A Reading by MaggieBanquette & Kitchen Nook Cushions
A gold and gray pinstripe banquette cushion, and the café props around it
One long cushion, a row of marble tables, black chairs and a painted shopfront. Every one of those things is doing a job, and most of them can come home with you.
SaveThe quick answer
A built-in banquette with a tall paneled back needs only a seat cushion, cut in one piece to run the full length between the end panels. Measure between the panels at the front edge and again at the wall, since walls are not always square, and pick a stripe whose colors already live in the wood and paint around it.
Café sidewalk notes on a pinstripe banquette cushion
Start with what is missing: there is no back cushion. The banquette has a tall paneled oak back, so the only soft thing on it is one long box-edge seat cushion running from end panel to end panel. No joins, no gaps, one straight self-piped edge along the front. A straight welt is a kind of honesty, and on a bench this long it shows every wobble.
The fabric is a fine pinstripe, gold and gray on white. Gold because the oak is honey-colored. Gray because the shopfront above it is painted gray-green. The stripe is thin enough to look tailored rather than beachy, which matters when black bentwood chairs sit right beside it. In cool, flat daylight the white ground stays white and the stripes read as texture from across the street.
The props, one by one. The marble bistro tables set a rhythm: the same small white top, repeated down the row, so a long bench never looks empty. The black cast-iron bases and bentwood chairs are the dark outline the pale cushion needs. The gray granite paving keeps the whole scene cool, so the gold does the warming. No pillows, no throw. That restraint is the style.
The cushion is an outdoor fabric with a water-repellent membrane, which is why it can live out on the pavement.
The family's L, in numbers
| Piece | Inches | Centimeters |
|---|---|---|
| Short seat | 27½ x 43 x 6 | 70 x 109 x 15 |
| Long seat | 27½ x 90½ x 6 | 70 x 230 x 15 |
| Dog bed | 31½ x 39⅜ x 4 | 80 x 100 x 10 |
Production took one week, delivery 3 to 4 days after that.
Five things worth a pin
The seat, the back it does not need, a table, a chair and the painted facade, each marked on the photograph.
- Pinstripe seat cushion
One long cushion runs the full length between the banquette end panels.
- Paneled oak back
The tall oak back means only a seat cushion is needed.
- Marble bistro table
A row of marble tops gives the scene its café rhythm.
- Bentwood chair
Fine pinstripes look tailored next to black bentwood.
- Gray-green shopfront
Gold and gray stripes on white echo both the oak and the painted facade.
- Pinstripe seat cushionOne long cushion runs the full length between the banquette end panels.
- Paneled oak backThe tall oak back means only a seat cushion is needed.
- Marble bistro tableA row of marble tops gives the scene its café rhythm.
- Bentwood chairFine pinstripes look tailored next to black bentwood.
- Gray-green shopfrontGold and gray stripes on white echo both the oak and the painted facade.
Copying the terrace at home
Six notes that work on porches and kitchen banquettes as well as on café pavements.
- If your banquette has a tall wooden back, order the seat cushion only and spend the money on the fabric.
- Run one cushion between the end panels. Measure at the front edge and again at the wall.
- Choose a stripe whose colors are already in the room: one for the wood, one for the paint.
- Repeat one small table shape down the length of the bench instead of one big table.
- Keep the chairs dark and slim so the pale cushion has an outline.
- Skip the throw pillows when the back is solid oak; the wood is the backrest.
An L-shaped kitchen bench and a nook for the dog
A family had a corner dining bench fitted in their kitchen and wanted deep, French-mattress-style seats: a short run of 27½ x 43 x 6 in (70 x 109 x 15 cm) and a long run of 27½ x 90½ x 6 in (70 x 230 x 15 cm). They also wanted a matching 31½ x 39⅜ x 4 in (80 x 100 x 10 cm) dog bed for the nook under the stairs, in a color to match their dining chairs.
The workshop asked two questions before anything else: the end-to-end measurement of each leg of the L, and whether backrests were needed. Then it gave the timing plainly, one week of production plus 3 to 4 days of delivery.
I once cut an L by the front edges alone and learned about corners the expensive way. Their order did it properly. The corner joint notes cover the choice they had to make.
- Sizes
- 27½ x 43 x 6 in and 27½ x 90½ x 6 in; dog bed 31½ x 39⅜ x 4 in
- Fabric
- Linen, matched to the dining chairs
The lesson: On corner benches, measure each leg end to end and decide which cushion runs into the corner.
Three cushion questions: custom sizes, true colors, several at once
- A common question
My size isn't in the drop-down. How do I order a cushion in a custom size?
The workshop's answerPick the closest size option, usually the next size up, and write your exact dimensions in the personalization or note box; the cushion is made to the size you write. A 16 x 42 in bench, for example, went through the 16 x 40 in option. For larger or multi-part orders the workshop adds your size as its own option or sets up a private custom order.
- A common question
Can you show me what this fabric color really looks like before I commit?
The workshop's answerYes. The workshop sends a real close-up photo of the actual fabric, because screens shift tones slightly. On request it will photograph the fabric in different light or next to another fabric for comparison, and physical samples can be ordered too.
- A common question
If I order several cushions at once, is there a discount?
The workshop's answerOften, yes: multi-cushion orders have drawn a bulk discount, on an order of six corduroy cushions and on a large set of outdoor bench cushions alike. Send every size in one message so the quote prices the set together and shows the shipping cost.
On the cutting table
| Piece | Banquette seat cushion, one piece |
|---|---|
| Shape | Long rectangle, box edge |
| Fabric | Gold and gray pinstripe on white; outdoor fabric with a water-repellent membrane |
| Piping | Self piping, same stripe |
| Length | Full run between the two end panels |
| Back | None needed; tall paneled oak |
| Measure | Between the end panels at the front edge and at the wall |
| Best for | Café terraces, porches and built-in kitchen banquettes |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Maggie’s workshop
Numbers first, fabric second, piping last. Jot down what you have, and the workshop will go down the list with you, item by item. — 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.
A banquette with a tall paneled back needs only a seat cushion, cut in one piece to run the full length between the two end panels.
Maggie
Questions buyers ask next
Does a banquette with a wooden back need back cushions?
Not when the back is tall and paneled, as on this café bench; a seat cushion alone does the job. The workshop still asks whether backrests are wanted, because lower or slatted backs often do need them.
How thick can a French-mattress-style banquette seat be?
Deep ones are made. One family's corner bench took seats 6 in (15 cm) thick, cut 27½ in (70 cm) deep, for a soft, mattress-like sit along both legs of the L.
Which cushion takes the corner on an L-shaped bench?
You decide, and it goes on the order. Measure each leg end to end, then say which cushion runs into the corner; the other one stops against it, so the two never overlap.
Can a dog bed be made to match a bench cushion?
Yes. One family asked for a 31½ x 39⅜ x 4 in (80 x 100 x 10 cm) dog bed for the nook under their stairs, planned alongside the bench seats in a color matched to their chairs.
Stitch straight — Maggie
More photographs to read
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