Soft and comfortable cushions are a crucial part of your outdoor furniture setting. Unfortunately, a cushion’s fabric and filling will deteriorate after a few years. Sun, rain and pollutants in the air will play havoc with any fabric. To keep your patio furniture fresh and clean, it’s important to replace old outdoor cushions when they start to fade. Use this guide to find the perfect patio cushions for every chair and bench on your patio.
1. Measure your Existing Cushions
The best way to get new replacement outdoor cushions that perfectly fit your patio furniture is to have them custom made. To do this, measure your old cushions before throwing them away. To ensure a good fit, it is better to measure the inner foam or cushion, as your old covers may have stretched. Try to match the shape, thickness, width, and length of each cushion you replace, and don’t be tempted to add extra centimetres. Your covers need to ‘fit like a glove’ to look their best and avoid wrinkles/sagging in the fabric.
For an idea about the measurements you will need, see the three diagrams below. These cover your typical outdoor daybeds, chair, benches, and lounges. But if you have furniture that is not one of these shapes, try making a drawing similar to below, and labelling it with the measurements. It also helps to take photos from various angles of the existing outdoor cushions if their shape is difficult to draw or describe.
If you no longer have the old outdoor cushions, your patio furniture never included any, or you’ve just had something built, you can measure the furniture itself. With a tape measure, take precise measurements of every seat you want a new cushion for. Again, photo’s can come in handy for whoever will make your new cushions.
2. Select the right fabric for your area
As we mentioned, outdoor cushions usually wear out after a couple of years due to exposure to sunlight, weather and pollutants. You can slow the process, though, by getting cushions made from a fabric that suits the area they will be placed in. You don’t have to spend a fortune on high performance outdoor fabrics if your cushions will be under cover, and not exposed to the rain and sun. But if your patio doesn’t have cover from the sun and weather, then it will benefit you in the long term to spend more now on a better quality fabric. Otherwise you will be looking to replace your outdoor cushions again in as little as 9 months! (Whatever fabric you go for, you can prolong the life of your cushions by storing them away when not in use)
Before making a purchase, check to see how much sun and weather your cushions will be subjected to. Then check our guide for the most appropriate fabric to use.
3. Choose the Best Color and Pattern for Your Furniture
The look of your outdoor furniture is as important as how well it works. You don’t have to stick with the same colour or pattern as your existing cushions. In fact a change can make a world of difference to an outdoor living space. But be careful of over doing it. Often a plain colour works well for cushion seats, and cushion backs, as they can be dressed with colourful or patterned throw cushions. Or you could try the opposite, where you have a patterned seat and back with plain cushions – although this is less popular as it can look a bit ‘busy’. Outdoor cushions with stripes can give your poolside patio chairs a nautical theme. Check out our gallery for inspiration from our fantastic customers.
