A Reading by NateBench Cushions
A Navy Botanical Cushion on a Walnut Blanket Chest, and How It Stays Put
A letter about three small decisions that settle whether a cushion on a lid stays where you put it.
SaveThe quick answer
For a custom bench cushion on an end-of-bed blanket chest, choose a non-slip base over ties: a solid box has nothing to tie to, and the base stops the cushion creeping when you sit. Want to wash the cover? Choose a zippered cover, since a tufted cover cannot come off. This navy botanical cushion matches the chest's footprint exactly.
Detroit ·
Partner,
A letter on fastenings, and what is already right
You asked how to keep a cushion on a chest like this one. Before I answer, look at what is already right.
The cushion matches the walnut blanket box's footprint exactly. That keeps the walnut sides on show, so the chest still reads as furniture and not as a bench someone upholstered. The box edge is self-piped: one clean line, no extra color.
The print is a navy ground with cream flowers and olive leaves on cotton canvas, from our cotton and ticking fabrics. The navy matches the waffle bedspread directly behind it, so the cushion looks like it belongs to the bed. The cream ruffled pillow repeats the small flowers. The aqua pillow is the one cool accent, and it walks the eye to the eucalyptus in a glass vase on the walnut dresser. The round black mirror echoes the dark ground of the print. A trailing plant, a brown coat on a hook, a gray rug over a slate floor, soft overcast light: nothing shouts.
The rule to copy: match the cushion's background to the bedding, and take the pillow color from the smallest detail in the print.
Now, fastening. A cushion on a lid has a job a bench cushion on a window seat doesn't. The lid lifts. Whatever holds the cushion has to let that happen, which is why the hinged lid Pattern exists.
What the bed lends the cushion
Five pins, from the navy print to the black mirror, show how a cushion borrows its colors from the bed behind it.
- Navy botanical cushion
The navy ground matches the waffle bedspread just behind it.
- Cream ruffled pillow
Cream picks up the small flowers in the print.
- Aqua pillow
A cool accent that leads the eye to the eucalyptus on the dresser.
- Walnut blanket box
The cushion matches the chest's footprint so the walnut sides stay on show.
- Round black mirror
A black frame echoes the dark ground of the print.
- Navy botanical cushionThe navy ground matches the waffle bedspread just behind it.
- Cream ruffled pillowCream picks up the small flowers in the print.
- Aqua pillowA cool accent that leads the eye to the eucalyptus on the dresser.
- Walnut blanket boxThe cushion matches the chest's footprint so the walnut sides stay on show.
- Round black mirrorA black frame echoes the dark ground of the print.
Ties, base or zipper: the fastening table
| Option | What it does | On an end-of-bed chest |
|---|---|---|
| Ties | Fix the cushion to legs, rails or slats | A solid box has nothing to tie to, and ties fight the lid |
| Non-slip base | Replaces the bottom panel with non-slip fabric | Stops creep when you sit; lift the cushion off to open the lid |
| Zippered cover | Lets the cover come off for washing | Only on a plain cushion; put the zipper on the back edge, facing the bed |
| Tufted, no zipper | Buttons hold cover and fill together | Tailored look; the cover stays on and is cleaned in place |
A mustard tufted bench and a cover that stays on
A buyer got in touch about an entry bench used hard every day. They wanted a tufted cushion 64 x 17 3/4 in (162.4 x 45 cm) in mustard yellow, a durable fabric that wasn't velvet, and no handles.
The workshop recommended its soft-touch poly-cotton, a durable, easy-clean best seller. Then came the fork in the road: a tufted cover cannot be removed, because the buttons pass through cover and fill together. A zippered, removable cover is possible, but only without tufting.
The buyer chose tufted and ordered from the nearest standard size option. A fair choice, made with the facts on the table. Decide the look and the fastening in the same breath, because changing one later changes the other. The zipper placement Pattern covers the plain version.
Buyer questions: fill, a corduroy match and an inch of difference
- A common question
How thick is the cushion for a 21 x 66.25 in window seat, and is it foam?
The workshop's answerStandard thickness is 4 in (10 cm), and it can be customized. That cushion is filled with silicone balls rather than foam.
- A common question
My favorite velvet color is V106. Do you have the same shade in corduroy?
The workshop's answerMaybe not exactly. The corduroy range has fewer colors than velvet, so an exact match for a velvet shade may not exist. The workshop sends the full corduroy chart and close-ups of any codes that look close.
- A common question
My cushion measures an inch or two off from what I ordered. Is that normal?
The workshop's answerIt can be. The cushions are fully handmade, and a difference of 1 to 2 in is possible, as the description states. Shaking and patting a tufted cushion helps it settle; one went from 27 in to 26 in that way.
On the cutting table: the foot-of-bed cushion
| Piece | End-of-bed chest cushion, one piece |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Navy botanical print on cotton canvas, cream flowers, olive leaves |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Edge | Box edge |
| Footprint | Matches the walnut blanket box exactly |
| Fastening | Non-slip base; no ties on a solid box |
| Cover | Zippered only if plain; tufted covers stay on |
| Tolerance | Handmade, up to 1 to 2 in; shake and pat to settle |
| Best for | Blanket chests and bedroom benches |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Nate’s workshop
Precision starts on the phone. Give the workshop your measurements and they will read them back to you, edge by edge. — Nate
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.
On a blanket chest, choose a non-slip base over ties: a solid box has nothing to tie to, and the lid still has to open.
Nate
Questions buyers ask next
Should a cushion on a hinged blanket chest have ties?
Usually not. A solid walnut box has no legs or slats to tie to, and ties get in the way when the lid lifts. A non-slip base stops the cushion creeping as you sit; lift it off before opening the chest.
Can a tufted end-of-bed cushion have a removable zippered cover?
No. Tufting buttons pass through the cover and the fill together, so a tufted cover stays on. If washing the cover matters to you, choose a plain cushion with a zipper along the back edge instead.
How do I pick pillow colors for a navy botanical print cushion?
Match the cushion's background to the bedding, then take the pillow colors from the smallest details in the print. Here cream picks up the flowers and aqua leads the eye to the eucalyptus on the dresser.
± 1/4 in — Nate
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