A Reading by NateWindow Seat Cushions
A black velvet L-shaped window seat cushion, stepped around a column and measured for height
A cushion is the last few inches of a seat height, and the easiest ones to get wrong. This one wraps a column in black velvet. Let's do the arithmetic.
SaveThe quick answer
For a window seat cushion, finished seat height equals the bench top plus the cushion thickness, so choose the thickness last. A 4 in (10 cm) cushion on a 22 in (56 cm) bench gives a 26 in (66 cm) seat. On a deep window seat, 4 in reads slim and tailored; 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm) reads plush and raises the seat.
A hand's width of black velvet, read as numbers
Seat height is a sum, not a feeling. Bench plus cushion, and the cushion is the only term you still get to choose.
This window seat cushion is black velvet, about a hand's width thick, on a white built-in bench with a slim oak lip. That proportion matters. The base is tall and painted to disappear; the lip is thin. So the cushion becomes the main surface in the room, a dark slab roughly 4 in (10 cm) tall against white paint.
Now the clever part. A plastered column juts into the bench. Most people would order two short pads and live with the gap. Here the tailor cut one L-shaped piece with a step: the back edge jumps forward at the column, so the cushion hugs both faces of it. No seam in the middle. No slot for crumbs or a phone.
The front edge sits flush with the oak lip instead of overhanging it. Flush keeps the line crisp and leaves the oak visible.
Cool gray piping traces the step. Black on black would swallow the outline; gray draws it, so the custom shape reads at a glance. The gray rug repeats the tone at floor level.
The velvet shows brush marks, which tells you the pile direction. Every panel was cut with the nap running the same way. Mix directions and one leg of the L reads a shade lighter than the other.
Flat winter light through the casement keeps the black matte and graphic. Bare trees outside, black seat inside.
My rule, partner: on a deep window seat, 4 in reads tailored, and 6 to 8 in reads plush and adds 2 to 4 in (5 to 10 cm) to the seat height. Pick the look, then check the sum in the table, or let the seat height calculator do it.
Four ways to reach a 26 in seat
| Bench top | Cushion | Seat height |
|---|---|---|
| 23 in (58.5 cm) | 3 in (7.5 cm) | 26 in (66 cm) |
| 22 in (56 cm) | 4 in (10 cm) | 26 in (66 cm) |
| 20 in (51 cm) | 6 in (15 cm) | 26 in (66 cm) |
| 18 in (46 cm) | 8 in (20 cm) | 26 in (66 cm) |
Every row lands on the 26 in (66 cm) seat height a buyer asked the workshop for. The thicker the cushion, the lower the bench has to be.
Pinned by Nate: five measurements hiding in one photo
Five pins, from the step around the column to the gray rug that repeats the piping tone.
- Step around the column
The back edge jumps forward here so the cushion hugs both faces of the column without a gap.
- Velvet pile sheen
Brushing marks show the pile direction, so every panel is cut with the nap running the same way.
- Cool gray piping
A lighter welt draws the stepped outline that black-on-black piping would swallow.
- Oak bench lip
The cushion sits flush with the oak edge rather than overhanging it, which keeps the line crisp.
- Gray rug
The rug repeats the piping tone at floor level and softens the dark mass above.
- Step around the columnThe back edge jumps forward here so the cushion hugs both faces of the column without a gap.
- Velvet pile sheenBrushing marks show the pile direction, so every panel is cut with the nap running the same way.
- Cool gray pipingA lighter welt draws the stepped outline that black-on-black piping would swallow.
- Oak bench lipThe cushion sits flush with the oak edge rather than overhanging it, which keeps the line crisp.
- Gray rugThe rug repeats the piping tone at floor level and softens the dark mass above.
Measuring a bench with a column in the way
Measure each leg of the L
Wall to wall along the back, to the nearest 1/4 in. Write inches and centimeters side by side.
Measure depth on both sides of the column
Front edge to the wall beside the column, then front edge to the column face. Those two depths define the step.
Measure the width of the jut
How far the column runs along the bench, face to face. That is the width of the notch.
Measure the bench top height
Floor to the top of the lip. Add your chosen thickness to get the finished seat height.
Draw it and letter it
A hand sketch with every side labeled beats a paragraph. Send it with a photo; the notched cushion guide shows the lettering.
The odd window seat that became three rectangles
A buyer replacing the cushions on a large, oddly shaped window seat sent the workshop drawings and photos of the wood base. The first plan was one complex piece that followed every angle.
Then came a re-measure, and the numbers said what the eye had missed: three plain rectangles would cover the seat just as well, with the middle section 6 ft (183 cm) long. Rectangles cost less, and each drops into place on its own.
They went thick, 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm), in a durable yellow-gold fabric, neither velvet nor silk.
Compare that with the photo above. One stepped piece suits a short L with a single column. A long seat with many angles is often better as simple rectangles. Angles are just lengths in disguise.
- Sizes
- 3 rectangles, middle section 6 ft (183 cm); 6 to 8 in thick
The lesson: Breaking an odd window seat into simple rectangles can save cost and makes fitting easier.
Three questions on banquette cost, angled ends and a 26 in seat
- A common question
What would custom cushions for our banquette cost?
The workshop's answerSend the sizes first. With the length, depth and thickness in hand, the workshop sends a quote and a custom purchase link made for those exact numbers.
- A common question
We just built a bench with angled ends. Can you make a trapezoid cushion to fit it?
The workshop's answerYes. One buyer's trapezoid ran 103 in (262 cm) along the long edge and 56 in (142 cm) along the opposite edge, with two 34 in (86 cm) sides, at 3 in (7.5 cm) thick. The workshop quoted it from those four lengths and the thickness.
- A common question
I need the seat to be 26 inches high. Can you do that?
The workshop's answerYes, any size can be made. The shop first checks what you mean: the total height from the floor to the top of the seat, or the cushion alone. Then it asks for all three dimensions, width, length and height, before quoting.
On the cutting table: one stepped L
| Cushion | One L-shaped window seat cushion, stepped around a wall column |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Black velvet, nap running one way on every panel |
| Piping | Contrast welt in cool gray |
| Thickness | About a hand's width, roughly 4 in (10 cm) |
| Front edge | Flush with the oak lip, no overhang |
| Bench | White painted built-in with a slim oak lip |
| Key measurements | Depth beside the column, depth at the column face, width of the jut |
| Seat height | Bench top plus cushion thickness |
| Best for | Built-in window benches interrupted by a column, pier or pipe box |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Nate’s workshop
Precision starts on the phone. Give the workshop your measurements and they will read them back to you, edge by edge. — Nate
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.
Seat height is bench top plus cushion. On a 22 in bench, a 4 in window seat cushion gives a 26 in seat; an 8 in cushion gives 30 in.
Nate
Questions buyers ask next
Is one stepped cushion better than two pads around a wall column?
For a short run with a single column, one stepped piece avoids a center seam and the gap where crumbs and phones fall. For a long seat with many angles, simple rectangles are cheaper and easier to fit, as the story on this page shows.
Why is the piping gray on a black velvet window seat?
Black piping on black velvet disappears, and with it the stepped outline that makes this cushion custom. Cool gray traces the step so the shape reads at a glance, and the gray rug repeats the tone at floor level.
Does velvet nap direction matter on an L-shaped cushion?
Yes. Velvet looks lighter or darker depending on which way the pile lies. On an L, every panel should be cut with the nap running the same way, or one leg can look a shade off from the other in daylight.
± 1/4 in — Nate
More window seats, measured and fitted
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