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Shaped pastel striped seat cushion with white line pattern on a rattan peacock chair on a wrought-iron city balconySave

A Reading by MaggieDining Chair Cushions & Pads

A shaped pastel chair cushion for a rattan peacock chair on an iron balcony

Right, then. Round seat, flared front, busy fan back: the only honest way to fit it is a paper template, and the only honest way to keep it is to watch the weather.

A shaped pastel cushion with white linework fills the round seat of a rattan peacock chair.

Read by

The Piping Queen of NewportPublished Updated 5 min read

The quick answer

A peacock chair needs a custom shaped seat cushion cut from a paper template, because its round, dished seat flares at the front and no stock size fits. Press paper into the rim, trace the line, and measure the depth at the center and at the sides. A slim box edge keeps the cushion sitting inside the woven rim.

A balcony chair, read season by season

No stock cushion fits a peacock chair. The seat is round, dished and flared at the front, so this pastel chair cushion began life as a sheet of paper pressed into the woven rim.

Look at the edge first. It's a slim box, shallow enough to sit down inside the rim instead of perching on top, with self piping so the outline stays quiet. The rattan fan behind it is busy enough for both of them.

That's why the fabric is small in scale: a fine pastel multi-stripe in butter yellow, lilac and sky blue, crossed with white linework, from the outdoor acrylic family. The white lines answer the black iron curls of the railing in reverse, like a drawing and its negative.

Now the weather. In spring the pastels keep company with the new leaves in the treetops. On a summer evening, the light in this photo, the lilac warms and the yellow goes buttery. By late fall the evergreen in its terracotta pot is the one thing still green, and that's the point of it: a plant that looks the same in January keeps a tiny balcony feeling like a garden.

The open French window is the other clue. The cushion lives one step from indoors, which is exactly where it should go before winter. Outdoor acrylic is far better suited to sun and showers than an indoor cotton, dear, but no cushion is improved by a season of sleet. The notes on winter storage for outdoor cushions cover the rest.

So how deep is your chair's seat at the center, and how deep at the sides?

Five pins from the fan back to the flowerpot

Five pins, from the shaped seat to the potted evergreen, showing how a narrow balcony carries one statement chair.

Pinned: Shaped pastel striped seat cushion with white line pattern on a rattan peacock chair on a wrought-iron city balcony
  1. Shaped seat cushion

    Cut from a paper template to follow the chair's rounded, flared seat.

  2. Slim boxed edge

    A shallow box edge keeps the cushion inside the woven rim.

  3. Peacock fan back

    A busy rattan back pairs best with a fine, small-scale weave on the seat.

  4. Wrought-iron balcony railing

    Black iron curls echo the white linework in the fabric.

  5. Potted evergreen shrub

    One evergreen keeps a tiny balcony feeling like a garden.

  1. Shaped seat cushionCut from a paper template to follow the chair's rounded, flared seat.
  2. Slim boxed edgeA shallow box edge keeps the cushion inside the woven rim.
  3. Peacock fan backA busy rattan back pairs best with a fine, small-scale weave on the seat.
  4. Wrought-iron balcony railingBlack iron curls echo the white linework in the fabric.
  5. Potted evergreen shrubOne evergreen keeps a tiny balcony feeling like a garden.

The paper template, in five moves

  1. Paper on the seat

    Lay a sheet of paper over the seat and press it down into the rim until it creases all the way around.

  2. Trace the crease

    Draw along the crease. That line is the cushion, not the chair's outer edge. More in the paper template pattern.

  3. Two depths, not one

    Measure front to back at the center, then again at the sides. On a curved front they differ: one chair read 18.5 in (47 cm) at the center and 17.3 in (44 cm) at the sides.

  4. Type the numbers

    Write the measurements out. The workshop asks for typed numbers rather than photos of a tape.

  5. Send a photo of the chair

    Add a photo of the whole chair with the template so the fit comes out right. The chair cushion builder helps you sketch it first.

A real project

Curved fronts, typed numbers and a teal velvet

A buyer wrote to the workshop about two outdoor chairs and a loveseat, all with tapered seats and curved fronts. The chairs measured 18.5 in (47 cm) across the front and 15.4 in (39 cm) at the back, 18.5 in (47 cm) deep at the center but 17.3 in (44 cm) at the sides. The loveseat ran 37 in (94 cm) at the front and 32.7 in (83 cm) at the back, 18.9 in (48 cm) deep at the center and 17.3 in (44 cm) at the sides. Everything was 2 in (5 cm) thick.

The workshop asked for the measurements typed out instead of tape photos, then drew templates with curved fronts for approval. The buyer chose a soft teal velvet, 129, with self piping.

In the end the quote came in above what they could spend, and the cushions stayed on paper. The templates were right all the same, and so is the lesson: on a curved-front seat, measure the depth at the center and at the sides.

Sizes
Chairs 18.5 in front, 15.4 in back, 18.5 to 17.3 in deep; loveseat 37 in front, 32.7 in back, 18.9 to 17.3 in deep; all 2 in thick
Fabric
Soft teal velvet 129 with self piping

The lesson: Measure depth at both center and sides on seats with a curved front.

Chair questions

  1. A common question

    Could you make both seat and back cushions for my chairs, and what do you need from me?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, seat and back cushions are made in any size. Send the measurements plus a photo of the chairs, or the model you are matching, so the fit comes out right.

  2. A common question

    Can I buy just the round ottoman from the floor lounge set? And are those chairs heavy?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, the small round ottoman is sold on its own through a custom payment link. The corduroy floor lounge chairs are light and easy to pick up and carry.

  3. A common question

    Could you make soft, slouchy seat pads like the ones in my photo?

    The workshop's answer

    Not that style. Pads like those drape because of a different inner filling, and the workshop works only with 32-density long-life firm foam, which won't drape. It said so before production rather than promise a result it couldn't deliver.

On the cutting table: the peacock chair seat

CushionShaped round seat cushion for a rattan peacock chair
FabricPastel multi-stripe with white linework, outdoor acrylic (code 440)
ColorsButter yellow, lilac, sky blue and white
PipingSelf piping
EdgeSlim box edge that sits inside the woven rim
PatternTraced from a paper template of the seat
FillFirm foam; soft draped pads are not made
Best forBalcony and porch chairs with dished, rounded seats

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Maggie’s workshop

Numbers first, fabric second, piping last. Jot down what you have, and the workshop will go down the list with you, item by item. — Maggie

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
Pastel multi-stripe with white linework, outdoor acrylic (code 440)
Foam
Firm foam; soft draped pads are not made
Piping
Self piping
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

A peacock chair cushion starts as a sheet of paper pressed into the woven rim; send that traced template, not a single diameter.

Maggie
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Questions buyers ask next

Can a peacock chair cushion stay out on the balcony all year?

Better not. An outdoor acrylic suits sun and showers far better than indoor cotton, but any cushion lasts longer brought in before winter and stored dry, then set out again in spring.

Why does a rattan chair cushion need a slim box edge?

A shallow box edge lets the cushion sit down inside the woven rim instead of perching on top of it. The chair's outline stays visible, and the cushion is less likely to slide over the edge.

What fabric pattern suits a busy rattan fan back?

A fine, small-scale one. The pastel multi-stripe crossed with white linework here is quiet enough not to fight the elaborate fan behind it. A large print on the seat would compete with the rattan.

Is a single diameter enough to order a round chair cushion?

Rarely. Peacock and similar chairs are dished and flare at the front, so one diameter misses the shape. Send a traced paper template of the seat, plus the depth at the center and at the sides.

Stitch straight — Maggie

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