A Reading by HarlanBench Cushions
An emerald velvet bench cushion on oak, and what it borrows from outdoors
A letter to a young parent, and to anyone who thinks velvet and a hard-working bench cannot share a room.
SaveThe quick answer
An indoor velvet bench cushion can borrow the outdoor habit of building for the hardest use, from a sturdier fabric on a busy entry bench to an extra flap that covers a hard corner. The workshop attached such a flap for one parent, placed from the zipper side and sized to a 1.75 in (4.4 cm) corner. The velvet itself stays indoors.
High Point ·
My friend,
A letter about a hard corner
You wrote about a wooden bench and a baby who has just learned to crawl. Before I answer, let me show you a bench I admire, because it has the same bones as yours.
It is solid honey oak, set before floor-length oatmeal linen curtains on a faded red Persian rug. The cushion is emerald velvet with a box edge and self piping. The box band is about as deep as the oak apron below it, and that is the whole secret of its balance. Make the cushion deeper and the bench turns top-heavy; make it thinner and it looks like a placemat.
The color is chosen, not lucky. Emerald is the complement of the rug's brick reds, so the cushion comes forward without a quarrel. Self piping lets the velvet's own sheen draw the outline, and the side light through the linen does the rest. Velvet remembers the hand that brushed it, and in this light you can see every stroke.
There are only two props. A trailing pothos in a terracotta pot and saucer at one end, one vine dropping over the edge to soften the square corner. An open hardback book in the middle, asking someone to sit. One plant at one end, one book in the middle, nothing more.
Pinned by Harlan: five things on one oak bench
Five pins, from the pothos at one end to the brick-red rug beneath.
- pothos in terracotta
A plant at one end brings living green next to the emerald velvet.
- trailing vine
The vine spilling over the edge softens the cushion's square corner.
- open book
An open book in the middle of the seat invites someone to sit.
- emerald box edge
The box band is about as deep as the oak apron, so the bench looks balanced.
- vintage red rug
Brick reds in the rug are the complement that makes the green glow.
- pothos in terracottaA plant at one end brings living green next to the emerald velvet.
- trailing vineThe vine spilling over the edge softens the cushion's square corner.
- open bookAn open book in the middle of the seat invites someone to sit.
- emerald box edgeThe box band is about as deep as the oak apron, so the bench looks balanced.
- vintage red rugBrick reds in the rug are the complement that makes the green glow.
The flap for a crawling baby
A parent in the US asked the workshop to pad a bench for a crawling baby by letting the cushion cover its hard corner. The workshop agreed to sew on extra fabric, then asked two questions before cutting anything.
First, a wide-angle photo, so the flap could be placed relative to the zipper side. Second, the thickness of that corner, 1.75 in (4.4 cm), which sets how far the fabric has to drop to wrap it.
Those two questions are the whole job. Put a flap on the wrong side of the zipper and you fight it every time the cover comes off. Measure the corner, mark the zipper, then cut. In that order.
Borrowed from the porch, kept for the parlor
Outdoor cushions are built for their worst day: rain, sun, dogs, forgetfulness. Indoor cushions are built for touch and light. A good bench cushion borrows from both.
From outside, borrow the hard-use thinking. When a buyer's entry bench sat by a door with two big dogs going in and out, the workshop recommended outdoor fabric as the rugged choice. When a bench corner threatened a baby, a flap went on. Bring the living green in, too, the way that pothos does.
From inside, keep what weather would ruin. Velvet belongs where the sun comes filtered through linen. So does the open book. The velvet care pattern covers the rest.
Ask which day is the hardest your bench will see, and build for that one. Then let the velvet be velvet. What is the hardest day on yours?
Buyer questions
- A common question
Can you make my cushion from upholstery fabric I already have?
The workshop's answerYes, you can mail in your own fabric. First send a direct photo of it, not a screenshot, and say what the material is, velvet, linen and so on, so the workshop can quote and work out how much fabric is needed.
- A common question
I measured my back cushions wall to wall in a corner. Was that right?
The workshop's answerTell the workshop the measurements are wall to wall and it will adjust them: where two back cushions meet in a corner, one is made 4 in (10 cm) shorter so they do not collide.
- A common question
Could I add a matching back cushion to my window seat later on?
The workshop's answerYes. A returning buyer added a back cushion 3 in deep, 90 in long and 11 in high in the same corduroy through a custom link. Give the original fabric code so the same cloth is used.
On the cutting table
| Cushion | Bench cushion, box edge, one piece |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Emerald velvet |
| Piping | Self piping, so the sheen draws the outline |
| Box band | About as deep as the oak apron below |
| Add-on | Extra fabric flap over a hard corner, placed from the zipper side |
| Your own fabric | Accepted; send a direct photo and the material type first |
| Corner backs | One back cushion made 4 in (10 cm) shorter where two meet |
| Best for | Living rooms, halls, benches in filtered light |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Harlan’s workshop
Fabric has a temper and foam has a memory. Better to settle both in a conversation than to guess at them alone. — Harlan
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.
Size a bench cushion's box band to the bench's apron: about as deep as the wood below, and the bench looks balanced instead of top-heavy.
Harlan
Questions buyers ask next
Can a bench cushion be made to cover a hard corner?
Yes. Extra fabric can be attached as a flap. Send a wide-angle photo so it is placed relative to the zipper side, and the corner's thickness so the fabric drops far enough to wrap it.
Why self piping on velvet instead of a contrast color?
On velvet, self piping lets the fabric's own sheen draw the edge. A contrast welt adds a second line; here the side light through the linen curtains does that work instead, and the bench stays quiet.
What fabric suits an entry bench with big dogs?
For busy spots with dogs going in and out, the workshop has recommended outdoor fabric as a rugged choice, even indoors. Keep velvet for calmer rooms like this living room, where light is filtered.
How deep should a bench cushion's box band be?
Let the wood decide. Here the band is about as deep as the oak apron below, so the bench looks balanced. Much deeper and it turns top-heavy; much thinner and it looks like a placemat.
Sit well. — Harlan
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