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A Reading by ÉlodieReplacement Cushion Covers

A forest green bouclé cushion cover, opened at its hidden side zipper

Élodie reads a looped forest bouclé on a walnut bench at the one moment it shows its secret: the side seam unzipped, a white inner layer peeking through.

The quick answer

A bouclé cushion cover can hide its zipper completely when the zipper sits in the seam of the side boxing strip: once closed, the loops lean over the tape and the front reads seamless. A deep color like forest green helps, because shadow in the seam hides the rest. The zippered cover then comes off for cleaning while the inner layer stays on.

Read by

The Colorist of New OrleansPublished Updated 5 min read

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Pinned by Élodie: four points on an open seam

Four pins, from the antique brass pull in the side seam to the walnut rail beneath.

Pinned: Forest green bouclé bench cushion with its concealed side zipper partly open, showing a white inner layer
  1. Antique brass zipper pull

    A metal pull tucked into the side seam lets the cover come off for cleaning without showing on the front.

  2. White inner layer

    A white inner layer shows through the gap; the outer bouclé zips off over it.

  3. Forest bouclé top

    Deep forest loops close over the zipper line so it almost vanishes when shut.

  4. Walnut rail

    Walnut under dark green keeps the bench low-contrast and calm.

  1. Antique brass zipper pullA metal pull tucked into the side seam lets the cover come off for cleaning without showing on the front.
  2. White inner layerA white inner layer shows through the gap; the outer bouclé zips off over it.
  3. Forest bouclé topDeep forest loops close over the zipper line so it almost vanishes when shut.
  4. Walnut railWalnut under dark green keeps the bench low-contrast and calm.

How bouclé feels, and why it hides a zipper so well

Bouclé is a cloth of small loops. Under the palm it feels nubby and soft at once, like a lamb's fleece that has been tidied. Light doesn't slide off it the way it slides off velvet; it catches in every loop and scatters. That scatter is the secret here, my friends.

The zipper on this bouclé cover is set into the seam of the side boxing strip. Closed, the loops on either side lean over the tape and close the line. The deep forest color adds its own help: the seam sits in shadow, and shadow in forest green is nearly black. From the front, the cushion reads seamless.

Here it is caught half open. An antique brass pull. A white inner layer showing through the gap, which stays on the insert when the bouclé comes away. That is the whole promise of a zippered cover: the looped outer layer can come off for cleaning without disturbing what's inside.

On the cutting table: the forest cover

ProductZippered cushion cover for a bench pad
FabricBouclé, forest green loops
ZipperSet into the side boxing seam, antique brass pull
EdgeBox edge, no piping
InsideWhite inner layer stays on the insert
HandNubby, soft, light-scattering loops
CareCover comes off; snip pulled loops level, never tug
Best forBenches shared with pets or children

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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
Bouclé, forest green loops
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
No piping
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

Forest on walnut, with the contrast turned down

The color is a true forest, a green with black in its shadows and a little moss where light hits the loops. Set on a walnut bench, it keeps the contrast low and the mood warm, the way a library feels at four in the afternoon. The walnut rail stays soft in the background so the eye goes to one detail only: the open seam.

For wear, loops ask for a little care. A ring, a buckle or a cat's claw can pull one. Snip a pulled loop level rather than tugging it, and read the Pattern on bouclé snags and care before a first clean. Where pets or children share the bench, ask for a removable zippered cover on any bench or window seat cushion. It is the difference between cleaning a cover and living with a stain.

The eye sits down first. What color would your bench ask for?

A real project

A tapered velvet cover, and where its zipper had to wrap

A buyer wrote to the workshop for a velvet cover only, to fit an insert they already owned: 23.5 in (60 cm) long, 17.5 in (44.5 cm) wide at one end, 20 in (51 cm) at the other, and 5 in (12.5 cm) deep.

The workshop drew a symmetric tapered diagram and asked for a sketch if one side was actually straight. Then it placed the zipper at the narrow end and carried it around the corner, so the cover could slide on over the wider end. A later mix-up pointed the buyer to the trapezoid listing, which includes foam. The workshop honored its first quote on a private listing, in deep navy velvet with matching piping as before.

For tapered covers, say whether the taper runs on both sides or one, and where the zipper should wrap. The trapezoid cushion calculator helps draw the shape, and custom cushion covers are made in any size.

Buyer questions: other brands, retired codes, vintage foam

  1. A common question

    Could you make replacement covers in custom sizes for a sofa I bought from another brand?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, covers can be made in any size. Give each part's dimensions in the personalization box, for example an 80 x 39.25 x 7 in (203 x 100 x 18 cm) base and 39.25 x 39.25 x 10.75 in (100 x 100 x 27 cm) L-shaped cushions. Custom covers take slightly longer to make, and the workshop may ask for a photo of the sofa to get the fit right.

  2. A common question

    Is every code on the fabric chart still available?

    The workshop's answer

    Not always. One patterned base code had been discontinued, and the workshop said the chart would be updated; the other codes in that series were available, and close-ups were sent. A fabric spotted in the background of a photo was out of stock, so it wasn't offered.

  3. A common question

    Can you make new covers for the foam inserts from my vintage sofa?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Send photos of the current fabric color and the exact size of each insert; one buyer had three 5 x 23.5 x 29 in (13 x 60 x 74 cm) inserts wrapped in 1 in of Dacron. The workshop then quotes the replacement covers and can suggest the velvet code closest to your existing color.

A zipper set into the side seam of a bouclé cover disappears when closed: the loops lean over the tape and the front reads seamless.

Élodie
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Questions buyers ask next

What should I do when a loop pulls on a bouclé cover?

Snip it level with the surface instead of tugging, which can draw the loop longer. Rings, buckles and claws are the usual causes, so a removable cover on a shared bench is worth asking for.

Can the zipper on a cushion cover be completely hidden?

Nearly. Set into the seam of the side boxing strip, a zipper tucks under the fabric when closed. On a looped cloth like bouclé, and in a deep color, it all but disappears from the front.

Where should the zipper go on a tapered cushion cover?

At the narrow end, carried around the corner, so the cover slides on over the wider end. Tell the workshop whether the taper runs on both sides or only one before the pattern is drawn.

Why pick a dark bouclé for a bench with pets or kids?

Deep colors like forest green hide shadow, seams and everyday marks better than pale loops, and a zippered cover means the bouclé can come off for cleaning instead of being scrubbed in place.

With color and care — Élodie