---
title: "Velvet bench cushion for a stair landing: how to measure it"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/purple-velvet-staircase-landing-bench-cushion/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Harlan Pruitt, The Elder of High Point"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/harlan/"
published: "2026-01-27"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "custom bench cushion, bench cushion, velvet bench cushion, bench cushion indoor, reading nook cushion, made to measure cushion"
---

# A purple velvet cushion on a stair-landing bench, and the measurements that make it fit

*A painted box bench tucked between the stair treads and the balustrade. Purple velvet, self piping, a sconce overhead. Nothing fancy, and every inch of it spoken for.*

> **The quick answer:** Measure a stair-landing bench cushion from the bench itself, wood to wood, at the back and again at the front. Check the depth at both ends and note anything that rises above the seat, such as balustrade slats or a riser. Give exact sizes, write a non-standard thickness in the personalization note, and allow a handmade tolerance of about 1/2 to 1 in.

![Purple velvet box cushion with self piping on a painted landing bench beside white stairs and a slatted balustrade](https://cushionguide.com/media/bench-cushions/purple-velvet-staircase-landing-bench-cushion-1600.webp "A purple velvet cushion with self piping turns a bench on the stair landing into a resting spot lit by a sconce and a small window.")

## A seat boxed in on three sides

Some seats you can measure with one pull of the tape. A landing bench is not one of them. This one sits between the white stair treads and a slatted balustrade, so the cushion has walls and wood pressing on it from three sides. It had to be cut to a true rectangle that slips in tight against the slats and the riser, with no gap for a sock or a pencil to fall through.

Purple against cream paint and old pine should not work, but it does, because the landing is otherwise plain. The velvet is the only rich surface on it. Velvet remembers, and a pile like this one holds the light of the sconce along its front edge in the evening and the daylight from that little casement window in the morning.

The piping is self piping, the same purple, and that was the right call. The balustrade already draws a dozen vertical lines. A contrast welt would have added one more line to a place that has plenty. The wall sconce with its cream shade turns the seat into an evening reading spot, the framed landscape gives the eye somewhere to rest, and those wide pine floorboards warm up a cool purple from below. What presses against the edges of yours? Write it down before you pick up the tape. You can find more [stair landing and understairs benches](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/understairs-and-stair-landing-bench-cushions/) in the Concept Sketches.

## Pinned by Harlan

Five pins, from the pine boards up to the sconce.

1. **Self-piped front edge**: Same-color piping keeps the outline quiet among all the vertical slats.
2. **Purple velvet top**: The velvet sheen is the only rich surface on a plain landing.
3. **Slatted balustrade**: The cushion is cut to fit tight against the slats and the stair riser.
4. **Cream-shade sconce**: A wall light turns the landing seat into an evening reading spot.
5. **Old pine floorboards**: Warm pine balances the cool purple.

## Measuring a landing bench, and where folks go wrong

1. **Measure the wood, not the old cushion**: A tired cushion has spread and sunk. Measure the bench itself, wall to balustrade, to the nearest 1/8 in, and type the numbers out.
2. **Take the length twice**: Once against the back wall, once along the front edge. A seat squeezed between a wall and a balustrade can come out a hair different at each.
3. **Take the depth at both ends**: From the wall to the front edge, left end and right end. Write both down, even if they match.
4. **Note what rises above the seat**: Slats, a stair riser, a baseboard, a trim board. Anything the cushion has to tuck against belongs in your note.
5. **Decide the front edge**: Flush with the bench, or hanging over. An overhang of up to 2 in (5 cm) is common, but on a landing people pass close, so flush is often kinder.
6. **Write the thickness in the note**: If you want something off the menu, like 6 in (15 cm), put it in the personalization note. Then allow about 1/2 to 1 in of handmade tolerance.

## Two squares, six inches thick

A designer in the US wrote to the workshop for a client: two 24 x 24 in (61 x 61 cm) velvet cushions, in navy, slate blue and terracotta, and could they be 6 in (15 cm) thick? The client had children, so the workshop recommended velvet for durability and confirmed the 6 in by having it written in the personalization note, at no extra cost.

Then came the colors. Deep navy 131 with burnt terracotta 112 piping, and teal blue 129 with navy 131 piping. Notice the order of things, my friend: size first, thickness written down, color last. That is how a cushion gets made right the first time.

## What buyers ask about velvet benches

**A common question:** Does the piping run around the top and the bottom, or only the top?

**The workshop's answer:** Both. The piping goes all the way around the top and bottom edges, and both faces are the same fabric, so the cushion can be flipped.

**A common question:** Will a back cushion stand up by itself, or does it need a wall behind it?

**The workshop's answer:** It needs something to lean on. Backrests are not freestanding; they rest against a wall or the back of a cabinet, so the workshop sizes them to your wall or floor plan.

**A common question:** Why is a tufted cushion quoted higher than a plain foam one?

**The workshop's answer:** Because tufting is done fully by hand. For three dining bench cushions, the tufted quote came to roughly one and a half times the plain foam-filled one, and a tufted replacement floor cushion was likewise priced above the plain version.

> Measure a landing bench at the back wall and again at the front edge. A seat boxed in by a wall and a balustrade can differ between the two.
>
> — Harlan

> **Tailor's margin:** If the old cushion is your only ruler, the new cushion inherits its sag. Measure the landing bench wood to wood, back edge and front edge.

## On the cutting table

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Cushion | Box-edge bench cushion cut to a landing seat |
| Fabric | Purple velvet, code 121 |
| Piping | Self piping on the top and bottom edges |
| Faces | Same velvet on both, so it can be flipped |
| Fit | Tight to the balustrade slats and the stair riser |
| Thickness | Any non-standard thickness written in the personalization note |
| Tolerance | About 1/2 to 1 in, handmade |
| Best for | Stair landings and [reading nooks](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/reading-nook-cushions/) with a window |

## Questions buyers ask next

### Should a landing bench cushion hang over the front edge?

It can. An overhang of up to 2 in (5 cm) is common and does not hurt a high-density foam cushion. On a landing, though, people pass close on the stairs, so a flush front edge is often the kinder choice.

### Is velvet a sensible fabric for a bench on the stairs?

Yes. The workshop has recommended velvet for durability in a home with children. Its pile catches light along the front edge, which suits a plain landing where the cushion is the one rich surface.

### How close to my measurements will a handmade cushion come out?

Expect a handmade tolerance of about 1/2 to 1 in. Give the exact size of the seat and let the maker work its own allowance into the cut, rather than shaving an inch off yourself. There is more on [size tolerance](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-size-tolerance/).

### Can I order a thicker cushion than the size options show?

Yes. Write the thickness you want in the personalization note. A designer asked for 6 in (15 cm) on two 24 in square velvet cushions, and they were made that way at no extra cost.

## Related at the atelier

- [Velvet bench cushion for a library nook: grip, ties, zipper](https://cushionguide.com/readings/cranberry-velvet-library-bench-bookshelves/): A velvet bench cushion on a flat built-in seat stays put best with a non-slip base, a grip fabric across the underside rather than an adhesive.
- [Custom velvet bench cushions in purple, slate and crimson](https://cushionguide.com/readings/purple-gray-crimson-velvet-bench-cushions-pine-floor/): A custom bench cushion in velvet changes with the seasons because its pile catches light: low winter sun makes jewel tones like purple and crimson glow, while bright summer light shows every crush…
- [Navy Velvet Bench Cushion: Why Self Piping Suits a Beach Deck](https://cushionguide.com/readings/navy-velvet-bench-cushion-beach-house-deck-dunes/): Self piping, a welt covered in the cushion's own fabric, is the right choice for a long navy bench cushion that should look relaxed.
- [Can you make a seat cushion set with matching bolsters and back pillows?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/seat-cushion-set-with-bolsters-back-pillows/): Yes, a seat cushion can be made as a set with matching bolsters, back pillows and lumbar pillows.
- [Should I give my exact measurements or make the cushion a bit smaller?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/exact-measurements-or-size-down-custom-cushion/): No, don't make the cushion smaller than the bench: give the true, exact size of the space, end to end, without subtracting half an inch or a centimeter.
- [Custom cushions for Romanian apartments, mountain houses and village homes](https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-romania/): Custom cushions in Romania mostly go on three seats: the long wooden wall bench of a village house, the balcony of a Bucharest apartment block, and the bench in a Carpathian cabin.
- [Velvet bench cushions: how the pile behaves and how to care for it](https://cushionguide.com/guides/velvet-bench-cushion-care/)
- [How to order a custom cushion size that isn't in the size menu](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-size-cushion-not-on-menu/)

*Sit well. — Harlan*

---

Written by Harlan Pruitt (https://cushionguide.com/masters/harlan/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/readings/purple-velvet-staircase-landing-bench-cushion/