A Reading by MaggieBanquette & Kitchen Nook Cushions
Bottle green banquette cushions on a pine storage bench, read through one buyer's notched nook
Maggie takes a real project from first question to finished cushion, then reads a green tweed-look banquette that got every practical choice right.
SaveThe quick answer
A banquette cushion on a storage bench should be cut flush to the lid, in a hard-wearing woven fabric, with piping that repeats a light color already in the room. For odd shapes, send a hand drawing with every edge and notch measured, then approve the workshop's redrawn version before cutting. One buyer's 82 x 36 in (208 x 91 cm) nook cushion with four notches went exactly that way.
Buyer questions: five-angle bays, eight-inch cushions and a crooked old house
- A common question
My bay window is a strange shape: five windows, each at a slightly different angle. Can you still make a cushion for it?
The workshop's answerYes. Angled bay window cushions are regular work for the workshop. Send a rough sketch of the layout with the length of every side and each angle marked, and the shop will quote and advise from that.
- A common question
Four inches won't be thick enough for me. Can you make the cushion 6, 7.5 or even 8 inches thick?
The workshop's answerYes. Thicker upholstered cushions, up to at least 8 in (20 cm), can be made, and the extra thickness adds to the price. Send the length and width for a quote. One buyer who had ordered 4 in (10 cm) and needed nearly 6 in (15 cm) for a sofa paid a small upgrade fee through a separate balance link.
- A common question
Our house is over a hundred years old and nothing in it is square. What happens if my measurements don't add up?
The workshop's answerThe workshop checks that your drawing closes before anything is cut. If it doesn't, you'll be asked to re-measure particular edges and to measure both diagonals, corner to corner, to see whether the corners are square. The shop can send a blank outline with each edge lettered A, B, C to fill in. A drawing that closes within 1/4 in (6 mm) is accepted, and you can set the depth of each section to follow a crooked wall.
Now, the reading
One nook, start to finish: 82 inches, four notches, one approved drawing
A couple building their own reading nook wrote to the workshop with a hand drawing and a short, sensible brief. The seat measured 82 x 36 in (208 x 91 cm). Each of its four corners needed a 5 x 2 in (13 x 5 cm) notch, and they wanted the cushion 4 to 5 in (10 to 13 cm) thick in something warm, oatmeal or camel.
The choices came in order, which is how I like them. Color first: a mushroom taupe velvet, code 108. Then thickness, settled at 5 in (12.7 cm). Then the step I would underline twice: the workshop redrew their sketch in centimeters, the units the cutting table works in, and sent it back for the couple to approve before anyone picked up the shears.
The result was about a week in production and 3 to 5 days in delivery. The notches were agreed on paper, so nobody guessed at them on the table. I once pinned a notch on the wrong end of a pattern, dear, and I have read every redrawn copy since. More in notched cushions for posts and casings.
Reading the pine bench: why ivory piping keeps bottle green from turning into a block
Right, then. Here is a banquette cushion set doing an honest day's work: a pine storage bench against a greige wall, a window at one end, and bottle green seat and back cushions in a nubby tweed-look weave.
Proportion. The seat is a box cushion cut flush to the pine lid, with no overhang, so the lid still lifts and the box below keeps its table linen. The back pad stands on the seat instead of floating above it, which gives a straight, upright sit for eating, not lounging.
The weave. Up close, the surface is a small woven grid. On a dining bench that grid earns its keep: crumbs, small marks and the shine of daily sliding in and out sink into it. Bottle green is dark enough to forgive and still reads as a color, not a shadow.
The piping. Fine ivory cord runs along every edge. Leave it off and the green becomes one heavy block against the greige wall. The ivory repeats the white cone pendant overhead, which is why it looks planned.
The props, one by one. - The white cone pendant keeps the ceiling quiet so the cushion carries the color. - Sage chairs carry the green, in a lighter key, across the pine table. - The red and white striped rug adds one warm note. - The plant in a white pot is one more white to echo the piping. - Even the wall outlet teaches something: measure the wall you actually have.
What does your bench lid hide? If it lifts, read cushions for hinged storage benches first, then browse banquette cushions, kitchen nook cushions and the hard-wearing weaves in performance and pet-friendly fabric.
Pinned by Maggie
Five pins, from the nubby back pad and the flush-cut seat to the sage chairs that carry the green across the table.
- Tweed-look back pad
A nubby woven grid hides crumbs and wear on a daily dining seat.
- Box seat on pine
The seat is cut flush to the pine lid, leaving the storage box untouched below.
- Ivory piping
Fine piping repeats the white pendant and stops the dark green reading as a block.
- Cone pendant
A simple white shade keeps attention on the cushion color.
- Sage chairs
Chairs in a lighter green carry the color across the table.
- Tweed-look back padA nubby woven grid hides crumbs and wear on a daily dining seat.
- Box seat on pineThe seat is cut flush to the pine lid, leaving the storage box untouched below.
- Ivory pipingFine piping repeats the white pendant and stops the dark green reading as a block.
- Cone pendantA simple white shade keeps attention on the cushion color.
- Sage chairsChairs in a lighter green carry the color across the table.
On the cutting table: the pine bench set, and the notched nook beside it
| Cushions | Seat and back set on a storage bench |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Bottle green tweed-look performance weave |
| Piping | Ivory contrast cord on every edge |
| Edge | Box edge |
| Fit | Seat cut flush to the pine lid, no overhang |
| Storage | Lid still lifts; table linen stays in the box |
| Buyer's nook | 82 x 36 in (208 x 91 cm), 5 x 2 in (13 x 5 cm) notch at each corner, 5 in (12.7 cm) thick |
| Buyer's fabric | Mushroom taupe velvet, code 108 |
| Best for | Everyday dining benches and kitchen nooks |
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 notched banquette cushion goes right when the maker redraws your hand sketch and you approve that new drawing before a single cut.
Maggie
Questions buyers ask next
How big should a cushion on a lift-lid storage bench be?
Size it to the lid, not the box, and keep it flush with no overhang. The lid then lifts cleanly and the storage below stays untouched. Measure the lid's length and depth in two or three places before you order.
Why choose a textured weave over a smooth fabric for a dining bench?
A nubby woven grid breaks up the surface, so crumbs, small marks and daily wear sink into the texture instead of sitting on top. Smooth, flat fabrics show every spot along the front edge where people slide in and out.
What piping color suits a dark green bench cushion?
A light piping, such as ivory, outlines the cushion and stops dark green from reading as one solid block. Take the color from something already light in the room, like a white pendant, trim or table linen, so it looks planned.
Stitch straight — Maggie
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