SaveA Reading by CallumChaise Lounge & Sunbed Cushions
A turquoise sunbed cushion on a bare pool deck, styled by the fence, the reel and the concrete
No pillows. No throw. No potted palm. The props on this deck are a safety fence, a solar cover reel and a lot of concrete, and they do the styling anyway.
Swatch strip measured from the photograph
- linen#cbc3bd33%
- dusty denim blue#54849329%
- dusty dark denim blue#35444f25%
- linen#d5cfcb7%
- dusty soft teal#84b5b96%
The quick answer
A solid turquoise sunbed cushion needs almost no props on a plain concrete pool deck. One saturated color from head to foot, a shade deeper than the water, supplies the only real color, while a white frame, gray concrete and a blue solar cover in the background frame it and repeat it. Add a second lounger in the same solid, not a print.
Pinned by Callum, poolside
Five pins, from the hinge fold in the backrest to the white frame leg standing on gray concrete.
- Turquoise backrest
One saturated solid from head to foot is the simplest lounger recipe.
- Box seat cushion
A firm box with self piping keeps its shape in the sun.
- Hinge fold
Separate seat and back pieces fold cleanly without a gap.
- Solar cover reel
The blue cover repeats the cushion color in the background.
- White frame leg
A white frame lets the color stand alone on gray concrete.
- Turquoise backrestOne saturated solid from head to foot is the simplest lounger recipe.
- Box seat cushionA firm box with self piping keeps its shape in the sun.
- Hinge foldSeparate seat and back pieces fold cleanly without a gap.
- Solar cover reelThe blue cover repeats the cushion color in the background.
- White frame legA white frame lets the color stand alone on gray concrete.
Pool-deck props that came with the house
Most styling advice starts with a basket of pillows. This deck starts with a pool rule. There's a mesh safety fence, a blue solar cover rolled on its reel, a block wall and a slab of plain concrete. Nobody carried those out for the picture. They were already there, and the cushion had to work with them.
Here's how they pull their weight. The solar cover repeats the cushion's blue in the background, so the color looks planned. Concrete and block wall are neutral ground; against them one turquoise solid reads from across the yard. The white aluminum frame keeps the cushion off anything dark, and the mesh fence softens the view without adding pattern.
The cushion is simple. A firm sunbed cushion in two pieces, seat and back, box edge, self piping. The pieces meet at the hinge and fold without a gap. Turquoise sits a shade deeper than the pool water, and that's the trick. Match the water exactly and the cushion vanishes. Go one step deeper and it stands up.
To copy it, friend, look at what your deck already owns. A pool cover, a hose reel, a painted door. Take the solid from that and skip the print. Cloth for sun and rain is in outdoor acrylic, and sizing is in the chaise lounge cushion size guide. Water-repellent is a promise; waterproof is a contract, and the difference matters when a storm rolls in. What's already on your deck that could pick the color for you?
Five colors on one pool deck
- Turquoise#1FA6B5The cushion: one saturated solid, a shade deeper than the water.
- Pool water#8FD3DCLighter than the cushion, so the cushion stands forward.
- Solar cover blue#2E6DA4The background echo that makes the color look chosen.
- Frame white#F4F5F2Keeps the turquoise off the gray.
- Concrete gray#A7A6A1Neutral ground for the only real color on the deck.
The avocado camper and the side-by-side test
One buyer wrote in about a vintage camper. They wanted avocado green cushions, the real retro kind, and couldn't judge the color from photos. Fair enough. A screen drifts like a boat without an anchor.
The workshop pointed them to olive green velvet 123 and suggested 920 or 921 for harvest gold piping, then sent swatch photos of body and piping side by side. The buyer picked 920, the more mustard of the two, and asked to see a finished cushion in that pairing. The shop sent the photo, and only then was the setup confirmed.
Same lesson as the pool deck. Color is judged next to its neighbors, never alone. Compare body and piping side by side before you order. More retro rigs in vintage camper and RV cushions.
Deck questions
- A common question
What goes into a quote for a full set of custom cushions for outdoor pallet sofas?
The workshop's answerEvery size in the set. One buyer's eight cushions came in four sizes, 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm) thick, the largest about 39 x 31 1/2 in (100 x 80 cm), and were quoted together. Another set paired three tufted seats of about 43 x 24 x 3 in (110 x 60 x 8 cm) with two back cushions of about 21 1/2 x 14 x 3 in (55 x 36 x 8 cm).
- A common question
Does the outdoor bench cushion listing cover both the seat and the back cushion?
The workshop's answerNo. Each purchase is for one cushion. For a seat plus a back, order a second cushion (or two separate sizes), and the workshop sends a measurement diagram for you to confirm before production.
- A common question
Can you sew ties on the back corners so my cushion ties to the bench or chair?
The workshop's answerYes, free of charge. Ties go on the two back corners of a bench cushion or on the back of a chair pad, and they can match or contrast with the piping. Write the request, with your exact size, in the personalization box.
On the cutting table: the turquoise sun lounger cushion
| Cushion | Sunbed cushion, seat and backrest in two pieces |
|---|---|
| Edge | Firm box edge |
| Fabric | Outdoor acrylic, solid turquoise |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Frame | White aluminum lounger |
| Fold | Seat and back meet at the hinge without a gap |
| Fastening | Ties on the back corners on request |
| Setting | Concrete pool deck, mesh safety fence, solar cover reel |
| Best for | Plain decks where one color does all the work |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Callum’s workshop
Tell them where it lives. Porch, deck or boat: the weather picks the fabric and the foam before anyone else does. — 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.
On a plain concrete pool deck, choose a sunbed cushion one shade deeper than the water. Match the water exactly and the cushion disappears.
Callum
Questions buyers ask next
What color sunbed cushion looks best next to a pool?
A solid a shade deeper than the pool water tends to work, because it reads as related but stands forward. A color that matches the water exactly can disappear against it in bright sun.
Is a print or a solid better on a concrete pool deck?
On plain concrete, block walls and mesh fencing, one bold solid does more than a busy print. It gives the deck its only real color, and it is easier to match when you add a second lounger later.
Why make a lounger cushion in two pieces?
Separate seat and back pieces fold cleanly at the lounger's hinge without bunching. Order each piece as its own cushion, and check the measurement diagram the workshop sends before production begins.
How do I judge an outdoor cushion color I can't see in person?
Ask for swatch photos of the body fabric and the piping side by side, or a photo of a finished cushion in that pairing. Colors shift next to their neighbors, so judge them together, never one at a time.
Fair winds — Callum
