---
title: "Ticking Stripe Window Seat Cushion: How the Cloth Feels and Wears"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/black-piped-ticking-stripe-scandi-window-seat/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/"
published: "2026-02-20"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "window seat cushion, custom window seat cushion, striped bench cushion, bench cushion indoor, made to measure cushion"
---

# 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.

![Thick black and cream ticking stripe window seat cushion with black piping, an ivory pillow and eucalyptus on an oak sill](https://cushionguide.com/media/window-seat-cushions/black-piped-ticking-stripe-scandi-window-seat-1600.webp "Solid black piping outlines a deep ticking-stripe seat, giving a white Scandinavian window the one graphic line it needs.")

## 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](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/window-seat-cushions/) 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.

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.

## 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](https://cushionguide.com/guides/window-seat-cushion-fading-sun/) before choosing a spot. The rest of the family lives under [striped cotton and ticking](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/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?

## 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.

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

**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.

**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.

**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

> **Tailor's margin:** Check a ticking stripe in daylight before choosing piping. Many stripes that read black from across the room are a very deep navy.

## On the cutting table: the Scandi window seat

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Cushion | Window seat cushion, one rectangle |
| Thickness | About 5 in (13 cm) |
| Edge | Box edge |
| Fabric | Striped cotton ticking: natural cream ground, deep navy stripe, slightly braided texture |
| Piping | Contrast solid black, from a second chart |
| Cover | Zippered; gentle cycle at 86°F (30°C), air dry |
| Styling | One ivory linen pillow, one eucalyptus stem on the oak sill |
| Best for | A white, pared-back living room window with a garden view |

## 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.

## Related at the atelier

- [Window Seat Cushion in Red and White Stripe: A Real Project](https://cushionguide.com/readings/red-white-stripe-window-seat-sunlit-arch/): A custom window seat cushion in a striped fabric can be made longer than the standard sizes: one buyer's 94 3/4 x 16 x 3 in seat was given its own custom size option.
- [Black Ticking Stripe Window Seat Cushion by a Garden View](https://cushionguide.com/readings/black-ticking-stripe-window-seat-garden-view/): A ticking stripe window seat cushion looks most tailored when the stripes run front to back, turn over a self-piped edge and drop straight down the front band.
- [Window Seat Cushion in Black Pinstripe: Sea Light and Shiplap](https://cushionguide.com/readings/black-pinstripe-shiplap-window-seat-coastal/): A black pinstripe window seat cushion holds a crisp line in bright coastal light, where a navy stripe would shift with every hour.
- [Window seat cushions for New England's old houses and long winters](https://cushionguide.com/places/new-england-cushions/): New England window seat cushions work best when they are cut to the real, out-of-square walls, split over radiators, and covered in a fabric that wipes clean where winter glass sweats.
- [Colonial window seat cushions for deep sills and old benches](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/colonial-window-seat-cushions/): A colonial window seat cushion is usually a custom size, so order the nearest listed option and restate the true length in the order note.
- [Cloud Dancer on a bench: off-white cushions that survive real life](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/cloud-dancer-off-white-cushions/): For an off white bench cushion, choose a warm cream linen over a stark white unless your room is cool and bright.
- [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/)

*With color and care — Élodie*

---

Written by Élodie Marchand (https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/) 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/black-piped-ticking-stripe-scandi-window-seat/