SaveA Reading by ÉlodieWindow Seat Cushions
A green ticking window seat cushion, and where its zipper hides
A fine green stripe, a cognac lumbar and a fiddle-leaf fig at the end of the seat. I read the colors first, then turn the cushion over to find the fastening.
A green ticking stripe links the seat to the fiddle-leaf fig beside it, while cognac leather adds warmth.
The quick answer
On a window seat cushion that sits on a drawer base, put the zipper on the back edge facing the wall, so the room sees only stripe and piping. Keep the cushion on the top only, so the drawers open freely. With striped ticking, confirm stripe direction first: when the fabric is 55 in (140 cm) wide, a longer seat gets lengthwise stripes.
A long pale seat, drawn with one green line
Ticking is the most honest stripe there is, my friends. It began as mattress cloth and still behaves like workwear: fine, even, a little crisp under the hand.
Here it is green and white, on a window seat built over white drawers with round white knobs. On a long pale seat in bright daylight, a plain fabric would go flat. The fine stripe gives the eye a rhythm to follow from end to end, so the seat reads as long and calm rather than empty.
The green leads, and everything else answers it. The fiddle-leaf fig beside the seat repeats that green at full scale, leaf by leaf, so the stripe looks chosen for the room. The cognac leather lumbar picks up the warm light oak floor and anchors the pale seat. The oatmeal linen pillow sits between them like a comma, and the cream chunky knit throw folds over the end to add the soft layer that crisp ticking lacks. At the seat's end, a ceramic lamp with a linen shade on a rustic side table makes the window usable after dark.
Self piping cut from the same ticking runs along the long front edge and keeps it straight and tidy. A contrast welt would underline the drawers instead of the seat.
Pinned by Élodie
Five pins, from the cognac lumbar to the self-piped ticking along the front edge.
- cognac leather lumbar
Cognac picks up the warm oak floor and anchors the pale seat.
- chunky knit throw
The knit folds over the end, adding the soft layer to a crisp ticking.
- fiddle-leaf fig
The fig repeats the ticking's green at full scale behind the seat.
- lamp on a rustic table
A lamp at seat end makes the window seat usable after dark.
- self-piped ticking edge
Piping in the same ticking keeps the long front edge straight and tidy.
- cognac leather lumbarCognac picks up the warm oak floor and anchors the pale seat.
- chunky knit throwThe knit folds over the end, adding the soft layer to a crisp ticking.
- fiddle-leaf figThe fig repeats the ticking's green at full scale behind the seat.
- lamp on a rustic tableA lamp at seat end makes the window seat usable after dark.
- self-piped ticking edgePiping in the same ticking keeps the long front edge straight and tidy.
Where the fastening goes on a drawer seat
Now turn the cushion around in your mind, because the fastening is the part nobody photographs.
The zipper. On a seat like this the zipper runs along the back edge, facing the wall. From the room you see stripe and piping, nothing else. That is the rule for window seats and built-ins, and the reasoning is laid out in cushion zipper placement.
The drawers. The cushion sits on the top only. Nothing wraps over the front and nothing hangs down, so every drawer opens freely under a seated guest.
Ties and non-slip. Ties need something to hold: a spindle, a post, a slatted back. A painted drawer top offers none. If a cushion slides on a smooth top, the choices are compared in stopping a bench cushion from sliding.
Is your seat tucked between two walls, or open at one end like this one? The answer decides how much work the fastening has to do.
More seats like this wait in the window seat cushion atlas, and the fabric lives with striped cotton and ticking.
The stripe that turned sideways
A buyer got in touch with two pieces for a party: a 2 in (50 mm) window seat cushion and a 35.4 x 14.6 in (90 x 37 cm) bench cushion, both piped. Before production they switched from a pink stripe to a beige one. After a holiday delay, the shop sent the order express at no charge so it arrived in time.
Two surprises came out of the box. The fabric is only 55 in (140 cm) wide, so the stripes ran horizontally, along the length rather than front to back. And the beige looked browner in the room than it had on screen.
Daylight never lies; your screen sometimes does. The shop remade both covers in a pink stripe, and the buyer paid only the shipping. Before you order a striped bench cushion, confirm the stripe direction in writing and look at a daylight photo of the fabric. Stripe direction on cushions explains the width limit, and the glossary covers railroaded fabric.
On the cutting table: ticking over drawers
| Piece | Window seat box cushion on a white drawer base |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Green and white cotton ticking |
| Piping | Self piping from the same ticking along the front edge |
| Zipper | Back edge, facing the wall |
| Fit | Sits on the top only, so the drawers open freely |
| Stripe | Confirm direction; this fabric is 55 in (140 cm) wide |
| Pillows | Cognac leather lumbar, oatmeal linen, cream knit throw |
| Color check | Daylight photo of the fabric before production |
| Best for | Living room window seats over drawers or cabinets |
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.
Buyer questions: paint chips, notches and no piping
- A common question
Can you match my cushion to an exact color reference, like a paint color or a CMYK value?
The workshop's answerAn exact match to a printed or digital color can't be promised. The shop picks the closest codes from its charts (for a deep brick red and a pinkish red it suggested two neighboring red codes) and sends close-up photos so you can compare. You can also ask for close-ups of any code on the chart.
- A common question
My window seat has small notches at each end. How do I send the measurements?
The workshop's answerDraw the cushion shape on paper and measure every edge, including each notch's width, depth and position. The shop draws its own diagram to confirm before cutting. In one case that meant 87 in (221 cm) along the window edge, 84.5 in (215 cm) on the opposite edge, 1.25 x 2 in (3 x 5 cm) notches at both ends and the depth dropping to 16 in (41 cm) at the ends.
- A common question
Could I skip the piping, and would that make the cushion cheaper?
The workshop's answerYes, it can be made without piping, but the price stays the same. Write 'no piping' next to your fabric code in the personalization note. Piping is standard on every cushion, and many buyers leave it off light linens, which look clean without it.
On a window seat cushion over drawers, the zipper goes on the back edge facing the wall, so the room sees only the stripe and the piping.
Élodie
Questions buyers ask next
Where should the zipper go on a window seat cushion?
Along the back edge, facing the wall or the window, so the room sees only the fabric and the piping. On a drawer or cabinet base, keep the cushion on the top only, so nothing hangs over the drawer fronts.
Do window seat cushions need ties?
Only if there is something to tie to, such as a spindle, a post or a slatted back. A flat built-in or drawer top offers no tie point, so a snug fit does the holding. If a cushion still slides, compare the non-slip options before adding anything.
Why did my striped cushion arrive with the stripes running lengthwise?
Fabric comes in a fixed width. When a striped fabric is 55 in (140 cm) wide and the seat is longer than that, the stripes have to run along the length instead of front to back. Confirm the direction in writing before cutting.
Why does a fabric look different in my room than on screen?
Screens shift color, and room light shifts it again. One buyer's beige stripe looked browner at home than it had online. Ask for a daylight photo or a swatch and judge it beside your floor and walls, in the light the seat actually gets.
With color and care — Élodie
More photographs to read
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
