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Coral and white striped water-repellent outdoor cushion on a weathered teak bench by white hydrangeas on a flagstone pathSave

A Reading by CallumBench Cushions

A coral-striped custom bench cushion on a silvered teak garden bench

A striped cushion is two decisions, not one: the color, and the width of every band. This one got both right, and it stays out all summer.

A coral awning stripe revives a silvered teak bench; the water-repellent weave suits a seat that stays outside all summer.

Read by

The Weather Man of Casco BayPublished Updated 5 min read

The quick answer

A striped outdoor bench cushion looks made for the bench when its stripes run front to back and carry straight down the boxing. On a long bench that is also how the cloth wants to be cut: it comes 55 in (140 cm) wide, so lengthwise stripes need a seam. Check stripe width on a real sample before ordering.

A coral stripe on silvered teak, read at golden hour

On an 86 in (220 cm) garden bench, a stripe can only run one way without a seam: front to back. That is exactly why this custom bench cushion looks built for the bench.

Watch the front edge. Each coral band comes over the top and straight down the boxing without a break. The boxing is deep, nearly as tall as the bench apron below it, and on a thin teak bench that depth does the work of upholstery. The piping is cut from the same stripe. No new color, just a clean outline. On a pattern this loud, a contrast welt would be one voice too many.

The teak has weathered to silver, a cool gray. White mophead hydrangeas lean in and repeat the white stripe. With everything around it cool, the coral becomes the warm center when the late sun crosses the path. Fallen petals and moss in the flagstone joints say the bench lives out here all season.

The idea to copy: pick a stripe whose light band matches your flowers or trim, and leave the wood natural. What's blooming beside your bench in July?

Pinned by Callum: five marks between petals and slats

Five pins, from the hydrangea heads down to the silvered slats under the boxing.

Pinned: Coral and white striped water-repellent outdoor cushion on a weathered teak bench by white hydrangeas on a flagstone path
  1. Coral awning stripe top

    The stripes run front to back, so each band continues straight down the front boxing.

  2. Piped top edge

    Piping cut from the same stripe keeps the outline neat without adding a new color.

  3. Deep front boxing

    A tall boxed side gives a thin teak bench the look of a properly upholstered seat.

  4. Silvered teak slats

    Gray weathered wood is a cool neutral that lets a warm coral stripe glow.

  5. White hydrangea heads

    The white flowers repeat the white stripe and tie the cushion into the planting.

  1. Coral awning stripe topThe stripes run front to back, so each band continues straight down the front boxing.
  2. Piped top edgePiping cut from the same stripe keeps the outline neat without adding a new color.
  3. Deep front boxingA tall boxed side gives a thin teak bench the look of a properly upholstered seat.
  4. Silvered teak slatsGray weathered wood is a cool neutral that lets a warm coral stripe glow.
  5. White hydrangea headsThe white flowers repeat the white stripe and tie the cushion into the planting.

How membrane cloth feels, wears and cleans

Put a hand on a water-repellent membrane fabric and it feels close and firm, a cousin of sailcloth more than sofa cloth. A summer shower beads on the surface instead of soaking into the foam.

Know what you bought, friend. Water-repellent is a promise; waterproof is a contract. A passing shower is fine. A week of rain finds the seams. Stand the cushion on its long edge after a storm so it drains, and bring it under cover when the forecast settles in wet.

Wear shows first at the front edge, where legs swing. A stripe that runs down the boxing hides that traffic line better than a solid. Day to day, cleaning is a damp cloth on the surface, and the cover should be bone dry before it goes into winter storage.

The family lives under water-repellent membrane fabrics. The difference between the two promises is in water-repellent vs waterproof cushions, and the off-season habits in outdoor cushion care and winter storage. More long seats live with our bench cushions and patio and porch cushions.

A real project

Two 86 in benches and a stripe of the wrong width

A buyer got in touch about two long garden benches that needed piped cushions: 86 5/8 x 15 3/4 in (220 x 40 cm) and 86 5/8 x 13 3/4 in (220 x 35 cm), both 4 in (10 cm) thick. The fabric was a thin green stripe, confirmed from a photo.

What arrived had green and white bands of equal width. Not the thin olive line in the picture. Same colors, different cloth.

The workshop offered new covers in any fabric from the charts and sent close-ups of nine candidates. The buyer chose one, and the remake left by the fastest express service within about a week.

The lesson is plain weather sense. With stripes, check the width of each band and the ratio between them on a real sample, not just the color in a photo. The long view is in stripe direction on striped cushions.

Buyer questions: stripes, piping and odd shapes

  1. A common question

    Will my cushion come with piping? Some of your photos have it and some don't.

    The workshop's answer

    Piping is an option you choose per order, so say whether you want it. One buyer asked for piping all round on corduroy and got it. Another, ordering a modular ottoman, wanted no visible seam on the outside and got covers made without outside piping.

  2. A common question

    Can I order a bench cushion with angled ends or rounded corners through the rectangle listing?

    The workshop's answer

    Shapes with slanted sides or rounded corners belong on the separate custom-shape listing, which is priced differently. If one comes in through the rectangle listing, the workshop asks for the difference, plus a photo of the shape drawn on paper and a photo of where it will sit. If the buyer declines, the order is cancelled and fully refunded.

  3. A common question

    Which way will the stripes run on my long striped cushion?

    The workshop's answer

    Across it. The cloth is 55 in (140 cm) wide, so long cushions get stripes running front to back by default. Stripes along the full length of a 92 in (234 cm) cushion would need two pieces joined with a seam; in that case the workshop offered to share the cost and add a bolster over the join. If a stripe is too narrow to cut piping from, a matching solid is used for the piping.

On the cutting table: the coral garden bench

PieceBox-edge garden bench cushion
FabricCoral and white awning stripe, water-repellent membrane cloth
Stripe directionFront to back, carried straight down the boxing
PipingSelf piping cut from the same stripe
EdgeDeep box edge, close to the height of the bench apron
Cloth width55 in (140 cm), so long cushions take stripes across
WeatherSheds a shower; stand on edge to drain, cover in long rain
Best forPatio, porch and garden benches that stay out all summer

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Callum’s workshop

Short list: size, sun hours, how fast it has to dry. The workshop goes through it with you. — Callum

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
Coral and white awning stripe, water-repellent membrane cloth
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Self piping cut from the same stripe
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

Striped cushion cloth 55 in (140 cm) wide puts the stripes front to back on a long bench cushion. Lengthwise stripes would need a seam.

Callum
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Questions buyers ask next

Should a water-repellent garden bench cushion stay out in the rain?

It can ride out a summer shower, which beads off the surface. Long wet spells are different, because water eventually works in through the seams. Stand the cushion on its edge to drain after a storm, and bring it under cover when rain sets in for days.

Why is the piping cut from the stripe instead of a solid color?

Self piping outlines the box edge without adding a new color, which keeps a busy awning stripe calm. On a pattern this bold, a contrast welt would compete with the bands instead of finishing them.

How thick should a cushion be for a slatted garden bench?

The two long benches in the story above took 4 in (10 cm) cushions. That depth softens the slats and gives the tall boxed front you see in the photograph, which makes a light teak bench look properly upholstered.

Does a coral stripe suit weathered gray teak?

Yes. Silvered teak is a cool neutral, so a warm coral glows against it, especially in evening light. White flowers or white trim nearby repeat the white band and tie the cushion into the garden.

Fair winds — Callum

More photographs to read

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