A Reading by ÉlodieWindow Seat Cushions
A French blue cabana stripe window seat cushion made for the long afternoon
Wide blue stripes, a tray of books, a fringed throw. I read this sunny nook the way you would sit in it: for hours, with a mug going cold at your elbow.
SaveThe quick answer
A window seat cushion for long sitting needs a square box edge, a stripe that wraps that edge cleanly, and back support you can move. Here a French blue cabana stripe with self piping keeps the front edge crisp, a grain-sack lumbar and a chambray pillow carry the back, and a flat tray holds the mug steady. For a notched recess, send a drawing first.
New Orleans ·
My friends,
A letter from the window seat, written in the third hour
The best window seat cushion is the one you forget you are sitting on by the second chapter. This one, in French blue and white, earns that.
Look at the proportion first. The cushion runs the full length of the white cabinet and stops flush at the front, so the knees rest on a square box edge instead of a soft, sloping lip. The stripes are wide, true cabana stripes, and the self piping is cut from the same cloth, so each blue band travels over the edge without a break. A contrast welt would have drawn a hard line across the lap of whoever sits there.
The light is morning light from the garden side, and it is kind to this blue. In full sun, French blue still reads as blue, where a paler sky blue would drift toward white. The white stripe throws the light back up onto the page of your book. The brass bar pulls below add the only warm metal, a small glint at ankle height.
For long sitting, the pillows matter as much as the cushion. The chambray pillow repeats the stripe's blue as a solid, so the eye can rest. The grain-sack lumbar repeats it again in a narrow stripe: one wide, one narrow, one color. That lumbar is the one to tuck behind the small of your back when the afternoon stretches out.
Stripes like these live on our striped cotton and ticking shelf, and the shapes live under window seat cushions. How many hours does your nook hold you on a good day?
Pinned by Élodie: five places the eye sits down
Five pins follow the nook from the chambray pillow and the grain-sack lumbar to the tray, the fringed throw and the wide cabana stripe on the box edge.
- Chambray pillow
Solid chambray repeats the stripe's blue without adding more pattern.
- Grain-sack lumbar
A narrow stripe in the same blue mixes scale, not color.
- Tray with mug
A flat tray keeps the mug and books steady on the cushion.
- Fringed throw
Warm oatmeal fringe softens the cool blue and white palette.
- Wide cabana stripe
Wide stripes wrap the box edge continuously thanks to self piping.
- Chambray pillowSolid chambray repeats the stripe's blue without adding more pattern.
- Grain-sack lumbarA narrow stripe in the same blue mixes scale, not color.
- Tray with mugA flat tray keeps the mug and books steady on the cushion.
- Fringed throwWarm oatmeal fringe softens the cool blue and white palette.
- Wide cabana stripeWide stripes wrap the box edge continuously thanks to self piping.
What each prop does for a long sit
- Fringed oatmeal throw: for the moment the sun leaves the glass and the cabinet corner turns cool. Its warm fringe also softens all that crisp blue and white.
- Wooden tray with books and a mug: a cushion has no hard top, and a flat tray keeps the coffee level while you turn pages.
- Ivory linen pillow: a plain rest for the eye between two blues.
- Grain-sack stripe lumbar: support at the small of the back, in a narrow stripe that answers the wide one.
- Jute rug: a warm, rough floor under bare feet, so the palette is not all cool.
The recess that measured 19¾ inches deep
A buyer wrote to the workshop about a window seat with a cut-out recess. She had measured the recess at 19¾ x 31¼ in (50 x 79.5 cm) and wanted the cushion a little bigger, about 20½ x 35 in (52 x 89 cm). She was firm that the depth had to be at least 20 in (51 cm). The fabric was a deep parliament blue.
The workshop asked for a drawing, because the numbers alone could not say which edges should sit inside the recess and which should reach past it onto the ledge.
When the cushion arrived, it did not suit the seat. She told the workshop, very graciously, that the measuring had been her own and that she would use the cushion elsewhere. The workshop offered to make her a new one all the same.
I keep this story close. A sketch with arrows, one on every edge that should overhang, takes five minutes. Our Pattern on measuring a window seat cushion shows where the arrows go.
Buyer questions: notches, backrests and a bench that stays put
- A common question
If I add a corner notch to my bench cushion, will it cost more?
The workshop's answerNot for the notch itself. On the custom-shape listing, the price follows the size range you choose, and the corner shape adds nothing. The custom-shape listing is priced above the rectangle listing, though, so a notched cushion ordered on the rectangle listing ends up with a difference to settle.
- A common question
Can I order only the backrest cushions for the teddy sofa, without the seats?
The workshop's answerYes, backrests are made on their own. Each L-shaped backrest measures 39 x 39 in (100 x 100 cm) along the L and stands 15 in (38 cm) high, and a single straight backrest can be ordered with or without a metal support bar. A cover for a bottom cushion can join the same order.
- A common question
Can my entryway bench cushion have a grippy, non-slip underside?
The workshop's answerYes, cushions can be made with an anti-slip base. One recent quote was for a 57¾ x 15¼ in (146.5 x 39 cm) entry bench cushion in velvet with a non-slip underside.
On the cutting table: the cabana stripe nook
| Product | Window seat cushion, rectangle, one piece |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Wide cabana stripe cotton, French blue and white |
| Edge | Box edge, square at the front |
| Piping | Self piping cut from the stripe |
| Pillows | Ivory linen, chambray blue, grain-sack stripe lumbar |
| Throw | Fringed oatmeal |
| Setting | White cabinet window seat with brass bar pulls, garden side |
| Best for | Reading, laptop mornings and slow coffee in a sunny nook |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Élodie’s workshop
Color is easier to settle in a conversation than on a screen. Tell the workshop about the room and the light it gets, and the fabric choice follows. — 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.
Questions buyers ask next
Which pillows make a striped window seat comfortable for a long read?
One solid pillow in the stripe's color and one lumbar in a narrower stripe of that same color. The solid rests the eye, and the lumbar can be tucked behind the small of the back when you settle in for the afternoon.
Does a wide cabana stripe need contrast piping on a box-edge window seat?
No. Self piping cut from the same stripe lets each band run over the edge without a break. Contrast piping outlines the cushion, which suits a solid fabric better than a bold two-color stripe.
How do I keep a mug steady on a window seat cushion?
Use a flat wooden tray. A cushion has no hard surface, so a tray spreads the weight and gives cups and books a level base. A low rim lets you slide it onto the ledge when you stand up.
Should a window seat cushion be bigger than the recess it sits in?
Only on the edges you choose. Draw the recess, mark each side that should overhang onto the ledge, and send the sketch with your numbers. A cushion sized up on every side may not sit flat in a cut-out.
With color and care — Élodie
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