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Five box cushions fanned on oak boards in ivory, olive, burgundy, aqua and emerald velvet, each with contrast pipingSave
Fanned out on oak, five piped cushions read like a color card for pairing body fabric with piping.

A Reading by ÉlodieReplacement Cushion Covers

Five velvet cushions fanned on oak: custom cushion covers, piping pairs and the turning year

Fanned like a hand of cards, five cushions become a color chart. Each piping choice is a small lesson, and each lesson has a season.

Read by

The Colorist of New OrleansPublished Updated 4 min read

Swatch strip measured from the photograph

  • sand#c2a37c28%
  • espresso#2f271e24%
  • sand#cdaf8b20%
  • camel#9f856219%
  • oatmeal#d3c5ac8%

The quick answer

Custom cushion covers let one cushion change with the seasons: zip off an ivory velvet with gray piping for summer and zip on emerald with coral piping for the holidays. Spare cover sets are sold separately, can be sized to a custom cushion, and wash inside out at no more than 86°F (30°C) with a mild detergent.

The hand of five, with its piping

Five velvet bodies, five cords, and the oak they were laid on.

  • Ivory velvet, gray piping#EDE6D6The quietest pair. High summer, pale benches, bright rooms.
  • Olive velvet, mustard piping#6B6A2FTonal and rich without contrast. The first cool evenings of fall.
  • Burgundy velvet, ivory piping#6D1F2BThe classic, crisp against deep pile. Winter by lamplight.
  • Aqua velvet, pink piping#76B9B4A playful flash on a cool ground. Spring, windows open.
  • Emerald velvet, coral piping#1E6A4EWarm cord on jewel green makes the edge glow. The holidays.
  • Oak floorboards#B9894FThe honey ground that shows how each would sit on a wooden bench.

Reading the fan, pale end to jewel end

The photograph is a flat lay from above: five box cushions fanned across warm oak boards, soft overhead light, nothing else in the frame. It looks casual. It is a color card, my friends.

Read it from the left. Gray on ivory is a whisper. Mustard on olive stays inside one family, so it looks rich without shouting. Ivory on burgundy is the classic, a crisp line around deep pile. Then two flashes: pink on aqua, coral on emerald. Velvet catches light at its edges, so each color reads deepest right beside the piping, which is exactly where the contrast sits. The eye sits down first, and it sits down on the edge.

The oak is not a backdrop; it is a test. Cushions laid on the wood they will live on tell you more than any screen.

Now turn the year. The velvet is the same cloth in July and December, but the room around it is not. High white summer light suits the pale pair. Low amber fall sun loves olive and mustard. Winter is lamplight, and burgundy and emerald glow in it. Spring wants the aqua back. You don't need five cushions for that; you need one cushion and a drawer of custom cushion covers.

The cloth is filed under velvet, a later cover set matches better once you know about dye lots, and sofas and benches wait under living room cushions. Which season does your living room look best in?

Where each cord meets its velvet

Five pins, one on each pairing, pale to jewel.

Pinned: Five box cushions fanned on oak boards in ivory, olive, burgundy, aqua and emerald velvet, each with contrast piping
  1. Gray on ivory

    The quietest pairing, ideal for a pale bench.

  2. Mustard on olive

    A tonal pairing that looks rich without contrast.

  3. Ivory on burgundy

    The classic option, crisp against deep velvet.

  4. Pink on aqua

    A playful flash on a cool velvet.

  5. Coral on emerald

    Warm cord against jewel green makes the edge glow.

  1. Gray on ivoryThe quietest pairing, ideal for a pale bench.
  2. Mustard on oliveA tonal pairing that looks rich without contrast.
  3. Ivory on burgundyThe classic option, crisp against deep velvet.
  4. Pink on aquaA playful flash on a cool velvet.
  5. Coral on emeraldWarm cord against jewel green makes the edge glow.
A real project

One floor sofa, two wardrobes

A buyer in the US wanted one floor sofa with two personalities: a white canvas look, and a black velvet option. They ordered swatches first, which arrived in about 3 to 5 days, then chose one filled sofa in the white canvas and an extra cover set in black velvet.

Then the wrong thing arrived: two full sofas in the wrong colors. The workshop made the two correct cover sets and shipped them before the buyer's travel date.

The fix worked because the plan was sound. Zip-off covers are what let one sofa have two looks, and the fabric codes were already in writing, so nobody had to guess what white or black meant.

Sizes
Standard floor sofa; one filled set plus one extra cover set
Fabric
White canvas; black velvet

The lesson: Order swatches first and write down the fabric codes; interchangeable zip covers let one sofa have two looks.

Spare covers, washing, and a bolster to match

  1. A common question

    Do you sell spare or replacement covers, so I can change the sofa's color later?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, there is a covers-only listing: full extra sets, a single side, or just the pillow and armrest covers. Single ottoman covers are available too, and extra covers can be made to the size of a customized sofa.

  2. A common question

    How should I wash the cushion covers?

    The workshop's answer

    Zip the fabric off the cushions and mattresses, turn it inside out, and wash at no more than 86°F (30°C) with a mild or extra-gentle detergent.

  3. A common question

    Could I add a matching round bolster to my bench cushion, even after the fact?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Send the diameter, length, quantity and fabric code, and it goes on your quote or on a separate link later. One was 6 in (15 cm) across and 67.5 in (171.5 cm) long in matching linen. Slim seats suit bolsters too: a 2 in (5 cm) cushion 70 in (178 cm) long was paired with 8 in and 6 in (20 and 15 cm) bolsters of the same length.

Velvet reads deepest right beside its piping, so the cord color changes the whole cushion. Lay the swatch and the cord on your own bench wood before choosing.

Élodie
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The five covers, specified

CoversZippered box cushion covers in velvet
PairingsIvory and gray, olive and mustard, burgundy and ivory, aqua and pink, emerald and coral
PipingContrast cord in every seam
Spare setsSold separately; can be sized to a custom cushion
WashingInside out, 86°F (30°C) at most, mild detergent
Add-onsMatching bolsters in any diameter and length, now or later
SwatchesOrder first; one set arrived in about 3 to 5 days
Best forRooms that change with the season

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Élodie’s workshop

Describe the room at four in the afternoon: the floor, the wall, the one color you love. That is where a good fabric choice begins. — Élodie

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
Zippered box cushion covers in velvet
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Contrast cord in every seam
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

Which piping color suits a pale velvet cushion?

A quiet one. Gray on ivory keeps a pale cushion calm and suits a light bench or a bright room. Save contrast cords like coral or pink for deeper or cooler velvets, where the cord has something to glow against.

Does velvet change color through the year?

The cloth doesn't; the light does. High summer light pushes velvet toward its palest, low fall sun warms it, and winter lamplight deepens jewel tones like burgundy and emerald. Check swatches in the light of the season you care about most.

For a seasonal change, is a second cushion or a second cover the better buy?

A second cover. The foam stays put, the cover zips off, and the spare can be washed while the other is in use. Keep a note of your fabric codes so a later set matches the first.

With color and care — Élodie

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