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Across the Map · Europe

Custom cushions for Finnish summer cottages, apartments and lake terraces

Finland counted 508,289 summer cottages in 2020. Most of them wait out the winter closed, cold and quiet. So do their cushions.

Helsinki
FinlandEuropeCapital: Helsinki
  • Sun & UVModerate
  • HumidityHumid
  • WinterLong and hard
  • CoastSalt air nearby
  • Typical seatsGlazed balcony bench, lake terrace lounger, dock bench

Field notes by

The Quiet Geometer of Seattle · · Updated

Pistachio green and white kilim-pattern sun lounger cushion on a teak lounger on a wooden deck overlooking a lakeSave
A lake cottage deck with green chairs and a moored boat; the pistachio pattern keeps the lounger in the same fresh green family.

The quick answer

Custom cushions in Finland serve two lives: the city apartment with its glazed balcony, and the summer cottage, or mökki, by a lake with a sauna and a terrace. Use outdoor fabric with ties on terraces and docks, washable covers by the sauna, and store every cottage cushion clean, dry and in breathable bags before the cottage closes for winter.

Field notes

Weather and light in Finland

  • Sun & UVModerate (level 2 of 4)297 sunshine hours in a Helsinki June, 27.9 in December
  • HumidityVery humid (level 4 of 4)Helsinki averages 89.8% in January
  • Rain & stormsModerate (level 2 of 4)about 24 to 28 in (600 to 700 mm) a year in the south
  • Snow & freezeLong winters (level 4 of 4)Three to four months of snow cover in the south, about seven up north

Watch for

  • Cottages closed and unheated all winter
  • Lake damp in stored foam
  • Wind on docks and open terraces

Plain-language levels from general climate patterns, not measurements. Your own porch, shade and window exposure matter more.

Half a million cottages, one long winter

Finland counted 508,289 summer cottages in 2020. They usually sit by the sea, a lake or another shore, and they are used mostly in summer. They are traditionally built of logs, and almost all have a sauna.

Then winter. On the south coast it runs from early December to late March; in Lapland, from early October to mid-May. Snow covers the south for three to four months and the north for about seven.

A cottage cushion's hardest season is the one nobody sees. Closed doors, cold rooms, lake damp. Helsinki's January humidity averages 89.8%.

The same closing-day logic applies to Great Lakes cottages and to Minnesota cabins.

Glazed balconies: an extra room for most of the year

Glazed balconies are especially a Nordic habit, a response to the weather. In a Helsinki apartment the glass turns a balcony into a small room for more of the year.

Under glass a cushion sees sun but no rain. And the sun is real: June in Helsinki averages 297 hours of sunshine, more than Prague gets in its sunniest month. Choose a UV-resistant outdoor acrylic in a light color, or linen if the balcony is fully closed.

On cold mornings the glass can sweat. Open a pane, let it clear, then put the cushions back. The sunroom hub and the Pattern on humidity in sunrooms cover the rest.

Sauna, terrace, dock: which cushion goes where

Finland has more than 3 million saunas by one count, and Finnish sauna culture was added to UNESCO's intangible heritage lists in December 2020. Steam rooms run at 176 to 230°F (80 to 110°C), usually 176 to 194°F (80 to 90°C). No place for a foam cushion. Sit on a linen towel there.

Cushions belong just outside: the dressing-room bench, the terrace where you cool down, the dock at the waterline. Wet skin, lake water, damp towels. Covers that zip off and wash, and fabric that dries: outdoor acrylic or a water-repellent membrane.

Tie every terrace and dock cushion at the back. Lake wind moves whatever sits loose. The loungers are in the chaise and sunbed hub.

Balcony, mökki, sauna, dock: the picks

SeatFabricThicknessNotes
Glazed balcony benchOutdoor acrylic in a light color, or linen if fully closed2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm)Air the glass on damp mornings
Cottage window seatLinen or corduroy2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm)Split runs longer than about 79 to 90 in (2 to 2.3 m)
Sauna dressing-room benchPerformance fabric or outdoor acrylic2 in (5 cm)Zippered and washable; never in the steam room
Lake terrace loungerOutdoor acrylic, UV-resistant and water-repellent3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm)Ties; inside before storms
Dock benchOutdoor acrylic2 to 4 in (5 to 10 cm)Ties at the back; stripe direction set per cushion
Cottage bunk or daybedLinen or performance fabricCover cut to the mattressGive length, width and thickness

Seat foam is 32 kg/m³, about 2.0 lb/ft³. Outdoor fabric here means UV-resistant and water-repellent.

Picked for Finland

Seats to start from

Fabric families

Try it in the Studio

A real project

About 31 ft (9.4 m) of windows, four cushions

A buyer wrote to the workshop with about 31 ft (9.40 m) of window seating, 13 3/4 in (35 cm) deep, under four large windows in a holiday house.

They ordered linen-look samples first. They learned that the longest recommended single cushion is about 79 to 90 in (2 to 2.3 m). They chose four cushions of 90 1/2 in (2.3 m), 3 in (7.5 cm) thick.

Then a quiet idea. Piping in one color on the top face, another color on the bottom. Turn the cushion over and the room changes. One side could be pale for summer, the other deeper for autumn evenings.

The parcel went to the holiday address, which the workshop confirmed in writing first. For a cottage that matters: someone should be there to open it.

What is the longest run of seat in your cottage?

Measured
about 31 ft (9.40 m) of window seating, 13 3/4 in (35 cm) deep; four cushions of 90 1/2 x 13 3/4 x 3 in (230 x 35 x 7.5 cm)
What it taught
Split long runs into segments of about 79 in (2 m), and use a different piping color on each face to make a reversible cushion.

Closing the mökki: storing cottage cushions for winter

  • Late summer: wash covers at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle, no bleach; air dry, no tumble dryer.
  • Dry the foam completely, standing on edge where air moves. Lake damp hides in foam.
  • Bring terrace, dock and boat cushions in before winter: early December on the south coast, early October in Lapland.
  • Store off the floor, on open shelves or in breathable bags. No sealed plastic.
  • If you can, take the best cushions to the city apartment for the winter.
  • Opening day in spring: air everything for a day before anyone sits.
  • New cushions arrive vacuum-packed. Open them right away, not at the cottage months later.

Pale rooms for a summer without night

Helsinki has 18 hours and 57 minutes of daylight around the summer solstice and 5 hours and 48 minutes around the winter one. The same cushion has to look right in both.

Many Finnish rooms answer with pale surfaces: white walls, birch and pine, linen. Follow them. A light, warm neutral for the body: birch white, oat, pale gray. One color in the piping: lake blue, moss, rowan red.

Nineteen hours of light. Six in winter. One quiet cushion for both.

The short-day side of this is closer to Estonia than to anywhere south.

A cottage cushion's hardest season is the one nobody sees. Store it dry, and summer finds it ready.

Hana
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Buyer questions: cottage deliveries, ties and old inserts

  1. A common question

    My floor sofa arrived in a few flat parcels. Can I leave it packed until we get to the cottage?

    The workshop's answer

    Unpack it as soon as possible: foam left compressed for several weeks can be damaged. Everything ships vacuum-compressed, so flat parcels are normal. Creases settle with time and use; allow one to two weeks before judging.

  2. A common question

    Is the indoor bench-with-bolster fabric all right outdoors?

    The workshop's answer

    No. Those indoor fabrics aren't for outdoor use. There is a separate outdoor line with UV-resistant, weather-resistant fabrics, made in custom sizes and shapes.

  3. A common question

    Can you add ties to an outdoor bench cushion and set the stripe direction?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. One order was a cushion of about 59 x 19.7 x 4 in (150 x 50 x 10 cm) with piping and two ties on the back, plus two of about 29.5 x 20 x 3 in (75 x 51 x 7.5 cm), all in outdoor fabric. The stripes ran along the length on the first and across the width on the other two, as the buyer asked.

  4. A common question

    Can you make tight covers for the cushion inserts I already have?

    The workshop's answer

    The workshop suggested supplying its own inserts instead, at no change in price, because no thickness was given and it wasn't known whether the old inserts were foam or fiber. That makes a tight fit unpredictable; with matching inserts everything sits properly.

  5. A common question

    What size floor cushion suits a toddler's reading corner?

    The workshop's answer

    For a corner under a canopy, the workshop recommended 40 x 40 in, about 102 x 102 cm, and sent an extended color chart with more shades than the listing shows.

Have it made

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

Measure once, slowly. Write the numbers here. The workshop will go over them with you. — Hana

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.

Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

Questions buyers ask next

Can cushions stay in a closed summer cottage over the Finnish winter?

Only if they go in clean and completely dry, stored off the floor in breathable bags. Winter on the south coast runs from early December to late March, and in Lapland from early October to mid-May. The safest place for good cushions is the city apartment.

Which cushion fabric works on a glazed Helsinki balcony?

Under glass there is no rain, but June brings about 297 hours of sunshine in Helsinki. A UV-resistant outdoor acrylic in a light color holds its color best. Indoor linen works if the balcony is fully glazed and aired on damp mornings.

What goes on the löyly bench, and what goes in the dressing room?

On the hot benches, a linen towel or a disposable seat cover; Finnish steam rooms usually run at 176 to 194°F (80 to 90°C). Foam cushions belong in the dressing room and on the cooling terrace, with zippered covers that wash at 86°F (30°C).

How long can a single cottage window seat cushion be?

About 79 to 90 in (2 to 2.3 m) is the longest recommended single cushion. For longer runs, split into equal pieces; one buyer ordered four cushions of 90 1/2 in (2.3 m) for about 31 ft (9.40 m) of window seating, 13 3/4 in (35 cm) deep.

— Hana

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