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A Reading by RosaWindow Seat Cushions

A chocolate window seat cushion, measured wall to wall

A letter about a dark seat in a bright window, and the four numbers I would take before anybody cuts a thing.

Read by

The Porch Keeper of SavannahPublished Updated 4 min read

Chocolate brown tweed-look window seat cushion, self piped, two ivory pillows, framed by linen curtains and a leafy viewSave
A dark brown tweed-look cushion anchors a white window seat framed by linen curtains and a view of trees.

The quick answer

To measure a window seat cushion that runs wall to wall, take the length at the back and at the front, the depth from the window wall to the front edge, and the seat height. If the two lengths differ, send both, because the cushion may be a trapezoid. For a very long run, ask whether it comes in one piece.

Savannah ·

Dear neighbor,

Why a dark cushion works in a white window

Most folks put a pale cushion in a white window. This one went chocolate brown, and I love it.

It is a window seat cushion in a tweed-look weave from our linen-look fabrics, cut as a box cushion and run wall to wall inside a deep white reveal. The piping matches the top, so from across the room the seat reads as one solid block.

Everything around it stays pale on purpose. Two ivory pillows repeat the window frame. Flax linen curtains hang to the floor on both sides like a picture frame. Dried pampas and wheat add height, and a cream wool rug keeps that dark rectangle from sinking the room.

And a dark seat forgives: coffee, sneakers, a dog who believes the window belongs to him. Now, what does your seat measure at the back, and at the front?

Pinned by Rosa: five things in this window

Five spots in the photograph, from the curtain on the left to the rug underfoot.

Pinned: Chocolate brown tweed-look window seat cushion, self piped, two ivory pillows, framed by linen curtains and a leafy view
  1. Ivory pillows

    Two pale pillows stand out against the dark seat and match the window frame.

  2. Self-piped edge

    Brown welt on brown keeps a dark cushion looking like one solid block.

  3. Dried grasses

    Pampas and wheat stems add height and repeat the curtain color.

  4. Linen curtains

    Curtains on both sides frame the seat like a picture.

  5. Cream rug

    A pale rug keeps the dark cushion from making the floor feel heavy.

  1. Ivory pillowsTwo pale pillows stand out against the dark seat and match the window frame.
  2. Self-piped edgeBrown welt on brown keeps a dark cushion looking like one solid block.
  3. Dried grassesPampas and wheat stems add height and repeat the curtain color.
  4. Linen curtainsCurtains on both sides frame the seat like a picture.
  5. Cream rugA pale rug keeps the dark cushion from making the floor feel heavy.

Four numbers for a seat like this, and where folks slip

  1. Length along the back

    Wall to wall on the window side. Old plaster is rarely square.

  2. Length along the front

    Again at the front edge. If the numbers differ, send both: that seat is a trapezoid.

  3. Depth

    Window wall to the front edge. Label it, since some buyers call this width.

  4. Height

    Floor to the seat top, plus the cushion thickness. That total is where you sit.

A real project

The 138-inch seat that had to come in one piece

A buyer in the US wrote to the workshop about a window seat most of us would call a runway: 138 in (351 cm) long, 40 in (102 cm) deep and 3 in (7.6 cm) thick, in the L-06 linen with contrasting velvet piping. One worry kept them from checking out. Would a cushion that long arrive in two sections?

The workshop said it could make one continuous piece, then added the 40 x 138 in size to the listing so the order could go through.

Pull up a chair and learn from it: ask the one-piece question before you pay, because long lengths are sometimes made in two.

Sizes
40 x 138 x 3 in (102 x 351 x 7.6 cm)
Fabric
L-06 linen, velvet piping in shade 113

The lesson: Ask up front whether a very long cushion will be one piece or two, because long lengths are sometimes made in two.

Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    What would a trapezoid window seat cushion cost, and which numbers do you need?

    The workshop's answer

    All four sides. One buyer in the US sent 68.25 in (173 cm) along the back, 113.75 in (289 cm) along the front, and sides of 33.75 in (86 cm) and 33 in (84 cm), and was quoted from exactly those figures.

  2. A common question

    Our bay window is huge. Can you make a cushion for it in a sun-resistant black, not corduroy or velvet?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, sun-resistant fabrics are available. For a trapezoid about 160 in (406 cm) long and 2 ft (61 cm) deep, the workshop suggested two pieces rather than one.

  3. A common question

    What size should I order for a mudroom bench niche so the seat ends up 18 in high?

    The workshop's answer

    That niche was 17 x 35.75 in (43 x 91 cm) and 15 in (38 cm) high, so a 3 in cushion gives an 18 in (46 cm) seat. Pick the nearest menu size, 17 x 36 x 3 in, and write the exact 17 x 35.75 x 3 in in the order note.

Measure a wall-to-wall window seat twice: once along the back wall and once along the front edge. If the two lengths differ, the cushion is a trapezoid.

Rosa
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On the cutting table

CushionWindow seat box cushion, wall to wall
FabricTweed-look weave, chocolate brown
PipingSelf piping, brown on brown
EdgeBox edge
FitExact to the reveal; send back and front lengths
PillowsTwo ivory throw pillows
Long runsAsk: one piece or two?
Best forA reading nook or living room window

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Rosa’s workshop

Swings sway, rockers rock, dogs circle three times. Tell the workshop what your seat goes through, and they will plan for it. — Rosa

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
Tweed-look weave, chocolate brown
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Self piping, brown on brown
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

Should I copy the size of my old window seat cushion?

No. Measure the seat itself, inside the walls, at the back and at the front. An old cushion has been squashed or was cut for a different base, so its numbers carry its mistakes into the new one.

Is a dark window seat cushion a good idea in a bright room?

Yes, if the rest of the scene stays light. A chocolate cushion with white trim, ivory pillows and a cream rug looks deliberate, and a dark seat forgives daily use far better than a pale one does.

How long can a window seat cushion be and still come in one piece?

It depends on the run. One 138 in (351 cm) seat was made as a single continuous piece, while two pieces were suggested for a bay about 160 in (406 cm) long. Ask before you order.

Porch light's on — Rosa

P.S. Even when you pick the nearest size from the menu, write your exact numbers in the order note. That one line has rescued more cushions than any tape measure I own.

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