A Reading by MaggieBanquette & Kitchen Nook Cushions
A coral-striped banquette cushion, solid coral backs, and a wall-mounted question
One warm color used twice, patterned on the seat and plain on the backs, along a whitewashed terrace. Beside it I've pinned a buyer's L-shaped banquette that couldn't be built until someone decided how the backs would hang.
SaveThe quick answer
For a two-fabric banquette cushion, use one color twice: a stripe on the seat and a solid on the backs, joined by piping in the solid. Here coral stripe and solid coral share one tone on a masonry bench. If backrests will hang on the wall, choose the mounting, such as a French cleat, before they are built.
Buyer questions: a size change and five matching sets
- A common question
I measured again and the cushion I ordered won't fit. Can I change the size instead of canceling?
The workshop's answerYes. An order can be remade to a different size. One buyer switched to 39.4 x 39.4 in (1 x 1 m), a size that cost more than the one already paid for, and the workshop covered the difference.
- A common question
We need five matching bench cushions with bolsters for a busy space. Can you do it, and how long does it take?
The workshop's answerYes. Five sets of 31.5 x 78.7 in (80 x 200 cm) cushions, 8 in (20 cm) thick, with 11.8 in (30 cm) bolsters, in washable pre-shrunk fabric over high-density comfort foam, were quoted at 10 days to make plus 3 to 5 days for delivery that time; the making time shifts with the season and the size of the set.
Now, the reading
An L banquette, two seats, and backs that needed a plan for the wall
A buyer in the US sent the workshop a 60 x 84 in (152 x 213 cm) L-shaped banquette, 24 in (61 cm) deep. The request: two 60 x 24 in (152 x 61 cm) seats, plus channel-tufted backrests 24 in (61 cm) tall. The back on the 84 in (213 cm) side would be shortened by the depth of the backrest it meets in the corner.
Then: high-density foam, medium firm, please.
The workshop explained that density and firmness are two different things, and that both were possible together. Density is how much foam is packed in; firmness is how hard it pushes back. Our Pattern on density vs firmness has the long version. Then the workshop asked the question nobody had asked yet: how will the backs be mounted?
The buyer chose a French cleat. That meant each back needed a solid MDF backing to hang from. Decide the mounting first, dear; it changes how the backs are built. More on hanging and sizing backs under backrest cushions.
Reading the terrace: one coral, said twice
Now the photograph, which is the happy ending of a different project.
A whitewashed masonry bench runs along a terracotta-tiled terrace. The seat is a coral-and-white stripe, running front to back, and it draws the eye down the whole length of the banquette cushion. The backs are solid coral. Along the seat's front edge runs contrast piping in that same solid coral, and that welt is what stitches the two fabrics into one idea.
Plain backs give the stripe room to breathe, and they look softer against the rough wall than a second pattern would. Both fabrics come from the water-repellent membrane family, a sensible choice under an open sky.
Everything else sits in the same warm range. Bougainvillea spills over the wall and pushes the coral warmer. A clay jug on a rustic stool repeats the tile at a small scale, with a glass tumbler beside it for scale of a different kind. Nothing competes, so nothing needs fixing.
On any white built-in, pick one warm color and use it twice, once patterned and once plain. More terrace ideas live under patio and porch cushions. What warm color do your tiles or pots already bring to the party?
Pinned by Maggie: five marks along the terrace
Five pins follow the coral stripe seat, its solid coral piping, the plain backs, the bougainvillea over the wall and the clay jug on its stool.
- Coral stripe seat
The wide stripe runs front to back and draws the eye along the whole banquette.
- Solid coral piping
Plain coral piping picks up the back cushion fabric and ties the two together.
- Solid coral back cushions
Plain backs give the stripe room to breathe and look softer against the rough wall.
- Bougainvillea over the wall
Magenta flowers push the coral warmer and frame the corner.
- Earthenware jug on stool
The clay jug repeats the tile and cushion colors at a small scale.
- Coral stripe seatThe wide stripe runs front to back and draws the eye along the whole banquette.
- Solid coral pipingPlain coral piping picks up the back cushion fabric and ties the two together.
- Solid coral back cushionsPlain backs give the stripe room to breathe and look softer against the rough wall.
- Bougainvillea over the wallMagenta flowers push the coral warmer and frame the corner.
- Earthenware jug on stoolThe clay jug repeats the tile and cushion colors at a small scale.
My checklist before ordering wall-hung backs
- Measure the seats first, then the backs; a back on the long run loses the depth of the one it meets in the corner.
- Name the mounting before anything is cut: a French cleat means each back gets a solid MDF backing.
- Ask for density and firmness as two separate answers; high-density foam can still be medium firm.
- Choose the back height against the seat, not against the wall.
- Decide on channel tufting before pricing; a tufted back is a different build from a plain one.
On the cutting table: the coral terrace
| Product | Banquette seat cushion with separate back cushions |
|---|---|
| Seat fabric | Coral and white stripe, water-repellent membrane |
| Back fabric | Solid coral, same family |
| Piping | Solid coral along the seat edge |
| Edge | Box edge |
| Stripe direction | Front to back |
| Bench | Whitewashed masonry on terracotta tile |
| L banquette in the story | 60 x 84 in (152 x 213 cm), 24 in (61 cm) deep |
| Wall-hung backs | Cleat mounting on a solid MDF backing |
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.
On a white built-in banquette, use one warm color twice: coral stripe on the seat, solid coral on the backs, and solid coral piping to join them.
Maggie
Questions buyers ask next
Can a banquette mix a striped seat with solid back cushions?
Yes, and it often looks calmer than two patterns. Keep both fabrics in one color family, as with coral stripe and solid coral here, and run piping in the solid color along the seat edge to tie the pieces together.
What is the difference between foam density and firmness?
Density is how much foam material is packed into a given volume; firmness is how hard the foam feels when you sit on it. They are separate choices, so high-density foam can still be made medium firm, as one buyer requested.
How are wall-mounted banquette backrests usually hung?
A cleat is a common method: two interlocking angled strips, one on the wall and one on the back. For that, each backrest needs a solid MDF backing, so tell the maker how the backs will hang before they are built.
Stitch straight — Maggie
More photographs to read
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