SaveA Reading by MaggieDining Chair Cushions & Pads
A terracotta velvet chair cushion with ties in ivory bows, and why every prop around it is there
Roses, a bistro table, a coffee press and a painted armchair. Every object in this garden was put there for a reason, and I've listed the reasons.
Ivory piping and bow ties link the terracotta velvet to the chair's chalky paint. Bring a velvet pad indoors before the dew comes down.
The quick answer
A velvet chair pad on a garden armchair looks planned when its piping and ties repeat the chair's paint, as the ivory welt and ivory bows do here against terracotta velvet. The breakfast props set up a slow morning without crowding the seat. Velvet is an indoor cloth, so use this look under cover or bring the pad inside each evening.
The garden breakfast, read from the seat outward
Start with the seat, because everything else in this garden was arranged around it.
The pad fills the armchair right up to the arms, so no hard wood shows at the sides. It's terracotta velvet with a box edge and ivory contrast piping, and that ivory is the clever part. It repeats the chair's worn white paint, so the cushion looks made for this chair and not bought for any chair. A straight welt is a kind of honesty, and on a distressed frame it's the one crisp line in the picture.
Terracotta sits opposite green on the color wheel. Against the ivy and leaves it holds its own in shade and in sun, and the climbing pink roses keep the rust summery rather than autumnal.
The ties are ivory ribbon, knotted into bows around the back uprights. They stop the pad sliding forward when someone leans back with a second coffee. For where ties belong on other frames, see tie placement on chairs and swings, and for more seat shapes, the dining chair cushions pages.
The velvet cover zips off and washes at up to 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle, and pads like this come in 2, 3, 4 or 5 in thicknesses, with in-between sizes such as 2.5 in on request.
One caution. Velvet belongs under a roof. Use this look on a covered porch, carry the pad in each evening before the dew, or ask for the same color pairing in an outdoor acrylic, a range of about 150 to 200 colors. More ideas live under patio and porch cushions.
Pinned by Maggie: five reasons the garden works
Five pins mark the terracotta velvet seat, an ivory ribbon tie, the ivory contrast piping, the coffee press on the bistro table and the climbing roses.
- Terracotta velvet seat
The pad fills the seat right up to the arms, so no hard wood shows at the sides.
- Ivory ribbon tie
A bow round the back upright stops the pad sliding forward when someone leans back.
- Ivory contrast piping
The ivory welt repeats the chair's worn paint, so the cushion looks made for this chair.
- Coffee press on bistro table
Breakfast props say this is a chair for lingering, so comfort beats a thin decorative pad.
- Climbing roses
Pink roses soften the rust velvet and keep the scene summery rather than autumnal.
- Terracotta velvet seatThe pad fills the seat right up to the arms, so no hard wood shows at the sides.
- Ivory ribbon tieA bow round the back upright stops the pad sliding forward when someone leans back.
- Ivory contrast pipingThe ivory welt repeats the chair's worn paint, so the cushion looks made for this chair.
- Coffee press on bistro tableBreakfast props say this is a chair for lingering, so comfort beats a thin decorative pad.
- Climbing rosesPink roses soften the rust velvet and keep the scene summery rather than autumnal.
The props around the velvet chair pad, and how to copy each one
- Distressed white paint: the source of the ivory piping. Take your welt color from the frame.
- Iron bistro table: small enough to leave the chair the star. Any narrow table at arm's reach does the job.
- Glass coffee press and croissants in a rattan tray: they say this chair is for lingering, so comfort beats a thin decorative pad.
- Terracotta vase of cosmos: it repeats the cushion's color at table height. Pick a vase in your pad's color.
- Linen napkin: a soft neutral that keeps the table from looking staged.
- Climbing pink roses: they cool the rust. Any blush bloom nearby does the same work.
A sofa with no cushions and a curved front
A buyer messaged the workshop with a two-seater sofa frame and nothing on it. The original seat and back cushions were gone, and they wanted curved seat cushions in seaweed green velvet.
The photo upload failed, so the pictures came by phone message instead. The workshop asked for two numbers: the straight side length before the curve begins, and the depth, or radius, of the front curve. With no old cushion to copy, the production team and the craftsmen worked out the dimensions from the sofa frame itself.
Pretty frames and curves go together, and curves are where orders go sideways. Record the straight sides and the curve depth, and if you can, trace the seat deck onto paper. Our paper template Pattern shows how.
Buyer questions: horseshoe seats, returns and ties
- A common question
Can you make cushions for horseshoe or U-shaped chairs?
The workshop's answerYes. Send a photo of each chair, a simple sketch with measurements or a template if you have one, the thickness you want and your fabric and color. Photos of the actual chairs help get the curved cut-outs right. The workshop then prepares a quote and a production time.
- A common question
The chair cushions we ordered don't suit our room after all. Can we send them back?
The workshop's answerIn that case, yes: the return was accepted, the refund was processed once the cushions reached the workshop, and the buyer paid the return shipping. Before agreeing, the workshop asked for measurements of both the cushion and the seat, because each cushion is made to the exact measurements written on the order.
- A common question
Can I get ties added to my cushions?
The workshop's answerYes. Ties can go on the corners, or two on the back for chair pads. Mention where you want them in the personalization box when you order.
On the cutting table: the garden armchair pad
| Product | Armchair seat pad with ties |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Velvet, terracotta |
| Piping | Contrast piping in ivory |
| Edge | Box edge, filling the seat to the arms |
| Fastening | Ivory ribbon ties in bows at the back uprights |
| Frame | Distressed white painted armchair |
| Setting | Walled garden, climbing roses, iron bistro table |
| Outdoors | Under cover only; bring it in before the dew |
| Best for | Breakfast chairs, covered porches and sunrooms |
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.
Take the piping color from the chair's paint. An ivory welt on terracotta velvet makes a garden chair pad look made for that one chair.
Maggie
Questions buyers ask next
Can a velvet chair pad live on a garden armchair?
Only under cover or for a few hours at a time. Velvet is an indoor cloth, so carry it in each evening before the dew settles. For a chair that stays outdoors, ask for the same color pairing in an outdoor fabric.
How do I choose a piping color for a painted chair?
Take it from the frame. Ivory piping on terracotta velvet repeats this chair's worn white paint, so the pad looks made for it. A welt in a color the setting doesn't already contain tends to look added later.
Should a garden armchair pad cover the whole seat up to the arms?
Yes, on an armchair. When the pad fills the seat right to the arms, no hard wood shows at the sides, and the chair is comfortable for a long breakfast rather than a quick perch.
Stitch straight — Maggie
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