A Reading by HanaDaybed Cushions & Covers
An oatmeal bouclé daybed cushion on a low oak platform, measured from the wood up
Three buyer questions come first. Then Hana reads a thick bouclé cushion on a plain oak plinth, and the few numbers that make a platform look like a daybed.
SaveThe quick answer
Measure a platform daybed cushion from the top of the wood, not from an old mattress. Decide how wide a band of oak should stay visible, subtract it from both sides, then choose the box depth. Write length, width and thickness in inches, check the corners with two diagonals, and list back cushions on their own line, because backs take up seat depth.
Buyer questions: a Hemnes set, piping colors and no bolsters
- A common question
I have the Hemnes daybed. What comes in the cushion set?
The workshop's answerOne mattress cover made to your mattress size, two filled backrests and two filled armrests. Any color works, and the piping can be a different color from the body. A large set can arrive in more than one package.
- A common question
Is there a chart of piping colors somewhere?
The workshop's answerThere isn't a separate one. Piping can be cut from any fabric in the charts. One buyer put olive green velvet piping on a corduroy base, fabric 931, which is structured rather than light.
- A common question
Can I order only the mattress cover and the back cushions, and skip the round bolsters?
The workshop's answerYes. Choose the mattress cover with backrests option. For a trundle-bed mattress of about 35½ x 74¾ x 9¾ in (90 x 190 x 25 cm), the back cushions were made 12½ to 13½ in (32 to 34 cm) high.
Now, the reading
What the photograph measures for you
The cushion is thick. That is the first thing to notice.
A low oak platform. A deep box of oatmeal bouclé on top. Around it, a narrow band of bare wood on every side. The band is the design. It turns a plain frame into a plinth, and the cushion into something that belongs to it.
The box edge stands tall and straight. Self piping runs along the top and bottom seams, so the corners stay crisp in a soft, loopy cloth. Bouclé suits a large flat top. Its loops hide the creases a smooth weave would show.
The colors stay close together. Oatmeal, the pale oak of the frame, light oak floorboards. Terracotta pots and wide monstera leaves bring the only warmth and the only strong green. A rattan armchair with wool throws faces the daybed. Trailing plants spill from a wall shelf. Glass doors open to the garden.
That glass is the one caution. Pale loops can discolor under long afternoon sun. Keep the daybed out of the strongest hours, or choose a fade-resistant bouclé. The sunroom cushions page has more on light, and daybed cushions shows other frames.
How much oak do you want to see?
The wood decides the size. The cloth decides the mood. The light decides how long both last.
Five pins on the oak plinth
Five pins, from the looped top panel down to the band of bare oak, show where this daybed cushion was measured and why.
- Bouclé top panel
Looped bouclé hides creases, so a large flat top keeps looking smooth.
- Deep boxed side
A tall box edge makes the cushion look like upholstery rather than a mattress.
- Self-piped front corner
Self piping holds a crisp corner even in a soft, loopy fabric.
- Low oak platform
Leaving a band of oak showing turns the base into a plinth.
- Monstera in terracotta
Big leaves and terracotta warm the off-white fabric.
- Bouclé top panelLooped bouclé hides creases, so a large flat top keeps looking smooth.
- Deep boxed sideA tall box edge makes the cushion look like upholstery rather than a mattress.
- Self-piped front cornerSelf piping holds a crisp corner even in a soft, loopy fabric.
- Low oak platformLeaving a band of oak showing turns the base into a plinth.
- Monstera in terracottaBig leaves and terracotta warm the off-white fabric.
Where the tape goes, and where it goes wrong
Measure the wood, not the old mattress
Take the top of the platform at both ends and across the middle. An old mattress has softened and rounded, so it gives a smaller, vaguer number than the frame.
Choose the reveal before subtracting
Decide how much oak should show. Here it is a narrow, even band. Take that amount off each side. Subtract it only once and the band shrinks to half on both sides.
Set the box depth for the room
A deep box reads as upholstery; a thin one reads as a pad. On a low platform the cushion supplies most of the seat height. Height is a feeling. Try it first in the seat height calculator.
Check the corners
Measure both diagonals of the platform. If they differ, the frame is not square, and the workshop should know before cutting.
List back cushions separately
Backs take up seat depth, so size them on their own line. For a mattress about 9¾ in (25 cm) thick, the workshop made backs 12½ to 13½ in (32 to 34 cm) high.
Three bunks under one wallpaper
A family finishing an attic wrote to the workshop. Three twin XL bunks, each set into its own cubby, under a patterned wallpaper. They needed mattress cushions, and they wanted the piping to match the paper.
The workshop checked the wallpaper against real fabric rather than a screen. It suggested soft fabric 903, a muted blue-gray, with 910 warm ivory piping. Fabric 916 was the quieter alternative.
Then the plan changed. A more colorful wallpaper. Blue walls. The workshop agreed with a new pair: 922 green with 905 light blue piping, to tie the new palette together.
The mattress sizes never moved. Only the color did. Send a photo of the wallpaper or the rug along with the measurements. Piping is the easiest place to pick up a second color.
On the cutting table: the platform daybed
| Piece | Single daybed cushion on a low oak platform |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Oatmeal bouclé |
| Edge | Deep box edge with upright sides |
| Piping | Self piping on top and bottom seams |
| Fit | Narrow band of oak showing on every side |
| Measure from | Top of the platform, both ends and the middle |
| Back cushions | Sized separately; they take up seat depth |
| Light | Out of long afternoon sun, or a fade-resistant bouclé |
| Best for | Sunrooms, reading corners and guest daybeds |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Hana’s workshop
Leave your numbers and the height you like to sit at. The rest is a short conversation. — Hana
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.
A platform daybed cushion is measured from the wood: pick the oak reveal first, then subtract it from both sides, not once.
Hana
Questions buyers ask next
How much wood should show around a cushion on a platform daybed?
It is a design choice. In this sunroom a narrow, even band of oak shows on every side, which makes the frame read as a plinth. Choose the band first, then subtract it from both sides of the platform measurement.
Why does bouclé suit a large daybed top?
Its loops hide the creases and dents that show on smooth weaves, so a big flat top keeps looking even. Pale bouclé can discolor with long sun exposure, so keep it out of the strongest afternoon light.
Should I measure the platform frame or my old daybed mattress?
The frame. An old mattress has softened and rounded at the edges and gives a smaller, less reliable number. Measure the top of the platform at both ends and in the middle, and note any difference.
Can daybed piping pick up a wallpaper color instead of matching the body fabric?
Yes. Piping can be cut from any fabric in the charts, so it can echo wallpaper or a rug. Send a photo of the room with your sizes, and the workshop compares it with real fabric before suggesting a pair.
— Hana
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