A Reading by RosaWindow Seat Cushions
A black window seat cushion, a houndstooth pillow and the one warm thing that makes it work
Rosa reads a graphic black-and-white window seat and the handful of props that keep it from feeling cold, and shows how to copy it with what's already in the closet.
The quick answer
A black window seat cushion on white paneling needs one warm material to keep it from feeling cold. Here a cognac faux leather pillow does that job, echoed by dried wheat on the sill, while a small-scale houndstooth pillow adds pattern in the same black and white and a gray knit throw softens the long edge.
SavePinned by Rosa
Pins sit on the houndstooth, the cognac pillow, the black box cushion, the wheat on the sill and the gray throw.
- Houndstooth pillow
Black-and-white pattern at a small scale, next to the plain black seat.
- Cognac leather pillow
The one warm material that stops the monochrome scheme feeling cold.
- Black box cushion
A solid black linen-look weave with self piping, graphic against white paneling.
- Dried wheat vase
Wheat stems repeat the cognac tone up on the sill.
- Gray knit throw
Breaks the long black edge where it meets the frame.
- Houndstooth pillowBlack-and-white pattern at a small scale, next to the plain black seat.
- Cognac leather pillowThe one warm material that stops the monochrome scheme feeling cold.
- Black box cushionA solid black linen-look weave with self piping, graphic against white paneling.
- Dried wheat vaseWheat stems repeat the cognac tone up on the sill.
- Gray knit throwBreaks the long black edge where it meets the frame.
Black, white, and one warm thing
Pull up a chair, because this window seat taught me something about restraint.
A black window seat cushion on white paneling is about as graphic as a room gets. Solid black linen-look weave, box edge, self piping, sitting on a white bench front in bright daylight. Handsome. Also a little chilly, the way a new church pew is chilly before anybody has sat in it.
So the styling adds exactly one warm material: a cognac faux leather pillow. That is the whole fix. Up on the sill, a matte black vase holds dried wheat stems in nearly the same tawny color, so the warmth shows up twice and looks planned instead of accidental.
The houndstooth pillow is the clever one, neighbor. It stays in black and white, same as the seat, but at a much smaller scale. Big plain black below, busy little check above. Pattern without adding a single new color.
Then the soft things. A heather gray knit throw falls over the far end, breaking that long black edge where the cushion meets the frame. A gray fringed blanket waits in the corner for when the afternoon cools off. Throws on a window seat aren't decoration in my house; they're a promise that somebody will stay a while.
If you love the look but have little ones, read up on kid-friendly cushion fabric first. The shapes are among the window seat cushions, and the cloth waits on the linen-look fabrics shelf.
Copy the window seat, prop by prop
- Start with a solid seat in one strong color; here, black with self piping.
- Add one pillow in the same colors at a smaller scale, like black-and-white houndstooth.
- Add one pillow in a warm material, like cognac faux leather.
- Repeat that warm tone once, somewhere higher: dried wheat, a wooden bowl, a leather-bound book.
- Break the long front edge with a knit throw over one end.
- Keep a spare blanket folded in the corner for cool evenings.
Have it made
Have this made — ask Rosa’s workshop
Tell the workshop who sits there: grandkids, the dog, a cup of coffee at six. The right fabric and foam follow from the people. — Rosa
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.
Porch light's on — Rosa
