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A Reading by MaggieDining Chair Cushions & Pads

Salmon-striped chair cushions with ties on black iron balcony chairs

Right, then. Two iron chairs, two striped pads, four bows. The whole question of what keeps a cushion on a chair is sitting in one photograph.

The quick answer

On an iron bistro chair, a chair cushion with ties is the right fastening: bow or knot the ties around the back legs, because a non-slip base is made for smooth, solid tops, not open metal. Trace the seat on paper first, since iron seats often have rounded corners, and keep the zipper on the back band, facing the chair back.

Read by

The Piping Queen of NewportPublished Updated 4 min read

Salmon and white striped seat pads tied with bows to black iron bistro chairs on a Paris balconySave
Wrought-iron chairs on a Haussmann balcony get square striped pads in clay salmon, tied on with bows.
Powder aqua box seat pads tied onto two folding acacia bistro chairs on a small city balcony with herbsSave
Two folding chairs on a narrow balcony get tie-on seat pads in a soft aqua, next to a herb box on the railing.
Salmon pink check outdoor chair pads with bow ties on black folding bistro chairs at a marble table on a Parisian balconySave
Two tie-on pads in a salmon micro-check soften folding bistro chairs for a slow balcony breakfast.
Green striped box seat pad with white leaf-vein lines on a folding wooden chair beside rosemary on a sunny balconySave
A square box pad softens a folding wooden balcony chair, with the leaf-vein pattern echoing the rosemary beside it.
Shaped pastel striped seat cushion with white line pattern on a rattan peacock chair on a wrought-iron city balconySave
A shaped pastel cushion with white linework fills the round seat of a rattan peacock chair.
Pastel multi-stripe seat and back cushions with white branch lines on a black wrought-iron armchair with trailing ivySave
Pastel stripes crossed with white branch lines cushion a scrolled black iron armchair on a sunny balcony.
Powder blue and white striped box seat pads on two white Adirondack chairs on a stone patio facing a lawnSave
Two white Adirondack chairs get thick striped seat pads in powder blue, facing a green lawn and tall trees.

Two chairs, one stripe direction

A wrought-iron chair will not hold a cushion for you. Every bit of staying power has to be sewn in.

These are square boxed pads in a clay salmon and white stripe, on black iron bistro chairs at a small round table. Limestone facade, gray louvered shutters, an ornate railing: a Paris-style balcony, though the same set works on a rowhouse stoop or a condo balcony. The pale stone and gray shutters leave the stripe as the only color, and salmon stays warm against black metal where a cold white would look clinical.

Look at the pair. The stripes run front to back on both chairs, so the seats line up as a set. The box edge gives the pad real thickness, which is what turns a hard iron seat into somewhere to finish a coffee.

Then the bows, at the back legs, tied loose enough to show. On metal you can't hide the fastening, so make it part of the look. These chair cushions with ties are cut in a water-repellent outdoor cloth, which beads a passing shower. Does your balcony get the afternoon rain or the morning sun?

Pinned by Maggie: the bows, the pair, the ironwork

Five pins, from the boxed pad on the near chair to the gray shutter behind it.

Pinned: Salmon and white striped seat pads tied with bows to black iron bistro chairs on a Paris balcony
  1. Striped box pad

    A pad with real thickness makes a hard iron chair comfortable for a long coffee.

  2. Tied bow

    Bows at the back legs are part of the look as much as the fixing.

  3. Matching second chair

    Stripes run front to back on both chairs so the pair lines up.

  4. Ornate iron railing

    Salmon and white stay warm and soft against black ironwork.

  5. Gray louvred shutter

    The pale stone and gray shutters let the stripe be the only color.

  1. Striped box padA pad with real thickness makes a hard iron chair comfortable for a long coffee.
  2. Tied bowBows at the back legs are part of the look as much as the fixing.
  3. Matching second chairStripes run front to back on both chairs so the pair lines up.
  4. Ornate iron railingSalmon and white stay warm and soft against black ironwork.
  5. Gray louvred shutterThe pale stone and gray shutters let the stripe be the only color.

Ties, grip or both: what holds where

The workshop's rule of thumb, surface by surface.

Seat or backWhat holds itWhy
Iron or slatted chair seatTies at the back legsOpen metal or slats give a grip base nothing solid to hold
Smooth, solid bench topNon-slip baseA grip fabric across the underside, not adhesive; it makes the cushion one-sided
Back cushion on a flat wallNon-slip gripThe flat surface does the holding
Back cushion on slats or spindlesTiesTied through the gaps, it stays upright
Hook-and-loop or snapsGenerally not fittedTies and grip do the job without hardware on your furniture

Zippers are a separate question with one answer: on the back edge, facing the wall or the chair back, wrapping the back corners so the foam can go in.

A real project

Two lounge chairs, three numbers per cushion

A buyer wrote to the workshop needing replacement covers for a pair of Barcelona-style lounge chairs. Backs 29.5 x 19 in (75 x 48 cm), seats 29.5 x 21 in (75 x 53 cm), all 3.5 in (9 cm) thick, two of each.

The covers were ordered through the corduroy bench cushion page with the sizes written out, and the workshop quoted both sets from those numbers alone.

People overthink replacement covers for a designer chair. Each cushion needs three numbers: width, height or depth, and thickness. Label backs and seats, and the zipper goes where it always goes, on the band facing the frame.

Sizes
Backs 29.5 x 19 x 3.5 in; seats 29.5 x 21 x 3.5 in; two of each
Fabric
Corduroy

The lesson: Replacement covers for designer chairs need only width, height or depth, and thickness for each cushion.

Buyer questions: ottomans, outdoor codes and rounded corners

  1. A common question

    Does the foldable ottoman open into a bed, and can I have it in velvet instead of corduroy?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes to both. The foldable ottoman opens out into a bed, it can be made in regular velvet instead of corduroy, and extra covers can be ordered separately later.

  2. A common question

    The chair cushion page doesn't offer outdoor fabrics. How do I get chair pads that match my outdoor bench cushion?

    The workshop's answer

    Order the chair pads on the chair cushion page and write the outdoor fabric code you chose in the personalization note. Every piece is then made in that same outdoor fabric, so the bench and the chairs match.

  3. A common question

    My chair seats have slightly rounded corners. Can the pads follow them?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Custom seat cushions can have rounded corners, with matching back cushions if you want them. Send measurements and photos so the workshop can confirm the fit before cutting.

On the cutting table: the balcony pads

CushionSquare boxed chair pads, a matched pair
FabricClay salmon and white stripe, water-repellent outdoor cloth
StripeFront to back on both chairs
PipingSelf piping in the same stripe
FasteningFabric ties at the back legs, finished in bows
ZipperBack band, facing the chair back
BasePlain; a grip base has nothing to hold on open iron
TemplateSeat traced on paper for rounded iron corners
Best forMetal bistro sets on balconies, stoops and small patios

Order this cushion

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.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
Clay salmon and white stripe, water-repellent outdoor cloth
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Self piping in the same stripe
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

On an iron bistro chair, a non-slip base has nothing to grip. Tie the chair cushion at the back legs and make the bows part of the look.

Maggie
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Questions buyers ask next

Can a water-repellent bistro chair pad stay out in a storm?

Better not. Water-repellent cloth beads light rain, but it is not waterproof: water still gets in through needle holes and the zipper. Bring balcony pads in before heavy weather, and let a wet pad dry through before anyone sits on it.

Bows or knots: which suits a bistro chair pad?

Knots hold harder and suit a chair used every day. Bows look softer and untie quickly for washing, which is why they suit a small balcony set. Either way, the ties belong at the back legs, where a pad starts to slide.

Why do the stripes on a pair of chair pads have to run the same way?

A stripe shows whether two pads were cut alike. Run them front to back on both chairs and the pair reads as one set; turn one sideways and the balcony looks unfinished, even if both cushions are perfectly made.

Stitch straight — Maggie