SaveA Reading by HarlanOttoman & Footstool Cushions
A wine chenille round ottoman cushion, and a lesson in matching brown
A deep round cushion, a carved base that lost its top, a red rug underneath. And a story I tell every buyer who orders a piece to go with something they already own.
Swatch strip measured from the photograph
- linen#e0dfdb27%
- deep brick red#3b1b1b26%
- chestnut#70493a26%
- linen#e7e6e213%
- oatmeal#cbc2b68%
The quick answer
A round ottoman cushion is made from the frame's diameter and a thickness deep enough to sit on, cut exactly to the rim so the carved wood still shows. When the ottoman must match a sofa you already own, send a swatch or photo of the original, because a piece ordered later can come out a different shade.
The ottoman that came home the wrong brown
My friend, this is the story I tell before anyone orders a second piece.
A buyer in the US loved her brown velvet teddy sofa. Later she ordered the matching ottoman on its own, 39 x 39 in (99 x 99 cm). It arrived a warm brown. Her sofa was a cooler brown with a green undertone.
The workshop sent a replacement cover. It didn't match. It sent another, and that parcel was thrown over a fence and lost, because the tracking hadn't been shared in advance. In the end the workshop refunded the cover cost, a small part of the order, and said a full refund would need the foam sent back.
Nobody set out to disappoint her. Dye lots drift, and velvet shifts with the light. The fix comes before the order, not after: send a swatch or a clear daylight photo of the original and ask for a match. Our Pattern on dye lots and matching later goes through it.
Reading the wine-red seat on the carved base
Now the photograph, which is the happier story.
Somebody had a round wooden base with turned legs and a carved rim that had lost its top. Instead of hauling it to the curb, they gave it a deep round cushion in wine chenille, code 04, with a box edge and no piping. That is how an old table becomes an ottoman.
The proportion is right. The cushion is cut to the rim, not past it, so the carving shows all the way around. The side gusset is deep enough to hide the foam and sit flush with the rim, and deep enough to be a proper seat instead of a doily.
The color came from the floor. Wine chenille picks up the red Persian rug and the dark carved wood, so the piece looks inherited rather than new. The olive tree in its terracotta pot is there because olive green and clay are old partners of wine red.
Then look at the back: a small fabric pull loop sewn into the seam. A deep round cushion is heavy and has no corners to grab. That loop is the most useful inch on the piece.
Chenille sits on our shelves beside the jacquard and damask weaves. Buy the cushion once, cry once. What old frame is waiting in your attic for a new top?
Swatch strip: wine, wood and a red rug
- Wine chenille#6E1F2BThe cushion. Deep enough to hold its own against dark carved wood.
- Burgundy shadow#4A1520Where the chenille pile turns away from the light.
- Carved wood brown#5A3A26The base. Wood this dark needs a color with some weight on it.
- Persian red#9C2F2AThe rug the cushion color was taken from.
- Olive leaf#7C8453The green partner that keeps all that red from feeling heavy.
- Terracotta pot#B8653FA warm clay note between the rug and the leaves.
Pinned by Harlan: five places to look twice
Five pins mark the round chenille top, the pull loop, the side gusset, the turned wood legs and the olive tree in terracotta.
- Round chenille top
A deep round cushion converts an old table base into a soft ottoman.
- Pull loop
A small loop in the seam makes a heavy round cushion easy to lift off.
- Side gusset
The boxing is deep enough to hide the foam and sit flush with the carved rim.
- Turned wood legs
The cushion is cut to the rim so the carved wood still shows all the way round.
- Olive in terracotta
Terracotta and olive green are natural partners for wine red.
- Round chenille topA deep round cushion converts an old table base into a soft ottoman.
- Pull loopA small loop in the seam makes a heavy round cushion easy to lift off.
- Side gussetThe boxing is deep enough to hide the foam and sit flush with the carved rim.
- Turned wood legsThe cushion is cut to the rim so the carved wood still shows all the way round.
- Olive in terracottaTerracotta and olive green are natural partners for wine red.
Buyer questions: ties, round stools and thin seats
- A common question
Can each of my dining chair cushions have two straps so I can tie it on?
The workshop's answerYes. Order through the dining chair cushion listing, where ties are an option you select at checkout, so there's nothing extra to write.
- A common question
Do you make round cushions, say for bar stools in a café?
The workshop's answerYes. Send a reference photo with the diameter and thickness. For a new coffee shop, five round cushions 16 in (41 cm) across and 4 in (10 cm) thick were built for heavy café use, and 3½ in (9 cm) was possible too. The workshop makes the cushion and foam only, not metal stool frames.
- A common question
Will a 2 in seat cushion flatten when I sit on it? Should I pick 2 in or 3 in for a chair?
The workshop's answerThe 32-density foam is dense and firm, so it holds its shape. At 2 in (5 cm) the cushion is on the thin side and will compress slightly under body weight. For a 15¼ in (39 cm) chair aiming at a 16½ to 17 in (42 to 43 cm) sitting height, 2 in should land close. The workshop first asks whether the cushion is for a bench, floor seating or a chair.
On the cutting table: the round ottoman top
| Product | Round ottoman cushion |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Chenille, wine red (code 04) |
| Edge | Box edge with a deep side gusset |
| Piping | None |
| Extras | Fabric pull loop sewn into the seam |
| Base | Carved round wooden frame with turned legs |
| Sizing | Cut to the rim's diameter so the carving shows |
| Best for | Giving a topless table or stool a second life as a seat |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Harlan’s workshop
Old upholsterers will tell you the real cutting happens in the conversation, long before the shears come out. Tell the workshop what you sit on, and they will talk it through with you. — Harlan
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.
When an ottoman has to match a sofa you already own, send a swatch or a daylight photo of the original before the order, not after.
Harlan
Questions buyers ask next
How do I measure a round wooden frame for an ottoman cushion?
Measure the diameter across the widest point of the rim, then decide the thickness. Cut the cushion to the rim, not past it, if you want carved or painted wood to show all the way around.
Why sew a pull loop into a round ottoman cushion?
A deep round cushion has no corners to grip, so it is awkward to lift. A small fabric loop sewn into the seam at the back gives you a handle without changing the clean round outline.
What colors go with a wine red chenille cushion?
Dark wood, a red or rust rug, olive green and terracotta. Take the cushion color from the rug beneath it, and let a plant in a clay pot bring in the green partner.
Sit well. — Harlan
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