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Ivory box cushion with olive piping on a mid-century oak bench, two olive back pillows piped in ivory, floor lamp behindSave
The colors swap at the seams: olive piping outlines the ivory seat, and ivory piping outlines the olive pillows.

A Reading by ÉlodieBench Cushions

Crossed piping on a mid-century bench: an ivory seat, olive pillows and four codes

Élodie reads a two-color bench by its edges, then writes out the order message she wishes every buyer sent.

Read by

The Colorist of New OrleansPublished 5 min read

Swatch strip measured from the photograph

  • linen#e6e5e130%
  • deep walnut#56412821%
  • camel#a78d7120%
  • umber#87755a15%
  • sand#c4b39e15%

The quick answer

Crossed piping means each piece borrows the other's color for its welt: an ivory bench cushion piped in olive, and olive pillows piped in ivory. It joins two colors without a third. To order it right the first time, write four codes (seat fabric, seat piping, pillow fabric, pillow piping) plus exact size and thickness in the personalization note.

The swatch strip: six tones in one corner

  • Ivory linen-look#ECE4D3The seat. Warm enough to sit beside oak without turning gray.
  • Olive khaki#6F6B45The pillows and the seat's piping. A green that has spent a summer in the sun.
  • Honey oak#B7894FThe tapered frame, the only wood in the corner.
  • Jute#BFA67AThe rug, bridging oak and ivory on the floor.
  • Fern green#56703AThe living green, brighter than olive, so the fabric stays the calm one.
  • Lamp-lit linen#F2E6CCThe glow from behind, which warms the ivory after dark.

Crossed piping, and the order note it needs

The eye sits down first, and here it sits on the edges. The ivory seat is outlined in olive piping. The two olive lumbar pillows are outlined in ivory. Each piece borrows the other's color for its welt, and that crossing is why olive and ivory look stitched together rather than set side by side. Cross two colors and you never need a third.

The olive line on the seat also draws the bench's long horizontal. On a mid-century frame with tapered oak legs, that line is the silhouette. The slim rail lets a thick box cushion sit with a little overhang, almost like a daybed, and two wide olive pillows stand in for a fixed backrest.

The light comes from behind: a floor lamp with a linen shade and a sheer linen curtain. It picks up the soft sheen of the pillows and keeps the ivory warm rather than chalky. A fern in a stone pot brings a brighter, living green, so the olive can stay quiet. The jute rug ties the oak to the floor.

Now the practical part, my friends. Crossed piping is four choices, not two, and a message that gets it right the first time names every one:

  • Exact size, fractions and all, in the personalization box. The drop-down only sets the price.
  • The thickness you want now, not the old cushion's.
  • Seat fabric code and seat piping code, then the same pair reversed for the pillows.
  • For a trapezoid: long side, short side, depth and both angled sides.
  • Any change sent before production moves ahead.

The personalization note Pattern has a template, and ordering swatches first settles the two codes in daylight. This ivory is one of the linen-look fabrics; more long seats wait among our bench cushions. Which two colors would you cross?

Pinned by Élodie: where the colors swap

Five pins, from the olive welt on the seat to the lamp that lights the pillows from behind.

Pinned: Ivory box cushion with olive piping on a mid-century oak bench, two olive back pillows piped in ivory, floor lamp behind
  1. Olive seat piping

    Olive piping on the ivory seat draws the bench's long line.

  2. Ivory pillow piping

    The pillows take the seat color at their edges: crossed piping.

  3. Olive back pillow

    Two wide pillows stand in for a fixed backrest.

  4. Tapered oak leg

    A slim frame keeps a thick cushion from looking heavy.

  5. Linen floor lamp

    Light from behind sets off the soft sheen of the pillows.

  1. Olive seat pipingOlive piping on the ivory seat draws the bench's long line.
  2. Ivory pillow pipingThe pillows take the seat color at their edges: crossed piping.
  3. Olive back pillowTwo wide pillows stand in for a fixed backrest.
  4. Tapered oak legA slim frame keeps a thick cushion from looking heavy.
  5. Linen floor lampLight from behind sets off the soft sheen of the pillows.
A real project

The thickness note that belonged to the old cushion

A buyer in the US sent a sketch of a long trapezoid bench, replacing an old thin cushion. From it the workshop drew the shape: 115 in (292 cm) along the bottom, 82 in (208 cm) along the top, 20 in (51 cm) deep, and worked out the angled sides at about 26 in (66 cm).

One note on the sketch said 2 to 3 in thick. It turned out to describe the old cushion, not the new one, so the order went ahead at the listed 4 in (10 cm).

A sketch collects notes the way a sewing table collects pins. Before you send one, cross out anything that describes what you are replacing. The trapezoid cushion calculator works out the angled sides from the other three measurements.

Buyer questions: sizes, second thoughts and trapezoids

  1. A common question

    My exact size isn't in the drop-down. Do I pick the nearest standard size or give exact measurements?

    The workshop's answer

    Both. Select the range your size falls into, or the closest option, only to set the price. Then write your exact measurements, thickness and fabric code in the personalization box. The cushion is made to that note, fractions included, such as 57 5/8 x 15 3/8 in, so there are no gaps.

  2. A common question

    I've already ordered. Can I still change the color, size or ties?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, as long as production hasn't moved ahead. The workshop has switched a fabric to olive 123 with terracotta 113 piping, corrected a cushion from 18 x 47 1/4 in (46 x 120 cm) to 15 1/2 x 47 in (39.5 x 119.5 cm), and added ties at all four corners after ordering. Reply quickly: a late answer can mean the original choice has already gone ahead.

  3. A common question

    The size calculator only asks for width and length. How do I order a trapezoid window seat?

    The workshop's answer

    Enter the maximum width and length so the listing can price it, then write the exact trapezoid in the personalization or order notes: long side, short side, depth and both angled sides. One example: 86 5/8 in (220 cm) long side, 43 in (109 cm) short side, 24 in (61 cm) deep, 31 1/2 in (80 cm) sides. Ask, and the workshop will send photos of earlier trapezoid cushions.

On the cutting table: the crossed-piping bench

SeatBox-edge bench cushion in ivory linen-look
Seat pipingOlive khaki contrast piping
PillowsTwo olive lumbar pillows piped in ivory
Codes909 / 924, each written for fabric and for piping
FrameMid-century oak bench with tapered legs
OverhangA little past the slim rail, almost like a daybed
ThicknessListed 4 in (10 cm); confirm any sketch note first
Order noteExact size, thickness, fabric and piping codes
Best forLiving-room benches in a two-color scheme

Order this cushion

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.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
Box-edge bench cushion in ivory linen-look
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Olive khaki contrast piping
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

Crossed piping on a bench cushion set, an ivory seat piped in olive and olive pillows piped in ivory, joins two colors without a third.

Élodie
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Questions buyers ask next

How does crossed piping tie a two-color bench set together?

Each piece takes the other's color for its welt: here an ivory seat has olive piping and the olive pillows have ivory piping. The two colors look stitched together, and no third color is needed.

How many fabric codes go in the note for a two-color bench set?

Two fabrics, but four choices: seat fabric, seat piping, pillow fabric and pillow piping. Write each as a code in your note, even when the piping reuses a code already listed.

Should my old cushion's thickness appear on the sketch?

Only if it is clearly labeled as the old one. One buyer's sketch said 2 to 3 in, which turned out to describe the cushion being replaced; the new one went ahead at 4 in.

Can a thick cushion work on a slim mid-century bench?

Yes. Tapered legs and a slim rail keep a thick box cushion from looking heavy, and a little overhang lets it read almost like a daybed.

With color and care — Élodie