---
title: "Daybed Cushion in Ivory with Navy Piping on a Screened Porch"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/ivory-navy-piped-daybed-cushion-screened-porch-sunset/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Hana Lindqvist, The Quiet Geometer of Seattle"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/hana/"
published: "2026-04-07"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "daybed cushion, daybed cover, outdoor cushions, custom size cushion, made to measure cushion, custom throw pillows"
---

# An ivory daybed cushion with navy piping, set for company

*One mattress. Three pillows. Three people at sunset, one at midnight. A screened porch, arranged for guests.*

> **The quick answer:** A daybed cushion that hosts well is one thick, seamless mattress with three back pillows, so it seats three upright by day and sleeps one by night. On pale outdoor fabric, navy contrast piping keeps the edge visible at dusk. Measure inside the frame at mattress level; one designer's daybed took 37 x 76.5 in (94 x 194.5 cm).

![Ivory daybed mattress cushion with navy piping and three back pillows on a wicker daybed in a screened porch at sunset](https://cushionguide.com/media/daybed-cushions/ivory-navy-piped-daybed-cushion-screened-porch-sunset-848.webp "A thick ivory mattress cushion with navy piping turns a wicker daybed into the porch's summer reading bed.")

## Pinned by Hana

Five pins, from the ivory mattress to the swing in the foreground that hints at more seats.

1. **Ivory daybed mattress**: One thick cushion turns the wicker frame into a proper lie-down bed.
2. **Navy piping edge**: Navy piping frames the pale mattress so it does not glow flat in low light.
3. **Piped back pillows**: Three pillows across the back make it a sofa by day and a bed by evening.
4. **Watermelon and book**: The styling tells the story: this is a summer reading spot.
5. **Porch swing in foreground**: The swing frames the shot and hints at more seating to dress in the same fabric.

## Three pillows, three seats

Count the pillows first. Three, across the back.

Each one marks a place. Three guests sit upright, shoulders against a pillow, feet on the jute rug. Take the pillows away and the same daybed becomes a bed for one. The furniture does not change. The pillows decide.

The mattress is one thick piece. No seam under a back when someone lies across it later. Depth invites lying down, and the open paperback and the plate of watermelon on the cushion say someone already has.

Hosting is also the seats around the daybed. A wicker armchair to one side. A wooden porch swing in the foreground, its chain just in frame. Dress them in the same fabric family and the porch reads as one room with six places, not a daybed with guests perched around it. The gallery shows the idea at a larger scale: teak benches, deck chairs and a porch swing, all cushioned alike.

Height is a feeling. A deep mattress on a low wicker frame says stay.

## A navy line for the blue hour

The sun goes down behind the woodland. Amber through the screens, then gray.

In that light a pale cushion loses its edges. Ivory goes flat and glows, and the mattress turns into a soft blur. Navy piping draws the outline back in. It also hides the gray that edges collect over a summer of use.

The pillows carry the same navy welt, so the line repeats at a second height. The dark stained floor and the ceiling fan above hold the rest of the porch steady.

The cloth belongs to the [outdoor acrylic family](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/outdoor-acrylic/). A screened porch is not fully outdoors, and [indoor cushions on a covered porch](https://cushionguide.com/guides/indoor-cushions-covered-porch/) explains what that changes. More frames live in the [daybed cushion atlas](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/daybed-cushions/) and among the [patio and porch cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/patio-and-porch-cushions/).

How many people does your porch seat on its busiest night?

One mattress, three pillows.
Navy where the light fails.
A swing, waiting its turn.

## A designer's daybed, confirmed before the meeting

An interior design studio in the US wrote to the workshop with a deadline. A client meeting that week, and a daybed that needed a 37 x 76.5 in (94 x 194.5 cm) cushion.

The shop did two things. It checked the designer's photo of the daybed and confirmed the cushion would fit the frame. Then it set out the cushion and the shipping in writing, together.

That is the hosting lesson too. When other people will judge the result, a client or a porch full of guests, settle the fit and every cost before the day. Measure inside the frame, at mattress level. Rails and arms are often thicker than they look. The method is in [daybed mattress cover measurements](https://cushionguide.com/guides/daybed-mattress-cover-measurements/).

## Buyer questions: covers, colors and a taller mattress

**A common question:** Can the daybed cover and the piping be any colors I like? And why does the price change in my cart?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Cover and piping can be any colors on the fabric chart, for example off-white with forest green piping. The daybed listing has several options, armrests only, covers only, backrests only and the full set, and the price updates with the option, so check what's selected in the cart.

**A common question:** Is your fabric a performance or stain-resistant fabric?

**The workshop's answer:** The shop doesn't name a performance fabric. It describes its linen as high quality, durable and easy to clean, and points families to the soft microfiber, since it is the easiest to wipe clean.

**A common question:** Could you make a mattress cover taller so two thin mattresses stack inside it?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. For a 31 1/2 x 78 3/4 in (80 x 200 cm) mattress, the shop offered the original 8 1/4 in (21 cm) height or 11 3/4 in (30 cm), enough to stack two 6 in (15 cm) mattresses in one cover. The buyer chose 11 3/4 in (30 cm).

## On the cutting table: the porch daybed

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Piece | Daybed mattress cushion, one thick box piece |
| Fabric | Ivory outdoor acrylic |
| Piping | Contrast welt in navy, repeated on the pillows |
| Back | Three piped ivory pillows across the back |
| Seats | Three upright by day, one lying down by night |
| Measure at | Inside the frame, at mattress level |
| Reference size | 37 x 76.5 in (94 x 194.5 cm), one designer's daybed |
| Stacked mattresses | Cover height can be raised to hold two |
| Best for | Screened porches that host guests |

> A daybed with three back pillows seats three people upright. Take the pillows away and the same cushion sleeps one.
>
> — Hana

> **Tailor's margin:** Measure a daybed inside the frame at mattress level. Rails and arms are often thicker than they look.

## Questions buyers ask next

### How many people can sit on a daybed cushion?

With three back pillows, a daybed seats three people upright, one pillow per back. Remove the pillows and the same mattress cushion becomes a bed for one, which is why the pillows matter as much as the mattress.

### Why use navy piping on an ivory outdoor cushion?

In low evening light a pale cushion loses its outline and reads flat. Navy piping draws the edge back in and hides the gray that edges collect with use. Repeating it on the back pillows ties the set together.

### Where do I measure a daybed for a mattress cushion?

Inside the frame, at the height where the mattress sits. Rails and arms are often thicker than they look from above, so measuring across the top of the frame can make the cushion too large to drop in.

### Should a daybed mattress cushion be one piece or two?

For a daybed people lie on, one thick piece avoids a seam under the back. A designer's daybed of 37 x 76.5 in (94 x 194.5 cm) was made as a single cushion, with pillows doing the work of dividing it into seats.

## Related at the atelier

- [Outdoor Daybed Cushion in Taupe Stripe: Hand-Finished Details](https://cushionguide.com/readings/taupe-striped-outdoor-daybed-cushion-rooftop-domes/): A well-made outdoor daybed cushion is one mattress-style piece that fills the frame edge to edge, with a tall boxed side and stripes that line up across the top and down the band.
- [Charcoal Daybed Cushion on a Concrete Terrace Ledge](https://cushionguide.com/readings/charcoal-daybed-cushion-concrete-terrace-ledge/): A daybed cushion reads well from across a patio when its edge is square and its color is one dark tone, like charcoal on concrete.
- [Daybed Cushion in Ochre Outdoor Print: Five Mistakes to Skip](https://cushionguide.com/readings/ochre-geometric-rattan-daybed-cushion-boho-garden/): For a rattan daybed cushion outdoors, the usual mistakes are a cushion too thick for the arms, a print that fights the setting, too many patterned pillows and a size guessed rather than checked.
- [Cushions for Louisiana and the Deep South](https://cushionguide.com/places/louisiana-deep-south-cushions/): For New Orleans porch cushions and gallery swings, choose outdoor-rated, water-repellent fabric with zippered covers, and keep velvet and chenille indoors.
- [Which daybed cover do I need: a bedding set or a fitted cover?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/daybed-cover-set-vs-fitted-cover/): A daybed cover is a bedding set, an elastic fitted cover, a zippered box cover or a skirted cover.
- [What to measure for a custom daybed mattress cover](https://cushionguide.com/guides/daybed-mattress-cover-measurements/): For a custom daybed mattress cover, measure the mattress itself, not the daybed frame: length, width and thickness at the widest and thickest points, plus the corner shape.
- [How to order a custom cushion size that isn't in the size menu](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-size-cushion-not-on-menu/)

*— Hana*

---

Written by Hana Lindqvist (https://cushionguide.com/masters/hana/) 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/ivory-navy-piped-daybed-cushion-screened-porch-sunset/