A Reading by MaggieBench Cushions
An amber leopard custom bench cushion, and the makeover that started with a curtain
Maggie answers three letters, then reads a leopard print that looks as if it has always lived in the room, and names the one move that made it so.
SaveThe quick answer
To make a bold custom bench cushion look planned, give one other soft furnishing the same color as the print's background. Here an amber leopard cushion sits beside a mustard velvet curtain, with yellow wildflowers repeating the gold. Plain black and olive pillows give the eye a rest, and the bench stays centered on a plain white wall.
Buyer questions
- A common question
Can you make an L-shaped cushion with a small corner cutout as one single piece?
The workshop's answerYes. A one-piece L with a notch counts as a custom shape and is ordered through the trapezoid and custom-shape listing. Upload your drawing with the measurements at checkout, and the cushion is made exactly to it.
- A common question
Measuring for a backrest, do I subtract the seat cushion from the wall height?
The workshop's answerYes. The backrest sits on top of the seat, so take the seat's thickness off: with a 4 in (10 cm) seat, a 21 in (53 cm) back area needs a 17 in (43 cm) backrest. One buyer with a 22 1/2 in (57 cm) back area cut the backrest to 17 3/4 in (45 cm) after learning the seat is 4 to 5 in thick.
- A common question
The listing says sold out. Can I still order?
The workshop's answerYes. Sold out only means the marketplace stock counter ran low after a run of sales. The workshop refills it quickly, so you can order.
Now, the reading
A leopard bench cushion, before and after the curtain
Before, picture it without the curtain. A white bench with an oak top against a plain white wall, and on it an amber leopard box cushion. Handsome, and entirely alone. A bold print on a blank wall looks like it was left by a delivery driver who couldn't find the right house.
After, one move changed the story: a mustard velvet curtain beside the bench, the same gold as the print's background. Now the leopard belongs. The yellow wildflowers in a glass bottle say it a second time, quietly.
Then the rest. A plain black oblong pillow picks up the rosettes and gives the eye somewhere to land. An olive linen pillow links the print to the snake plant in its terracotta pot. Neither pillow has a pattern; they are the quietest choices possible, and that is the point.
Notice where the pattern lives: at the edges. Damask wallpaper on one side, the curtain on the other, wicker wall baskets full of books over the wallpaper for warm texture. The bench sits centered on the plain white stretch between them, so the cushion is the only pattern in the middle. Its box edge and self piping keep the outline tidy against the pale pine floor. A straight welt is a kind of honesty.
What color is the background of your print, dear? Find it somewhere else in the room before you order. More benches live among our bench cushions and living room cushions, and prints like this one sit with the printed and striped cottons.
Pinned by Maggie: the leopard corner
Five pins, from the amber leopard cushion to the mustard curtain that shares its background.
- Amber leopard cushion
The golden ground of the print is repeated by the curtain and the flowers.
- Black oblong pillow
A plain black pillow picks up the rosettes and gives the eye a place to rest.
- Olive linen pillow
Olive links the print to the snake plant beside the bench.
- Mustard velvet curtain
The curtain shares the print's background color, so the cushion feels part of the room.
- Wicker wall baskets
Woven baskets add warm texture on the patterned wallpaper side.
- Amber leopard cushionThe golden ground of the print is repeated by the curtain and the flowers.
- Black oblong pillowA plain black pillow picks up the rosettes and gives the eye a place to rest.
- Olive linen pillowOlive links the print to the snake plant beside the bench.
- Mustard velvet curtainThe curtain shares the print's background color, so the cushion feels part of the room.
- Wicker wall basketsWoven baskets add warm texture on the patterned wallpaper side.
The makeover, as a checklist
- Name the print's background color. Here, golden amber.
- Repeat it once in fabric nearby: the mustard velvet curtain.
- Repeat it once in something alive: the yellow wildflowers.
- Add two plain pillows pulled from the print or the plants: black and olive.
- Keep every other pattern at the edges of the room, not beside the cushion.
- Check the thickness against the table or the backrest before you order.
Four inches was one too many
A buyer wrote to the workshop about a dining bench. The standard cushion is 4 in (10 cm) thick, and they could see it would lift everyone too high at the table. They asked for 3 in (7.5 cm) instead, or 3 1/8 in (8 cm) if the foam was on the soft side.
The workshop quoted two cushions in beige linen, code L-02: about 71 1/4 x 15 1/2 x 3 in (181 x 39.5 x 7.5 cm) and 46 5/8 x 15 1/2 x 3 in (118.5 x 39.5 x 7.5 cm).
They did the sum most people skip. At a dining table, take the cushion's thickness off the gap between seat and tabletop before you choose it. The seat height calculator and the banquette thickness Pattern do the arithmetic for you.
- Sizes
- 71¼ x 15½ x 3 in (181 x 39.5 x 7.5 cm) and 46¾ x 15½ x 3 in (118.5 x 39.5 x 7.5 cm)
The lesson: At a dining table, take the cushion thickness off the seat-to-table gap before you choose it.
On the cutting table: the leopard bench
| Cushion | Box-edge bench cushion on a white bench with an oak top |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Amber and black leopard print on cotton canvas, code P-09 |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Pillows | Plain black oblong, olive linen |
| Partner color | Mustard velvet curtain, yellow wildflowers |
| Pattern at the edges | Damask wallpaper, wicker wall baskets |
| Thickness | Standard 4 in (10 cm); 3 in (7.5 cm) where a table sits close |
| Best for | Living room and dining benches that want one bold note |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Maggie’s workshop
Have the tape measure handy when they call. Old cushions shrink and sag; the seat underneath does not. — Maggie
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.
A leopard bench cushion looks planned when one other soft furnishing, like a curtain, shares the exact color of the print's background.
Maggie
Questions buyers ask next
How do I make a bold print bench cushion fit the room?
Find the print's background color and repeat it once nearby in a soft furnishing, such as a curtain or throw. Here a mustard velvet curtain shares the leopard's golden ground, so the cushion reads as part of the room.
What pillows go with a leopard bench cushion?
Plain ones. A black pillow picks up the rosettes and an olive linen one links to a nearby plant. Plain pillows give the eye a rest; a second pattern beside the leopard would only compete with it.
Is 4 in too thick for a dining bench cushion?
It can be. One buyer judged the standard 4 in (10 cm) would seat diners too high and chose 3 in (7.5 cm). Subtract the cushion's thickness from the seat-to-table gap before you decide.
Stitch straight — Maggie
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