SaveA Reading by MaggieDining Chair Cushions & Pads
Sage stripe chair cushions on two teak armchairs, and why their edge stays slim
Maggie reads a pair of striped seat pads under a climbing rose and makes the case for a thin box edge on an upright outdoor chair.
Thin sage stripes on ivory give two teak armchairs an English courtyard feel beneath a flowering rose.
The quick answer
An upright teak armchair wants a slim box-edge chair cushion, not a deep lounge pad, so your elbows stay level with the arms. A narrow boxed side keeps the stripe square at the front, while a softer knife edge suits a loose back pillow. Measure each seat by hand, and write your outdoor fabric code on the chair listing to match a bench.
Thin on purpose: the case for a slim box edge
The commonest mistake on a garden armchair is a cushion that is too generous. Too thick, I mean.
These two teak armchairs stand on flagstones in a stone courtyard, a climbing rose in blush and cream spread across the lime-washed wall above them. Their seat pads are slim, ivory with fine sage stripes, finished with a box edge and self piping. The back pillows are loose, not tied, and that is deliberate: a chair cushion with ties belongs on a slatted seat where a pad wanders, while a loose pillow comes indoors in one lift. Nothing here shouts, which is the point.
An armchair has fixed arms at a fixed height. Put a deep lounge cushion on it and your elbows ride up over the arms, your shoulders follow, and twenty minutes later you are perched rather than seated. A slim pad keeps the chair's own proportions. Right, then: thin is not stingy. Thin is correct.
Why a box edge on the seat and not a knife edge? A boxed side, even a narrow one, gives the front of the pad a square face, so the stripes run cleanly over the edge instead of pinching to a point. The pillows behind can be softer; nobody sits on a back.
Soft overcast light is kind to stripes. The sage reads as sage, not gray. The stripes run front to back and are centered alike on both chairs, which is where most pairs go wrong; if one drifts an inch, the eye finds it before it finds the roses.
The roses supply all the color the courtyard needs, so the cushions can stay quiet. Sage picks up the rose leaves and the olive standards in their terracotta pots; ivory picks up the lime wash. The teak side table and a brass watering can add warm wood and warm metal. The pads are outdoor acrylic, yet the loose pillows still come indoors when the evening does. More pairs like these live among our dining chair cushions. What does your chair's seat measure, front to back?
Pinned by Maggie
Five pins, from the slim seat pad to the brass watering can by the flagstones.
- Slim seat pad
Kept thin so elbows stay level with the arms on an upright chair.
- Loose back pillow
Not attached, so it comes indoors easily after an evening outside.
- Matching right pillow
Stripes centered the same way on both chairs.
- Climbing rose
The roses supply the color, so the cushions can stay quiet.
- Brass watering can
A warm metal accent that suits the courtyard.
- Slim seat padKept thin so elbows stay level with the arms on an upright chair.
- Loose back pillowNot attached, so it comes indoors easily after an evening outside.
- Matching right pillowStripes centered the same way on both chairs.
- Climbing roseThe roses supply the color, so the cushions can stay quiet.
- Brass watering canA warm metal accent that suits the courtyard.
Box, knife, rounded or angled: matching the edge to the chair
| Edge | How it is built | Where it belongs |
|---|---|---|
| Box edge | Top and bottom panels joined by a side wall, piped at both seams | Seat pads on upright chairs; keeps stripes square at the front |
| Knife edge | Two panels sewn at one seam, fuller in the middle | Loose back pillows and throw pillows that lean |
| Rounded corners | Corners cut on a curve to follow the seat | Chairs whose seat curves at the front or back; send a drawing |
| Angled corners | Corners clipped at an angle | Armchairs where the arm posts bite into a square pad |
On the cutting table: the courtyard pair
| Cushion | Seat pad and loose back pillow for each of two teak armchairs |
|---|---|
| Seat edge | Slim box edge |
| Back pillow | Loose, not tied |
| Fabric | Ivory outdoor acrylic with fine sage stripes |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Stripe direction | Front to back, centered alike on both chairs |
| Setting | Stone courtyard, patio or porch |
| Best for | Upright outdoor armchairs with fixed arms |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Maggie’s workshop
Have the tape measure handy when they call. Old cushions shrink and sag; the seat underneath does not. — 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.
Two lounge chairs, three numbers a cushion
A buyer wrote in needing new covers for a pair of Barcelona-style lounge chairs, and sent exactly what we needed and nothing we didn't: back cushions 29.5 x 19 in (75 x 48 cm), seat cushions 29.5 x 21 in (75 x 53 cm), all 3.5 in (9 cm) thick, two of each.
The workshop quoted both sets of covers from those numbers alone. No frame photos, no back-and-forth, no guessing.
I give every chair owner the same homework. Width, depth or height, and thickness, for each cushion. Three numbers a piece. Take them from the chair with a tape, not from a product page, and the dining chair pad measuring Pattern shows where the tape goes.
Buyer questions: trim, sizes and matching fabric
- A common question
Can you make pads for my Cesca-style chairs a little smaller, so the wood trim still shows?
The workshop's answerYes. Product pages rarely give detailed seat measurements, so measure the chairs by hand and size the pads as much smaller as you like. Order through the chair cushion listing, and if the seat is not a rectangle, upload a drawing or photo with the measurements.
- A common question
My armchair needs a new seat and back cushion, both 22 x 22 in. Can you make them, and is 4 in cheaper than 6 in?
The workshop's answerYes. Two 22 x 22 in (56 x 56 cm) cushions, one seat and one back, have been made at 6 in (15 cm) and at 4 in (10 cm), and the thinner option costs less. Same-color piping is included free. One buyer chose charcoal linen L35 and wrote back that they fit perfectly.
- A common question
The chair cushion listing doesn't show outdoor fabrics. How do I get chair pads that match my outdoor bench?
The workshop's answerOrder the chairs through the chair listing and write the outdoor fabric code from your bench in the personalization box. Every piece is then made in the same outdoor fabric, so the set matches.
An upright armchair needs a slim chair cushion; a deep pad lifts your elbows above the arms and turns sitting into perching.
Maggie
Questions buyers ask next
How thick should a seat pad for an upright outdoor armchair be?
Thin enough that your elbows still rest on the arms. Past armchair seat and back cushions have been made at 4 in or 6 in, and lounge-chair covers at 3.5 in; on an upright chair, lean toward the slimmer end.
Should loose back pillows on teak patio chairs be tied on?
Not always. Loose back pillows lift off in seconds, so they come indoors easily after an evening outside. If the chair back is slatted and the pillow keeps slipping, ties at the posts are the usual fix.
When does an outdoor chair cushion need rounded corners?
When the seat itself curves at the front or back. Measure the curve and upload a drawing or photo with measurements, since shaped pads are cut from your outline rather than from a stock rectangle.
Can the stripes line up on a pair of striped chair pads?
Yes, if you ask. Mention in your order note that the chairs are a pair and that the stripe should be centered the same way on both seats, so the two chairs mirror each other.
Stitch straight — Maggie
More photographs to read
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
