Outdoor Cushions

What makes a cushion an outdoor cushion

Two things: the cover and the filling. Outdoor covers are woven from fibres that hold their colour in sunlight and shrug off a shower, and they are usually treated so water beads rather than soaking straight through. The filling matters just as much, because a foam or fibre that absorbs water stays wet for days. Outdoor fillings are made to drain and to dry from the inside out, which is why an indoor cushion in an outdoor cover is still an indoor cushion.

Seat pads, backs and scatters

Seat pads soften dining and bistro chairs and usually tie or strap on so they do not slide. Deeper back and base cushions belong to lounge and corner seating and are generally sized to the frame, so check dimensions against your set rather than assuming a standard. Scatter cushions do the same job outside as in: they add colour and they make a low, deep seat comfortable. Filter by size band to keep the proportions sensible.

Colour, fading and pattern

Sunlight is what fades outdoor fabric, and it does it fastest to strong, saturated colours on the surfaces that face south. Solution-dyed fabrics hold colour longest because the pigment is in the fibre rather than on it. Pale and mid tones show fading less as it happens, and a pattern hides both fading and dirt better than a flat colour. If cushions live in full sun, expect some change over several seasons.

Fillings, thickness and comfort

Outdoor fillings divide into open-cell foams that let water pass straight through, closed-cell foams that resist taking it up in the first place, and polyester fibre that dries from the surface in. Quick-drain foam is the one to look for on seat pads that live outside, since it will be usable within hours of a downpour rather than days. Thickness changes the seat height as well as the comfort, so on dining chairs a slim pad keeps you at the right height for the table while a thick one can lift you awkwardly. On deep lounge seating the opposite applies and a thin cushion lets you feel the frame through it. Firmer fillings hold their shape for more seasons; softer ones feel better on the first afternoon and flatten sooner.

Care, damp and mould

Mould grows on what is left wet, not on what gets rained on and then dries. Stand cushions on edge to drain after heavy rain, and bring them in or box them if the weather has settled in. Most covers unzip for washing: follow the label, wash cool, and let covers dry fully before putting them back on the pads. Do not tumble dry an outdoor cover, as heat destroys the water-repellent finish.

Matching cushions to furniture you already own

Replacement cushions are the cheapest way to make a tired set look bought this year, but the sizing has to be right or it looks worse. Measure the seat platform rather than the old cushion, since a cushion that has been sat on for five seasons has spread. Check the depth as well as the width and length, because a pad that is too thick lifts you out of the back rest and one that is too thin lets you feel the frame. Where you cannot match a colour exactly, going deliberately different reads better than going nearly the same, and picking up a colour already in the garden ties it together.

Storing over winter

Cushions are the part of a garden set that will not survive winter outside, even under a furniture cover, because they hold damp longer than anything else. Dry them thoroughly, then keep them somewhere ventilated. A garden storage box that doubles as a seat solves it without needing space indoors.

Ventilation is the word that matters. Cushions sealed into a bin bag in a shed will come out worse than cushions left in the open, because whatever moisture is in them has nowhere to go. Store them somewhere air moves, stood on edge rather than stacked flat, and give them a day in the sun before they go away rather than the day they come back out. If storage is genuinely short, cushion bags take up less room than a box and the ventilated ones are worth the difference over a sealed bag. Whatever you use, get the cushions dry first, because storage cannot fix damp, it can only keep it in.