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A Reading by CallumOutdoor & Water-Repellent Cushions

Gray seat, striped backs: an outdoor bench cushion set read for proportion

A teak loveseat on limestone, one plain gray seat and two awning-stripe backs. Clear summer light. I read the thickness before the stripe.

The quick answer

An outdoor bench cushion should be sized to the frame: its thickness sets the seat height, and back cushions take their thickness out of the seat depth. On a teak loveseat like this one, a plain box seat sits just above the front rail and slimmer striped backs fill the frame. Order seat and backs as separate cushions so you can phase them.

Read by

The Weather Man of Casco BayPublished Updated 5 min read

Light gray outdoor seat cushion with gray and white striped back cushions on a teak loveseat beside a concrete side tableSave
A mix-and-match set: plain gray on the seat, a gray awning stripe on the backs.

Pinned by Callum: five spots on the teak loveseat

Five pins, from the plain gray seat to the glass carafe that adds no color at all.

Pinned: Light gray outdoor seat cushion with gray and white striped back cushions on a teak loveseat beside a concrete side table
  1. Plain gray seat

    The seat takes the most wear, so it is the plain half of the pair.

  2. Striped back cushion

    The stripe is saved for the backs, where it is seen most and sat on least.

  3. Piped seat edge

    Self piping on the solid seat keeps a sharp line beneath the busier stripe.

  4. Glass water carafe

    Clear glass keeps the side table light and adds no extra color.

  5. Honey teak arm

    Warm teak arms stop an all-gray scheme from feeling cold.

  1. Plain gray seatThe seat takes the most wear, so it is the plain half of the pair.
  2. Striped back cushionThe stripe is saved for the backs, where it is seen most and sat on least.
  3. Piped seat edgeSelf piping on the solid seat keeps a sharp line beneath the busier stripe.
  4. Glass water carafeClear glass keeps the side table light and adds no extra color.
  5. Honey teak armWarm teak arms stop an all-gray scheme from feeling cold.

Seat height starts at the front rail

The stripe gets the compliments. The thickness does the work.

This outdoor bench cushion set sits on a teak loveseat: one box seat in plain light gray with self piping, two back cushions in a gray and white awning stripe. The top of the seat rides a touch above the honey teak front rail. That is the relationship to copy. Too thin and you feel the slats. Too thick and your feet leave the limestone while the teak arms drop to your hip.

The backs lean into the frame. Every inch they stand out from the teak comes off the depth you sit on. A deep frame can spare it. A shallow bench cannot.

So measure the bare frame before you choose a thickness. How deep is yours, back rail to front edge? The seat height calculator does the arithmetic, and the thickness and seat height pattern explains why.

Plain where you sit, stripe where you look

The seat takes the sun, the spills and most of the wear. Plain gray hides all three. The stripe goes on the backs, at eye level, where it is seen most and sat on least.

Both fabrics share the same gray, so the pair looks planned rather than mismatched. Choose the stripe first, then match the solid to its darker band. The cloth here is a water-repellent outdoor membrane. Water-repellent is a promise; waterproof is a contract. Ask which one you are buying.

The props stay out of the way: a concrete side table, a glass carafe, one pot of lavender in white, a clipped hedge behind. The honey teak arms keep an all-gray set from feeling cold. More frames live in the outdoor cushions atlas.

A real project

Seats now, backs when the budget allows

A buyer got in touch about an outdoor corner set: two sofa seats of 37 x 22 in (94 x 56 cm), a corner seat of about 43 x 22 in (110 x 56 cm), a bench of 31.5 x 15.75 in (80 x 40 cm) and a 15.75 in (40 cm) square stool. They wanted covers that shrug off water and stains.

The shop gave two figures: seats alone, and seats with backrests. Two numbers, one decision. The seats could go out on the patio first and the backs could follow when the budget allowed.

Those sizes hold a proportion lesson too. A 22 in (56 cm) deep sofa seat has depth to give a back cushion. A 15.75 in (40 cm) bench has little to spare, so a back cushion there should stay slim.

On the cutting table: gray seat, striped backs

ProductOutdoor loveseat seat cushion with two back cushions
FabricWater-repellent outdoor membrane
ColorsPlain light gray seat; gray and white awning stripe backs
EdgeBox edge
PipingSelf piping in each fabric
Seat ruleTop of the cushion just above the front rail
StorageFoam can be folded or rolled without damage
Best forPatios, pool terraces and covered porches

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Callum’s workshop

Tell them where it lives. Porch, deck or boat: the weather picks the fabric and the foam before anyone else does. — Callum

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
Water-repellent outdoor membrane
Foam
Foam can be folded or rolled without damage
Piping
Self piping in each fabric
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

Buyer questions: folding, fixing and swapping

  1. A common question

    If I order one long waterproof cushion for my pool bench, can I fold it up for storage without creasing it?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. The foam is flexible, so it can be folded or rolled for storage without damage, and the cover can be made in water-repellent outdoor fabric. The bench in question needed about 118 x 20 in (300 x 50 cm), 5 in (13 cm) thick; a run that long can also be split into two long cushions or one per seat.

  2. A common question

    I sent you the wrong measurements. Is it too late to change the size?

    The workshop's answer

    Not as long as the fabric has not been cut. One outdoor order was changed from 45 x 39 in (114 x 99 cm) to 52 x 28 in (132 x 71 cm) before cutting, with no price difference.

  3. A common question

    Could I send back just the cover and exchange it for another color?

    The workshop's answer

    Return shipping is paid by the buyer and runs high, so the shop suggested a better route: a new cover in the preferred color at a reduced price covering only production and shipping. In that case it was an 18 x 53 in (46 x 135 cm) outdoor cover with piping.

A back cushion on an outdoor bench takes its thickness out of the seat depth, and a 15.75 in (40 cm) bench has very little depth to give.

Callum
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Questions buyers ask next

How thick should the seat cushion be on a teak outdoor loveseat?

Let the frame decide. The top of the seat should sit a little above the front rail so you never feel the slats, while your feet stay flat on the ground. Check the final height with a seat height calculator before you order.

Why put the stripe on the back cushions and a solid color on the seat?

The seat takes the sun, spills and most of the wear, and a plain color hides all three. The backs sit at eye level and are sat on least, so pattern shows best there. Match the solid to the stripe's darker band.

Do back cushions shrink the usable seat depth of an outdoor bench?

Yes. Whatever thickness a back cushion adds in front of the frame comes off the depth you sit on. A deep sofa seat of around 22 in (56 cm) can spare it; a 15.75 in (40 cm) bench has little room to give.

Can the outdoor seat cushions be ordered first and the backrests next season?

Yes. Seats and backrests are priced as separate cushions, so a set can be phased. Keep the fabric code from the first order so the backs match, and note in the new order that the pieces are backrests.

Fair winds — Callum