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A Reading by HanaIKEA Kallax Bench Cushions

A forest green Kallax bench cushion that turns two cubes into a seat

A white shelf, two cubes, books on one side and board games on the other. One cushion, cut to the exact top. Then it is a bench.

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The Quiet Geometer of SeattlePublished 4 min read

Forest green piped cushion on a white two-cube IKEA Kallax, with books and board games stored in the cubes belowSave
A made-to-fit pad turns a two-cube shelf into seating while the cubes keep books and board games within reach.

The quick answer

A Kallax bench cushion should be cut to the exact footprint of the unit's top, measured to the nearest 1/8 in, so the shelf edge disappears and it reads as a bench. Custom makers cut to fractions: one kitchen banquette built from Kallax units took a cushion at 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in (39 x 146.4 cm).

Notes on a shelf that became a seat

A shelf becomes furniture the moment its edge disappears.

This Kallax bench cushion is cut to the exact footprint of a white two-cube unit. Nothing hangs over. Nothing falls short. The laminate edge is hidden, so the eye reads a bench, not storage.

The fabric is forest green from the linen-look family, with ivory contrast piping. The ivory repeats the white laminate below and the pale mounts of the two prints above. It keeps the dark green crisp at every corner.

The cushion stays slim. A thick one would change the shelf's proportions. Leave the cubes looking like cubes.

Pinned by Hana: five marks on the two-cube bench

Five pins mark the green seat, the ivory piped corner, the books, the stacked board games and the two prints centered above.

Pinned: Forest green piped cushion on a white two-cube IKEA Kallax, with books and board games stored in the cubes below
  1. Green seat on Kallax

    The cushion is cut to the exact footprint of the Kallax top, so the shelf reads as a bench.

  2. Ivory piped corner

    Ivory cord echoes the white laminate and the pale mounts of the prints above.

  3. Books in the left cube

    Upright and stacked books give the lower half texture and color.

  4. Board games stacked

    Games stored under the seat make the bench a family spot, not just decoration.

  5. Two abstract prints

    The prints hang centered over the bench and repeat the green and ivory in their artwork.

  1. Green seat on KallaxThe cushion is cut to the exact footprint of the Kallax top, so the shelf reads as a bench.
  2. Ivory piped cornerIvory cord echoes the white laminate and the pale mounts of the prints above.
  3. Books in the left cubeUpright and stacked books give the lower half texture and color.
  4. Board games stackedGames stored under the seat make the bench a family spot, not just decoration.
  5. Two abstract printsThe prints hang centered over the bench and repeat the green and ivory in their artwork.

The lower half, and the wall above

Books stand and lie in the left cube. Board games stack in the right. They give the lower half color, and they give the bench a reason. Someone sits here to choose a game.

Two abstract prints hang centered over the seat. Their artwork carries the green and ivory again. A gray linen curtain, a gray rug and an oak floor stay quiet around it all. More rooms like this sit under living room cushions.

Height is a feeling. On a cube unit it is already decided, so the cushion's only job is to be comfortable and exact. If your unit stands on legs or a plinth, check the result with the seat height calculator. What would you keep in the cubes under yours?

A shelf. A cushion. A place to sit.

A real project

15 3/8 by 57 5/8: a banquette made of shelves

A buyer in the US was turning Kallax shelving into kitchen banquette seating. They needed one cushion to fit the top of the units exactly.

They sent 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in (39 x 146.4 cm).

The workshop did not round up to whole inches. It confirmed it would cut to those fractions. Fabric and color came from the workshop's charts.

The lesson is short. Measure the top to the nearest 1/8 in and write the fraction down. There is no need to round. Our Pattern on Kallax bench cushion sizes lists the tops of each unit, and the Kallax bench builds sketch shows more of them.

Buyer questions: kids, a bed turned sofa, and covers for your own mattresses

  1. A common question

    Will your linen hold up to kids jumping and rolling on a daybed?

    The workshop's answer

    The workshop describes its linen as durable and hard-wearing. For heavy family use it also suggests its soft, easy-to-clean fabric, or velvet.

  2. A common question

    Can you make a cover that turns a single bed into a sofa?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. A fitted cover for a 35.4 x 74.8 x 9.4 in (90 x 190 x 24 cm) mattress, plus a bolster running the full 74.8 in (190 cm) length, does it. It is ordered through the bench-cushions-with-bolster listing using its custom option.

  3. A common question

    I already own mattresses, 9.8 x 35.4 x 74.8 in (25 x 90 x 190 cm). Can I order just the covers, plus filled teddy backrests?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Two unfilled mattress covers and filled backrests were quoted together through a custom option on the daybed cover listing.

Measurement table: the Kallax seat

ProductKallax bench cushion, cut to the unit's top
Unit in the photoWhite two-cube Kallax
FabricLinen-look weave, forest green
PipingIvory contrast piping
EdgeBox edge, kept slim
Measuring ruleTo the nearest 1/8 in (3 mm)
Kitchen banquette in the story15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in (39 x 146.4 cm)
Storage belowBooks and board games
Best forLiving rooms, kitchen nooks, family corners

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Hana’s workshop

Leave your numbers and the height you like to sit at. The rest is a short conversation. — Hana

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
Linen-look weave, forest green
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Ivory contrast 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

Measure a Kallax top to the nearest 1/8 in and send the fraction; a cushion cut to 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in needs no rounding.

Hana
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Questions buyers ask next

Should a Kallax cushion overhang the edge of the unit?

No. Cut it to the exact footprint of the top so the laminate edge is hidden and nothing hangs over. An overhang makes the shelf look like storage with a pad on it rather than a bench.

What piping color suits a dark green cushion on a white shelf?

Ivory works well. It repeats the white laminate and any pale picture mounts nearby, and it keeps a forest green edge crisp. A matching green welt gives a quieter outline if you prefer less contrast.

Can Kallax units be turned into a kitchen banquette?

Yes. One buyer built kitchen banquette seating from Kallax shelving and ordered a cushion cut exactly to the top, 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in (39 x 146.4 cm). The cubes below stay useful for storage.

— Hana

More photographs to read

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