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A Reading by RosaWindow Seat Cushions

A pencil-stripe window seat cushion, and the cut-out that came back upside down

Ivory stripe, walnut shelves, one brass lamp. And a buyer who taught us to write "top side up" on every drawing.

Read by

The Porch Keeper of SavannahPublished Updated 4 min read

Ivory and near-black pencil-stripe window seat cushion with a charcoal pillow beside walnut bookshelves and a brass lampSave
A fine near-black pencil stripe keeps a library window seat crisp against dark walnut shelving. One charcoal pillow is all the dressing it needs.

The quick answer

For a window seat cushion with a corner cut-out, mark on your drawing which face is the top and which edge carries the zipper, because an asymmetric piece can be sewn mirror-image. For the seat itself, 3 in (7.5 cm) keeps a low profile and 4 in (10 cm) sits plusher.

Savannah ·

Dear neighbor,

What your photograph told me first

Pull up a chair; this photograph deserves a slow look. A white-painted storage seat sits under a tall window between walnut shelves, and on it lies a window seat cushion in an ivory pencil stripe, about 3 in (7.5 cm) thick. That low profile lets the painted lid show as a clean white band under the stripe, so the seat looks built in rather than set down.

The dark line in the stripe passes for black on a phone. It is really a navy so deep it only turns blue by the window, which is why it gets along with the charcoal linen pillow and all that walnut.

The brass lamp warms the ivory at night; the window cools it by day. Dark leather spines repeat the dark stripe, and a run of red cloth-bound volumes gives the wall one warm spark. A busy shelf, a patterned seat, and not one argument between them.

Where my reading glasses went

Five spots I tapped with the end of my pencil.

Pinned: Ivory and near-black pencil-stripe window seat cushion with a charcoal pillow beside walnut bookshelves and a brass lamp
  1. charcoal linen pillow

    One dark pillow anchors the pale stripe against the walnut so the seat reads as part of the joinery.

  2. brass library lamp

    Brass picks up the tan of the book spines and gives the ivory ground a warm evening cast.

  3. self-piped front edge

    Piping cut from the same stripe keeps the edge crisp without adding a third color to a busy bookcase wall.

  4. leather-bound book row

    The stripe's dark line repeats the dark spines, which is why a busy shelf and a patterned seat do not fight.

  5. painted storage base

    At about 3 in thick the cushion leaves the white lid showing as a clean band under the stripe.

  1. charcoal linen pillowOne dark pillow anchors the pale stripe against the walnut so the seat reads as part of the joinery.
  2. brass library lampBrass picks up the tan of the book spines and gives the ivory ground a warm evening cast.
  3. self-piped front edgePiping cut from the same stripe keeps the edge crisp without adding a third color to a busy bookcase wall.
  4. leather-bound book rowThe stripe's dark line repeats the dark spines, which is why a busy shelf and a patterned seat do not fight.
  5. painted storage baseAt about 3 in thick the cushion leaves the white lid showing as a clean band under the stripe.
A real project

The cut-out that came back upside down

One buyer wrote in needing two window seat cushions, one with a corner cut out to clear the woodwork. She sent a drawing with every size marked, exactly right. The cushions arrived quickly and looked lovely.

Then she set the cut-out piece in its corner. It had been sewn mirror-image, so it only fit with the zipper facing up. Nobody wants to sit on a zipper with a cup of tea.

The workshop sewed a new cover with the zipper underneath and sent it straight out, and she still left a kind review. Her drawing had every size. It just never said which face was the top.

Sizes
Two cushions, one with a corner cut-out

The lesson: On any asymmetric cut-out, write "top side up" and mark the zipper edge on the drawing.

Three choices this seat got right

The stripe runs front to back, pattern-matched face on top where the eye lands. On striped cotton and ticking, that decision matters more than any pillow.

The thickness is 3 in. Most folks who write to the workshop land on 3 or 4 in. Three stays trim under a sill; four sits softer. Same price, so let the room decide.

The piping is self piping, cord covered in the same stripe. Contrast would add a third tone to a wall already crowded with spines.

A seat wider at the front than the back is a trapezoid and wants a drawing with every edge measured. More corners like this live under reading nook cushions. So tell me, which way do your stripes want to run?

Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Which fabric is the cushion in your photo? I want exactly that one.

    The workshop's answer

    Ask, and the workshop names the code from the photo, piping included: one cranberry cushion was code 938, a pale gray-cream one N78. Sunlight and camera angle can shift a tone slightly, but it is the same fabric.

  2. A common question

    Is there a thickness most people choose for a bench or window seat?

    The workshop's answer

    2, 3, 4 and 5 in are standard, all one price. Most buyers pick 3 in for a trimmer look or 4 in, the most common, for a plusher seat. The foam is a firm 32-density; 6 in is possible on request.

  3. A common question

    My window seat is narrower at the back and wider at the front. How do I order it?

    The workshop's answer

    That is a trapezoid, ordered through the custom-shape option. Choose the size range by your longest edge and deepest depth, then upload a drawing with every edge measured, plus thickness and fabric code. The cushion is made exactly to that drawing.

On a window seat cushion with a corner cut-out, write which face is up and where the zipper goes. A mirror-image piece only fits upside down.

Rosa
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On the cutting table

CushionWindow seat box cushion
FabricIvory and navy pencil stripe (code N06)
StripeFront to back, matched face on top
PipingSelf piping
ThicknessAbout 3 in (7.5 cm)
FoamFirm 32-density foam
Cut-outsDrawing marked top side up, zipper edge shown
Best forBuilt-in window seats and reading nooks

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Rosa’s workshop

Swings sway, rockers rock, dogs circle three times. Tell the workshop what your seat goes through, and they will plan for it. — 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
Ivory and navy pencil stripe (code N06)
Foam
Firm 32-density foam
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

Questions buyers ask next

Why pick self piping for a striped window seat?

Self piping is cord covered in the cushion's own stripe, so the edge stays crisp without adding a color. On a busy bookcase wall, a contrast cord would be a third tone too many.

What goes on a drawing for a cushion with a cut-out?

Every edge measured, the cut-out's size and position, which face is the top, and which edge carries the zipper. Asymmetric pieces are the ones that can be sewn mirror-image.

Does a 3 inch cushion look too thin on a storage seat?

Not when you want the woodwork to show. At about 3 in, the painted lid stays visible under the fabric. Choose 4 in if softness matters more than profile.

Porch light's on — Rosa

P.S. One dark pillow is all a pale stripe needs. Two, and they start arguing with the books.

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