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Green and black tiger-stripe box cushion on a white bench with oak top under a book shelf, next to a white drawer unitSave
A green tiger print ties a study corner together by echoing the pothos above and the pilea on the drawers.

A Reading by ÉlodieBench Cushions

A green tiger-stripe bench cushion under a floating bookshelf, and how to measure a seat like it

The houseplants chose the green and the rug chose the red. The measurements, my friends, were chosen by a tape and a pencil, and that is where the trouble usually starts.

Read by

The Colorist of New OrleansPublished Updated 5 min read

Swatch strip measured from the photograph

  • taupe#957c6427%
  • deep walnut#533f2c23%
  • sand#bfac9521%
  • oatmeal#dbd0c416%
  • linen#ebe5dd14%

The quick answer

To measure a bench like this for a custom cushion, measure only the sitting top, decide first how much wood should show, and write the unit beside every number. Most mistakes are inch and centimeter mix-ups or size changes sent after ordering. The thickest standard option is 6 in (15 cm).

Swatch strip: seven colors from one study corner

  • Emerald tiger#1E6B47The body of the print, taken leaf for leaf from the pothos above.
  • Ink black stripe#1B1B1AThe stripe that gives the green its bite and echoes the dark book spines.
  • Pale mint#A9D8BFThe light inside the print; it keeps the emerald from going heavy at night.
  • Honey oak#C4955EBench top and floating shelf, the same wood twice, framing the nook.
  • Linen beige#D9CBB2One big pillow, the only quiet color on the seat.
  • Madder red#9B2D24The rug, opposite green on the wheel, so the cushion steps forward.
  • Terracotta#B9673FThe pilea's pot, a small warm bridge between red rug and green leaves.

Why an emerald tiger belongs under these books

Look at the green first, because everything in the corner answers to it. Not a kelly, not a jungle green: an emerald with ink-black stripes and a thread of pale mint, taken almost leaf for leaf from the pothos trailing off the shelf and the pilea on the drawer unit. Green is rare in an animal print. Here it looks planned, because the plants said it first. The eye sits down first, and here it sits down on the green.

Then the red. The Persian-style rug under the bench is a deep madder, opposite green on the color wheel, so the cushion steps forward instead of sinking into the floor. Under warm, lamp-like light the red deepens and the emerald glows rather than glares.

One oversized beige linen pillow at the wall end. Only one, because the book spines above already carry a whole spectrum. The framed prints and collectible figures stay up on the shelf, and a cup of colored pencils on the drawers says this is a working corner.

Proportion: the cushion stops short and leaves the oak edge of the bench top showing. That thin strip repeats the floating oak shelf above, and the two wood lines frame the nook like a picture.

Now the tape. A seat like this invites three mistakes:

  • Measuring the whole bench instead of the top you will cushion. Decide the oak reveal, then measure what's left.
  • Mixing inches and centimeters. Write the unit next to every number, not only the first.
  • Sending a change after checkout. Put the final numbers in the order itself, before production.

And check the space between seat and shelf. What would you measure first here, the bench or the shelf above it?

The full method is in how to measure a bench for a cushion. More seats live in the bench cushion atlas and among living room cushions; this cotton print sits with our striped cotton and ticking.

Pinned by Élodie

Five pins, from the green print to the red rug that makes it glow.

Pinned: Green and black tiger-stripe box cushion on a white bench with oak top under a book shelf, next to a white drawer unit
  1. Green tiger print

    The green comes straight from the pothos and pilea, so a bold print looks planned.

  2. Oversized beige pillow

    One large pillow at the wall end is enough because the books above already add color.

  3. Oak bookshelf

    The shelf repeats the bench's oak top and frames the nook.

  4. Pilea and pencils

    The desk-side plant ties the green of the print to the workspace.

  5. Red vintage rug

    Red sits opposite green on the color wheel, which makes the cushion stand out.

  1. Green tiger printThe green comes straight from the pothos and pilea, so a bold print looks planned.
  2. Oversized beige pillowOne large pillow at the wall end is enough because the books above already add color.
  3. Oak bookshelfThe shelf repeats the bench's oak top and frames the nook.
  4. Pilea and pencilsThe desk-side plant ties the green of the print to the workspace.
  5. Red vintage rugRed sits opposite green on the color wheel, which makes the cushion stand out.
A real project

The size that changed after checkout

A buyer wrote to the workshop about an IKEA Besta unit used as a bench, 70 7/8 x 16 1/8 in (180 x 41 cm). The plan was lovely: a soft fabric with black piping, to answer striped chair cushions already in the room.

After paying, the buyer asked for a new size, 71 5/8 x 17 3/8 in (182 x 44 cm). The change did not reach the cutting table. Production used the original numbers, and the cushion came out a little short of the 16 1/8 in depth, by about 3/8 to 3/4 in (1 to 2 cm).

The shop pointed to its 3/8 in (1 cm) handmade tolerance, then remade the cushion at no charge anyway. The lesson is not about tolerance, though. It is about timing: lock the final measurements into the order before production begins, because a change sent later can be missed. See remakes for a wrong size or color for how these are handled.

Buyer questions: backrests, units and extra thickness

  1. A common question

    How tall, wide and thick are the backrest cushions on the floor sofa?

    The workshop's answer

    On the standard floor sofa, each backrest is 16 in (40 cm) wide and 4 in (10 cm) thick. On the 12-inch-thick model, the backrest is 12 in (30 cm) high, the same as the seat, for a total height of 24 in (61 cm).

  2. A common question

    I entered my sizes in centimeters but meant inches. Can that still be fixed?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, with a new order at the corrected size. Before production, the shop compared the new figures with the buyer's photo and saw that 62.4 x 63 in could not fit a space about 24 in (61 cm) wide, so it asked for a re-measure. The final size was 24 5/8 x 63 in (62.5 x 160 cm), and the difference was refunded because it came out smaller than the quote.

  3. A common question

    Can you make a window bench cushion extra thick, around 6 1/4 in (16 cm)?

    The workshop's answer

    The thickest standard option is 6 in (15 cm), only about 3/8 in (1 cm) less, and it still gives a deep, sofa-like feel. A 70 x 22 7/8 in (178 x 58 cm) window bench cushion was made at that thickness.

On the cutting table: the study-nook bench

PieceBench cushion, rectangular box edge
FabricCotton canvas tiger print in emerald, black and mint
PipingSelf piping in the print
RevealStops short to show the oak edge of the bench top
PillowOne oversized beige linen pillow at the wall end
MeasureSitting top only, after choosing the oak reveal
UnitsWrite in or cm beside every number
Thickest standard6 in (15 cm)
Best forStudy corners and reading nooks

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Élodie’s workshop

Describe the room at four in the afternoon: the floor, the wall, the one color you love. That is where a good fabric choice begins. — 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.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
Cotton canvas tiger print in emerald, black and mint
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Self piping in the print
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

If a room already has busy book spines, take the cushion color from the houseplants. An emerald tiger stripe under a trailing pothos looks planned, not loud.

Élodie
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Questions buyers ask next

How much of the bench top should show around a cushion?

Decide it before you measure. Here a thin strip of oak shows at the front, echoing the shelf above. Choose the reveal you like, then measure only the area the cushion will cover and order to that.

Can I put a custom cushion on an IKEA Besta used as a bench?

Yes. One buyer ordered a 70 7/8 x 16 1/8 in (180 x 41 cm) cushion for a Besta. Measure the top you will sit on, and put the final size in the order before production starts.

Why does a green print look good over a red rug?

Green and red sit opposite each other on the color wheel, so each makes the other look stronger. A deep red rug pushes a green cushion forward; keep the other accents quiet so the pair can speak.

With color and care — Élodie

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