The checklist at a glance

1. Check the frame: is a new cushion set worth it?
2. Count and name every element
3. Measure each element: length, width, height
4. Decide on the cushion thickness
5. Plan seat and back together
6. Test fabric and colour in your own light
7. Check your measurements a second time and order
8. Care for and store your new cushions properly

Step 1: Check the frame – is a new cushion set worth it?

Before you measure, take an honest look at the frame. In our experience, the vast majority of frames in poly rattan, aluminium, wood or masonry last a very long time. What gives up after a few years is almost always the cushions. If the frame still looks good and stands firm, a new cushion set is a far better investment than a new lounge.

It's a different story if the frame is starting to rust and wobble. In that case we advise against it: new cushions won't make an unstable piece of furniture any safer, and the next time you replace the frame, the dimensions may no longer fit. Our frame traffic light helps you decide.

Step 2: Count and name every element

A garden lounge rarely has just one cushion. Typically there are several seat elements, a corner element, the backrests, and sometimes a footstool or a chaise longue. Walk once around the lounge and give each piece a name, for example "left seat", "corner", "right seat", "left back", "footstool". That way nothing gets lost when measuring or later when ordering.

Many of the lounges that come to us are sets from large furniture stores and manufacturers. The base frames there are often solid, but corners were cut on the foam. That is exactly why swapping the cushions pays off so well here: with a better core, you sit noticeably more comfortably on the same frame than before. How a lounge set of seat, back and special shapes is put together is explained in our guide custom lounge cushions.

Replacement cushions for the garden lounge: how many pieces do I need?

As many as the frame has seat and backrest surfaces. A classic corner lounge, for example, needs one to two seat cushions per side, a corner element and the matching back cushions. Cushions for leaning against or as decoration are optional extras. It's better to count one piece too many on your list than one too few.

Step 3: Measure each element – length, width, height

This is the most important step, and also the simplest. For your order we need neither photos nor the old cushion as a sample. What we need are the measurements you take yourself: length, width and height of each element. You're welcome to send photos, as they help us with any questions, but they aren't required.

• Length: the seat surface from inner edge to inner edge, i.e. where the cushion will sit. Don't measure across armrests or the frame.
• Width: the seat depth, from the front edge to the backrest.
• Height: for seat cushions, the cushion thickness you want (see step 4); for back cushions, the height of the backrest that the cushion should cover.

Measuring to the nearest centimetre is enough. Our manufacturing tolerance is at most 1 cm up to 100 cm, at most 2 cm up to 2 m and at most 3 cm up to 3 m. You'll find detailed measuring instructions with sketches in custom bench cushions: length and thickness.

Seat cushions for the rattan lounge: what to watch out for when measuring

Poly rattan frames often have a surrounding rim in which the cushion sits. Here, measure the inside dimension of the rim, not the outer edge. For woven curves on the front edge, measure at the point where the cushion actually rests. If you have a corner with a bevelled or rounded shape, send us the measurements and a short description by email; we'll agree special shapes with you individually.

Step 4: Decide on the cushion thickness

The old cushion is not a good yardstick for thickness, because it has usually already been sat flat. A better approach is to think about how you want to sit. We make our Nizza bench cushion in thicknesses from 3 to 15 cm, each with mattress-quality PU foam. As a rule of thumb for lounges: the deeper the seat and the lower the frame, the more likely a generous thickness is right, so that you don't end up sitting "down in the frame".

For frames with a fixed backrest, there's one more thing: a thicker seat cushion reduces the usable backrest height. So plan seat and back together (step 5). Which thickness suits which piece of furniture is covered in our guide which foam thickness for outdoor cushions?, and you'll find details on the material on the page Our foam.

Step 5: Plan seat and back together

A question we hear often: is it enough to replace just the seat cushions if the back cushions still look good? Technically, yes. Still, our recommendation is to renew seat cushions and backrests together. The reason is colour: over the years, old back cushions have taken a lot of sun and have become a shade lighter. Next to a fresh seat cushion, that stands out immediately. With a complete set everything matches, and your lounge gets a new look, not just new parts. After all, it should look good too.

For the backrest we make the Monaco back cushion: filled with foam flakes in a separate inner cushion, with a washable olefin fabric cover over it. This gives you the typical cushion feel when you lean back. What matters for shape and filling is explained in our guide how to choose a back cushion. If you'd also like loose cushions, you'll find them in the same fabric as the Cairo outdoor cushion.

Garden lounge seat cushions and backs: how do the cushions stay on the frame?

On most lounges, the seat cushion and back cushion simply sit in the frame and stay in place thanks to their weight and exact fit. Because the cushions are made precisely to size, they slip much less than standard cushions that are too small. If you want to make sure nothing moves at all, there is a custom-made strap that can be ordered with any cushion: it runs once around the cushion and the furniture element and closes with a hook-and-loop fastener, with no drilling or hooks on the frame. You'll find more in our guide custom lounge cushions.

Step 6: Test fabric and colour in your own light

A colour looks different on screen than next to your frame in the evening sun. That's why we send free fabric samples within 2 to 5 working days. Leave them for a few days where the lounge stands: on the frame, in the sun, in the shade. On dark poly rattan, light tones look especially fresh; on wood, warm sand and natural tones often work best.

All our fabrics are pure olefin, solution-dyed, which means the colour sits in the core of the fibre. That's why new cushions won't look as faded after two summers as the old ones do. Read more in our guide which fabric for outdoor cushions?.

Step 7: Check your measurements a second time and order

Surprisingly few mistakes happen when renewing cushions. When they do, it's almost always the same one: the measuring was imprecise. Typical causes are a measurement taken over the frame instead of inside it, length and width mixed up, or an element missing from the sheet. That's why our most important tip is this: measure every element a second time, ideally with a second person, and compare with the first round.

You can order each element directly in the 3D configurator: enter the measurements, choose the fabric, and you see your cushion before it is made. You'll find all the lounge models together under made-to-measure lounge cushions. Delivery takes about 2 to 3 weeks, and about 3 to 6 weeks for special colours. If you order in autumn or winter, everything will be on your patio in time for the start of the season.

Replacement cushions for lounge furniture: from the manufacturer or made to measure?

Original replacement cushions are often only available for a few years after purchase; after that, the range and colour have usually been discontinued. And even if they were available, they are the same cushions that didn't last long the first time around. With made-to-measure cushions you're independent of the manufacturer's range and can choose the core, thickness and fabric yourself. What that means over several summers, we've worked out openly in the article why cheap balcony cushions are a false economy.

Step 8: Care for and store your new cushions properly

Your cushions arrive rolled up to save space. After unpacking, the foam expands back to its full size, so give it a little time. After that, the following applies: olefin is weatherproof and UV-resistant, but cushions still last longer if they are kept dry during persistent rain and over winter. The cover can be removed with its zip and washed.

How to remove stains, when to wash the cover and how to store the cushions over winter is covered in our guide how to care for outdoor cushions properly. And if you're still planning your lounge, you'll find the basics in the complete guide to lounge furniture cushions.

New cushions for the garden lounge: which model for which piece

• Seat elements, corner, footstool: Nizza bench cushion, rectangular, 25 to 300 cm long, 3 to 15 cm thick.
• Backrests: Monaco back cushion, with flake filling, matching Nizza.
• Additional lean-back and decorative cushions: Cairo outdoor cushion.

All lounge models on one page: cushions for the garden lounge. Our page custom outdoor cushions gives an overview of fabrics, thicknesses and tolerances. And why we make everything to measure in the first place, we show in 7 reasons in 7 pictures.

Frequently asked questions about replacing garden lounge cushions