A Reading by CallumPorch Swing & Swing Bed Cushions
A taupe stripe mattress for a rope-hung swing bed, finished where the ropes pass
Walnut frame, jute ropes, voile curtains backlit at golden hour. Callum looks at the hand-finished corners of a striped swing-bed mattress, and at the one number that nearly got mixed up.
The quick answer
A porch swing cushion for a hanging bed should be a thick, firm box mattress that fills the platform edge to edge and sits just above the frame, so the ropes don't rub the fabric. Measure inside the rope or chain points, mark where they pass, and have the corners shaped or notched around them.
SavePinned by Callum: rope, stripe, fern and voile
Five pins on a hanging bed, from the striped mattress and its matching pillow to the jute rope at the corner and the voile behind.
- Striped swing-bed mattress
A thick box mattress fills the whole platform for lying down.
- Matching stripe pillow
Pillows in the same stripe keep a big bed calm.
- Jute hanging rope
Ropes pass the mattress corners, so measure inside them or notch the cushion.
- Potted Boston fern
One fern adds green without crowding the bed.
- Sheer white curtains
Voile softens strong backlight and adds privacy.
- Striped swing-bed mattressA thick box mattress fills the whole platform for lying down.
- Matching stripe pillowPillows in the same stripe keep a big bed calm.
- Jute hanging ropeRopes pass the mattress corners, so measure inside them or notch the cushion.
- Potted Boston fernOne fern adds green without crowding the bed.
- Sheer white curtainsVoile softens strong backlight and adds privacy.
Where the ropes meet the mattress
Look at the corners first. Thick jute ropes come down past each corner of the walnut platform, and the mattress has to live with them. Rope that rubs fabric wears a line into it. Here the mattress sits just proud of the frame, so the rope clears the fabric instead of sawing at it.
On any hanging bed, measure inside the rope or chain points, not the outside of the frame. Then mark on your drawing where each rope passes. The corners can be shaped or notched so the porch swing cushion fills the platform edge to edge without fighting the hardware. The notched cushion pattern shows how to measure a cutout, and the glossary defines a notch.
The edge is a box with self piping. On a mattress this size the welt does real work, keeping a straight front line where people climb in. What hangs your swing, rope or chain?
A wide stripe, cut to line up
Taupe and white in a wide stripe keeps a very large piece light. A solid taupe mattress this size would sit in the loggia like a boulder. The stripe also picks up the jute ropes and the jute rug below.
The throw pillows are cut from the same stripe. On a big bed that keeps things calm, and it only works if the stripes run the same way on every piece. Put it in writing when you order. The stripe direction pattern covers matching across pillows.
Sheer voile softens a hard golden-hour backlight and gives some privacy. One potted Boston fern adds green without crowding the bed. The fabric is a water-repellent membrane, sensible for a loggia open on one side. Rain doesn't negotiate, and a swing bed can't be carried indoors in a hurry, so it earns a place among the porch and patio cushions. More hanging-bed ideas live under swing bed cushions.
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.
Fair winds — Callum
