Save- Tonal blue-gray stripe
The only cool tone in an all-cream alcove, quiet enough to keep the calm.
- Ochre linen pillow
One warm solid at the end gives the seat a focus.
- Leaf-print pillow
Small rust sprigs link the ochre with the terracotta pot opposite.
- Oak shelf with vases
A single shelf lined up with the bench frames the nook like a picture.
- Rubber plant
A tall plant on the open side balances the pillows at the other end.
Plate Blue-gray stripe cushion in a paneled nook beside the stairs
A soft blue-gray stripe keeps an all-cream stair-side alcove calm, with two warm pillows at one end.
A Reading by MaggieBench Cushions
A blue-gray striped bench cushion in a paneled alcove beside the stairs
Maggie reads a built-in bench by the numbers: platform, foam, finished height and depth, and why a quiet stripe was the right amount of color for a stair-side nook.
The quick answer
For a custom bench cushion on a built-in alcove bench, choose thickness from the platform height so the finished seat lands between 17 and 19 in (43 and 48 cm). That means about 2 in (5 cm) on a 16 in platform, 3 in (7.5 cm) on 15 in, and 4 in (10 cm) on 14 in. Foam settles slightly, so 3 in sits closer to 2.5 in.
Two heights in every built-in bench
Every built-in bench has two heights: the one the carpenter built and the one you sit on. The difference is the cushion, and in this stair-side alcove it is judged just right.
The cushion is a box edge in a tonal blue-gray and white linen stripe with self piping, set flush into a cream paneled niche beside white stair treads. It reads slim against the paneling, and that proportion is the point. A seat that sits too high in an alcove leaves your feet dangling and your head near the oak shelf above. One too low puts your knees above your hips.
The arithmetic is plain. Platform height plus cushion thickness equals finished seat height, and a comfortable finish lands between 17 and 19 in (43 and 48 cm). Foam settles a little, too: 3 in (7.5 cm) may sit closer to 2.5 in (6.5 cm) in use.
Depth follows the same logic. A back pillow takes about 3 in (7.5 cm) off the usable seat, which is why both pillows here, ochre linen in front of a cream print of rust leaves, sit together at the right end. The rest of the seat stays deep, and the rubber plant on the left balances them.
Color keeps the same restraint. Walls, paneling and stairs are all cream, so the stripe is the only cool tone, quiet enough to keep the calm. The single oak shelf with two cream stoneware vases and a trailing plant lines up with the bench and frames the nook like a picture.
Put your tape on the platform, dear, not on the old cushion, then try the seat height calculator. The bench cushion atlas, the linen and cotton-linen shelf and the stair landing sketches carry on from here. How high is your platform?
Pinned by Maggie: the stair-side nook
Follow the pins from the blue-gray stripe to the two pillows, up to the oak shelf and back down to the rubber plant.
The numbers match the pins on the plate.
- Tonal blue-gray stripeThe only cool tone in an all-cream alcove, quiet enough to keep the calm.
- Ochre linen pillowOne warm solid at the end gives the seat a focus.
- Leaf-print pillowSmall rust sprigs link the ochre with the terracotta pot opposite.
- Oak shelf with vasesA single shelf lined up with the bench frames the nook like a picture.
- Rubber plantA tall plant on the open side balances the pillows at the other end.
Three platforms, one finished seat
| Bench platform | Cushion thickness | Finished seat |
|---|---|---|
| 16 in (41 cm) | 2 in (5 cm) | 18 in (46 cm) |
| 15 in (38 cm) | 3 in (7.5 cm) | 18 in (46 cm) |
| 14 in (36 cm) | 4 in (10 cm) | 18 in (46 cm) |
A family dinette, 17 inches deep
A parent in the US with kids aged 9 to 14 wrote to the workshop about an L-shaped dinette in a farmhouse room with white shiplap and dark beams. The benches get used at every meal. The request: an easy-clean fabric, maybe microsuede, in a light beige to sit with cream slipcovered sofas.
The shop recommended its soft, durable, easy-clean fabric in smoke, a beige-gray. The exact sizes were not on the menu, so the buyer chose the 18 x 44 in and 18 x 52 in options and wrote the real measurements in the note. The cushions were made at 17 x 45 in (43 x 114 cm) and 17 x 54 in (43 x 137 cm), and thickness stayed at 4 in (10 cm).
For a family eating nook, choose a washable, tight-weave fabric in a mid-tone rather than velvet. And notice the 17 in depth: a real bench, measured, not a size guessed from a drop-down.
On the cutting table: the alcove cushion
| Piece | Box cushion for a built-in alcove bench |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Tonal blue-gray and white linen stripe |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Height rule | Platform + cushion = 17 to 19 in (43 to 48 cm) |
| Settling | 3 in (7.5 cm) foam may sit near 2.5 in (6.5 cm) |
| Depth | Each back pillow takes about 3 in (7.5 cm) of seat |
| Pillows | Ochre linen and a rust leaf print, grouped at one end |
| Best for | Stair landings, alcoves and built-in niches |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Maggie’s workshop
Have the tape measure handy when they call. Old cushions shrink and sag; the seat underneath does not. — Maggie
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.
Buyer questions: sizes, colors and odd shapes
- A common question
The listing won't let me type my exact bench size. How do I order a custom one?
The workshop's answerSelect the size range your measurements fall into, or the closest one, then write your exact size, fabric and piping choice in the Add Personalization box. The cushion is cut to the size written there. If one side is smaller than the smallest option, pick the dimensions the other way around; the price is the same.
- A common question
Can I see what this fabric color really looks like before I commit?
The workshop's answerYes. The shop sends a real close-up photo of the actual fabric, because screens shift tones slightly. On request it will photograph the cloth in different light or next to another fabric, and physical samples can be ordered through the fabric-samples listing.
- A common question
My window seat is six-sided, with a step in it. Can you still make a cushion?
The workshop's answerYes; the shop makes any size and shape. Measure every side, draw the shape on paper with all the sizes written on it, and send a photo of the drawing for checking and a quote. Past projects include a 6-sided seat 86.5 in (220 cm) at its longest and 20 in (51 cm) at its widest, a stepped 2 in (5 cm) bench, a curved breakfast nook with lift-up storage benches and a window seat with L-shaped cutouts at the ends.
Platform height plus cushion thickness is the finished seat height; on a built-in bench, aim for 17 to 19 in (43 to 48 cm).
Maggie
Questions buyers ask next
How do I work out cushion thickness for a built-in bench?
Measure the platform from the floor to the top of the bench and subtract it from 18 in (46 cm); that is roughly your cushion thickness. Stay within a 17 to 19 in (43 to 48 cm) finished height, and allow for the foam settling slightly.
Does a thicker cushion make an alcove bench more comfortable?
Only up to a point. A thicker cushion softens the seat but raises it, costing legroom and bringing your head closer to any shelf above. On a low platform 4 in (10 cm) helps; on a high one, 2 in (5 cm) is kinder.
Where should pillows go on a built-in bench?
Group them at one end. Each back pillow takes about 3 in (7.5 cm) off the usable seat depth, so spreading them along the bench makes it shallow everywhere. One pair at the end leaves most of the seat free.
Stitch straight — Maggie
