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A Reading by NateBay Window Cushions

A curved black bay window seat cushion, read for thickness and depth

A cat asleep on a cushion is the most honest scale bar in a photograph. This one says the seat is deep and the pillows work harder than they look.

The quick answer

On a bay window seat cushion, thickness and depth trade against each other: each inch of cushion raises the seat an inch, and each back pillow takes its own thickness out of the depth. Four inches (10 cm) is the standard thickness, and 3 in keeps a window seat lower and neater. On a 23 in deep seat, 4 in back pillows leave 19 in to sit on.

Read by

The Pattern Engineer of DetroitPublished Updated 4 min read

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The curve, the cat and the lamp

A curved oak bay, leaded glass, dark green walls, and one black cushion following the bend in a single sweep. The front edge was cut from a paper template of the seat, and black makes the curve read as one clean line.

Olive and oatmeal pillows alternate around the bend, so the eye travels the full length. The brass arc lamp leans over the far end, where the reader sits, and a small oak table there holds a book and a brass tankard, the only bright metal in the room. The tuxedo cat nearly vanishes on the black. Call that a vote for the fabric.

Pinned by Nate

Five pins around the bend, from the curved front edge to the lamp.

Pinned: Curved black window seat cushion on an oak bay in a green library with a tuxedo cat, olive pillows and a brass arc lamp
  1. Curved cushion front

    The front edge follows a smooth curve, cut from a paper template of the seat.

  2. Tuxedo cat

    A black-and-white cat almost vanishes on the black seat.

  3. Oatmeal pillow

    Oatmeal and olive pillows alternate around the bend.

  4. Brass arc lamp

    The lamp arches over the end of the seat where the reader sits.

  5. Side table

    A small oak table at the seat's end holds a book and brass tankard.

  1. Curved cushion frontThe front edge follows a smooth curve, cut from a paper template of the seat.
  2. Tuxedo catA black-and-white cat almost vanishes on the black seat.
  3. Oatmeal pillowOatmeal and olive pillows alternate around the bend.
  4. Brass arc lampThe lamp arches over the end of the seat where the reader sits.
  5. Side tableA small oak table at the seat's end holds a book and brass tankard.

Height and depth, in two sums

Seat height is platform height plus cushion thickness. Every inch of cushion raises the sitter an inch, so plan with the full number. The standard is 4 in (10 cm); 3 in keeps a window seat lower and trimmer.

Depth runs the other way. Standard back pillows are about 16 in (40 cm) tall and 4 in (10 cm) thick, and each one takes its thickness out of the seat. On a 23 in (58 cm) deep bay, that leaves 19 in (48 cm) to sit on: a real reading seat, not a ledge. How deep is your bay, wall to front edge?

Run your own numbers in the seat height calculator, and trace the curve the way the curved cushion guide shows. Angles are just lengths in disguise, partner. So are curves. More shapes live under bay window cushions.

Back pillows eat seat depth: on a 23 in deep bay seat, a row of 4 in thick pillows leaves 19 in to sit on.

Nate
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A real project

A nine-foot bay, sketched and quoted

A buyer sent a sketch of a trapezoid bay seat about 9 ft wide: a 107 1/2 in back edge, a 55 in front edge, two 32 1/2 in angled sides and a 23 in depth. The workshop quoted it and laid out the options: 2, 3, 4 or 5 in thick, piping in any color included, and a removable cover that washes at 86°F (30°C), no dryer. The price was more than the buyer had planned for.

I ran the sketch anyway. If that bay is symmetric, those edges and that depth want sides of about 34 7/8 in, not 32 1/2 in. Either the bay leans or a tape slipped, which is what the drawing check before cutting is for.

Sizes
107 1/2 in back, 55 in front, 32 1/2 in sides, 23 in deep

The lesson: Large trapezoid bay seats are priced as custom shapes; get a quote before designing a room around one piece.

Sketches, stuffing and a quote

  1. A common question

    On my trapezoid sketch, which number do you follow: the depth, or the side length I wrote?

    The workshop's answer

    A 68 in top, a 110 in bottom and a 23 in depth give sides of about 31 in, not the 32 in on the sketch; a 1 in slip is common with hand measuring. The workshop asks which number to keep. Here the 23 in depth stayed, and the sides were cut at 31 in.

  2. A common question

    One backrest has a small rip and stuffing is coming out. What's inside?

    The workshop's answer

    Shredded foam, which the workshop finds lasts longer in use. Stray bits vacuum up easily, and a replacement cover was sent for the torn one.

  3. A common question

    If I send my measurements, can you quote a custom window seat cushion?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Send the sizes and the workshop replies with a price and a purchase link made for your order.

On the cutting table

CushionCurved bay window seat cushion, one piece, box edge
FabricBlack performance weave
PipingSelf, in the same black
Thickness2, 3, 4 or 5 in (5 to 12.5 cm); 4 in (10 cm) standard
FoamAbout 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³), firm to medium-firm
Back pillowsShredded foam in an inner cover, about 16 x 4 in (40 x 10 cm)
CareZipped cover, 86°F (30°C) gentle cycle, no dryer

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Nate’s workshop

Precision starts on the phone. Give the workshop your measurements and they will read them back to you, edge by edge. — Nate

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
Black performance weave
Foam
About 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³), firm to medium-firm
Piping
Self, in the same black
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 bay seat used for long reading sessions?

Four inches (10 cm) is the standard most buyers keep. Three inches sits lower and neater, and 5 in (12.5 cm) is the deepest standard option.

Can a curved window seat cushion be made in one piece?

Gentle curves, yes, from a paper template or a drawing marking the start, end, shallowest and deepest points. Strongly curved shapes may be declined, and one curved order was quoted at about 10 to 12 business days of making.

Is a performance weave a good idea where a cat sleeps?

The pet-friendly chart includes a tightly woven polyester with no loops, which the workshop quotes at about 88,000 Martindale; it wipes clean and washes at 86°F (30°C). No fabric fully resists claws.

± 1/4 in — Nate