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A Reading by ÉlodieWindow Seat Cushions

A black-piped ticking stripe window seat in a white Scandinavian window

A cream ground, a stripe that pretends to be black, and a hand you can feel through your palm. Striped cotton is the most candid cloth in the room.

The quick answer

A ticking stripe window seat cushion in woven striped cotton feels cool, dry and faintly ridged under the hand, and its zippered cover comes off to wash on a gentle 86°F (30°C) cycle, then air dry. The dark stripe in this cloth is a deep navy that passes for black, so solid black piping from another chart sharpens the edge.

Read by

The Colorist of New OrleansPublished Updated 5 min read

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One pen line around a striped seat

Lay a flat hand on striped cotton and you feel the weave before you see the color: a faint ridge where each stripe is woven in, and a dry, cool surface with nothing slick about it.

This window seat cushion is deep, around 5 in (13 cm), in a cream ticking with a narrow dark stripe and a slightly braided texture. The piping is solid black. In cool, clear daylight against white walls, that welt draws the box the way a pen line draws a sketch.

Now look closer at the stripe. It is not black. It is a very deep navy, the color of ink still drying. The black piping comes from another chart, and it is what pushes the outline all the way to true black. If you would rather have a guaranteed tone match, self piping cut from the stripe itself is the safe road.

Everything else stays pale, my friends. One ivory linen pillow; a second would blur the outline. One eucalyptus stem in a glass bud vase, the only soft green in a crisp scene. The oak sill repeats the light oak floor, so the stripe sits framed between two warm wood lines, and the tall white Shaker-panel base carries a deep cushion without looking top-heavy.

Pinned by Élodie: five places the light lands

Five pins, from the black piped corner to the eucalyptus on the oak sill.

Pinned: Thick black and cream ticking stripe window seat cushion with black piping, an ivory pillow and eucalyptus on an oak sill
  1. black piping corner

    Solid black piping draws the box outline like a pen line against white walls.

  2. ivory linen pillow

    A single pale pillow keeps the seat graphic; more pillows would blur the outline.

  3. eucalyptus bud vase

    One green stem on the oak sill is the only soft note in a crisp scene.

  4. oak window sill

    The oak sill repeats the floor, framing the stripe between two warm wood lines.

  5. shaker-panel base

    The deep cushion, around 5 in, balances the tall painted base below it.

  1. black piping cornerSolid black piping draws the box outline like a pen line against white walls.
  2. ivory linen pillowA single pale pillow keeps the seat graphic; more pillows would blur the outline.
  3. eucalyptus bud vaseOne green stem on the oak sill is the only soft note in a crisp scene.
  4. oak window sillThe oak sill repeats the floor, framing the stripe between two warm wood lines.
  5. shaker-panel baseThe deep cushion, around 5 in, balances the tall painted base below it.

How striped cotton feels, wears and washes

The hand. Cotton ticking is flat and firm, with no pile to brush the wrong way and no sheen to catch the glare from the glass.

The wear. A close weave takes the daily slide of jeans without roughing up. The stripe forgives, too: a small mark hides in the pattern where it would shout on plain cream.

The wash. The cover is zippered. Take it off, wash it on a gentle cycle at 86°F (30°C) and let it air dry. The foam stays out of the machine.

The light. Any cotton in a sunny window softens over the years, the cream ground and the navy together; read about sun through glass before choosing a spot. The rest of the family lives under striped cotton and ticking.

Daylight never lies; your screen sometimes does. Order a swatch and hold it against your own sill at noon. Does your dark stripe turn out to be navy too?

A real project

Eighty-seven inches, two notches, one drawing

A returning buyer in the US wrote to the workshop for a third window seat cushion: 18 in (46 cm) deep, 87 in (221 cm) long, with a small notch at each end.

The workshop asked for a paper drawing with every edge measured, then drew its own diagram and sent it back to confirm. The straight window edge: 87 in (221 cm). The opposite edge: 84.5 in (215 cm). Notches at both ends, 1.25 x 2 in (3 x 5 cm). The depth dropping to 16 in (41 cm) at the ends.

The buyer confirmed and chose 3 in (7.6 cm) thick, in taupe velvet with cream piping. The order had come through the rectangle option, and for a returning customer the workshop waived the difference for the custom shape.

Two drawings, one from each side of the table. Nothing was cut until they matched.

The lesson: Confirm a notched shape on a workshop-drawn diagram before anything is cut.

Buyer questions: a designer's discount, a trapezoid bench, piping at no charge

  1. A common question

    I'm an interior designer. Do you offer a trade discount?

    The workshop's answer

    Often, yes: designer pricing is agreed per project, and a designer's first order has been quoted below the regular price. One designer's project was three bench cushions with two slim 4 in (10 cm) bolsters.

  2. A common question

    We just built a bench with angled ends. Can you make a trapezoid cushion for it?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. One trapezoid cushion for a custom-built bench measured 103 in (262 cm) along the long edge, 56 in (142 cm) along the opposite edge and 34 in (86 cm) on each side, 3 in (7.6 cm) thick.

  3. A common question

    Will adding piping cost extra?

    The workshop's answer

    Not when the piping is the same color as the cushion. On one three-cushion order, matching piping was added at no extra charge.

On a ticking stripe window seat cushion, take the piping from the darkest stripe. If that stripe is a deep navy, solid black piping makes the edge read like a pen line.

Élodie
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On the cutting table: the Scandi window seat

CushionWindow seat cushion, one rectangle
ThicknessAbout 5 in (13 cm)
EdgeBox edge
FabricStriped cotton ticking: natural cream ground, deep navy stripe, slightly braided texture
PipingContrast solid black, from a second chart
CoverZippered; gentle cycle at 86°F (30°C), air dry
StylingOne ivory linen pillow, one eucalyptus stem on the oak sill
Best forA white, pared-back living room window with a garden view

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
Striped cotton ticking: natural cream ground, deep navy stripe, slightly braided texture
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Contrast solid black, from a second chart
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

Questions buyers ask next

Is ticking stripe fabric a good choice for a window seat cushion?

For an indoor seat, yes. Woven striped cotton is flat, firm and cool to sit on, the stripe hides small marks, and a zippered cover comes off for a gentle wash. It is an indoor cloth, so keep it out of the rain.

Should the piping match the stripe or the background?

Match the darkest color in the stripe for a crisp outline, or the ground color for a soft one. If an exact tone match matters most, self piping cut from the same striped cloth is the safest choice.

How do I wash a striped cotton cushion cover?

Unzip the cover, wash it on a gentle cycle at 86°F (30°C) and let it air dry. Only the cover goes in the machine; the foam insert stays out.

How thick should a window seat cushion be under a tall base?

Thick enough to balance it. This seat is about 5 in (13 cm), which suits a tall painted base below. On a low sill or next to a desk, a thinner cushion keeps the seat closer to chair height.

With color and care — Élodie