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A Reading by MaggieBench Cushions

A caramel arch jacquard bench cushion for a window you sit at all afternoon

An oak bench, a window full of lavender rows and a cushion you could read on until the light goes. Long sitting is where a bench cushion earns its keep, so I have written the whole thing down, checklist included.

Read by

The Piping Queen of NewportPublished 4 min read

Cream and caramel arch-pattern jacquard box cushion on an oak bench below a window onto lavender and olive treesSave
Caramel half-moons on cream pick up the sunbaked colors outside a lavender-field window.

The quick answer

A custom bench cushion is comfortable for long reading when three things are right: a box edge thick enough for the bench height, something to lean back on, and a soft landing at the bench end for your elbow. Measure every side of the bench, including any angled end, before you order.

Newport ·

Dear window-bench reader,

The pillows are the backrest

The pillows on this bench are not decoration; they are the backrest.

The oak bench sits under a deep window with no back of its own. Two linen pillows, ivory and sage, lean into the window reveal, and that is what lets someone stay for a whole novel instead of a chapter. A cream linen throw over the end softens the spot where your elbow lands.

The cushion is a box of cream jacquard with caramel and rust arches, finished in self piping. The arches match the kilim and the roof tiles outside, so the print feels regional rather than graphic, as much of the jacquard and damask family does.

Pinned by Maggie

Five pins, read left to right the way your eye travels from the jug of lavender to the rug.

Pinned: Cream and caramel arch-pattern jacquard box cushion on an oak bench below a window onto lavender and olive trees
  1. Arch-print jacquard cushion

    Caramel shapes match the kilim and the roof tiles outside.

  2. Sage linen pillow

    Green borrowed from the olive trees and lavender stems.

  3. Draped linen throw

    Softens the bench end and repeats the print's cream ground.

  4. Lavender in jug

    Brings the view indoors onto the bistro table.

  5. Earth-tone kilim

    A small-scale pattern underfoot contrasts the large arches on the seat.

  1. Arch-print jacquard cushionCaramel shapes match the kilim and the roof tiles outside.
  2. Sage linen pillowGreen borrowed from the olive trees and lavender stems.
  3. Draped linen throwSoftens the bench end and repeats the print's cream ground.
  4. Lavender in jugBrings the view indoors onto the bistro table.
  5. Earth-tone kilimA small-scale pattern underfoot contrasts the large arches on the seat.

My long-sitting checklist for a window bench

  • Measure the bench, not the cushion you used to have.
  • Match the thickness to the bench height; one buyer's four-piece bench set was made 3 in (7.5 cm) thick.
  • Plan something to lean on: pillows in the window reveal, as here, or a separate backrest.
  • Give the elbow a landing: a throw or a pillow at the bench end.
  • Take one pillow color from the view; the sage here comes from the olive trees.
  • Keep the rug's pattern small when the seat's pattern is large, so the two don't argue.
  • Measure every side of an angled end, not only the top and bottom.
A real project

Four cushions, one of them a trapezoid

A buyer in the US asked for four 3 in (7.5 cm) bench cushions for a dining bench set: three at 24 x 36 in (61 x 91 cm), and one trapezoid for the angled end, 41 in (104 cm) along the top, 21 in (53 cm) along the bottom, with sides of 9 in (23 cm) and 24 in (61 cm). The workshop quoted the set straight from those numbers.

Four measurements for the odd piece, not two. The trapezoid cushion calculator helps you lay out all four before you send them.

Sizes
Three at 24 x 36 in (61 x 91 cm); trapezoid 41 in top, 21 in bottom, sides 9 and 24 in; all 3 in thick

The lesson: List every side of the odd piece, not just top and bottom.

A window bench with no back needs two pillows leaning in the window reveal; they do the job of a backrest for hours of reading.

Maggie
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Asked at the cutting table

  1. A common question

    Can you make long, thin cushions, around 58 x 16 x 3 in, or a small very firm block?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Runs such as 58 x 16 x 3 in (147 x 41 x 7.5 cm) and 110.5 x 20 x 3 in (281 x 51 x 7.5 cm) have been made in tufted linen, one with a single row of buttons down the center, and so has a very firm 29 x 6.5 x 6.5 in (74 x 16.5 x 16.5 cm) block.

  2. A common question

    Can you make a cushion for a nook where one end is angled?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Send a drawing with every side measured; for a trapezoid, that means all four. One closet-nook cushion measured 79 in (201 cm) on the long side, 59 in (150 cm) on the short side and 24 in (61 cm) deep. You may also supply your own fabric.

  3. A common question

    What is the striped fabric made of, and is there a linen version?

    The workshop's answer

    The striped range is described as 100% premium cotton; the black-and-white stripe is 98% cotton and 2% polyester. That stripe is not made in linen.

On the cutting table: the lavender-window bench

CushionRectangular bench box cushion, self piping
BenchOak, below a deep window reveal
FabricJacquard, caramel and rust arches on a cream ground
PillowsIvory and sage linen, leaning in the reveal
ThrowCream linen over the bench end
UnderfootEarth-tone kilim with a small-scale pattern
Best forAfternoons of reading, working and lingering by a window

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Maggie’s workshop

Numbers first, fabric second, piping last. Jot down what you have, and the workshop will go down the list with you, item by item. — 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.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
Jacquard, caramel and rust arches on a cream ground
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Self piping
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

Questions buyers ask next

What thickness suits a window bench used for reading?

It depends on the bench height, because the cushion adds to it. Thicknesses from 2 to 5 in are made, and one buyer's four-piece bench set was 3 in. Check your seat height first with the seat height calculator.

Does a large-pattern jacquard suit a small reading bench?

It can, if the rest of the corner stays quiet. Here large caramel arches sit on the seat, the kilim below carries a small-scale pattern and the pillows are plain linen. Big pattern once, small pattern once, plain everywhere else.

How do I pick pillow colors for a bench under a window with a view?

Borrow one color from outside. Here the sage pillow comes from the olive trees and lavender stems, and the ivory pillow repeats the jacquard's cream ground, so nothing new enters the palette.

Stitch straight — Maggie

P.S. If you were hoping for that wide stripe in linen instead, it isn't made; the striped range is cotton. I asked on your behalf.

More photographs to read

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Rust on blush pink: a tonal Lisbon scheme in which the cushion is the deepest note.
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