A Reading by CallumChaise Lounge & Sunbed Cushions
A navy palm-leaf sunbed cushion, and how a narrow lounger learns to feel wide
A lounger is about as narrow as outdoor seating gets. This one looks roomy anyway. The cushion does most of that work, and the weather gets a vote.
SaveThe quick answer
A sunbed cushion looks and feels wider when it has straight box sides, about 4 in (10 cm) of foam, a split where the backrest hinges, and nothing parked on it. Loungers typically run about 22 to 24 in across, so every inch of flat top counts. Outdoor fabric here is water-repellent and fade-resistant, not waterproof.
The lounger pad, cut open
Outdoor jacquard cover. Woven polyester outdoor cloth with water-repellent and UV/fade-resistant finishes. Zippered and removable.
Piped edge. A cloth-covered cord in the seam. The navy of the print reads strongest against pale stone.
Fiber wrap. Polyester fiber (Dacron) batting around the foam: it fills the cover out and softens the edges.
Foam core. About 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³) seat foam. After a storm, stand the pad on its long edge to drain.
Zipper. Along the back band, facing the frame, out of the rain's easy reach.
Base panel. The underside of the cover. A non-slip fabric backing can cover the whole of it instead.
Reading the lounger from the pool edge
A sun lounger is one of the narrowest seats you'll ever buy a cushion for, about 22 to 24 in across. This one still looks generous. The pool didn't do that. The cushion did.
Thickness first. The pad is about a hand's width deep, roughly 4 in (10 cm), which is what we quote outdoors unless told otherwise. Thinner and the teak slats show through. Thicker and a slim frame looks like it swallowed a mattress.
Then the break. The cushion is split where the backrest hinges, so the back tilts and the seat stays flat. Straight box sides keep the full width usable; a tapered edge would give up lying room on both sides.
The print is a big navy palm leaf on cream. On a narrow seat, a large print behaves like a big window in a small room: the eye runs off the edges and assumes there's more. The piped edge picks up the navy and draws one clean line against the pale travertine. In hard late-afternoon sun, that line keeps the pattern from blurring into the stone.
Now the props, and where they aren't. The lemonade sits on a stone pedestal table, on a magazine, with an oatmeal towel hung off the side. More magazines lie on the deck. Nothing rests on the pad, so it reads full width. Teak frames it, warm against cool navy, and the cypress and sea do the rest.
People search for waterproof outdoor cushions. Water-repellent is a promise; waterproof is a contract. The outdoor fabrics shed a shower and resist fading, but a pad left out in a long downpour still gets wet inside. See the chaise and sunbed cushions pages, and measure your hinge point with the chaise lounge sizing Pattern. How wide is your lounger where the back folds, friend?
Pinned by Callum
Five marks on the chart, from the hinge to the deck.
- Hinged backrest section
The cushion is split at the hinge so the back can tilt without buckling the seat.
- Navy piping edge
Navy piping lifts the darkest note of the print and keeps the edge crisp on pale stone.
- Stone side table
A single lemonade and a towel keep props in the sand-and-sea palette.
- Magazines on travertine
A low stack on the floor adds a human touch without covering the cushion.
- Teak lounger frame
Warm teak frames the cool navy print and shows the cushion's thickness in profile.
- Hinged backrest sectionThe cushion is split at the hinge so the back can tilt without buckling the seat.
- Navy piping edgeNavy piping lifts the darkest note of the print and keeps the edge crisp on pale stone.
- Stone side tableA single lemonade and a towel keep props in the sand-and-sea palette.
- Magazines on travertineA low stack on the floor adds a human touch without covering the cushion.
- Teak lounger frameWarm teak frames the cool navy print and shows the cushion's thickness in profile.
Five ways to widen a narrow lounger
- Box edge, not a tapered one: straight sides keep every inch of the top flat.
- Split the pad at the hinge so the seat stays flat when the back goes up.
- About 4 in (10 cm) of foam: enough to hide the slats, not enough to look stuffed.
- A large two-color print with a dark piped line, instead of a small busy one.
- Drinks, towels and books on a side table or the deck, never on the pad.
Two seats, two wedges, one word lost in translation
A buyer messaged the workshop about a patio sofa: two seat cushions of 39⅜ × 27½ × 6 in (100 × 70 × 15 cm) with piping, and two wedge backrests of 39⅜ × 15¾ in (100 × 40 cm), thinner at the top, no piping, all in outdoor fabric.
The buyer wrote in their own language, and the word for piping came through as "tube." The first quote also priced the backrests as empty covers. Once both points were said in plain words, the price moved slightly and was paid through a payment link. Making took 3 to 5 business days, shipping another 3 to 5.
Wedges and piping are where outdoor orders drift off course. Name every piece, piece by piece.
- Sizes
- Seats 39⅜ × 27½ × 6 in (100 × 70 × 15 cm), two; wedge backs 39⅜ × 15¾ in (100 × 40 cm), two
The lesson: List each piece with its size, piping yes or no, and filled or cover only.
Buyer questions: fire pits, campers and backrests
- A common question
Could you make outdoor cushions for the stone seats around our fire pit?
The workshop's answerYes. Send a photo of the space first. One set like that was six square cushions of 17¾ to 19¾ in (45 to 50 cm) in beige plus two wider 31½ in (80 cm) cushions in olive or eucalyptus green, quoted together.
- A common question
Which fabric comes closest to avocado green for vintage camper cushions, with harvest gold piping?
The workshop's answerAn olive green velvet is the closest to avocado. For harvest gold piping there is a mustard code and a more yellow one, with an orange beside them. The workshop sends the swatches side by side, plus a photo of a finished cushion in the piping color.
- A common question
How do I order matching backrests for the outdoor bench cushion I already bought?
The workshop's answerOrder from the same listing. Add the backrests at their own size, for example two at 15¾ × 19¾ in (40 × 50 cm) in the same fabric code, and write in personalization that they are backrests.
On the cutting table
| Cushion | Two-part lounger pad: seat and backrest, split at the hinge |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Outdoor jacquard, navy palm leaf on cream |
| Piping | Piped edge; the navy reads strongest on pale stone |
| Edge | Box edge |
| Thickness | 4 in (10 cm), the thickness outdoor quotes assume |
| Foam | About 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³) seat foam, fiber-wrapped |
| Weather | Water-repellent and UV/fade-resistant finish; not waterproof |
| Care | Zippered cover, 86°F (30°C) gentle wash, air-dry; store indoors off-season |
| Best for | Pool decks and patios with hard sun and quick showers |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Callum’s workshop
Sun, rain, salt. Say which of them your cushion will meet, and the workshop will plan around it. — Callum
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.
An outdoor sunbed cushion wants about 4 in of foam: thinner and the teak slats show through, thicker and a narrow lounger looks stuffed.
Callum, on a poolside lounger
Questions buyers ask next
Are these outdoor cushions waterproof?
No. The fabric is water-repellent and UV/fade-resistant: woven polyester with finishes that shed a shower and slow fading. Long rain still gets in, so stand cushions on edge to drain and bring them in for the off-season.
Does outdoor fabric feel like plastic?
No. It is woven cloth, not a coated tarp. It is less soft than velvet or indoor linen-look fabric, closer to a good lounger cushion, and it works indoors too.
Can an outdoor lounger cushion be button-tufted?
Better not. Use plain foam cushions outdoors: tufted cushions let water in at the buttons, even when they are made in outdoor fabric.
How many outdoor colors are there to choose from?
Roughly 150 to 200, across several charts in one quality. Ask for daylight close-ups of any code before you put a print in full sun.
Fair winds — Callum
Narrow seats that look generous
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