Outdoor Cushions vs Space: The UK Room Measurement Study
Outdoor cushions are where garden seating plans fail. Our 2026 analysis finds cushions must be measured as part of the furniture, because a back cushion typically consumes 10cm to 15cm of seat depth and scatter cushions reduce it further, pushing seat fronts into walkways that enclosed UK gardens cannot spare. While the Nationally Described Space Standard sets internal floor areas for new homes in England, no equivalent standard governs garden size, so outdoor space varies sharply between terraces, semis and new developments. We set out furniture and cushion combinations against patio size, the 60cm and 75cm clearances that keep a patio usable, and the seat pad thickness that preserves dining table clearance. Storage is the constraint most people omit: cushions need a dry home within a few steps of the seating, or they will not be put away....