A Reading by CallumChaise Lounge & Sunbed Cushions
A pistachio kilim-pattern lounger cushion on a lakeside deck, and what outdoor and indoor cushions can teach each other
Damp mornings, bright afternoons, a boat tied at the dock. This lounger cushion has to weather like a porch cushion and sit like a sofa, friend.
SaveThe quick answer
A sunbed cushion on a lakeside deck should borrow its fabric from outdoor cushions and its comfort from indoor ones. Choose fabric from a water-repellent outdoor range or treat it with a fabric protectant spray, pick a small repeat that hides wear, and size it like indoor seating: 4 in (10 cm) is the standard thickness, with each backrest sized on its own.
Buyer questions first: questions from the deck and the road
- A common question
These cushions will live outside. Do I need a fabric protector?
The workshop's answerFor outdoor use the workshop recommends either a fabric protectant spray or cushions made in fabric from its water-repellent outdoor range. Outdoor cushions are made to your exact size.
- A common question
For my camper van benches, can the backrest be shorter than the seat?
The workshop's answerYes. The bench-with-backrest listing includes backrests of any size, and you write each backrest's size in the personalization note: for example a 36.5 in (93 cm) backrest on a 47.25 x 23.5 in (120 x 60 cm) seat, and a 22.75 in (58 cm) backrest on a 22.75 x 24 in (58 x 61 cm) seat.
- A common question
What thickness do you suggest for a van bench seat and its backrest?
The workshop's answerThe standard is 4 in (10 cm) for both seat and back, and any thickness can be ordered. One van conversion used 4 in for a 52 x 17.25 in (132 x 44 cm) seat and 2 in (5 cm) for a 49 x 8.75 in (124.5 x 22 cm) back.
Now, the reading
Reading the deck: pistachio, and a pattern that survives the hinge
Lake weather is two seasons in one day. Fog on the water at dawn, hard sun by two. This cushion lives through both, like every lake cottage cushion has to.
The cloth is an outdoor acrylic in a small kilim-style repeat, pistachio green on white. Small matters on a lounger. A sunbed cushion folds at the hinge, and a big motif gets cut in half there. A small repeat just keeps going across the fold.
The color comes from the scene. Dark green Adirondack chairs stand behind, new leaves hang overhead, and pistachio stays in the family. The honey teak of the lounger and its wheel matches the deck rail and keeps the picture warm. Self piping softens the edges, which suits a shingle cottage better than a crisp contrast welt.
The boat at the dock is the real note. A moored boat means damp mornings. Rain doesn't negotiate, and dew doesn't either. On a busy timber deck, a small pattern hides pollen and wear far better than a plain pale cloth. Does your cushion sleep outside, or come in at night?
Pinned by Callum: five marks on a lake deck
Five pins, from the kilim backrest to the honey teak wheel.
- Kilim-pattern backrest
A small repeat covers a long lounger without big motifs cut at the hinge.
- Pistachio seat
Pistachio and white repeat the painted chairs and new leaves.
- Adirondack chairs
The green chairs behind set the color family.
- Moored boat
Lakeside use means the fabric must cope with damp mornings.
- Teak wheel
Honey teak matches the deck rail and keeps the scene warm.
- Kilim-pattern backrestA small repeat covers a long lounger without big motifs cut at the hinge.
- Pistachio seatPistachio and white repeat the painted chairs and new leaves.
- Adirondack chairsThe green chairs behind set the color family.
- Moored boatLakeside use means the fabric must cope with damp mornings.
- Teak wheelHoney teak matches the deck rail and keeps the scene warm.
What to borrow, and from which side of the door
| Decision | Borrow from outdoor cushions | Borrow from indoor cushions |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric | A water-repellent outdoor range, or a fabric protectant spray | A color taken from the room around it |
| Pattern | A small repeat that hides pollen and deck wear | One fabric carried across every piece in the set |
| Foam | Ask how the foam handles a soaking | 4 in (10 cm) thick, the standard for seat and back |
| Backrest | Cut to the frame and its hinge | Its own length and thickness, written in the note |
| Ordering | Every outdoor piece in one quote | So the fabric matches from sofa to footstool |
A sofa and a footstool, quoted as one
A buyer wrote to the workshop wanting bespoke cream cushions for an outdoor sofa, 33 x 19.75 in (84 x 50 cm), and a matching footstool, 43.25 x 19.75 in (110 x 50 cm). The workshop quoted both together, with about 7 to 10 days in total from making to delivery on that order.
Quoting together is the point. Two pieces cut from one run of cream fabric match each other. Add the footstool a season later and you may be matching a new dye lot, and cream shows a difference first. That is an indoor habit worth taking outside: order the set as a set.
The fabric side of the story is in water-repellent versus waterproof, and the same thinking holds for any patio and porch cushion.
- Sizes
- 33 x 19.75 in (84 x 50 cm) and 43.25 x 19.75 in (110 x 50 cm)
The lesson: Quote sofa and footstool cushions together so the fabric matches across both.
On the cutting table: the pistachio lounger
| Cushion | Sunbed cushion with a hinged backrest section |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Pistachio and white kilim-style outdoor acrylic |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Edge | Box edge |
| Thickness | 4 in (10 cm) standard; any thickness can be ordered |
| Weather | Water-repellent outdoor fabric range, or a fabric protectant spray on other cloth |
| Frame | Teak lounger on wheels |
| Best for | Lake, pool and dock decks with damp mornings |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Callum’s workshop
Short list: size, sun hours, how fast it has to dry. The workshop goes through it with you. — 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.
On a lake deck, a sunbed cushion needs water-repellent outdoor fabric or a fabric protectant spray, plus a small repeat pattern that hides pollen and wear.
Callum
Questions buyers ask next
Why use a small pattern on an outdoor lounger cushion?
A lounger cushion folds at the hinge, and a large motif gets cut in half there. A small repeat runs cleanly across the fold, and on a busy timber deck it hides pollen and wear better than a plain pale fabric.
Is water-repellent fabric the same as waterproof fabric?
No. Water-repellent fabric sheds a light shower for a while; waterproof fabric is made to keep water out. By a lake with dew most mornings, ask for the water-repellent outdoor range, or treat other fabric with a protectant spray.
How do I keep an outdoor sofa and footstool matching?
Quote and order them together. Pieces cut from the same run of fabric match; a piece added later may come from a different dye lot, and pale colors like cream show the difference first.
Fair winds — Callum
More photographs to read
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
