you are touching ink. Run it over a jacquard and you are touching the pattern itself, because the loom lifts each thread to draw it. The gray-and-cream arches on the oak window seat and the black-and-cream arches on the walnut bench are built that way, thread over thread.
Damask is the jacquard that speaks in sheen. Its flowers appear where satin threads meet matte ones, so the powder blue damask under those sheer curtains changes its mind as the afternoon moves.
Chenille is the soft voice in the family. The ivory hero cushion is a two-tone dotted chenille, oatmeal flecks on ivory, left without piping so the texture runs clean to the edge.
Window seats first, then the dining room
Most of these cloths live on window seats: ivory chenille over shaker drawers, mustard chenille piped in petrol blue velvet on a cream storage bench, chocolate chenille beside an arched window in a wall of books. Texture keeps a long seat from looking flat, and a woven pattern holds its own against curtains.
A buyer in the US asked for a 25 x 17 in (64 x 43 cm) window seat cushion in beige velvet or chenille. The workshop set up that exact size, she chose beige velvet 33 from the chart, and she wrote back that the fit and the color were perfect. Small seats reward that kind of care: size and numbered color confirmed before a single cut.
The dining side shows here too: a cream and charcoal-brown check on a paneled banquette, a taupe pinstripe in a breakfast nook, and patterned chenille on dining chairs.
Chenille is an indoor fabric, full stop
The workshop keeps linen, velvet and chenille on its indoor listings and does not recommend them for open air. Chenille is the one to worry about most where summers are humid; outdoor-performance fabrics resist moisture, mildew and mold far better, and that family is outdoor acrylic.
A buyer messaged the workshop about outdoor chair and back cushions with rounded corners and wondered about chenille for them. In their humid climate the workshop steered them to mildew-resistant outdoor fabric, and offered close-up photos to help them match the color.
For kids, rentals and heavy daily use indoors, the usual recommendation is the workshop's performance weave, called soft fabric: thick, wipeable, machine washable, and not a chenille at all.
Caring for a woven pattern
Removable covers unzip along the underside, where the zipper stays out of sight.
Turn the cover inside out before it goes in the machine.
Wash at 86°F (30°C) at most on a gentle or delicate cycle, with a mild detergent and no bleach.
Air dry it, and keep it away from the tumble dryer.
Iron on low only if it needs it.
The tufted floor cushion is the exception: its chenille-like cover is sewn through and does not come off.
Reading woven color in daylight
Woven color is never a single color. Dotted chenille mixes its tones in the eye, and damask trades shine for shadow as the light turns. Daylight never lies; your screen sometimes does.
So ask for evidence, my friends. The workshop sends close-up phone photos on request, and some buyers ask for them beside a sheet of white paper, so the camera has a true white to measure against. For one khaki chenille, linens L-02 and L-03 were suggested as companions: L-02 leans cream, L-03 a light warm greige. When matching upholstery you already own, order samples, up to 5 codes per order, and look at them by the window at noon and again under your evening lamps.
The cards run wide: dotted chenille from cream to black, a textured strip from ivory through ochre to rust, floral jacquards in gray, ecru and brick red, paisley tapestries in cream and dark brown. Which of those colors already lives in your room?
Jacquard and chenille beside velvet and soft fabric
Extra pattern charts are sent on request, with no price difference across the workshop's own fabrics.
In real rooms
Open any photograph large; each one has its own link and a Save button.
SaveA classic blue damask on a white paneled window seat, with sheer curtains softening the light so the pattern reads gently.SaveA long box cushion in a soft gray arch jacquard turns a plain oak ledge into a reading seat, with terracotta pots bracketing each end.SavePetrol blue piping pulls the color of the rug up to the seat, framing the mustard in a single dark line.SaveTaupe seat and back cushions turn a simple corner bench into a dining banquette. The backrests hang from wall hooks instead of a fixed frame.SaveA deep brown chenille cushion finishes a walnut window seat set between tall bookshelves and an arched window. Ivory and ochre pillows keep it from feeling heavy.SaveA matching backrest cushion leans on the window reveal, turning a plain walnut bench into a sunny two-seater.SaveNarrow stripes on the seat, wide stripes on the pillows: one colorway at two scales, warmed by late sun.SaveA cream box cushion turns a plain oak bench into a sunlit perch. The sage lumbar and linen throw add color without breaking the calm.SaveOne long cushion runs the full length of a paneled built-in banquette. The small check reads as soft taupe from the table and shows its pattern up close.
A real project
Four golden oak chairs, one patterned chenille
A buyer in the US inherited their parents' golden oak dining chairs just as a new gray terrazzo floor went down. Honey wood over cool stone can feel like two rooms arguing. They asked for four piped cushions, 2 in (5 cm) thick, in the patterned chenille Z-500, with Z502 in the running, and the craftsmen confirmed the pattern before cutting. A woven pattern gives the eye a path between warm and cool, where a flat solid would have picked a side.
They planned an entry bench of about 38 x 14.5 in (97 x 37 cm) to match, then remembered the two boxers and moved the bench to rugged outdoor fabric. Wise.
The chair cushions arrived without ties. Nobody had asked for any, but the workshop offered to pay half of a local tailor's fee to add them.
Measured
Four chair cushions, 2 in (5 cm) thick; entry bench about 38 x 14.5 in (97 x 37 cm)
What it taught
Ties are an add-on. If the chairs need them, ask in writing at order time.
Hold a chenille or damask swatch beside white paper at a noon window. Screens shift soft neutrals, and one order can carry up to 5 sample codes.
Could I use chenille or velvet for cushions that live outside?
The workshop's answer
No. The linen, velvet and chenille on the indoor listings aren't made for open air, and chenille isn't recommended for permanent outdoor exposure in humid climates. Order from the outdoor listing instead: 100+ outdoor-rated, water-repellent, UV-resistant colors, with any piping combination. Indoor orders placed by mistake for outdoor use have been canceled and refunded so they could be reordered correctly.
A common question
I need a beige linen, not a gray one, to sit next to a khaki chenille. Which codes should I look at?
The workshop's answer
L-02 leans cream or light beige and L-03 is a light warm greige; both were suggested beside a khaki chenille. L-04 is a touch warmer, L27 a grayish beige and L-11 slightly cooler. Screens shift subtle neutrals, so ask for close-up photos and order samples, up to 5 codes per order.
A common question
Is the tufted 'linen' floor cushion made of true linen?
The workshop's answer
No. The tufted floor cushion uses a softer, chenille-like fabric rather than true linen, and its cover isn't removable. Other floor-cushion linens vary by color: some have been confirmed as 100% natural linen, the cream and beige were 50% linen, and one chart was 100% cotton. Ask for the fiber content of your exact code.
A common question
Is the 'soft fabric' you keep recommending a kind of chenille?
The workshop's answer
No. Soft fabric, codes 901 to 946, is a thick performance weave, most often described as a polyester-cotton blend, and it is neither chenille nor 100% cotton. It wipes clean, machine washes at 86°F (30°C) and is the workshop's best-selling everyday fabric. For a natural fiber, choose cotton-linen instead.
A common question
What fabric families can a made-to-measure cushion come in?
The workshop's answer
Three main indoor families, linen or linen-look, velvet and soft fabric, each on its own numbered chart of about 40 colors. Chenille, teddy, corduroy, 100% cotton, 100% linen, faux leather and a separate outdoor range are also available, and more than 10,000 fabrics, prints included, can be sourced on request.
Have it made
Have it made in jacquard or damask — ask Élodie’s workshop
A fabric reads one way at noon and another at dusk. Mention your light, and the workshop will weigh it with you. — Élodie
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.
Pattern and pile, asked plainly
Is damask just a fancier word for jacquard?
Damask is one kind of jacquard. Both have the pattern woven in on a jacquard loom, but damask draws it through the contrast of satin and matte areas, often in a single color, and the design shows in reverse on the back of the cloth.
Does a large jacquard pattern need extra fabric?
Usually, yes. A woven motif runs a set distance before it repeats, and centering it on each cushion or matching it across a set of chairs takes extra length. Add at least one repeat when you work out yardage, and ask how far apart the motifs sit.
Why does my chenille cushion look darker in the evening?
Chenille's plush yarn and a damask's sheen both change with the angle and warmth of the light. Warm bulbs at night pull colors in a different direction than noon daylight does, so judge swatches in every light your room gets, not only on a screen.
Is chenille a sensible choice for dining chairs used every day?
Indoors, it can be. One buyer chose a patterned chenille, 2 in (5 cm) thick and piped, for four oak dining chairs. Ask for ties in writing if the chairs need them. For very heavy family wear, kids or rentals, the wipeable performance weave is the usual recommendation.
With color and care — Élodie
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Readings
Cushions made in jacquard & damask
Real pieces in real rooms, read by the masters for color, light and wear.
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