A Reading by CallumOutdoor & Water-Repellent Cushions
Blue Ticking-Stripe Outdoor Bench Cushions on a Curve of Teak Garden Benches
Ticking came from the bedroom; the throws came from the living room. Callum reads a terrace that borrowed the best of indoors and built it for weather.
SaveThe quick answer
Outdoor bench cushions on curved benches read as one seat when the stripe runs lengthwise on every segment and each cushion is the same thickness. This terrace pairs a slate blue and sand ticking stripe in outdoor acrylic with teak, terracotta and a blue rug; the outdoor fabrics are UV-resistant, and firm seats can sit under softer backs.
The cushion, cut open
Cover fabric. A removable, zippered cover. Machine wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle and air dry.
Piping. A fabric-covered cord sewn into the seams. It sits on the seam line, so it does not change the size.
Fiber wrap. Polyester fiber (Dacron) batting around the foam: it fills the cover out and softens the edges.
Foam core. About 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³) high-resilience foam, firm to medium-firm, cut to the ordered size.
Zipper. Along the back band, as hidden as possible. The zipper side faces down or toward the wall.
Base panel. The underside of the cover. A non-slip fabric backing can cover the whole of it instead.
Pinned by Callum: five marks on a teak arc
Five pins, from the ticking stripe on the seat to the teak coffee table, showing how an arc of benches was dressed to read as one piece.
- Ticking-stripe seat
Stripes run along each curved segment, so the lines follow the arc.
- Draped throw
Thrown over the end rather than folded, it invites people to sit.
- Olive in terracotta
Warm clay and silvery leaves soften the cool blue stripe.
- Rattan lantern
Natural weave repeats the teak's warmth at floor level.
- Teak coffee table
The same wood as the benches ties the seating group together.
- Ticking-stripe seatStripes run along each curved segment, so the lines follow the arc.
- Draped throwThrown over the end rather than folded, it invites people to sit.
- Olive in terracottaWarm clay and silvery leaves soften the cool blue stripe.
- Rattan lanternNatural weave repeats the teak's warmth at floor level.
- Teak coffee tableThe same wood as the benches ties the seating group together.
An arc of teak, read like a coastline
Curved teak benches around a low teak table, olive trees in ribbed terracotta, ferns, flagstone underfoot. Bright overcast, the kindest light for judging color. The cushions are outdoor cushions in a ticking stripe of ivory, slate blue and sand, box-edged and self-piped.
Look at the stripe first. It runs the long way on every segment, so the lines bend with the arc the way a chart line follows a shore. Cut across, each piece would point somewhere different and the curve would break into parts.
Here's the borrowing. Ticking is an indoor fabric by birth, the old mattress stripe. On this terrace it comes outside woven in outdoor acrylic, and muted blue sits easy with weathered teak, clay pots and a blue woven rug, calm even in hard sun.
The living room came out too. Oatmeal fringed throws are draped over the ends rather than folded, which asks people to sit. Rattan lanterns with pillar candles and a glass lantern wait for evening. Throws come in at night. Rain doesn't negotiate.
Going the other way, the terrace hands one rule back indoors: on any curved or modular seat, keep every cushion the same thickness so the arc reads as one piece. The patio replacement cushion Pattern covers the measuring.
Anatomy of a curved bench set, part by part
- Stripe: lengthwise on each segment, so the lines follow the curve.
- Edge: box edge with self piping, a crisp outline with no extra color.
- Thickness: identical on every piece, so the arc reads as one seat.
- Fabric: outdoor acrylic in a ticking stripe; the outdoor range is UV-resistant.
- Underneath: an anti-slip base under seats, ribbons on chair pad corners.
- Firmness: firm seats, softer backs, set piece by piece.
13 pieces for a curved bench, one unit system, one approved list
A buyer wrote in about an outdoor lounge corner on their terrace, and every piece had its own job. Firm seats 3 1/8 in (8 cm) thick: two at 50 3/4 x 26 3/8 in (129 x 67 cm) and one at 39 x 19 1/4 in (99 x 49 cm). Softer backs 4 3/4 in (12 cm) thick: three at 33 7/8 x 18 7/8 in (86 x 48 cm), settled after two revisions. Three 15 3/4 in (40 cm) square scatter cushions. Four chair pads at 18 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 1 1/4 in (47 x 47 x 3 cm) with ribbons on two corners. Anti-slip under the seats. One outdoor fabric, piping to match.
Then a squall. The workshop mistook centimeters for inches once, and after that the buyer insisted on centimeters for everything. Fair enough. The workshop sent a full spec list, the buyer approved it, and the order took 10 days to make and arrived in two parcels.
The lesson is plain, friend. Put a big order in one unit system and one approved list. The length, depth and thickness Pattern settles which number is which. Which unit is your tape reading in?
Buyer questions: outdoor fabric, which side is which, a van bed
- A common question
Do you have outdoor fabric for sun lounger cushions and bench pads?
The workshop's answerYes, close to 200 outdoor fabrics, all UV-resistant and suited to sun loungers and outdoor benches, ordered through the outdoor listing. For a custom shape, send a drawing or a photo with measurements.
- A common question
Just to be sure: is length left to right and width back to front?
The workshop's answerYes. Think of the sides of a rectangle: length runs left to right, and width, or depth, runs back to front.
- A common question
Could you make a corduroy cover for the foam mattress in my camper van?
The workshop's answerYes. A corduroy cover for a 27 1/2 x 78 3/4 x 4 in (70 x 200 x 10 cm) cold-foam mattress was quoted for exactly that.
On the cutting table: the teak terrace
| Pieces | Modular cushions on curved teak benches |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Outdoor acrylic, ticking stripe in ivory, slate blue and sand |
| Stripe | Lengthwise on each segment |
| Edge | Box edge, self piping |
| Thickness | The same on every piece |
| Worth asking for | Anti-slip base under seats; ribbons on chair pad corners |
| Setting | Flagstone terrace, olive trees, blue woven outdoor rug |
| Best for | Curved and semicircle patio seating |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Callum’s workshop
Short list: size, sun hours, how fast it has to dry. The workshop goes through it with you. — Callum
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.
On curved teak benches, run a ticking stripe lengthwise on every cushion segment and keep each one the same thickness, so the arc reads as one seat.
Callum
Questions buyers ask next
Which way should stripes run on curved bench cushions?
Lengthwise on each segment, so the stripe bends with the arc. Cut across the length, each piece points in a different direction and the curve breaks up into separate cushions.
Should every cushion in a curved outdoor set be the same thickness?
Yes. Matching thickness lets a semicircle of benches read as one continuous seat. Firmness can still differ between seats and backs; one buyer chose firm 3 1/8 in (8 cm) seats with softer 4 3/4 in (12 cm) backs.
Can a ticking stripe work outdoors?
Yes, when it is woven in an outdoor fabric. The classic indoor mattress stripe translates well to a terrace in outdoor acrylic, and muted blue and sand stay calm next to teak, terracotta and bright sun.
How do I keep outdoor chair pads and bench cushions from sliding?
Ask for ribbons or ties on the corners that meet the chair back, and an anti-slip base under seat cushions. One buyer's four chair pads had ribbons on two corners, with anti-slip under the bench seats.
Fair winds — Callum
