CushionGuide
Get a quote

A Reading by MaggieDining Chair Cushions & Pads

Forest green velvet chair cushions with ties on four bentwood chairs, and how to keep pads in place

A chair pad that slides ends up on the floor, usually under the dog. Here are four that stay put, and the reasons they do.

Read by

The Piping Queen of NewportPublished Updated 4 min read

Four bentwood cross-back chairs with forest green velvet seat cushions and off-white piping around a small oak dining tableSave
Ordering the full set keeps the piping line identical at every place, which matters most when chairs are seen together.

The quick answer

A chair cushion with ties stays in place on open-backed chairs like bentwood cross-backs, because the ties wrap the rear posts. A non-slip base suits solid seats with nothing to tie to. Both can be chosen at checkout or added later through a separate payment link, and ties in the cover color nearly disappear.

Newport ·

Dear chair-pad chaser,

Four pads, one welt line, and ribbons you can barely see

You asked, more or less, how to stop a chair pad from wandering. Look at this photograph from above and you will see the answer, tied in green.

Four bentwood cross-back chairs circle a square oak table. Each has a forest green velvet pad with an off-white welt. Bentwood seats are shaped, so every pad is cut with a rounded front that follows the frame. The ties are ribbons in the body green. They wrap the rear posts and all but disappear.

A straight welt is a kind of honesty, and here it repeats at every place: the same off-white outline, the same curve, four times over. That is what makes a set look finished instead of collected. My tip is to make a paper template of one seat and repeat it, rather than measuring each chair and getting four slightly different answers.

The table carries two stoneware mugs and one folded linen napkin, nothing more. The gray-green shaker dresser and the white panel radiator stay in the background, and the color is left to the cushions. If you have a set of your own to dress, start with our dining chair cushions.

Pinned around the oak table

Five pins around the table, from the front-right pad to the far chair, and the part each one plays.

Pinned: Four bentwood cross-back chairs with forest green velvet seat cushions and off-white piping around a small oak dining table
  1. Front-right cushion

    Each seat is cut with a rounded front to follow the bentwood frame.

  2. Green ribbon tie

    Ties in the body green wrap the rear post and almost disappear.

  3. Front-left cushion

    The same welt line repeats at every place, which is what makes a set look finished.

  4. Mugs and linen

    Two mugs and one napkin leave the color to the cushions.

  5. Far chair cushion

    Seen at the back of the table, the fourth pad closes the green ring.

  1. Front-right cushionEach seat is cut with a rounded front to follow the bentwood frame.
  2. Green ribbon tieTies in the body green wrap the rear post and almost disappear.
  3. Front-left cushionThe same welt line repeats at every place, which is what makes a set look finished.
  4. Mugs and linenTwo mugs and one napkin leave the color to the cushions.
  5. Far chair cushionSeen at the back of the table, the fourth pad closes the green ring.

Ties, a non-slip base, or both

TiesNon-slip base
Holds the pad byWrapping the rear posts of the chairGripping the seat from underneath
SuitsOpen backs and spindles: bentwood, cross-back, farmhouseSolid seats and benches with no posts
How to orderAt checkout, or written in the personalization noteAt checkout
Forgot it?Added later on a separate payment linkAdded later on a separate payment link
CareRibbons can match the cover or the pipingTake the grip layer off before washing and only wipe it

Both can go on the same pad. And ask where the zipper sits: at the back edge, between the posts, it stays out of sight. More in zipper placement.

A real project

Six trapezoid seats and a form with one photo slot

A buyer in the US was setting up a new kitchen with six trapezoid chair seats: 18 in (46 cm) across the front, 16 in (41 cm) across the back and 17 in (43 cm) deep. The order form allowed one photo upload, and they had three measurement photos.

So they merged the three into one image, uploaded it, and sent it again by message. They chose brown velvet 110 with cream piping and matching cream ties in 105.

Six chairs, three photos, one slot, and not a measurement lost. That is how a set arrives right. If your chairs narrow toward the back like these, see measuring dining chair pads.

Sizes
18 in front, 16 in back, 17 in deep (46/41/43 cm)
Fabric
Velvet 110 brown; piping and ties 105 cream

The lesson: When the form takes one photo, merge your measurement photos into one image and send it by message as well.

Add-ons, ottomans and piping:

  1. A common question

    I forgot to add the non-slip base and ties at checkout. Can I still get them?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. They can be picked at checkout, or the workshop sends a separate payment link afterward. A custom link shows sold out once it has been paid, which simply means the payment went through.

  2. A common question

    Is the ottoman attached to the corner floor sofa, and does it come with it?

    The workshop's answer

    The corner sofa listing includes the ottoman, and a lower-priced listing leaves it out. The ottoman is a separate piece, not attached at all, so it can sit on either side, and it may arrive in its own package.

  3. A common question

    Do you charge extra for piping?

    The workshop's answer

    No. Same-color piping costs nothing extra, and quoted prices already include it.

A chair cushion with ties stays put on a bentwood chair because the ties wrap the rear posts; on a solid seat with no posts, a non-slip base does the job.

Maggie
Share on X (opens a new window)

The chair pads, on the cutting table

CushionDining chair pads, box edge, rounded front for a bentwood seat
FabricForest green velvet (code 125)
PipingContrast, off-white
FasteningGreen ribbon ties at the two rear posts
Other optionsNon-slip base; ties can also go on the bottom by request
Piping costSame-color piping at no extra charge
SetFour identical pads cut from one template
Best forBentwood, cross-back and spindle dining chairs

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Maggie’s workshop

I once cut a lovely cushion two inches short, and I have not forgotten it. That is why the workshop goes over your measurements with you on the phone. — Maggie

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
Forest green velvet (code 125)
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Contrast, off-white
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

Where do the ties go on a bentwood dining chair pad?

At the back corners, where the pad meets the rear posts. On a bentwood cross-back, each tie wraps one of the two rear posts. If your chair needs ties somewhere else, say so in the personalization note when you order.

Can one paper template fit a whole set of identical chairs?

Yes. Make a template of one seat and repeat it rather than measuring every chair. Identical chairs cut from one pattern get the same welt line at every place, which is what makes a set of pads look finished.

Is velvet a practical choice for dining chair pads?

Velvet is among the easiest of the workshop's fabrics to spot-clean, which is why the workshop suggests it for homes with children. A mid-dark shade like forest green also hides crumbs better than a pale one.

Stitch straight — Maggie

P.S. Six chairs and only one photo slot on the form? Put all your measurement photos into one image, then send the same image by message too. Belt and suspenders.

More velvet seats and chair pads to read

Forest green and white striped box cushion on a simple oak chair in an entrance hall with coats, shoes and a coir matSave
A spot to sit and pull on boots; the bold stripe turns a plain hall chair into a small welcome.
Plum velvet seat cushion with teal-gray piping and ties on a walnut chair at a dresser with round brass mirror and perfumesSave
Plum and teal are both jewel tones, so the contrast piping feels rich rather than loud.
Teal velvet chair cushion with off-white piping on a white slatted chair in a breakfast corner by a garden doorSave
Pulled back to show the whole chair, the cushion's thickness balances the tall slatted back.
Top-down view of a turquoise velvet seat cushion with off-white piping on a white slat-back chair beside a linen-draped tableSave
From above you can see how the cushion is cut to the seat, with a straight back edge that sits tight to the slats.
Teal velvet box cushion with off-white piping on a white slatted dining chair, more matching chairs and garden doors behindSave
Repeated across the set, the teal seats pull the garden greens indoors.
Cranberry velvet box cushion with off-white piping tied to a pine slat-back farmhouse chair on a sisal rug by a pine tableSave
Velvet on scrubbed pine is an easy country pairing; the off-white piping keeps the red from looking heavy.