SaveA Reading by HanaDaybed Cushions & Covers
A taupe striped outdoor daybed cushion, read for its hand-finished details
One cushion. A square frame. Old roofs at dusk. The craft is in the parts you only notice when they are wrong.
Swatch strip measured from the photograph
- chestnut#81685325%
- deep walnut#4a332724%
- sand#b9a89922%
- mist#c2c2be18%
- mist#d1d4d011%
The quick answer
A well-made outdoor daybed cushion is one mattress-style piece that fills the frame edge to edge, with a tall boxed side and stripes that line up across the top and down the band. Four inches (10 cm) is the thickness most buyers choose for sitting and napping; 6 or 8 in (15 or 20 cm) can be made. Send a photo with the frame's dimensions.
Six colors from one rooftop
Four come from the stripe. Two stay off the cushion on purpose.
- Ivory#EEE7D8The ground of the stripe. It keeps a large cushion light at dusk.
- Sand#D6C19EThe stone of the balustrade and the old roofs, carried into the weave.
- Taupe#9E8C78The middle voice. It walks the eye from light to dark.
- Chocolate#5B3F2FThe darkest line. It sets the rhythm of the stripe.
- Terracotta#B9623EFrom the planters. It frames the cushion without touching it.
- Olive leaf#7B7F52From the potted trees. A quiet enclosure on both sides.
What the hand does that the eye only half notices
One cushion fills the square frame edge to edge. There is no seam in the lying area. You notice that only when it is missing, as a ridge under your shoulder.
The side is boxed, and tall. From across the terrace the daybed cushion reads as a mattress, not a pad. Height is a feeling. Here it says rest, not perch.
The stripe is where the hand shows, or fails to. Ivory, sand, taupe and chocolate run across the top and should meet the boxed side without a jump. The self piping follows the same stripe, so the edge is drawn in the fabric itself. A contrast welt would cut the stripe at every corner.
The cover is outdoor acrylic in earth colors. The ochre roofs and clay planters pick them up, so the daybed looks rooted in its view. The low dark metal frame stays thin and lets the cushion be the shape. Olive trees in pots stand on each side and give a wide cushion some enclosure. Pink and white petunias stay at the edges, in their pots, away from the palette.
For a patio or a porch, copy two things. The deep boxed profile. A stripe in the colors of the stone and tile around it. There is more in patio and porch cushions.
The stripe meets the band.
The band stands up.
The view does the rest.
Five pins, from the mattress top to the domes
Five points on the photograph, from the mattress top to the skyline, each read for what it adds.
- Mattress-style top
One large cushion fills the square frame edge to edge with no seams in the lying area.
- Tall boxed side
The deep side wall makes the daybed look substantial from across the terrace.
- Low metal frame
A slim dark frame lets the striped cushion be the main shape.
- Planter flowers
Petunias and terracotta add color at the edges without touching the cushion palette.
- Domed skyline
Ochre rooftops in the view match the taupe and brown stripes.
- Mattress-style topOne large cushion fills the square frame edge to edge with no seams in the lying area.
- Tall boxed sideThe deep side wall makes the daybed look substantial from across the terrace.
- Low metal frameA slim dark frame lets the striped cushion be the main shape.
- Planter flowersPetunias and terracotta add color at the edges without touching the cushion palette.
- Domed skylineOchre rooftops in the view match the taupe and brown stripes.
A queen mattress that wanted to be a sofa
A couple wrote to the workshop with a queen mattress, about 60 x 80 in (152 x 203 cm), that they wanted to turn into a sofa, with long backrest and arm cushions in velvet.
French mattress construction, the workshop explained. The cover sewn closed, with no zipper, flat or tufted. The backrest and armrests buttoned in the same style.
They refined the plan. A fitted base cover, four bolsters and two rectangular cushions, in three fabrics. Only the base tufted.
Decide early which pieces carry buttons. Tufting is stitched through the cover, so it is a finish you commit to. The French mattress edge is worth reading about first.
- Sizes
- Queen mattress, about 60 x 80 in (152 x 203 cm)
- Fabric
- Green velour base; black and white cushions
The lesson: Send a dimensioned drawing that includes the mattress height, and decide which pieces are tufted and which are plain.
Three questions about daybed heights and thickness
- A common question
How tall are the backrest cushions in the daybed cover set for a 78 3/4 x 31 1/2 in (200 x 80 cm) mattress?
The workshop's answerThe backrests are 19 3/4 in (50 cm) high as standard, and another height can be made.
- A common question
French mattress cushion for my daybed: can you make one from its measurements?
The workshop's answerYes. Send a photo of the daybed along with its dimensions. That daybed's description said a twin mattress fits, so the workshop proposed a 38 x 75 in (97 x 191 cm) cushion.
- A common question
Is 4 inches thick enough for sitting and napping on a hard wooden or wicker base?
The workshop's answerThe workshop recommends 4 in (10 cm), which most buyers prefer and find comfortable. Thicker cushions of 6 or 8 in (15 or 20 cm) are made on request, for example on a 51 x 82 in (130 x 208 cm) wooden swing platform with a backrest.
An outdoor daybed cushion should be one piece that fills the frame edge to edge, with no seam where you lie and a boxed side tall enough to read as a mattress.
Hana
The rooftop mattress, in plain terms
| Cushion | Outdoor daybed cushion, one mattress-style piece |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Outdoor acrylic stripe in ivory, sand, taupe and chocolate (code 5070) |
| Edge | Box edge with a tall boxed side |
| Piping | Self piping in the stripe |
| Thickness | 4 in (10 cm) is the most chosen; 6 or 8 in (15 or 20 cm) on request |
| Frame | Low dark metal daybed, filled edge to edge |
| Send with the order | A photo of the frame and its dimensions |
| Best for | Rooftops, patios and covered porches |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Hana’s workshop
A good size is a quiet thing. You notice it only when it is wrong. Let the workshop check yours first. — Hana
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.
Questions buyers ask next
Is one large cushion better than two on an outdoor daybed?
For lying down, yes. One mattress-style cushion has no seam in the lying area, so there is no ridge under your back. Two pieces are easier to carry and store, which matters if you bring cushions in at night.
Can an outdoor daybed cushion have a tufted top?
It can be tufted, but the buttons are stitched through the cover, so a tufted cover does not come off to wash. For a cushion that lives outdoors, weigh that before you choose buttons over a plain, removable top.
Which stripe colors suit a patio of stone and terracotta?
Earthy stripes in ivory, sand, taupe and brown pick up stone, clay and old roof tiles, so the cushion looks rooted in its setting. Keep bright flowers at the edges, in pots, rather than on the cushion.
— Hana
More daybed cushions to read
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
