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A Reading by RosaWindow Seat Cushions

A gray basketweave window seat cushion, set for company

A window seat is the overflow chair nobody plans for. At every gathering I've ever hosted, it fills up first.

Read by

The Porch Keeper of SavannahPublished Updated 4 min read

Dove gray and ivory basketweave window seat cushion with self piping on a white painted seat under a garden windowSave
A gray window seat cushion with a deep boxed edge fills a painted window seat under a garden casement. Linen curtains repeat its warm gray.

The quick answer

To seat guests on a window seat, fill it wall to wall with a deep boxed cushion, about 4 in (10 cm) thick, and add zippered back pillows so people can lean against the wall. Keep the cushion below the sill so the casement still opens. A ledge of 38 3/4 x 25 3/4 in got a 38 x 25 in cushion.

Savannah ·

Dear neighbor,

What I see from the doorway

I'm writing from the doorway, the way a guest sees this seat first.

A white painted window seat sits under a casement that opens onto a leafy garden. The window seat cushion fills it wall to wall, in a dove gray and ivory basketweave with self piping. A taupe linen curtain hangs to one side. That's all, and it's plenty.

The cushion is deep, with a tall boxed side. That's what makes it a seat and not a pad: two people can talk here all evening without a hip bone complaining. The self piping gives a soft, chunky weave a tailored front edge, and the eye follows it to the window.

The colors are polite on purpose. Gray and ivory sit between the white paint and the taupe curtain, which repeats the darker yarn. The only real color is the garden, and the cushion lets it lead. More woven textures in jacquard and damask.

Now look at the metal stay. The window still opens freely, because the cushion sits below the sill line. With a full living room on a warm evening, that open window matters.

Five pins, from the stay to the garden

Where I'd point a guest who asked why this seat feels so easy.

Pinned: Dove gray and ivory basketweave window seat cushion with self piping on a white painted seat under a garden window
  1. Self piping

    Tonal piping runs along the front edge, giving a soft chunky weave a tailored outline.

  2. Casement stay

    The window still opens freely because the cushion sits below the sill line.

  3. Linen curtain

    Taupe linen repeats the darker yarn in the weave.

  4. Garden view

    Green foliage outside is the only color, and the gray cushion lets it lead.

  5. Deep side face

    A deep boxed side makes the seat comfortable enough for long reading sessions.

  1. Self pipingTonal piping runs along the front edge, giving a soft chunky weave a tailored outline.
  2. Casement stayThe window still opens freely because the cushion sits below the sill line.
  3. Linen curtainTaupe linen repeats the darker yarn in the weave.
  4. Garden viewGreen foliage outside is the only color, and the gray cushion lets it lead.
  5. Deep side faceA deep boxed side makes the seat comfortable enough for long reading sessions.

Seating more than one

When company comes, a window seat does three jobs. It seats two or three, it holds a plate while someone talks, and it lets a tired guest lean back.

For the leaning, line the wall with back pillows. The workshop fills them with shredded foam it breaks down on its own machine, in a separate insert behind a zippered cover. The morning after, the covers wash at 86°F (30°C) on gentle.

For the sitting, 4 in (10 cm) is the standard thickness, and it's usually right, unless something has to clear it. How many people does your window seat need to hold on a good night?

A real project

The window that had to swing over the cushion

One buyer wrote in with a hard limit. A window opened over the seat, so the cushions had to be ultra-thin: 3/4 in (2 cm) corduroy, at 68 x 21 1/4 in (172.5 x 54 cm) and 51 1/4 x 20 3/4 in (130 x 53 cm).

The first delivery went wrong in more ways than one. It came in plastic wrap without a box, one zipper was broken, and the uneven foam bulged to 1 1/2 to 2 in (4 to 5 cm) inside the cover. The replacement was made to the old sizes, not the updated 68 to 68 1/2 x 22 in (173 to 174 x 56 cm), and the foam alone measured 1 in (2.6 cm).

After a long back-and-forth, the workshop made a third set and confirmed every dimension with the buyer before it left. That last step is the one I'd paint on a porch post.

Sizes
Final 68 x 22 x 3/4 in (173 x 56 x 2 cm) and 44 1/2 x 22 x 3/4 in (113 x 56 x 2 cm)
Fabric
Corduroy

The lesson: For a hard height limit, cut the foam under the limit and size the cover so it can't bulge. Confirm dimensions again before every remake.

Three questions from under the window

  1. A common question

    Can you make a cushion for an odd-shaped window ledge, or one with a cut corner?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, custom shapes are made. Send a photo, or a drawing on paper of the shape with every size written on it, and the workshop quotes from that.

  2. A common question

    What's inside the back pillows, and does the cover come off for washing?

    The workshop's answer

    Shredded foam, broken into small pieces on the workshop's own machine, which gives a soft but supportive feel that holds its shape against a backrest. The filling is a separate insert and the cover zips, so it comes off and washes at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle. Nothing is sewn shut.

  3. A common question

    My window ledge is 38 3/4 x 25 3/4 in. What size cushion should I order?

    The workshop's answer

    The workshop added a 38 x 25 in (97 x 64 cm) option to the listing, rounding down to whole inches so the cushion sits inside the ledge. The color goes in the order note, and the cushion is 4 in (10 cm) thick.

If a window has to open over a window seat cushion, the foam must be cut under that height limit and the cover sized so it can't bulge above it.

Rosa
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On the cutting table

CushionWindow seat cushion, box edge, deep side face
FabricDove gray and ivory basketweave
PipingSelf piping on the front edge
Thickness4 in (10 cm) standard
FitWall to wall, below the sill line
Back pillowsShredded foam in a separate insert, zippered cover
CareCovers off, 86°F (30°C) gentle
Best forLiving-room window seats that double as guest seating

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Rosa’s workshop

Tell the workshop who sits there: grandkids, the dog, a cup of coffee at six. The right fabric and foam follow from the people. — Rosa

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
Dove gray and ivory basketweave
Foam
Shredded foam in a separate insert
Piping
Self piping on the front edge
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

Should a window seat cushion sit below the sill?

Yes, whenever the window opens inward or has a stay that swings low. A cushion that stays under the sill line lets the casement open freely, which matters on a warm evening with guests. Measure seat to sill before choosing a thickness.

Are window seat back pillows filled with solid foam?

No. They're filled with shredded foam in a separate insert, softer than solid foam but not very soft, so they keep a shape when someone leans back. The zippered outer cover comes off for washing.

How thin can a window seat cushion go under a swinging window?

Cushions as thin as 3/4 in (2 cm) have been made where a window swings over the seat, but only without piping. At that thickness the foam has to be cut under the limit and every dimension confirmed before production.

Porch light's on — Rosa

P.S. Before the party, open the window all the way with the cushion in place. If the stay catches, you want to know now, not with a tray of lemonade in your hands.

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