Save- Seat cushion depth
The seat reaches from the back rail to the front edge of the teak seat.
- Left back cushion
The back cushions rest on the seat without being squashed.
- Right back cushion
Stripes on the backs line up with the seat so the set reads as one piece.
- Red geraniums
Bright geraniums in the foreground bring warmth to a gray paved corner.
- Sandstone paving
Gray flags keep the background quiet and cool.
Plate Three-Quarter View of a Sage Striped Bench with Red Geraniums
From above and to one side, the depth of the seat cushion and the piped back cushions are both easy to judge.
A Reading by CallumBench Cushions
A sage striped custom bench cushion set, and the order note behind it
Weather tests a cushion all season. The order note tests you first.
The quick answer
To order a custom outdoor bench cushion right the first time, measure seat depth from the backrest to the front edge, not the full frame, and give every size as length x depth x thickness. Name your fabric code, say which side the zipper goes on, and describe how stripes should run. Oversized pieces are quoted one by one.
Read the seat from above
This shot is taken from above and to one side, and it is the best angle there is for judging depth. The seat cushion reaches from the back rail to the front edge of the teak seat. Not past it. Not short of it.
The two back cushions rest on the seat without being squashed. The seat is thick enough to sit on and still leaves the backs room to stand.
Now the stripes. Sage and white, running front to back on the seat, lined up with the stripes on the backs. The whole set reads as one piece. Get that wrong and it looks like three cushions that met at a yard sale.
Red geraniums in terracotta and a small pot of thyme bring warmth to a gray sandstone corner. The gravel border and timber fence keep the background cool. Flowers do the job a throw pillow does indoors, and they don't mind rain.
The fabric comes from the water-repellent membrane family. Water-repellent is a promise; waterproof is a contract. Know which one you're buying, friend. The difference is laid out in water-repellent versus waterproof cushions. Which way do your stripes run? More shapes live under bench cushions and patio and porch cushions.
Pinned by Callum: five points on the teak bench
Five pins, from the seat depth at the back rail to the red geraniums warming the paving.
The numbers match the pins on the plate.
- Seat cushion depthThe seat reaches from the back rail to the front edge of the teak seat.
- Left back cushionThe back cushions rest on the seat without being squashed.
- Right back cushionStripes on the backs line up with the seat so the set reads as one piece.
- Red geraniumsBright geraniums in the foreground bring warmth to a gray paved corner.
- Sandstone pavingGray flags keep the background quiet and cool.
The order note, line by line
- Sizes as length x depth x thickness, in one unit, for every piece.
- Seat depth from the backrest to the front edge, not across the whole frame.
- Your fabric code, copied from the chart, not described in words.
- Stripe direction: front to back on the seat, matched on the backs.
- Zipper side, if you care which edge it sits on.
- A photo of the bench from above and to one side, like this one.
- Anything past the size menu: ask for a quote before you order.
Three long runs and a quote before the order
A buyer got in touch with three long bench runs: one cushion of 104 3/8 x 19 1/4 in (265 x 49 cm) and two of 80 3/4 x 19 1/4 in (205 x 49 cm), all 4 in (10 cm) thick. They were torn between two fabric codes, T-04 and M-02, and wrote both down.
Pieces that long sit past the regular size menu, so the shop priced each one individually before anything was ordered. Then the exact sizes went into the personalization box, number for number.
That's the whole trick. Ask first on anything oversized. Put the agreed sizes in writing where the maker will read them. What to send for a custom quote has the full list.
Buyer questions: zippers, odd corners and rounded ends
- A common question
Can I pick which side of the cushion the zipper goes on?
The workshop's answerYes. The shop asks which side you want and will put the zipper on a long side or wherever you specify, for example along a 47 7/8 in (121.5 cm) edge.
- A common question
My corner bench isn't a true L; there's an angled section in the middle. How many cushions will it take?
The workshop's answerFrom the buyer's photo and sketch, the shop proposed three: an 18 1/8 x 51 5/8 x 4 in (46 x 131 x 10 cm) rectangle, a trapezoid of about 27 1/8 x 28 in (69 x 71 cm) for the angled middle, and an 18 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 4 in (46 x 51 x 10 cm) rectangle. The quote included high-density foam inserts, and the covers zip off for washing.
- A common question
My bench has rounded corners. How do I give you measurements for the curves?
The workshop's answerWrite each edge's full length as if the corners were square, then mark how far from each corner the curve begins, for example 7 1/8, 7 7/8 and 8 5/8 in (18, 20 and 22 cm), noting each curve separately if they differ. Or trace the corner on paper and photograph it next to a tape measure; the shop then sends a template to confirm.
On the cutting table: the sage stripe set
| Product | Bench cushion set: one seat, two backs |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Sage and white stripe, water-repellent membrane family |
| Stripe | Front to back on the seat, lined up with the backs |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Edge | Box edge |
| Seat depth | Backrest to the front edge of the teak seat |
| Bench | Teak garden bench on sandstone paving |
| Order note | Sizes, fabric code, stripe direction, zipper side |
| Best for | Patios and garden corners |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Callum’s workshop
Sun, rain, salt. Say which of them your cushion will meet, and the workshop will plan around it. — Callum
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 striped bench cushion set reads as one piece when the seat stripes run front to back and line up with the stripes on the back cushions.
Callum
Questions buyers ask next
How should stripes run on an outdoor bench cushion?
On this set they run front to back on the seat and line up with the stripes on the back cushions, so the three pieces read as one. Say the direction in your order note so nobody has to guess.
Is a water-repellent cushion the same as a waterproof one?
No. Water-repellent fabric makes rain bead and run off for a while; waterproof means water cannot get through. Check which one a fabric is before leaving cushions out through a storm.
How do I order bench cushions longer than the size menu?
Ask for a quote first. In one order, cushions of 104 3/8 in (265 cm) and 80 3/4 in (205 cm) were priced individually, and then the agreed sizes went into the personalization box exactly.
What photo helps the workshop most with a bench cushion?
A view from above and to one side, like this one. It shows the seat depth, the back rail and how the back cushions sit, which a straight-on photo tends to hide.
Fair winds — Callum
More photographs to read
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