---
title: "Green Tiger-Stripe Bench Cushion: Study Nook Color and Sizing"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/green-tiger-stripe-bench-cushion-study-corner-bookshelf/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/"
published: "2026-04-02"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "custom bench cushion, reading nook cushion, bench cushion, bench cushion indoor, bench seat cushion, made to measure cushion"
---

# 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.*

> **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).

![Green and black tiger-stripe box cushion on a white bench with oak top under a book shelf, next to a white drawer unit](https://cushionguide.com/media/bench-cushions/green-tiger-stripe-bench-cushion-study-corner-bookshelf-1600.webp "A green tiger print ties a study corner together by echoing the pothos above and the pilea on the drawers.")

## Swatch strip: seven colors from one study corner

- Emerald tiger — #1E6B47 — The body of the print, taken leaf for leaf from the pothos above.
- Ink black stripe — #1B1B1A — The stripe that gives the green its bite and echoes the dark book spines.
- Pale mint — #A9D8BF — The light inside the print; it keeps the emerald from going heavy at night.
- Honey oak — #C4955E — Bench top and floating shelf, the same wood twice, framing the nook.
- Linen beige — #D9CBB2 — One big pillow, the only quiet color on the seat.
- Madder red — #9B2D24 — The rug, opposite green on the wheel, so the cushion steps forward.
- Terracotta — #B9673F — The 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](https://cushionguide.com/guides/how-to-measure-bench-for-cushion/). More seats live in the [bench cushion atlas](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bench-cushions/) and among [living room cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/living-room-cushions/); this cotton print sits with our [striped cotton and ticking](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/striped-cotton-and-ticking/).

## Pinned by Élodie

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

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.

## 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](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-remake-wrong-size-color/) for how these are handled.

## Buyer questions: backrests, units and extra thickness

**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).

**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.

**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

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Piece | Bench cushion, rectangular box edge |
| Fabric | Cotton canvas tiger print in emerald, black and mint |
| Piping | Self piping in the print |
| Reveal | Stops short to show the oak edge of the bench top |
| Pillow | One oversized beige linen pillow at the wall end |
| Measure | Sitting top only, after choosing the oak reveal |
| Units | Write in or cm beside every number |
| Thickest standard | 6 in (15 cm) |
| Best for | Study corners and reading nooks |

> 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

> **Tailor's margin:** Write the unit beside every number. A space about 24 in (61 cm) wide was sent as 62.4 in, and a photo check caught it before cutting.

## 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.

## Related at the atelier

- [Striped Bench Cushion on a Floating Oak Bench: Small-Space Color](https://cushionguide.com/readings/sand-awning-stripe-cushion-floating-oak-bench/): To make a narrow bench feel generous, keep everything around a striped bench cushion in one warm family, such as oak, limewash, seagrass and pampas, so the stripe is the only pattern.
- [Striped Bench Cushion in Red and Cream: Color in Changing Light](https://cushionguide.com/readings/red-stripe-bench-cushion-piped-corner-low-angle/): A red and cream striped bench cushion changes with the light: brighter and cooler in morning daylight, deeper and warmer under evening lamps, and often too vivid on a phone screen.
- [Striped Bench Cushion in Red: Styling a Freestanding Bench](https://cushionguide.com/readings/red-stripe-freestanding-bench-cushion-pink-wall/): A striped bench cushion on a freestanding bench should carry its stripe around all four side bands, because the bench is seen from every angle.
- [How do I choose my fabric color when ordering? Is a color name enough?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/how-to-choose-fabric-color-code-when-ordering/): A color name isn't enough to order a custom cushion: write the exact fabric code from the charts in the listing photos, because each color comes in several shades and the shop holds the order until…
- [Are the neutral stripes like N01 to N05 gray, beige or olive?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/neutral-stripe-fabric-beige-gray-olive/): N03 is a cream and beige stripe, not gray, and the other neutral stripes are best judged from a photo of a finished cushion rather than a swatch thumbnail.
- [The listing photo and the color chart look different. Which one is accurate?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/listing-photo-vs-color-chart-accuracy/): Usually both are accurate: they show the same fabric under different light, and on the bench-cushion ranges the color chart is the better guide.
- [Real linen or linen-look? Reading a cushion fabric label honestly](https://cushionguide.com/guides/real-linen-vs-linen-look-cushion-fabric/)
- [How to order fabric swatches that actually settle the decision](https://cushionguide.com/guides/fabric-swatches-before-ordering/)

*With color and care — Élodie*

---

Written by Élodie Marchand (https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/readings/green-tiger-stripe-bench-cushion-study-corner-bookshelf/