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A Reading by RosaWindow Seat Cushions

A navy corduroy window seat cushion, and the foam that makes it a reading spot

A white window seat, a sage lumbar, books at the far end. Folks come for the navy cord and stay for what's under it.

Read by

The Porch Keeper of SavannahPublished Updated 4 min read

Navy corduroy window seat cushion on a white paneled bench with a cream knit pillow, sage lumbar and booksSave
Navy cord grounds a white window seat, and a sage lumbar pillow links it to the trailing pothos above.

The quick answer

A window seat cushion for a reading nook is usually 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm) of medium-firm foam: 3 in keeps a neat line under the sill, 4 in reads plusher for long sitting. New foam feels firmer for its first weeks, and after vacuum packing it needs 48 to 72 hours to recover before you measure it.

Navy cord, white paneling and a sill full of pothos

Navy is the old, reliable partner for white joinery: it reads dark without the weight of black. Here it is cut clean to the ledge edge. The corduroy ribs run front to back across the top and turn sideways on the side band, the way a long strip is cut so it needs no joins.

The pillows step forward in two moves: cream chunky knit at the back, sage linen lumbar in front, the sage borrowed from the pothos trailing off the sill in its terracotta pot. At the far end, hardback books balance the pillows so the seat looks used along its whole length, under a framed botanical print.

Choose your lumbar pillow in the color of whatever grows on your sill, neighbor.

Two long seats, in numbers

SeatInchesCentimetersHow it was made
Nook under construction14 ft total x 36 in deep168 x 35¾ in (427 x 91 cm)Several sections, butted
Long window seat154 1/2 in total154¼ in (392 cm)Two cushions
Each piece77 1/4 x 22 in77¼ x 22 in (196 x 56 cm)Exact size in the personalization box

Inches first; each piece gets its own line in the order note.

Piece 1Piece 2154 1/2 in total77 1/4 in22 in
Plan sketch, not to scale: one long window seat made as two butted cushions.

Five pins along the window seat

Five pins, from the navy cord seat to the pothos leaves that fall toward it.

Pinned: Navy corduroy window seat cushion on a white paneled bench with a cream knit pillow, sage lumbar and books
  1. Navy cord seat

    Navy reads dark against white joinery without the heaviness of black.

  2. Cream knit pillow

    Placed behind so the knit frames the sage pillow in front.

  3. Sage linen lumbar

    Lumbar color taken from the plant above to link seat and sill.

  4. Books at far end

    Balance the pillows so the seat looks used from both sides.

  5. Trailing pothos

    Its leaves fall toward the cushion and connect the two levels.

  1. Navy cord seatNavy reads dark against white joinery without the heaviness of black.
  2. Cream knit pillowPlaced behind so the knit frames the sage pillow in front.
  3. Sage linen lumbarLumbar color taken from the plant above to link seat and sill.
  4. Books at far endBalance the pillows so the seat looks used from both sides.
  5. Trailing pothosIts leaves fall toward the cushion and connect the two levels.

What's under the cord, and why a reader likes it

A reading seat gets more hours than a dining bench: upright with coffee, sideways against the wall, stretched out with a paperback. So the foam matters more than the fabric.

Most window seats take 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm): three keeps a neat line under a sill, four is the standard and reads plusher for long afternoons. A thin cushion needs firmer foam to feel as supportive as a thick one. New foam feels firmer in its first weeks, and after vacuum packing it needs 48 to 72 hours to recover.

Past about 79 to 90 in (200 to 230 cm), a long seat is usually split into pieces that butt together. Kids and dogs are the real quality control, and one piece lifts out on its own when they have had their way. See more window seat cushions, reading nook cushions and corduroy.

A real project

Fourteen feet of nook, in several pieces

A family building a window nook, still under construction, wrote to the workshop wanting cushions 36 in (91 cm) deep and 14 ft (4.3 m) wide in total, in smoke, happy to have the run split into several pieces. The workshop quoted the full run as one job.

At 36 in deep, that is closer to a sofa than a bench. Very wide nooks are made in sections that butt together, so each piece stays easy to lift, flip and ship.

Sizes
36 in deep x 14 ft total
Fabric
Smoke

The lesson: Very wide nooks are made in multiple sections that butt together.

Long seats, baby corners and a curved front

  1. A common question

    My window seat is over 150 in long. Can it come in two pieces, and how do I order a size bigger than the menu?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Send the exact size of each cushion, here two pieces of 77.25 x 22 in, pick the closest option in the size menu, and write your exact dimensions and fabric in the personalization box.

  2. A common question

    We have a crawling baby. Can the cushion carry extra padded fabric over the bench's hard corners?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, extra fabric can be attached to cover a bench corner. The workshop asks for a wide photo, to see which edge it goes on relative to the zipper, and the corner's thickness, such as 1.75 in, to know how far down to reach.

  3. A common question

    Can you make a cushion with a rounded front, or one with a curve, for a bay window nook?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Send a photo of the area or a drawing with every measurement marked. A floor cushion for a bay nook with three 46 in window sections was quoted exactly that way.

A reading-nook window seat cushion works at 3 to 4 in of medium-firm foam. At 3 in it keeps a neat line under the sill; at 4 in it reads plusher.

Rosa
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On the cutting table: the navy reading seat

CushionWindow seat cushion, box edge
FabricNavy corduroy
RibsFront to back on top, sideways on the side band
FoamFirm-to-medium seat foam, 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm) typical
PillowsCream chunky knit behind, sage linen lumbar in front
Best forA reading nook and long afternoons

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Rosa’s workshop

Tell the workshop who sits there: grandkids, the dog, a cup of coffee at six. The right fabric and foam follow from the people. — 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.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
Navy corduroy
Foam
Firm-to-medium seat foam, 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm) typical
Piping
The corded seam edge: matching, contrast or none.
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

Questions buyers ask next

Is corduroy a good fabric for a reading-nook window seat?

Yes, indoors. It is soft, warm and hard-wearing, and it shades with the nap, lighter one way and richer the other. It marks a little where people sit most.

Why do corduroy ribs turn sideways on a cushion's side band?

So a long side strip can be cut in one piece without joins. On top the ribs run front to back; on the band they turn sideways. That is normal cutting for a box cushion, not a mistake.

How deep should a lounging window seat cushion be?

Deeper than a dining bench. One family building a new nook asked for 36 in (91 cm) deep cushions, closer to sofa depth. For sit-and-read seats, add a bolster at each end.

Porch light's on — Rosa

More photographs to read

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Graded from cream to chocolate, the stack reads like a color card for a warm neutral scheme.
Chocolate corduroy bench cushion on a white cube storage bench with wicker baskets, leather pillow and knit throwSave
Deep brown cord, a leather lumbar pillow and a chunky knit throw turn a plain cube bench into a warm seat by the sofa.
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A rich brown cord pad makes a long white window seat feel cozy, with just one lumbar pillow at the wall end.
Close view of sage, mustard and pink corduroy bench cushions stacked to show ribbed borders and self pipingSave
Seen closer, the ribs run horizontally around each border and meet at a neat vertical seam near the corner.
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Cream on cream works here because every layer has a different texture: ribbed cord, cable knit, slubby weave and linen.