---
title: "Window Seat Cushion Notched Around a Pier, Built for Long Sitting"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/antique-gold-office-window-bench-cushion-pier-cutout/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Nate Kowalski, The Pattern Engineer of Detroit"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/"
published: "2026-06-17"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "window seat cushion, custom window seat cushion, L-shaped bench cushion, linen bench cushion, bench seat cushion, made to measure cushion"
---

# An antique gold window seat cushion, cut around a plaster pier for long days of sitting

*Office notes, partner. One window wall, one plaster pier in the middle of it, and a cushion that turns a split bench into a single long seat for reading between calls.*

> **The quick answer:** A window seat cushion for long sitting should run the full bench, be notched around any pier or post, and stay near desk-chair height rather than sofa-soft. Thickness comes in 2, 3, 4 or 5 in (5 to 12.5 cm). For a bench that doubles as a work seat, pair a tight, nubby weave with 32 kg/m³ high-density foam.

![Antique gold basket-weave window bench cushion with chocolate piping, notched around a plaster pier in a home office](https://cushionguide.com/media/window-seat-cushions/antique-gold-office-window-bench-cushion-pier-cutout-1600.webp "In a home office, an antique gold cushion wraps a plaster pier so the window bench works as one long seat.")

## One piece past the pier, not two short seats

The window wall has a plaster pier in the middle. Most benches under a wall like that end up as two short seats, each too short to stretch out on. This one runs through. The cushion is notched where the pier meets the bench, so a single piece carries on past it on both sides.

That notch is the whole reading. A notch is three numbers: width, depth, and where it starts along the edge. Get all three right and the cushion sits tight to the plaster, with no gap to swallow pens. The [notched cushion Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/notched-cushion-cutouts-posts-casings/) takes each one in turn, and [notched window seats](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/notched-window-seat-cushions/) shows more walls like this.

Next, height. The desk shares the window wall, so the bench is the second place to work. A pad as thick as a sofa seat would put you too high for the desk. This one is slim and boxed, which keeps your knees near desk-chair height. Check your numbers in the [seat height calculator](https://cushionguide.com/studio/seat-height-calculator/) before you pick a thickness.

The color is antique gold, set between oak frames and white plaster. The chocolate [contrast piping](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#contrast-piping) picks up the oak and keeps a light weave from looking washed out in flat office daylight. The basket-weave face is tight and nubby. When a bench also takes bags and paper stacks, a flat, dense weave shrugs off the traffic.

The props are working props: a laptop on the oak desk, a chair castor on the oatmeal rug. Nothing sits on the seat, because the seat is for sitting.

What stands in the middle of your window wall?

## Pinned by Nate: five readings off one photo

Five pins, from the notch at the pier to the oak frames that set the palette.

1. **Cut-out around pier**: The cushion is notched where the plaster pier meets the bench, so one piece runs on both sides.
2. **Chocolate piping**: Dark welt matches the oak window frames and keeps a light gold weave from looking washed out.
3. **Basket-weave texture**: A tight, nubby weave copes with daily use as an overflow seat in a work room.
4. **Laptop on oak desk**: The desk shares the window wall, so the bench becomes a second place to work or read.
5. **Oak window frames**: Warm frames set the palette; the gold cushion sits between them and the white walls.

## The long-sitting checklist, in order

1. Measure the bench, then every notch: width, depth, and position along the edge.
2. Draw the shape on paper with each edge labeled. The workshop sends back its own diagram to confirm before cutting.
3. Pick thickness from 2, 3, 4 or 5 in (5 to 12.5 cm) against your desk height, not against your sofa.
4. For a daily work seat, choose a tight weave over a pile, and keep the standard about 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³) high-density foam.
5. Want something to lean on? A back cushion hangs on the wall with hook-and-loop, one side sewn on, the other fixed to the wall.

## Two rental benches and a fabric swap

A buyer got in touch about two big bench seats in a rental: 27½ x 63 in and 27½ x 69 in (70 x 160 cm and 70 x 175 cm), in a corduroy with piping. When the boxes were opened, the fabric had split along the ribs, and the cushions looked flatter than in the photos.

Two separate problems. Flat was the packing: compressed cushions need time to fill out. The split was the cloth. The workshop asked whether the parcel might have been cut open by accident, then remade the covers free in linen, which the buyer preferred for a rental anyway.

Corduroy is lovely under a hand and less lovely under a string of tenants. For hard-use seats, start from linen or a performance weave.

## Buyer questions: notches, backrests and contract specs

**A common question:** Can you make cushions for a commercial space with 28 kg/m³ foam and 40,000 Martindale fabric?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Contract-grade fabrics rated 40,000 Martindale are available for heavy commercial use, and the standard foam already beats the request: 32 kg/m³ high-density foam at the same price, which holds its shape longer under constant daily use. For a proposal, send the number of cushions, their sizes and the kind of space.

**A common question:** How do I fix a cushion to the wall so it works as a backrest?

**The workshop's answer:** With hook-and-loop fastener. The workshop sews one side onto the back of the cushion, and you fix the matching side to the wall with strong adhesive, or with screws for a firmer hold. The cushion presses on and peels off for cleaning.

**A common question:** My window seat has small notches at the ends. How should I send the measurements?

**The workshop's answer:** Draw the cushion shape on paper and measure every edge, including each notch's width, depth and position along the edge. The workshop then draws its own diagram for you to confirm before cutting. One seat came out as 87 in along the window edge, 84.5 in on the opposite edge, 1.25 x 2 in notches at both ends, and the depth dropping to 16 in at the ends.

> A window seat cushion notched around a pier needs three numbers per notch: how wide, how deep, and where the notch starts along the edge.
>
> — Nate

> **Tailor's margin:** If a desk shares the window wall, pick a 2 or 3 in window seat cushion over a 5 in one, so the seat stays near desk-chair height.

## On the cutting table: the office window bench

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Cushion | Window seat cushion, one piece, notched around a plaster pier |
| Fabric | Antique gold linen-look basket weave, tight and nubby |
| Piping | Contrast, chocolate brown, matched to the oak window frames |
| Edge | Boxed |
| Thickness | Slim; 2, 3, 4 or 5 in (5 to 12.5 cm), chosen against desk height |
| Foam | High-density, about 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³), standard |
| Notch | Width, depth and position along the edge, confirmed on a diagram |
| Backrest option | Wall-hung back cushion on hook-and-loop |
| Best for | A home office bench that doubles as a reading seat |

## Questions buyers ask next

### How thick should a window seat cushion be for reading and working?

Thinner than a sofa seat. Thickness comes in 2, 3, 4 and 5 in (5 to 12.5 cm). If the bench shares a wall with a desk, choose the thickness that keeps your seat near desk-chair height; the seat height calculator does the arithmetic for you.

### Can one cushion wrap around a pier or post?

Yes. The cushion is cut with a notch where the pier meets the bench, so one piece runs on both sides. Measure the notch's width, depth and position along the edge, then confirm the workshop's diagram before anything is cut.

### Is corduroy a good choice for a window seat in a rental?

It is soft, but for hard-use or rental seating the workshop steers buyers toward linen or performance fabrics. In one real case, corduroy covers on two large bench seats were remade in linen, which the buyer preferred for durability.

### What foam goes into a window seat cushion that gets used every day?

The standard is about 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³) high-density foam, which holds its shape longer under constant daily use. Commercial buyers who asked for 28 kg/m³ foam were given the denser 32 kg/m³ at no extra cost.

## Related at the atelier

- [Window Seat Cushion and Back Cushions in Mushroom Linen-Look](https://cushionguide.com/readings/mushroom-seat-back-cushions-white-panelled-bench/): A window seat cushion made for long sitting pairs a moderate seat with separate back cushions, each about half the bench length, resting against the wall.
- [Burgundy Window Seat Cushion in Linen-Look by a Garden Window](https://cushionguide.com/readings/burgundy-linen-look-window-seat-cushion-garden-view/): A window seat cushion in an old house should follow the real walls, not a perfect rectangle: measure both diagonals and let each seat's depth be what the walls give you.
- [Window Seat Cushion for a Deep Reveal: How to Measure It](https://cushionguide.com/readings/chocolate-tweed-window-seat-cushion-linen-curtains/): To measure a window seat cushion that runs wall to wall, take the length at the back and at the front, the depth from the window wall to the front edge, and the seat height.
- [Custom cushions for Czech apartments, window seats and weekend cottages](https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-czechia/): Custom cushions in Czechia usually go in three places: the deep sill of an older Prague apartment, the balcony of a panel-block flat, and the bench at a weekend cottage.
- [How do I measure a window seat or built-in bench for a custom cushion?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/how-to-measure-window-seat-cushion/): To measure a window seat cushion, tape the seat top itself with a rigid tape: the front edge wall to wall, the back edge along the window, the depth on the left and right, and each angled side…
- [Custom cushions for Dutch canal houses, houseboats and balconies](https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-netherlands/): Custom cushions in the Netherlands usually go on a canal-house window seat, a houseboat bench or a narrow balcony.
- [Choosing cushion fabric: seven families compared for real homes](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-fabric-types-compared/)
- [How to order a custom cushion size that isn't in the size menu](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-size-cushion-not-on-menu/)

*± 1/4 in — Nate*

---

Written by Nate Kowalski (https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/readings/antique-gold-office-window-bench-cushion-pier-cutout/