A Reading by MaggieBench Cushions
A rust boucle entryway bench cushion, and how to keep it on the settle
Maggie's notebook on a hallway settle: which fastening holds a boucle seat through bags, boots and wet sleeves, and where the zipper belongs.
SaveThe quick answer
To keep a custom bench cushion on a hallway settle, use ties on slat-back frames with posts to tie around, a non-slip base on flat or boxed benches, and put the zipper on the back edge where it faces the wall. Ties are added free; say where you want them, for example 6 in (15 cm) in from each short end.
Notebook, page one: the settle and its seat
A hallway settle is the hardest-working seat in the house. It takes bags, boots, wet sleeves and whoever is hopping on one foot to get a shoe on, and the cushion gets shoved every single time.
Right, then. Here is what this one gets right. The seat is rust boucle, the warmest color in the scheme, and the terracotta tile floor below repeats it. On a dark oak slat-back settle that deep color is sensible as well as handsome: a hallway bench sees more traffic than a living room one, and rust shows less of it than cream. The box edge is unpiped, which suits boucle; its loops already make their own soft outline.
The pillows step down in height and color from left to right. Cream boucle sits palest at the back left, lifting the dark oak frame. A cream and taupe patchwork weave links it to the caramel boucle on the right. Three pillows, one direction, and the settle looks arranged instead of piled.
At the ends, a wrought-iron three-candle candelabra on the left balances a pewter jug of dried wheat and a wooden stool of leather-bound books on the right. The limewashed walls keep it all light. More seats like this live under entryway bench cushions, the cloth is on the boucle and teddy shelf, and boucle care covers snags.
Pinned by Maggie: rust seat, three pillows, wheat and iron
Five pins, from the rust boucle seat across the three pillows to the candelabra and the wheat at either end.
- Rust bouclé seat
The warmest seat color in the set, echoed by the terracotta floor below.
- Cream bouclé pillow
The palest pillow sits at the back left, lifting the dark oak frame.
- Patchwork pillow
A cream and taupe patchwork links the two plain bouclés on either side.
- Wheat in pewter jug
Dried wheat adds height and a harvest texture at the open end.
- Iron candelabra
A tall iron stand balances the jug and stool on the other side.
- Rust bouclé seatThe warmest seat color in the set, echoed by the terracotta floor below.
- Cream bouclé pillowThe palest pillow sits at the back left, lifting the dark oak frame.
- Patchwork pillowA cream and taupe patchwork links the two plain bouclés on either side.
- Wheat in pewter jugDried wheat adds height and a harvest texture at the open end.
- Iron candelabraA tall iron stand balances the jug and stool on the other side.
Fastening, three ways: my checklist
| Fastening | Best on | What to put in the note |
|---|---|---|
| Ties | Slat-back settles and benches with posts or legs to tie around | Ties are free; name the spot, for example 6 in (15 cm) in from each short end |
| Non-slip base | Flat bench tops, window seats, boxed storage benches | An add-on charged per cushion; the underside gets anti-slip material |
| Zipper on the back edge | Any cushion with a removable cover | Ask for it on the back edge, facing the settle back and out of sight |
The slanted side that couldn't be 16 7/8 inches
A confession first, dear: I once cut a trapezoid from a sketch without doing the arithmetic, and I have never forgotten how that seat looked. So I like this story.
Before cutting, the workshop drew out a buyer's trapezoid window cushion: top 57 7/8 in (147 cm), bottom 89 3/4 in (228 cm), depth 16 7/8 in (43 cm). The left slanted side was listed as 16 7/8 in (43 cm) as well. That is impossible. A slanted side is always longer than the straight depth.
The buyer checked and confirmed both sides were 22 7/8 in (58 cm), which puts the true depth at about 16 3/8 in (41.5 cm). The check held dispatch by a day. The cushion was cut correctly and photographed before it shipped.
A day late and right beats on time and wrong. Run your numbers through the trapezoid cushion calculator or the trapezoid measuring pattern first, and see ties and non-slip bases before you write the order note.
Buyer questions: stripe direction, free ties, a two-piece L
- A common question
Which way will the stripes run on my bench cushion?
The workshop's answerFront to back, as a rule. On a long cushion, side-to-side stripes would mean stitching several widths of the roll together, so the workshop keeps them front to back for a seamless, durable top. On some sizes horizontal stripes are possible if you ask before production.
- A common question
I can't find a tie option. Can you add ties so the cushion stays on my bench, and is there a charge?
The workshop's answerTies are added free of charge. Ask for them in the personalization note and say where you want them, for example 6 in (15 cm) in from each short end.
- A common question
Will my L-shaped bench cushion come as one piece or two?
The workshop's answerTwo, meeting at the corner for a clean fit. One outside L measured 90 x 55 in with an inside L of 72 3/4 x 39 in. Send the outside and inside dimensions, or each piece's length and depth, and the workshop confirms the split. For an L-shaped banquette it simply quotes the two pieces, such as 82 x 18 in and 29 1/4 x 18 in.
On the cutting table: the settle seat, measured
| Product | Custom bench cushion for a dark oak slat-back settle |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Rust boucle |
| Piping | None; boucle makes its own soft edge |
| Edge | Box edge |
| Fastening | Ties around the back posts, or a non-slip base |
| Tie placement | Stated in the note, for example 6 in (15 cm) from each short end |
| Zipper | Back edge, facing the settle back |
| Pillows | Cream boucle, cream and taupe patchwork, caramel boucle |
| Best for | Entryways that take coats, bags and wet sleeves |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Maggie’s workshop
Numbers first, fabric second, piping last. Jot down what you have, and the workshop will go down the list with you, item by item. — Maggie
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.
Ties on a bench cushion are free to add, so name the spot in the order note: for example, 6 in (15 cm) in from each short end.
Maggie
Questions buyers ask next
Ties or a non-slip base: which suits a slat-back hallway settle?
Ties, usually, because a slat-back settle has posts to tie around. A non-slip base suits flat tops with nothing to tie to, such as window seats and boxed storage benches. It is an add-on charged per cushion, while ties are free.
Where should the zipper sit on an entryway bench cushion?
On the back edge, facing the settle back or the wall. It stays out of sight from the hallway and away from the backs of legs, and the cover can still come off for cleaning.
Why choose a deep color like rust for a hallway bench seat?
A hallway settle takes bags, coats and wet sleeves far more often than a living room bench, so a deeper seat color shows less wear between cleanings. Rust also picks up terracotta tile, which ties the seat to the floor.
How can I catch a wrong trapezoid measurement before ordering?
Compare each slanted side with the straight depth. A slanted side must always be longer. If your sketch lists them as equal, as one buyer's did at 16 7/8 in (43 cm), one of the numbers is wrong and needs measuring again.
Stitch straight — Maggie
