---
title: "Custom Bench Cushion Stepped Around a Chimney Breast"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/burgundy-hallway-bench-cushion-chimney-step/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Nate Kowalski, The Pattern Engineer of Detroit"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/"
published: "2026-07-09"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "custom bench cushion, entryway bench cushion, mudroom bench cushion, L-shaped bench cushion, linen bench cushion, made to measure cushion"
---

# Notebook: a custom bench cushion with two depths and a chimney in the way

*Most of the sitting on this hallway bench happens at one end. The cushion knows it: it gets deeper right where the coats hang.*

> **The quick answer:** A stepped bench cushion is one continuous cushion cut to two depths, shallow in front of an obstacle like a chimney breast and deeper in the recess beyond. To order one, send the full length, both depths and the exact distance of the step from one end. Put the deeper section where people actually sit, lace shoes or linger.

![Cherry burgundy basket-weave hallway bench cushion with oatmeal piping, stepped around a chimney breast below an oak peg rail](https://cushionguide.com/media/bench-cushions/burgundy-hallway-bench-cushion-chimney-step-1600.webp "One burgundy cushion runs the full length of a hallway bench, getting deeper where the wall steps back.")

## Field notes: two depths, one step, one cushion

The cushion on this hallway bench changes depth partway along, and that single step is the whole design. In front of the chimney breast it is shallow. Past the breast, where the wall steps back into the recess, it gets deeper. One continuous custom bench cushion, two depths.

Look at where the coat hangs. The oak pegs sit above the deep end, and that is no accident. The deep end is where people actually sit: to pull off boots, to wait for a ride, to finish a phone call with one arm in a sleeve. The shallow run in front of the chimney is a perch, a shelf for a bag or a pair of gloves.

That is the comfort rule for any long bench, partner. Give the depth to the spot where people linger, and let the rest be a shelf. Lingering needs room for the thighs; a bag doesn't. What does your bench measure at its deepest point?

Now the finish. The cherry burgundy is a linen-look basket weave, one strong note in a pale hall. The oatmeal piping matches the plaster, so the step reads as a planned corner, not a patch. The white plinth legs are set back from the front edge, which leaves toe room for shoes under the bench. The gray flatweave runner cools the red against the pine boards.

More long shapes live in [bench cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bench-cushions/) and the [mudroom and entryway set](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/mudroom-and-entryway-bench-cushions/); the weave comes from the [linen-look family](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/linen-look-fabrics/).

## Pinned by Nate: five marks on the hall bench

Five pins, from the step at the chimney breast to the set-back plinth legs and the gray runner.

1. **Step at chimney breast**: The cushion gets deeper past the chimney breast, following the recess behind it.
2. **Oatmeal piping**: A pale welt outlines the step and matches the plaster walls.
3. **Coat on peg rail**: Pegs above the deep end mark where people actually sit to change shoes.
4. **White plinth legs**: Legs set back from the front leave room for feet and shoes underneath.
5. **Gray runner**: A cool runner balances the warm red and the pine boards.

## Measuring a stepped bench in four readings

1. **Full length, end to end**: Run the tape along the back of the bench top from one end to the other. Write it to the nearest 1/8 in.
2. **Shallow depth**: Measure from the face of the chimney breast to the front edge of the bench top.
3. **Deep depth**: Measure from the back wall of the recess to the front edge. Check whether the front edge runs straight or steps too; if both step, measure both.
4. **Step position, from a named end**: Measure from the left end to the step and write 'from left end' beside it. A step placed from the wrong end gives you a mirror image of the bench.

## 29 1/2 in on the bench, 29 1/8 in on the order

A buyer wrote to the workshop with two small benches, 29 1/2 x 13 3/4 in (75 x 35 cm) and 19 3/4 x 13 3/4 in (50 x 35 cm), and one worry: the standard 2 in (5 cm) cushion looked too thick for them.

Thin is possible, with a catch. After seeing sample photos, they learned that 3/4 in (2 cm) can only be made without piping. They settled on 1 1/8 in (3 cm) with piping, a linen with dark brown welt, and ordered 29 1/8 x 13 3/8 in (74 x 34 cm) and 19 1/4 x 13 3/8 in (49 x 34 cm): 3/8 in (1 cm) under the bench in both directions.

The short cushion arrived 15 in (38 cm) long instead of 19 1/4 in (49 cm). They measured it on arrival, and the shop remade it right away. Two lessons for the notebook: very thin pads trade away piping, and a tape measure belongs next to the box cutter on delivery day. The [size tolerance notes](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-size-tolerance/) explain what normal variation looks like, and [one piece or two](https://cushionguide.com/guides/long-bench-cushion-one-piece-or-two/) covers the long runs.

## Buyer questions: long runs, grip and a west window

**A common question:** My bench is almost 10 feet long. Will the cushion come as one piece or two?

**The workshop's answer:** Your call. A bench of about 117 3/4 in (299 cm) can be made as one single cushion or split into two; just state your preference when you order. For kitchen benches, send a photo and the measurements, and the shop will advise whether one piece or several makes more sense.

**A common question:** What does the non-slip base option actually do, and are there different kinds?

**The workshop's answer:** It replaces the underside of the cover with a grippy non-slip fabric, so the cushion stays put on the bench or chair. It is sewn into the cover, not a separate mat, and there are no sub-options. You select it in the personalization when you order.

**A common question:** Will an indoor fabric fade on a window seat that gets the afternoon sun from the west?

**The workshop's answer:** The indoor fabrics have some UV resistance, but they are not outdoor fabrics. Very strong, long-lasting direct sun can fade the color a little over time. A west-facing window is generally fine.

## On the cutting table: the chimney-step bench

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Product | Custom bench cushion, one continuous piece |
| Shape | Stepped: shallow at the chimney breast, deeper in the recess |
| Fabric | Cherry burgundy linen-look basket weave |
| Piping | Oatmeal contrast welt, matched to the plaster |
| Edge | Box edge |
| Order data | Full length, both depths, step position from a named end |
| Setting | Hallway with oak peg rails, plinth legs and pine floorboards |
| Best for | Entryways where people sit to change shoes and linger |

> **Tailor's margin:** On a stepped bench, measure the step from a named end. The same number taken from the wrong end gives you a mirror image.

> On a hallway bench cushion, give the extra depth to the end under the coat pegs. That is where people sit to change shoes and linger.
>
> — Nate

## Questions buyers ask next

### How do I order a bench cushion that changes depth partway along?

Send the full length, the shallow depth, the deep depth and the distance from one named end to the step. A quick sketch with those four numbers written on it removes any guessing about which way the step faces.

### Can a very thin bench pad still have piping?

Only down to a point. In one order, a 3/4 in (2 cm) pad could only be made without piping, so the buyer chose 1 1/8 in (3 cm) with piping instead. Very thin pads trade the welt for slimness.

### Which end of a hallway bench needs the most depth?

The end where people sit to change shoes, usually under the coat pegs. The rest of the bench can stay shallower, since bags, gloves and mail don't need room for thighs.

### What should I check when a custom cushion arrives?

Measure length, depth and thickness before the packaging goes out, and compare them with your order. One buyer found a short cushion at 15 in (38 cm) instead of 19 1/4 in (49 cm), and the shop remade it right away.

## Related at the atelier

- [Entryway Bench Cushion in Chocolate Brown on a Cubby Bench](https://cushionguide.com/readings/chocolate-brown-entryway-cubby-bench-cushion/): A chocolate brown entryway bench cushion suits a white cubby bench because the darkest color in the room goes where the traffic is: it frames the bench and hides scuffs from shoes, bags and damp…
- [Mudroom Bench Cushion: Measuring a Built-In Seat and Backrest](https://cushionguide.com/readings/dark-taupe-mudroom-bench-cushion-ivory-piping/): To measure a built-in mudroom bench cushion, take the length wall to wall where the cushion will sit and the depth from the wall to the front edge, then send those true numbers without subtracting…
- [Custom Bench Cushion in Turquoise on an Oak Waterfall Bench](https://cushionguide.com/readings/turquoise-oak-waterfall-hallway-bench-cushion/): A custom bench cushion for an entryway reads best from across the room when it is one solid color in self piping, cut almost flush with the bench ends.
- [Alcove bench cushions for hallway niches and three-sided spaces](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/alcove-and-hallway-niche-bench-cushions/): An alcove bench cushion should be ordered a few millimeters under the smallest measurement of the space, so it drops between the walls without forcing.
- [Mudroom and entry bench cushions that take the daily traffic](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/mudroom-bench-cushions/): A mudroom bench cushion should be sized from the seat height you want, cut to the bench's true measurements and covered in a wipe-clean fabric.
- [Can the piping be a different fabric from the cushion, like velvet piping on linen?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/different-fabric-piping-velvet-linen/): Yes, the piping can be a different fabric type from the cushion body, and velvet piping on a linen cushion is a common mix.
- [How to measure a bench for a custom cushion (the bench, not the old pad)](https://cushionguide.com/guides/how-to-measure-bench-for-cushion/)
- [Bullnose and waterfall-front cushions, explained by the edge](https://cushionguide.com/guides/bullnose-cushion-rounded-front-edge/)

*± 1/4 in — Nate*

---

Written by Nate Kowalski (https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/readings/burgundy-hallway-bench-cushion-chimney-step/