---
title: "Kallax Bench Cushion in Forest Green, Cut to the Eighth Inch"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/forest-green-kallax-bench-cushion-books-board-games/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Hana Lindqvist, The Quiet Geometer of Seattle"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/hana/"
published: "2026-04-22"
updated: "2026-04-22"
keywords: "kallax bench cushion, kallax cushion, bench cushion, bench cushion indoor, custom size cushion"
---

# 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.*

> **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).

![Forest green piped cushion on a white two-cube IKEA Kallax, with books and board games stored in the cubes below](https://cushionguide.com/media/ikea-kallax-cushions/forest-green-kallax-bench-cushion-books-board-games-1600.webp "A made-to-fit pad turns a two-cube shelf into seating while the cubes keep books and board games within reach.")

## Notes on a shelf that became a seat

A shelf becomes furniture the moment its edge disappears.

This [Kallax bench cushion](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/ikea-kallax-cushions/) 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](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/linen-look-fabrics/) family, with ivory [contrast piping](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#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.

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.

## 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](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/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](https://cushionguide.com/studio/seat-height-calculator/). What would you keep in the cubes under yours?

A shelf.
A cushion.
A place to sit.

## 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](https://cushionguide.com/guides/ikea-kallax-bench-cushion-sizes/) lists the tops of each unit, and the [Kallax bench builds](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/kallax-bench-cushion-builds/) sketch shows more of them.

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

**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.

**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.

**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

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Product | Kallax bench cushion, cut to the unit's top |
| Unit in the photo | White two-cube Kallax |
| Fabric | Linen-look weave, forest green |
| Piping | Ivory contrast piping |
| Edge | Box edge, kept slim |
| Measuring rule | To the nearest 1/8 in (3 mm) |
| Kitchen banquette in the story | 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in (39 x 146.4 cm) |
| Storage below | Books and board games |
| Best for | Living rooms, kitchen nooks, family corners |

> 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

> **Tailor's margin:** Keep the cushion slim on a cube shelf. The cubes should still look like cubes.

## 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.

## Related at the atelier

- [Bench Cushion Through the Seasons: Mustard on Light Oak](https://cushionguide.com/readings/mustard-bench-cushion-light-oak-drawer-bench-fig/): A mustard linen-look bench cushion works all year on a light oak drawer bench because the seat stays constant while the textiles around it change: velvet and a waffle throw in the cold months, one…
- [Custom Bench Cushion in Peacock Teal with Blush Piping](https://cushionguide.com/readings/peacock-teal-alcove-bench-cushion-blush-piping/): A custom bench cushion for a built-in alcove should be one piece cut to the exact wall-to-wall size, marked as a hard limit, and measured only after vacuum-packed foam has settled for 3 to 4 days.
- [Oatmeal Bench Cushion, Rust Piping: Color From Oak and Clay](https://cushionguide.com/readings/oatmeal-bench-cushion-rust-piping-oak-drawers/): An oatmeal linen-look bench cushion suits a chunky light-oak base because the pale, nubby weave keeps the heavy wood from looking bulky, while rust piping taken from a terracotta planter warms the…
- [Kallax bench ideas, seven ways: from kids' rooms to kitchen banquettes](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/kallax-bench-cushion-builds/): A Kallax bench cushion for the long 1x4 unit laid on its side is about 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in (39 x 146.5 cm), and the square 2x2 top is about 15 3/8 x 30 1/8 in (39 x 76.5 cm).
- [What size cushion fits on top of an IKEA Kallax used as a bench?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cube-shelf-bench-cushion-size/): A long 1x4 IKEA Kallax laid on its side has a top of about 15⅜ x 57⅝ in (39 x 146.5 cm), and that is the cushion size.
- [IKEA Kallax bench cushion sizes for every unit and combined run](https://cushionguide.com/guides/ikea-kallax-bench-cushion-sizes/): A Kallax bench cushion is 15 3/8 in (39 cm) deep on every unit, because every Kallax is 15 3/8 in deep.
- [Measuring a T-cushion for an armchair or sofa, ear to ear](https://cushionguide.com/guides/t-cushion-replacement-measuring/)

*— Hana*

---

Written by Hana Lindqvist (https://cushionguide.com/masters/hana/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/readings/forest-green-kallax-bench-cushion-books-board-games/