Outdoor Cushions
Outdoor cushions do two jobs. They make a resin or aluminium chair comfortable enough to sit in for a long lunch, and they carry the colour in an outdoor setting where the furniture itself is usually neutral.
Forty three cushions are stocked and they divide into two groups that are worth understanding before you buy.
Chair specific cushions are cut to fit a particular seat and will not fit another. Stocked to suit the Net chair, Net bench seat, Net Relax and Net lounge headrest, the Doga armchair, Doga Bistrot and Doga Relax, the Trill chair in Grafite, the Folio chair, the Bit chair in Grigio, the Eden sun lounge, and the Tolo dining chair. If you already own the chair, start here rather than with a generic size.
Generic cushions are sized rather than shaped. The Passepartout and Rettangolare ranges are the main ones, along with 45 x 45cm square cushions and the Arredo Maximo sizes at 50 x 50cm, 60 x 40cm and 70 x 30cm.
Fabric is the decision that determines how long the cushion lasts:
- Sunbrella is solution dyed acrylic, which means the colour goes through the fibre rather than sitting on it. Stocked in Adriatic Blue, Ghiaccio Blue, Ice Blue, Jungle Green, Avocado and Tropical Palm Leaf. This is the fabric to choose for a position in full Australian sun.
- Nardi acrylic covers the remaining colours, including Grigio, Grey, Grey Stone, Rose Quartz, The Verde, Sardinia turquoise, Senape mustard, Denim and White.
Note that Grigio and Rose Quartz are Nardi acrylic rather than Sunbrella, so if you are matching an existing Sunbrella cushion, check the fabric on the product page rather than the colour name alone.
Cushions last considerably longer if they come inside or into a box over winter. Even solution dyed fabric will outlive its foam if the foam is left to sit wet.
Outdoor Cushions - FAQs
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What makes a cushion an outdoor cushion?
Two things: the cover fabric and the fill. An outdoor cover is made to take sun, rain and damp without fading, going mouldy or rotting, and an outdoor fill lets water drain and air through instead of holding it. An indoor cushion left on a patio will fade in a season and stay wet for days, which is why the fabric is the first thing to check.
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What is the difference between Nardi Acrylic and Sunbrella fabric?
Nardi Acrylic is yarn dyed and water repellent, and some natural colour variation between pieces is normal. Sunbrella is solution dyed, which gives the highest resistance to fading, mould and staining, so it is the better choice for a position in full sun all day. Many cushions in this range are offered in both, so check the product page to see which fabric a given colour is, because the two are not interchangeable.
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Do I need a cushion made for my specific chair?
For seat and back cushions, yes. The shaped cushions here are cut to a particular Nardi chair or sofa, so there are separate cushions for Net, Net Relax, Doga Relax, Doga Bistrot, Folio, Trill, Bit, Eden and the Maximo and Komodo modules. A cushion for the wrong chair will not sit down properly or stay put. Scatter cushions are the exception, because they are not shaped to anything.
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What size are the scatter cushions?
The Nardi Passepartout is a 50 x 48cm square cushion designed to suit almost any Nardi chair, bench, sofa or lounger, which is where its name comes from. The plain outdoor square cushions and the Ambition Sunbrella cushions are 45 x 45cm. For Maximo there are also 50 x 50cm, 60 x 40cm and 70 x 30cm sizes, so you can mix a square and a bolster on the same sofa.
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What is a headrest cushion?
A headrest cushion, or poggiatesta, is a small cushion that fixes to the top of the backrest so the chair supports your head as well as your back. It turns an upright outdoor chair into something you can actually sit in for an hour. There are versions in this range for the Net lounge chair and for Folio, and they are bought separately from the seat cushion.
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What is a Net Relax chair shell?
It is not a cushion. The Net Relax chair shell is a moulded resin shell wrapped in washable outdoor fabric that clips around the back of the Net Relax chair, giving it a fully padded, upholstered look back. It pairs with the seat cushion rather than replacing it, so if you want the complete padded chair you need both pieces.
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How should I clean and store outdoor cushions?
Brush off loose dirt, then sponge with warm water and a mild detergent and let the cushion dry fully before it goes back on the furniture or into storage. Do not put a damp cushion in a sealed box, because that is how mould starts. Even fully outdoor fabrics last longer out of constant direct sun, so bring cushions in or cover them when the furniture is not in use for a long stretch.
