A Reading by MaggieDining Chair Cushions & Pads
A herringbone stripe chair cushion with ties, and the balcony it changed
Maggie reads one low teak lounge chair on a terracotta balcony: bare slats before, a chair cushion with ties after, and every decision in between.
SaveThe quick answer
A low, armless teak lounge chair becomes a real lounge chair once it gets a full box seat cushion and a separate tied back cushion. Tie the back at its upper corners, add a tie at the rear seat corners so the seat can't creep forward, and run the stripe front to back on the seat and top to bottom on the back.
Buyer questions first: measuring, pairs and single pieces
- A common question
I put the tape measure in my photos. Can you read the sizes from those instead of me typing them out?
The workshop's answerPhotos are welcome for showing the shape, but reading exact numbers off a tape in a photo invites mistakes, so the shop asks you to type them: front width, back width, depth and thickness. It then draws a template with your figures beside each edge for you to check before it quotes.
- A common question
What would two small custom seat cushions cost, about 10 x 13 in (25 x 33 cm) and 2 in (5 cm) thick?
The workshop's answerThe shop quoted the pair, lowered the price for ordering the two together, and eased it once more as a goodwill gesture. The color, a beige, was chosen from the shop's color chart.
- A common question
I bought the corner floor sofa secondhand. Can I buy just the ottoman to go with it?
The workshop's answerYes. The ottoman is sold on its own through a separate listing, including to people who bought the sofa secondhand. It measures 39 x 39 in (99 x 99 cm), and if you order a sofa and pay for both at the same time, it can ship with the sofa.
Now, the reading
Before: slats and good intentions. After: two box cushions and four knots
Right, then. Here is the chair before anyone touched it: a low, armless teak lounger on a terracotta-tiled city balcony. Handsome. Also hard. A frame that low with no arms leans entirely on its cushions, and without them nobody stays past the first cup of coffee.
Now the after. The seat is a full box cushion, deep enough to sink into, with self piping holding the edge straight. The back is a separate box cushion, not a flap sewn to the seat, tied to the frame at its two upper corners. One more tie at the rear of the seat stops it pushing forward whenever someone leans back with a book.
The stripe is the brave part. Tangerine, teal, plum and a thread of rose in a herringbone weave, on a balcony that is already terracotta and ochre. It works because it answers the warm floor and walls instead of arguing with them. The stripes run top to bottom on the back and front to back on the seat, so one line carries from your shoulders to your knees. Turn the seat stripe sideways and the chair looks dressed in the dark.
Everything else is supporting cast. The teak stays plain so the stripe has the stage. A jade plant in a terracotta trough and a potted citrus cool the tangerine and plum with green. Black iron railings draw a dark line behind it all, and the teal thread picks it up.
I have tied a back cushion at the wrong corners in my time, and the frame let me know. So now I ask before I cut. When you order a chair cushion with ties, write where the back ties go, top corners or sides, and compare outdoor acrylic stripes in daylight. What is your balcony chair made of, and where would its ties knot?
Bare slats against tied box cushions, point by point
| What changes | Before: bare teak | After: tied box cushions |
|---|---|---|
| Seat | Slats at a low, hard height | A deep box cushion you can lounge on |
| Back | Open frame, nothing to lean into | A separate box cushion tied at the upper corners |
| Staying put | Nothing to slide | A rear seat tie stops the forward creep |
| Color | Teak on terracotta, all warm browns | Tangerine, teal and plum answer the tiles and ochre walls |
| Where the eye goes | The railings | One stripe running from shoulders to knees |
Pinned by Maggie
Follow the pins from the striped seat to the tied back, the rear seat tie, the bare teak and the jade trough that cools the whole scheme.
- Striped seat cushion
A deep seat cushion turns an armless frame into a proper lounge chair.
- Tied back cushion
The back is a separate box cushion, tied at its upper corners.
- Rear seat tie
A tie at the rear corner stops the seat pushing forward.
- Plain teak frame
Plain teak lets the saturated stripe take center stage.
- Jade plant trough
Green leaves cool down the warm tangerine and plum threads.
- Striped seat cushionA deep seat cushion turns an armless frame into a proper lounge chair.
- Tied back cushionThe back is a separate box cushion, tied at its upper corners.
- Rear seat tieA tie at the rear corner stops the seat pushing forward.
- Plain teak framePlain teak lets the saturated stripe take center stage.
- Jade plant troughGreen leaves cool down the warm tangerine and plum threads.
A 98-inch floor mattress and the seam that hides under a bolster
An interior designer in the US wrote to the workshop for a client: a bottom cushion only, for an alcove turned floor-level reading spot, with bolster pillows around the sides. First it was 72 x 40 in (183 x 102 cm), then confirmed at 98 x 40 in (249 x 102 cm), 8 to 10 in (20 to 25 cm) thick.
The shop told them straight: a cushion that size could only ship in two pieces. The designer went back to check with the client, which is exactly what a good designer does.
It belongs on a page about one chair because makeovers go wrong at the joins. A long, deep floor mattress in two sections is fine if you plan where the seam falls, for instance hidden under a bolster. Our balcony chair is the same idea in miniature: seat and back are two cushions on purpose, and the ties are the join you decide before anything is cut. The one piece or two pattern walks through where to split.
On the cutting table: the balcony lounge set
| Pieces | Seat cushion and a separate back cushion |
|---|---|
| Frame | Low armless teak lounge chair |
| Fabric | Outdoor acrylic herringbone stripe, code 330 |
| Colors | Tangerine, teal, plum and rose |
| Edge | Box edge on both cushions |
| Piping | Self piping in the same stripe |
| Fastening | Ties at the back's upper corners and the seat's rear corners |
| Stripe direction | Top to bottom on the back, front to back on the seat |
| Best for | A sunny city balcony or a small patio |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Maggie’s workshop
I once cut a lovely cushion two inches short, and I have not forgotten it. That is why the workshop goes over your measurements with you on the phone. — 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.
A low armless lounge chair lives on its cushions: a deep box seat, a separate tied back, and one more tie at the rear seat corner to stop the creep.
Maggie
Questions buyers ask next
Where do the ties go on a lounge chair's back cushion?
It depends on the frame. On this low teak lounger the back cushion ties at its two upper corners to the top rail. A frame with side uprights holds better with ties at the sides. Say which in your order notes so the ties are sewn into the right seam.
Which way should a stripe run on a seat-and-back cushion set?
Top to bottom on the back and front to back on the seat. That way the stripe reads as one continuous line from shoulders to knees when someone sits. Running the seat stripe side to side breaks the line where seat meets back.
Can a saturated stripe work on a terracotta balcony?
Yes, if its colors answer the room. Tangerine and plum pick up terracotta tile and ochre plaster, while a teal thread and green plants nearby cool it down. Keep the frame plain wood so the stripe is the only pattern asking for attention.
Stitch straight — Maggie
