A Reading by RosaWindow Seat Cushions
A mustard bouclé window seat cushion under walnut windows, and how the cloth lives
Rosa writes about the fabric people pet before they sit, a front edge as straight as a porch rail, and how to split a seat that runs past ten feet.
SaveThe quick answer
Bouclé makes a warm, soft window seat cushion that people love to touch, but its loops can catch on claws, rings and zipper pulls. Choose it for a seat used for curling up and reading rather than rough play, with a firm insert and box edge so a long front stays straight. A very long seat, like one of 122 in (310 cm), is easier as two equal cushions.
Savannah ·
Dear neighbor,
A letter about the cloth you pet first
Bouclé is the only fabric I know that people pet before they sit on it.
Look at this one: a single mustard bouclé window seat cushion running the whole length of a floating walnut bench, under tall walnut-framed windows. The photographer crouched low, and from down there you can see the front edge is dead straight from end to end. That is what a firm insert and a box edge buy you over a long span. A soft fill would dip where folks sit most, and on a long bench everybody sits in the middle.
Now the hand of it. Bouclé is woven from looped yarn, so it feels nubby and warm, like a good sweater, and it hides a crumb better than a flat weave. Those same loops are its weak spot. A cat's claw, a ring, the zipper pull on a jacket can hook one and draw it out. On a window seat where folks curl up with a book, that's a fair trade. On a bench where the dog launches himself at the glass every time someone comes up the walk, I'd think twice. Kids and dogs are the real quality control.
The bouclé and teddy family has more of this cloth, and the Pattern on bouclé loops and snags goes further into care and cleaning.
Pinned by Rosa
Five pins, from the golden seat line under the glass to the wheat on the shelf that repeats it.
- Mustard window bench cushion
A single long cushion follows the full bench, so the seat reads as one golden line under the windows.
- Cream bouclé pillow
The cream pillow sits nearest the window light for the softest contrast.
- Sage square pillow
Sage leans against the wall at the end, bookending the seat.
- Wheat in white vases
Wheat on the shelf picks up the cushion color above eye level.
- Berber rug
Mustard flecks in the rug tie floor and seat together.
- Mustard window bench cushionA single long cushion follows the full bench, so the seat reads as one golden line under the windows.
- Cream bouclé pillowThe cream pillow sits nearest the window light for the softest contrast.
- Sage square pillowSage leans against the wall at the end, bookending the seat.
- Wheat in white vasesWheat on the shelf picks up the cushion color above eye level.
- Berber rugMustard flecks in the rug tie floor and seat together.
Walnut, wheat and a cream pillow by the glass
Walnut and golden bouclé sit close together in color, and closeness can turn heavy. The white vases and pale walls keep this corner breathing. The dried wheat in those vases picks up the mustard above eye level, and the Berber rug carries mustard flecks at your feet, so floor, seat and shelf all agree.
The cream bouclé pillow sits nearest the window, where the light is softest. The sage square leans against the wall at the far end like a bookend. A fiddle leaf fig in a cream pot, a linen curtain and a botanical print in an oak frame finish the room without asking for attention.
Here's the part I'd copy, neighbor: pillows at the wall end only. Leave the window end open so somebody can sit sideways, knees up, back against the frame. More ideas live among our window seat cushions and living room cushions. When you read by a window, do you face the view or lean back against the wall?
Ten feet of window seat, cut in two
A buyer wrote to the workshop about a built-in window seat 29 1/8 in (74 cm) deep and 122 in (310 cm) long. They wanted tufted linen made to size, and wondered whether two pieces or three would serve better.
The shop went with two cushions of 29 1/8 x 61 in (74 x 155 cm) each, in linen color #14, and trimmed the quote to match. The package shipped the next day. The delivery came while the family was away, so they rescheduled, and when the cushions finally came in, the buyer called them perfect.
Two equal halves are easier to sew, easier to ship and easier to lift when you open the seat or shake out the crumbs. If your window has a mullion, split there and the join lines up with the frame. Our Pattern on one piece or two explains the choice.
- Sizes
- seat 29 1/8 x 122 in (74 x 310 cm); two cushions 29 1/8 x 61 in (74 x 155 cm)
The lesson: Split a very long seat into two equal cushions; they're easier to make, ship and lift.
Buyer questions: sizes, codes and a 3-inch question
- A common question
My exact size isn't in the dropdown. Do I pick the closest standard size or give my own measurements?
The workshop's answerBoth. Pick the size range your measurements fall into, or the closest one, only for pricing. Then write your exact measurements, thickness and fabric code in the Add Personalization box. The cushion is made to that size, fractions included, such as 57 5/8 x 15 3/8 in.
- A common question
Which fabric is the cushion in your listing photo? I'd like the same one.
The workshop's answerAsk, and the shop will name the code from the photo; a cranberry cushion, for instance, turned out to be code 938. Sunlight and camera angle can make a tone look slightly different in a picture, but it is the same fabric.
- A common question
What thickness is the cushion, and could I have it thinner?
The workshop's answerThe standard is 4 in (10 cm), which is what most listing photos show. Thickness can be changed, for example to 3 in (7.5 cm), or made thicker, and the shop can send photos of a finished 3 in cushion so you can see it first.
What's on the walnut bench
| Cushion | One long window seat cushion on a floating walnut bench |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Mustard bouclé, code T71 |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Edge | Box edge over a firm insert; front kept straight |
| Thickness | Standard 4 in (10 cm); 3 in (7.5 cm) on request |
| Long seats | One piece, or two equal halves split at a mullion |
| Pillows | Cream bouclé by the glass, sage square at the wall |
| Watch for | Loops catching on claws, rings and zipper pulls |
| Best for | Reading nooks and living room window seats |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Rosa’s workshop
Every good cushion I know started with a long porch chat. This is the short version: leave your number and the workshop will call. — Rosa
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.
If a dog jumps onto the window seat every time someone comes up the walk, skip bouclé for that bench: the loops catch on claws.
Rosa
Questions buyers ask next
Is bouclé a good fabric for a window seat cushion?
Yes, for a seat used for sitting and reading. It feels warm and soft and hides crumbs better than a flat weave. Its loops can snag on claws, rings and zipper pulls, so it is a weaker choice where pets jump up often.
Why does a long window seat cushion need a firm insert?
A long seat gets sat on in the same places, usually the middle. A firm insert inside a box edge keeps the top level and the front edge straight over the whole length instead of dipping where people sit.
What colors go with mustard bouclé and walnut?
Cream and sage, as here, with white vases or pale walls to keep two warm tones from turning heavy. Repeat the mustard somewhere else, such as dried wheat on a shelf or flecks in a rug, so the seat is not the only gold in the room.
Where should a very long window seat cushion be split?
In the middle for two equal halves, or at a natural break like a window mullion so the join lines up with the frame. One 122 in (310 cm) seat became two cushions of 61 in (155 cm) each.
Porch light's on — Rosa
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