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A Reading by ÉlodieBench Cushions

A Mustard and Charcoal Knotted-Stripe Bench Cushion, and a Buyer's Angled Bench

Warm knots on cool concrete, a 21-shade fabric card, and a simple order that became three choices once the bench proved to be a trapezoid.

The quick answer

A striped bench cushion with warm mustard and rust bands holds up well against cool gray floors, as this knotted-stripe box cushion on concrete shows. For an angled bench there are three routes: the exact trapezoid, a rectangle with throw pillows filling the gaps, or the seat alone; one buyer's rectangle option cost about half the exact shape.

Read by

The Colorist of New OrleansPublished Updated 4 min read

Close view of a cream box cushion striped in mustard and charcoal with rust, tan and gray knot rows on a concrete floorSave
Mustard and charcoal stripes with rust and tan knots, shown on concrete to prove the warm colors hold up against cool gray.
Cotton sample card of 21 numbered strips: plain neutrals, mustard, blues, reds and five knotted woven stripesSave
The full cotton card, with plain solids beside knotted stripes, so a body fabric and a matching piping can be picked from one sheet.

Pinned by Élodie: four knots and a corner

Four pins, from the wide mustard band to the self-piped corner, showing how warm stripes keep their heat on cool gray concrete.

Pinned: Close view of a cream box cushion striped in mustard and charcoal with rust, tan and gray knot rows on a concrete floor
  1. Mustard band

    The widest warm stripe; a plain mustard piping from the same card would echo it along the edge.

  2. Self-piped corner

    The cord carries the stripe round the corner, so the pattern never breaks at the edge.

  3. Rust knot column

    Chunky rust knots give the side panel its rhythm when the cushion is seen from across a room.

  4. Tan and brown knots

    Two knot colors side by side soften the charcoal stripes between them.

  1. Mustard bandThe widest warm stripe; a plain mustard piping from the same card would echo it along the edge.
  2. Self-piped cornerThe cord carries the stripe round the corner, so the pattern never breaks at the edge.
  3. Rust knot columnChunky rust knots give the side panel its rhythm when the cushion is seen from across a room.
  4. Tan and brown knotsTwo knot colors side by side soften the charcoal stripes between them.

Card one: a mustard knotted-stripe cushion on cool concrete

The eye sits down first, and here it sits on mustard. A cream bench cushion banded in mustard and charcoal, with raised knot rows in rust, tan and brown, photographed on gray polished concrete.

Why concrete? Because it is the hard case. Plenty of kitchens and hallways have cool gray tile, and the question is whether warm stripes hold up against it. They do: the mustard band stays golden, and the rust knots keep their heat.

The corner is self-piped, so the cord carries the stripe around the edge and the pattern never breaks. For a crisper frame, a plain mustard piping from the same card would pick out the widest stripe. Both are right; they are simply different sentences.

The knots are raised, so they catch side light. On a bench with a window at one end they will look richest there. Pair the cushion with oak or terracotta and let it be the only pattern in the room. The fabric card beside it shows the family: 21 plain and knotted-stripe shades in striped cotton, from cream and taupe to dusty blue, terracotta and berry red. It would sit as happily in a kitchen nook as in a hall.

A real project

The bench that turned out to be a trapezoid

One buyer wrote in wanting a cream cushion 70 7/8 in (180 cm) long and 15 3/4 in (40 cm) deep, with a 35 in (89 cm) backrest. A simple question, until the bench turned out to be a trapezoid.

So three answers went on the table, each priced: the exact angled shape with backrests; a 70 7/8 x 15 3/4 in (180 x 40 cm) rectangle with a 35 3/8 in (90 cm) backrest, at about half the cost of the exact shape; or the seat alone.

The result: the buyer leaned toward the rectangle and planned to fill the small gaps at the angled ends with throw pillows. A graceful choice, my friends. A rectangle plus pillows is the budget route to a true trapezoid cushion, and the pillows are where color gets to play.

If your bench has an angle, measure it before you fall for a fabric. The trapezoid cushion calculator shows how big the gaps would be. Would you choose the exact shape, or the rectangle and two good pillows?

Three answers for one angled bench

OptionWhat you getRelative cost
Exact trapezoid with backrestsSeat and backrests cut to the true angled shapeHighest, about double the rectangle
Rectangle with backrest70 7/8 x 15 3/4 in (180 x 40 cm) seat and a 35 3/8 in (90 cm) backrest; small gaps at the angled endsAbout half the exact shape
Seat onlyThe seat cushion without a backrestLowest

Buyer questions: platforms, stripe widths, straight backs

  1. A common question

    Could you build the bench or the platform too, so everything matches?

    The workshop's answer

    No. The workshop makes cushions only, but in any size and thickness you need.

  2. A common question

    How wide are the stripes on the two striped fabrics, N01 and N02?

    The workshop's answer

    N01 has the bolder stripe, about 9/16 in (1.4 cm) wide; N02 is finer at about 1/4 in (0.7 cm).

  3. A common question

    Can you make two straight back cushions like the ones on your sofas, only in my size?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Back cushions are made in any size; in one case a pair was quoted in indigo corduroy. The workshop asks whether you want rounded or sharp corners and sends a photo before shipping, so you can still ask for rounder corners.

On the cutting table: the knotted stripe

PieceBox bench cushion
FabricCream striped cotton with mustard and charcoal bands
TextureRaised knot rows in rust, tan and brown
PipingSelf piping; plain mustard is the crisper alternative
Photographed onGray polished concrete
Fabric card21 plain and knotted-stripe shades
Pair withOak or terracotta, and no second pattern
Best forBenches in tiled kitchens and hallways

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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
Cream striped cotton with mustard and charcoal bands
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Self piping; plain mustard is the crisper alternative
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

Mustard and rust stripes hold their warmth on gray concrete, so a striped bench cushion in a tiled kitchen should be the only pattern in the room.

Élodie
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Questions buyers ask next

Do warm stripes work against a gray tile or concrete floor?

Yes. Mustard and rust hold their warmth against cool gray, which is why this cushion was photographed on concrete. Keep the cushion as the only pattern and add one warm material, such as oak or terracotta, nearby.

What is a knotted-stripe cushion fabric?

A striped cotton with raised rows of small knots between the bands. The knots add texture and catch side light, so they look richest on a bench lit from one end by a window.

Is a rectangle cushion a good stand-in for an angled bench?

Often. A rectangle with throw pillows tucked into the angled gaps costs less than a true trapezoid; in one quote the rectangle with a backrest came to about half the exact shape with backrests.

Can the piping pick out one color of a striped fabric?

Yes. A plain piping from the same fabric card can echo one band, here the wide mustard stripe, for a crisper frame. Self piping instead carries the stripe around the corner so the pattern never breaks.

With color and care — Élodie