Across the Map · Louisiana & Deep South · United States

Outdoor cushions for Alabama porches, from Mobile Bay to the hills

Mobile averages 67.08 in of rain a year and 90% humidity on a July morning, and up in the hills nearly every porch still hangs a swing. Here is how I dress both Alabamas, so the cushions stay dry, stay put and see another summer.

AlabamaLouisiana & Deep South · United StatesCapital: Montgomery

Sun & UVStrong
HumidityHumid
WinterMild
CoastSalt air nearby
Typical seatsPorch swing, rocking chair, wicker settee

Field notes by Rosa

The Porch Keeper of Savannah · March 26, 2026

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A white porch swing hung on thick rope gets a full seat and two back cushions in a neutral herringbone stripe.

The quick answer

Outdoor cushions in Alabama need water-repellent, UV-resistant outdoor fabric, zippered covers and ties at the back corners of every swing and rocker. On the Gulf Coast, size each cushion so one person can carry it inside before a storm, because the foam is not quick-dry. Inland, wash the covers once the spring pine pollen stops falling, and store cushions dry over winter.

Sixty-seven inches of rain on the bay, a real winter in the hills

The first thing an Alabama porch cushion learns is how to wait out a thunderstorm. Mobile averages 67.08 in (170 cm) of rain a year, and July is the wettest month at 7.69 in (19.5 cm), with rain on about 16 of its days. Morning humidity there averages 87%, and July and August mornings run 90% and 91%.

That is the Gulf half of the state. Mobile counts 77 days a year at 90°F (32°C) or above, and Montgomery 86. Between 1851 and 2004, NOAA counted 22 hurricane strikes on Alabama, and the season runs June 1 to November 30.

Drive north and the porch gets a winter. Birmingham averages 50 days at or below freezing and Huntsville 61, with 1.4 in and 2.4 in of snow. So a Gulf cushion has to dry fast after every storm, and a hill-country cushion has to go into winter dry. Same fabric, two different habits.

Creole cottages, beach houses on pilings and the dogtrot's deep porch

Alabama builds porches the way other states build garages. In the census division that includes Alabama, 81% of new homes started in 2024 had a porch, the highest share in the country. And when folks search for a porch swing cushion, Alabama ties for third in the nation.

On the coast, the Encyclopedia of Alabama traces the built-in porches and raised piers of the old frame houses to French settlers at Dauphin Island and Mobile, and the Creole cottage, with its full front porch under a high gable roof, grew up along this same coast. Down at Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, new beach houses stand on pilings above the flood line, so the porch sits a story up and takes the wind straight off the water.

Inland, the dogtrot became the most widespread farmhouse in the uplands: two rooms under one roof, an open hall between them, and most with a full-width porch front or back. Birmingham's Craftsman bungalows in Forest Park, Highland Park and Avondale added wide porches on thick tapered columns.

So the seats are swings, rockers, wicker settees and long benches. Start with porch swing cushions and rocking chair cushions, and read the porch swing size guide before you measure.

What's hanging on your porch this summer, neighbor: a swing, a pair of rockers, or your grandmother's wicker?

Gulf porch or hill porch: fabric, foam and piping for each seat

Outside, every seat takes outdoor fabric. What changes between Mobile and Huntsville is how the cushion is held down and how fast it has to come in.

Seat	Fabric	Thickness and foam	Piping and fastening
Porch swing on a Gulf Coast porch	Outdoor fabric, water-repellent and UV-resistant	4 in (10 cm) seat; filled back pillows about 4 in	Self piping; ties at both back corners
Rocker on a covered porch in the hills	Outdoor fabric	2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm) pad from a traced template	Ties at the back posts, asked for in writing
Wicker settee on a screened porch	Outdoor fabric; screens don't stop damp air	4 in (10 cm) seat with the rounded corners drawn	Double piping helps back cushions stand without straps
Beach-house porch on pilings	Outdoor fabric in sand, white or a soft stripe	4 in (10 cm), cut in pieces one person can carry	Concealed zipper; a non-slip base against the wind
Sunroom daybed behind glass	Linen-look or performance weave	Measured to the mattress	Zippered cover that washes at 86°F (30°C)

A real project

A wicker loveseat, a green stripe and a party on the calendar

A buyer in the US started with one cushion: an oval wicker loveseat on a covered patio, rounded corners and all. Then she added a chair. Then the outdoor couch. By the end it was a whole porch.

The final order ran in a green-and-white outdoor stripe with piping: a 17 x 20 in (43 x 51 cm) chair cushion, a 37 x 19 in (94 x 48 cm) loveseat cushion, three 17 in (43 cm) pillows, and six couch pieces, three at 20 x 20 in and three at 22 x 20 in. The workshop quoted it all as one set, and her party date went on the order.

It arrived before the party. She wrote back that she cried when she opened it, because it looked so beautiful. I believe her. A green stripe on honey wicker does that to people.

Two lessons worth stealing for a Gulf porch. List every piece in one message, so the whole set is cut from the same fabric batch. And tell the workshop your date the day you order, not the week before.

Haint blue ceilings, white rails and a stripe that forgives pollen

Look up on an old Southern porch and you'll often find a pale blue ceiling. Haint blue began with the Gullah people of Georgia and the Carolinas and spread across the South. Folks still say it keeps wasps away, though Smithsonian researchers couldn't find a study to prove it. It looks like sky, and that is reason enough.

That blue, a white rail and a painted gray floor are exactly where the swing in our photo hangs, in a taupe, gray and ivory herringbone. A mid-tone stripe earns its keep here: the yellow film on porch furniture every April is mostly pine pollen, and a stripe hides a few days of it between washes far better than solid white.

On the beach porches, go lighter. Sand, white and soft stripes stay cooler under bare legs in July. Inland, against brick and deep shade, forest green, rust and navy look right at home.

Browse outdoor fabric for the swing, then try a pillow color in the pillow cover studio.

Photographs for homes like these

Open any photograph large; each one has its own link and a Save button.

Dusty rose outdoor seat and back cushion with ties on a white rocking chair on a porch with fern and iced tea — A tie-on seat and back set in dusty rose turns a white porch rocker into a reading chair.

Olive green seat and back box cushions on a honey wicker sofa on a white clapboard porch with a hanging fern — Olive cushions on a honey wicker sofa bring the garden's green onto a white-clapboard front porch.

Gray and white awning stripe cushion on a hanging teak porch swing, with a matching pad on a small side bench — On a covered porch, a hanging swing and a small side bench share the same gray-taupe awning stripe.

Ivory daybed mattress cushion with navy piping and three back pillows on a wicker daybed in a screened porch at sunset — A thick ivory mattress cushion with navy piping turns a wicker daybed into the porch's summer reading bed.

Sand beige box cushions on a gray wicker corner sectional on a covered lanai with ceiling fan, jute rug and palms — Sand-colored seat and back cushions on a gray wicker corner sofa in a shaded, palm-fringed lanai.

The Alabama porch year, pollen to the last storm

March and April: let the pine pollen finish falling, brush it off dry, then unzip the covers and wash them at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle. Air dry, never the dryer.
Before June 1: hurricane season opens. Check that one person can carry each cushion through the door, and choose the closet it goes in.
Summer on the Gulf: after a soaking storm, stand cushions on edge under the roof and get them dry within 24 to 48 hours, before mildew settles in.
Storm watch: bring the cushions in with the rest of the outdoor furniture, as Ready.gov advises.
After a blow on a beach porch: rinse salt off the covers with fresh water and let them dry in the shade.
November 30: the season closes. Check seams, ties and zippers before the cushions go back out.
Winter in the hills: store open-porch cushions clean and completely dry, off concrete, in a breathable cover rather than sealed plastic.

On an Alabama porch, a swing cushion should never slide when you laugh. Two ties at the back corners and a non-slip base keep it where you left it.
Rosa

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Buyer questions: ties, backs and porch fabric

A common question
Can you put ties on the back corners so the cushion ties onto my swing or chair?
The workshop's answer
Yes. Ties can be sewn on the back of a chair cushion or on the two back corners of a bench or swing cushion, at no extra charge. Write the request, with your exact size, in the Add Personalization box when you order.
A common question
Do outdoor back cushions need straps to stay on the chairs?
The workshop's answer
Often not. Back cushions made with double piping have enough structure to sit in place without sliding. Straps are still possible if you prefer them, and the workshop may suggest a non-slip base on the seat cushions instead.
A common question
Can I use the linen or velvet cushions outside on the porch?
The workshop's answer
No. Those indoor fabrics aren't suitable outdoors. Outdoor cushions and their backrests are ordered through the outdoor listing, which has more than 100 color options. When one buyer ordered indoor fabric for the porch, the workshop cancelled and refunded the order so it could be placed again correctly.
A common question
Can you make zippered covers to fit over the inserts in my outdoor chair cushions?
The workshop's answer
Yes, in the workshop's own outdoor fabrics. Send photos and a drawing with every size; the outdoor charts are in the zippered cover listing. You don't need to mail the old cushions, because measurements and photos are enough.
A common question
Can I take the covers off and put them in the washing machine?
The workshop's answer
Yes. Covers are fully zippered and removable. Machine wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle, air dry without a tumble dryer, and iron on low if needed. Non-slip bases in particular don't tolerate the dryer.

Have it made

Have it made for your home — ask Rosa’s workshop

Tell the workshop who sits there: grandkids, the dog, a cup of coffee at six. The right fabric and foam follow from the people. — Rosa

Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.

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