---
title: "Custom Throw Pillows: Mixing a Palm Jacquard With Plains"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/sage-palm-jacquard-pillow-rattan-armchair-olive-tree/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/"
published: "2026-02-06"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "custom throw pillows, chair cushion, outdoor cushions, cushion cover"
---

# A sage palm jacquard pillow on rattan, and how one pattern lives with plains

*Under an olive tree, a rattan armchair wears one leaf pattern and one plain seat, and nothing else is asked to speak. I copied the recipe into my notebook in sage pencil.*

> **The quick answer:** To mix patterns on a garden chair, let one patterned pillow carry the design, keep the seat cushion plain, and add texture rather than a second print. Here a sage palm jacquard with sage piping leans on a plain oatmeal box seat. If you add a stripe, keep it in the same sage and at a smaller scale than the leaf.

![Sage and cream palm jacquard pillow with sage piping on a rattan armchair with an oatmeal seat cushion under an olive tree](https://cushionguide.com/media/throw-pillows/sage-palm-jacquard-pillow-rattan-armchair-olive-tree-1600.webp "A plain oatmeal seat and one sage leaf pillow make an easy, season-proof pairing for a rattan armchair.")

## One leaf, one plain, and the rest is texture

Everything on this rattan armchair is decided by one pillow. It is oversized, large enough to fill the chair back and meet the lower back, and it carries the only print in the frame: a sage palm leaf woven into cream. Below it, a plain oatmeal box seat asks for no attention at all.

The piping is sage, the leaf's own color. It gives the corners a sharp line that keeps a big pillow looking plump, and it quietly ties the print to the plain. Above, silvery olive leaves repeat the sage; behind, a stone wall and star jasmine supply texture no fabric needs to copy. The bentwood rattan is a pattern too, one you feel more than see.

A glass of iced water on the iron bistro table sets the pace of a dappled, slow afternoon. Keep the seat neutral and change only the pillow when the season turns, my friends. Which pattern would you let speak on your chair?

## Five pins under the olive tree

Five pins, from the sage-piped corner to the olive trunk that frames the chair.

1. **Oversized pillow**: One large pillow fills the chair back and supports the lower back.
2. **Piped corner**: Sage piping gives a sharp corner that keeps the pillow looking plump.
3. **Oatmeal seat cushion**: A plain box seat lets the patterned pillow take the spotlight.
4. **Iced water**: A cold drink on the bistro table sets the slow afternoon mood.
5. **Olive trunk**: Silvery olive leaves above repeat the sage of the pillow.

## Pattern-mixing notes, in sage pencil

- ✓ One print per chair; the seat cushion stays plain.
- ✓ A second pattern is a stripe or small check in the same color, at a smaller scale than the first.
- ✓ Texture counts: rattan, linen, knit and stone add interest without adding a print.
- ✓ Contrast piping in the print's main color ties a busy pillow to a plain seat.
- ✓ Browse [custom throw pillows](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/throw-pillows/) and [jacquard and damask](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/jacquard-and-damask/) for the print, and [patio and porch cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/patio-and-porch-cushions/) for the plain.

## Two twin mattresses, contrast piping and the number that mattered

A buyer wanted covers only, with contrast piping, for two standard twin mattresses used as daybed seating: 38 in wide, 75 in long and 8 in thick (97 x 191 x 20 cm) each. The workshop first pointed to the regular cushion-cover listing, then saw the 8 in depth and moved the pair to a custom listing, quoted together.

The depth changed everything. A box cover for a mattress that thick is its own job, not a bench cover, and contrast piping turns its outline into part of the design.

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** We have the inside foam already. Can we buy zippered covers on their own, even for a trapezoid bay cushion?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. The zippered cover listing is covers only, with no foam or filling, and custom covers are made for existing inserts, trapezoid bay cushions and outdoor sectionals included. The workshop double-checks that you want covers only, and for shaped pieces asks for a drawing with measurements and a photo of the space.

**A common question:** One cover came stained and another has a patch sewn in. Can they be replaced?

**The workshop's answer:** Send the workshop photos of both covers first; in one past case a pillowcase with loose stitching got a replacement cover. The workshop also asks whether the rolls arrived sealed and compressed, so it can open a claim with the carrier.

**A common question:** Can you make bolsters to match my bench cushion, maybe all in the stripe?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes: in the bench fabric or fully in a contrast or stripe, in custom lengths and diameters such as 44 in long by 6 in across. About 8 in across is typical; a 20 in cylinder would be unusually large. On a long bench a bolster can be split in two.

> On a patterned garden chair, let one pillow carry the print and keep the seat cushion plain. A second pattern should be a stripe in the same color, at a smaller scale.
>
> — Élodie

> **Tailor's margin:** Contrast piping cut in a print's main color, like sage piping on a sage leaf, is the thread that ties a busy pillow to a plain seat cushion.

## On the cutting table: the palm pillow and its plain seat

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Pillow | Oversized square throw pillow, knife edge |
| Fabric | Sage and cream palm-leaf jacquard |
| Piping | Contrast piping in sage |
| Seat | Plain oatmeal box cushion |
| Chair | Bentwood rattan armchair |
| Pattern count | One print, one plain, several textures |
| Best for | Garden corners that change with the season |

## Questions buyers ask next

### How many patterned pillows should one armchair hold?

One, when it is big enough to fill the chair back, as this palm pillow does. A second, smaller pillow works if it is plain or a stripe in the same color family. Two large prints on one chair compete.

### Why choose a jacquard for a patterned pillow?

In a jacquard the pattern is woven into the cloth rather than printed on top, so it cannot rub off. Heavy jacquards make durable upholstery; loose ones with long floating threads can snag.

### What do I measure for a cover over a mattress?

Length, width and the full depth. Depth sets the side band of a box cover, and a cover for an 8 in (20 cm) mattress is made as a custom job, not as a bench cover.

## Related at the atelier

- [Custom Throw Pillow in Navy Leaf Jacquard on a Teak Lounge Chair](https://cushionguide.com/readings/navy-leaf-jacquard-pillow-teak-lounge-chair-sea-view/): One patterned throw pillow is enough to remake a chair whose seat and back cushions are plain.
- [Custom Throw Pillows in Navy Palm Jacquard on a Poolside Bench](https://cushionguide.com/readings/navy-palm-jacquard-throw-pillows-poolside-bench/): Two large custom throw pillows in one bold print look calmer on a built-in bench than a row of small mixed ones.
- [Custom Throw Pillows in Sage Leaf Jacquard with Sage Piping](https://cushionguide.com/readings/sage-leaf-jacquard-piped-pillows-bamboo-lounger/): Custom throw pillows in a pale jacquard need contrast piping when they sit on an equally pale cushion; here a thin sage cord keeps the leaf pattern from dissolving into the cream lounger.
- [Can you make matching throw pillows in the same fabric as my cushion?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/matching-throw-pillows-same-fabric-cushion/): Yes, matching throw pillows can be made in the same fabric as your cushion, in any color and any size, as covers only or filled.
- [Can you make throw pillows to match my cushion or sofa?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/matching-throw-pillows-same-fabric/): Yes, matching throw pillows are made in the same fabric as your bench cushion, floor cushion or sofa, in any size, as covers only or filled, with zippered covers that come off to wash.
- [Can you make round, spherical or fringed decorative pillows?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/round-spherical-decorative-pillows-custom/): Yes for flat round pillows, made to size such as 20 in (51 cm) across; spherical, fringed and cord-edged pillows are checked with the production team case by case.
- [Matching throw pillows and lumbars to a seat cushion, color by color](https://cushionguide.com/guides/matching-throw-pillows-lumbar-pillows/)
- [Adirondack chair cushions that follow the slope of the seat](https://cushionguide.com/guides/adirondack-chair-cushions/)

*With color and care — Élodie*

---

Written by Élodie Marchand (https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/) 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/sage-palm-jacquard-pillow-rattan-armchair-olive-tree/