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Raspberry pink pet-friendly cushion on a walnut platform bench beside bookshelves, Cavalier spaniel asleep on a cream pillowSave
The berry seat sits between rows of book spines and a brass arc lamp, giving the library corner one bold anchor.

A Reading by HanaDaybed Cushions & Covers

A raspberry reading nook cushion that takes its color from the shelves

Take the cushion away and the corner is wood and paper. Put it back and the corner has a center. One color did that.

Read by

The Quiet Geometer of SeattlePublished 4 min read

Swatch strip measured from the photograph

  • chestnut#623e2d25%
  • chestnut#86665125%
  • soot black#21130c24%
  • taupe#a98f7715%
  • oatmeal#d8c5ad11%

The quick answer

Choose a daybed or reading nook cushion in the color that appears most often on your bookshelves, and it will look as if it was always there. Here raspberry repeats the red and rust spines. Keep the cushion modest in thickness; 4 in (10 cm) is the workshop's usual recommendation. Then step the pillows from light to dark.

Seven colors, all borrowed from the room

  • Raspberry#A8325EThe seat; the one bold block
  • Burgundy#6E1F2EIts shadow, and the darkest spines
  • Cream#F1E8D8The pillow under the spaniel
  • Oatmeal#D8C8AEThe middle pillow, a step darker
  • Rust#A8522EThe last pillow, and many spines
  • Brass#B08D47The arc lamp, warm over the seat
  • Walnut#5A3A26Bench, side table and floor

Before the cushion, and after

Picture the corner before. A walnut platform bench between floor-to-ceiling shelves, a tall window, a brass arc lamp. Handsome, and all brown.

Now after. One raspberry cushion, deep enough to curl up on, modest in thickness so the walnut platform still reads as furniture. No piping. On one strong color, a clean box edge is enough.

The color was not invented. The spines already carry reds, rusts and creams. The seat gathers them into one block, so shelves and cushion agree.

Then the pillows: cream under the sleeping spaniel, oatmeal, rust. Light to dark, a short walk for the eye that ends at the lamp, whose dome puts reading light straight over the seat. A teacup waits on the side table.

The spaniel's cream pillow has a job. It sits where the dog naps most, so the pillow takes the wear, not the seat.

See daybed cushions, reading nook cushions and performance and pet-friendly fabrics. Which color shows most on your shelves?

One color from the shelves. Pillows from light to dark. A lamp over the seat.

Five pins across the nook

Five pins, from the raspberry front edge to the book spines where the color began.

Pinned: Raspberry pink pet-friendly cushion on a walnut platform bench beside bookshelves, Cavalier spaniel asleep on a cream pillow
  1. Raspberry seat front

    Modest thickness keeps the walnut platform visible as furniture.

  2. Spaniel on cream pillow

    A washable pillow under the dog protects the seat where it naps most.

  3. Brass arc lamp

    The dome lamp puts reading light exactly over the cushion.

  4. Rust linen pillow

    Cream to oatmeal to rust pillows step the eye from light to dark.

  5. Bookshelf spines

    Reds and rusts on the shelves are where the cushion color came from.

  1. Raspberry seat frontModest thickness keeps the walnut platform visible as furniture.
  2. Spaniel on cream pillowA washable pillow under the dog protects the seat where it naps most.
  3. Brass arc lampThe dome lamp puts reading light exactly over the cushion.
  4. Rust linen pillowCream to oatmeal to rust pillows step the eye from light to dark.
  5. Bookshelf spinesReds and rusts on the shelves are where the cushion color came from.
A real project

A daybed that was mostly a sofa

A buyer in the US had a twin daybed against a wall, used as a sofa. They did not want the full set. They wanted one long back cushion firm enough to sit upright against, one armrest bolster, and a fitted cover for a 39 x 75 x 11.5 in (99 x 191 x 29 cm) twin mattress, in green corduroy.

The workshop suggested foam-filled pieces for the backrest and armrest, for structure, and sent photos of backrest models so the buyer could choose.

If a daybed is mostly for sitting, ask for a foam-filled back cushion, not loose fiber fill.

If the book spines on your shelves run red and rust, a raspberry reading nook cushion will look as if it was always there.

Hana
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What the nook is wearing

CushionDaybed-style box cushion on a walnut platform bench
ColorRaspberry, one block, no pattern
Fabric familyPerformance weave, for a home with a dog
PipingNone; a clean box edge
ThicknessModest; 4 in (10 cm) usual, 6 or 8 in on request
Twin sizeAbout 38 x 75 in (97 x 191 cm)
PillowsCream, oatmeal, rust, light to dark

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Have it made

Have this made — ask Hana’s workshop

A good size is a quiet thing. You notice it only when it is wrong. Let the workshop check yours first. — 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.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
Performance weave, for a home with a dog
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
None; a clean box edge
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

Three questions from nook and daybed buyers

  1. A common question

    Is a daybed cushion sturdy enough to sleep on, and what size is a twin?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. They are solid and made for sitting or lying on. A twin is about 38 x 75 in. A 27½ x 63 in (70 x 160 cm) size is on the listing, and longer custom sizes can be made for taller adults.

  2. A common question

    Is 4 inches thick enough for sitting and napping on a hard wooden or wicker base?

    The workshop's answer

    The workshop recommends 4 in, and most buyers find it comfortable. Thicker is possible on request: 6 in was quoted for a curved willow sofa base, and 8 in for a 51 x 82 in wooden swing platform with a backrest.

  3. A common question

    Could you make a cushion that turns IKEA KALLAX units into kitchen banquette seating?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. A 15 3/8 x 57 5/8 in cushion for KALLAX banquette seating was made to those exact dimensions, in the buyer's choice of fabric and color.

Questions buyers ask next

How do I pick a cushion color for a room full of books?

Look at the shelves from across the room and name the color that shows most. Choose the cushion in that color, then add pillows that step from light to dark so the eye moves along the seat.

Does a single-color nook cushion need piping?

Not always. On one strong color like raspberry, a plain box edge keeps the block clean. Piping earns its place when cushion, wall and bench are close in tone and the outline needs help.

Can a dog share a reading nook cushion?

Give the dog its own washable pillow where it naps most, as in this nook. The pillow takes the daily wear, and a performance weave on the seat makes the rest easier to live with.

— Hana

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