A Reading by HanaDaybed Cushions & Covers
Red and cream striped daybed cushion, noted in a sunroom
Hana's notebook page on a rattan daybed in morning sun: one bold stripe, two bolsters, a few plants, and the small errors that would have spoiled it.
SaveThe quick answer
A striped daybed cushion looks deepest when the stripes run front to back and drop straight down the box edge. On this rattan daybed, a red and cream mattress sits inside the rail, self piping keeps the outline in the same two colors, and two matching bolsters act as the backrest. Plants and one plain throw do the rest.
One stripe, two colors, nothing else patterned
One stripe. Two colors. Nothing else patterned in the room.
That restraint is why this daybed cushion works. The mattress is a full box, cut to the inside of the rattan rail, so no frame shows above the foam. It reads as a seat, not a pad.
The stripes run front to back across the top, then drop straight down the sides. The eye travels into the seat, and the seat feels deeper than it is.
The self piping is cut from the stripe. No third color enters. Red and cream stay a pair.
Two bolsters in the same cloth, with piped round ends, sit at either end. They do the work of arms and a backrest, and a mattress becomes a sofa. The ferns behind are green, the complement of red, so the stripe reads fresh rather than loud. A cream chunky knit rests where the feet go up. The fiddle-leaf fig and a small snake plant add height, not pattern.
Morning sun through sheers is kind to a room and hard on a strong red. For a glass room, read sunroom fabric and humidity before you choose. More frames and sets are under daybed cushions and sunroom cushions.
What is the one pattern in your room?
Pinned by Hana: five notes along the rail
Five pins, from the bolster's piped round end to the ferns behind the frame.
- Matching striped bolster
Bolsters cut from the same stripe, with piped round ends, turn a flat mattress into a sofa-style daybed.
- Striped self piping
The piping is cut from the stripe itself, so the edge stays crisp without bringing a third color into the red and cream.
- Cream knit throw
A chunky ivory knit breaks up the long run of stripes at the end where feet go up.
- Rattan daybed frame
Honey rattan warms the red, and the box cushion sits inside the rail so no frame shows above the foam.
- Ferns behind the seat
Green is the complement of red, which is why this bold stripe reads fresh here rather than loud.
- Matching striped bolsterBolsters cut from the same stripe, with piped round ends, turn a flat mattress into a sofa-style daybed.
- Striped self pipingThe piping is cut from the stripe itself, so the edge stays crisp without bringing a third color into the red and cream.
- Cream knit throwA chunky ivory knit breaks up the long run of stripes at the end where feet go up.
- Rattan daybed frameHoney rattan warms the red, and the box cushion sits inside the rail so no frame shows above the foam.
- Ferns behind the seatGreen is the complement of red, which is why this bold stripe reads fresh here rather than loud.
Five small errors this daybed avoids
- Stripes running end to end on a deep seat. Here they run front to back, and the seat looks deeper.
- A third color in the piping. Here the welt is cut from the stripe itself.
- Bolsters in a different fabric. Here they match the mattress, so the set reads as one piece of furniture.
- A mattress narrower than the rail, with frame showing above it. Here the box sits inside the rail, full width.
- Pattern on every soft thing. Here the throw is plain cream knit, and the plants supply the rest.
Notebook table: the sunroom daybed set
| Mattress | Full-length box cushion, cut to the inside of the rattan rail |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Red and cream striped cotton |
| Stripe direction | Front to back on top, straight down the box edge |
| Piping | Self piping, cut from the stripe |
| Bolsters | Two, same stripe, piped round ends |
| Throw | Cream chunky knit with fringe |
| Frame | Honey rattan daybed |
| Setting | Sunroom with sheers, Boston ferns and a fiddle-leaf fig |
| Best for | Sunrooms and daybeds that double as sofas |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Hana’s workshop
Leave your numbers and the height you like to sit at. The rest is a short conversation. — 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.
A patio daybed in mustard, and a pause
A buyer in the US wrote to the workshop about an outdoor daybed. 52 x 28 x 4 in (132 x 71 x 10 cm). A back cushion. Two cylinder side pillows. Mustard gold, like the listing photo.
The set was priced in standard fabric and in water-repellent outdoor fabric, and the outdoor version cost slightly more. The mustard in the photo was an indoor velvet, so the workshop suggested the outdoor code closest to it.
There were no finished outdoor-fabric examples to show. The buyer chose to wait for a sale.
The note I kept: outdoor versions cost a little more, and the outdoor color range is not the indoor one. Choose an outdoor color from the outdoor chart, in daylight. If a daybed moves between sunroom and patio, start with the water-repellent vs waterproof Pattern. Indoors, this stripe belongs to the striped cotton and ticking family.
One stripe. One plain throw. The plants do the talking.
Buyer questions: stripes, trundles and pillow heights
- A common question
Can I make a striped daybed set, with a thin stripe on the back pillows and a wide stripe on the mattress cover?
The workshop's answerYes. The striped options are in the 6th, 7th and 8th images of the linen bench cushion listing; they're similar to other brands' tones but not identical. Pick your codes and note which goes on the back pillows and which on the mattress cover.
- A common question
My trundle daybed has two mattresses. Can one cover handle both?
The workshop's answerA cover is made for one mattress, for example 35 1/2 x 74 3/4 x 7 in (90 x 190 x 18 cm). A cover for the second mattress is charged as an extra and can be bought separately.
- A common question
How tall are the back pillows in the daybed cover set, and could they be about 27 inches?
The workshop's answerThe standard back pillow is 15 3/4 in (40 cm) tall, and the set is priced on that, so a 78 3/4 in (200 cm) Hemnes gets two pillows of 15 3/4 x 39 1/2 in (40 x 100 cm) that span its full length. At 27 1/2 in (70 cm) a pillow is too tall to work as a backrest. Bolsters with inserts are included in the set.
A striped daybed cushion looks deeper when the stripes run front to back and fall straight down the box edge.
Hana
Questions buyers ask next
Which way should stripes run on a daybed mattress?
Front to back across the top, then straight down the box edge, makes the seat look deeper and keeps the stripe continuous over the edge. Running them end to end stresses length instead, which can make a narrow daybed feel narrower still.
Do daybed bolsters have to match the mattress fabric?
They don't have to, but matching reads as one piece of furniture. Two bolsters in the mattress stripe act as arms and a backrest, and a plain throw or a few plants can carry any extra texture without a second pattern.
Is a red stripe too bold for a sunroom daybed?
Not with green nearby. Red and green are complements, so ferns or a fig beside a red stripe make it look fresh rather than loud. Keep everything else plain, and remember that strong sun is hard on any saturated color.
— Hana
