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A Reading by ÉlodieBench Cushions

Apple-green striped linen on a white bench: thickness, depth and a matched corner

One corner of one cushion, photographed close. It tells you how the stripe turns, how tall the box stands, and how much seat it leaves you.

The quick answer

On a shallow bench, keep the seat cushion boxed and any back cushion at least 2 in (5 cm) thick, because thinner foam flattens and stops supporting you. This apple-green multi-stripe linen cushion shows the other half of the job: stripes matched from the top panel down the border, and a self-piped welt, so a lively pattern still looks tailored.

Read by

The Colorist of New OrleansPublished Updated 4 min read

Close view of a green linen box cushion striped with orange, blue and gray, self-piped, on a white tongue-and-groove benchSave
Seen at the corner, the self piping and stripe matching are what make a multi-stripe cushion look tailored.

Pinned by Élodie: four marks on one corner

Four pins stay close to the front corner: the matched stripe, the self welt, the green dobby weave and the olive sprig that repeats its color.

Pinned: Close view of a green linen box cushion striped with orange, blue and gray, self-piped, on a white tongue-and-groove bench
  1. Stripe-matched corner

    The stripes carry from the top panel down the border without jumping at the seam.

  2. Self piping

    A welt in the same fabric keeps a lively multi-stripe from looking fussy.

  3. Green dobby stripe

    Orange and blue threads through the green give the cushion depth in daylight.

  4. Olive branch

    A sprig of soft green in front repeats the cushion color in a natural form.

  1. Stripe-matched cornerThe stripes carry from the top panel down the border without jumping at the seam.
  2. Self pipingA welt in the same fabric keeps a lively multi-stripe from looking fussy.
  3. Green dobby stripeOrange and blue threads through the green give the cushion depth in daylight.
  4. Olive branchA sprig of soft green in front repeats the cushion color in a natural form.

Why the camera sits at the corner

A corner is where a striped cushion confesses. Here an apple-green ground carries fine threads of burnt orange, sky blue and dove gray, and every one of them turns from the top panel onto the border without a jump.

The welt is cut from the same cloth. On a plain linen I might ask for contrast; on a multi-stripe, a second color would interrupt a rhythm that is already busy. Self piping lets the stripe run on.

Now the proportion. The box border stands only a few fingers tall against a white tongue-and-groove base, so this custom bench cushion reads as a seat, not a mattress. On a shallow bench that balance matters more than any color.

The bench and the cream wall carry no color at all. The olive branch in front is the only other green, softer and grayer than the linen. Daylight never lies; your screen sometimes does, so judge a green like this beside a window, never on a phone.

The four threads in the stripe

  • Apple green#8DB255The ground color: fresh in north light, warmer by late afternoon.
  • Burnt orange#C8642BA thin line that keeps the green from turning sour.
  • Sky blue#8FB8D8Cools the stripe so it sits calmly in a home office.
  • Dove gray#9A9A96The quiet thread that links the cushion to the white bench.
A real project

The office bench that wanted thinner backs

An office team wrote to the workshop about a built-in bench with an angled backrest and a seat only 16 in (41 cm) deep. They asked for back cushions just 1 to 1.5 in (2.5 to 4 cm) thick, so the seat would not grow shallower still.

The workshop explained that 2 in (5 cm) is its minimum for a back cushion. Thinner foam flattens and loses its structure, and then it supports no one. It recommended foam-filled backs at 2 in.

Two layouts were quoted at the same price: three seats of 54 3/8 x 15 3/4 in (138 x 40 cm) with three long backs of 54 3/8 x 11 3/4 in (138 x 30 cm), or the same seats with five short backs of 15 3/4 x 11 3/4 in (40 x 30 cm). Long backs read calm and continuous; short ones let each person lean on their own.

Do the arithmetic before you order. A 2 in back on a 16 in seat still leaves about 14 in (36 cm) to sit on. The Pattern on back cushion height and sizing walks through the rest.

Buyer questions: a lost color, a lone backrest, an open corner

  1. A common question

    What happens if the fabric I picked is discontinued after I place my order?

    The workshop's answer

    The workshop contacts you right away, explains that the color has been discontinued and sends alternative color charts, pet-friendly ones in one buyer's case. You choose a new code, the order is updated and production starts.

  2. A common question

    Can I buy just the backrest and the arm bolsters for my daybed, without a seat cushion?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Backrests and arm pieces are sold separately. Send your measurements and the workshop will quote them.

  3. A common question

    What's the difference between the closed-corner and the open-corner version of the L-shaped sofa?

    The workshop's answer

    The closed-corner version has a corner backrest that fills the corner. The open-corner version uses straight backrests only. You pick the one you want from the listing options, and the workshop can send photos of both.

On the cutting table: the apple-green bench cushion

ProductBox bench cushion, rectangle
FabricMulti-stripe linen: apple green with burnt orange, sky blue and gray
PipingSelf piping in the same stripe
Stripe handlingMatched from the top panel onto the border
EdgeBox edge
BaseWhite tongue-and-groove bench
Back cushion minimum2 in (5 cm), foam-filled
Best forHome office, hallway and living room benches

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Élodie’s workshop

Describe the room at four in the afternoon: the floor, the wall, the one color you love. That is where a good fabric choice begins. — 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.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
Multi-stripe linen: apple green with burnt orange, sky blue and gray
Foam
Foam-filled
Piping
Self piping in the same stripe
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* 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

A back cushion thinner than 2 in (5 cm) flattens and stops supporting you, so on a shallow bench change the layout, not the foam.

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Questions buyers ask next

Why won't the workshop make a back cushion thinner than 2 inches?

Below 2 in (5 cm), foam flattens under a leaning back and loses its structure, so it stops supporting you. On shallow benches the workshop keeps backs at 2 in and recommends foam-filled ones rather than going thinner.

Should piping on a multi-stripe linen cushion be cut from the same stripe?

Usually, yes. A welt cut from the same stripe lets the pattern run around the edge unbroken, while a contrast color adds a second outline to a fabric that is already busy. Keep contrast piping for plain linens and solids.

Three long back cushions or five short ones on a shallow office bench?

Long backs, one per seat, look calm and continuous. Short backs let each person lean on their own piece and are easier to move. In one office order both layouts came to the same price, so choose by look and by how the bench is used.

With color and care — Élodie