---
title: "Custom Cushions in Finland: Summer Cottages, Saunas and Snow"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-finland/"
section: "Across the Map"
author: "Hana Lindqvist, The Quiet Geometer of Seattle"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/hana/"
published: "2026-06-09"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "custom cushions finland, custom cushions helsinki, summer cottage cushions, window seat cushions finland, terrace cushions"
---

# 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.*

> **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.

![Pistachio green and white kilim-pattern sun lounger cushion on a teak lounger on a wooden deck overlooking a lake](https://cushionguide.com/media/chaise-and-sunbed-cushions/pistachio-kilim-lounger-cushion-lakeside-deck-1600.webp "A lake cottage deck with green chairs and a moored boat; the pistachio pattern keeps the lounger in the same fresh green family.")

## 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](https://cushionguide.com/places/great-lakes-cottage-cushions/) and to [Minnesota cabins](https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-minnesota/).

## 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](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/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](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/sunroom-cushions/) and the Pattern on [humidity in sunrooms](https://cushionguide.com/guides/sunroom-cushion-fabric-humidity/) 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](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/outdoor-acrylic/) or a [water-repellent membrane](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/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](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/chaise-and-sunbed-cushions/).

## Balcony, mökki, sauna, dock: the picks

| Seat | Fabric | Thickness | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glazed balcony bench | Outdoor acrylic in a light color, or linen if fully closed | 2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm) | Air the glass on damp mornings |
| Cottage window seat | Linen or corduroy | 2 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 bench | Performance fabric or outdoor acrylic | 2 in (5 cm) | Zippered and washable; never in the steam room |
| Lake terrace lounger | Outdoor acrylic, UV-resistant and water-repellent | 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm) | Ties; inside before storms |
| Dock bench | Outdoor acrylic | 2 to 4 in (5 to 10 cm) | Ties at the back; stripe direction set per cushion |
| Cottage bunk or daybed | Linen or performance fabric | Cover cut to the mattress | Give length, width and thickness |

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

## 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?

## 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](https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-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

> **Tailor's margin:** Tie every dock and terrace cushion at the back corners. Lake wind moves what sits loose.

## Buyer questions: cottage deliveries, ties and old inserts

**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.

**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.

**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.

**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.

**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.

## 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.

## Related at the atelier

- [Window Seat Cushion in Rose and Cream: Three Sections, One Line](https://cushionguide.com/readings/dusty-rose-sunroom-window-seat-cream-center-cushion/): A long sunroom window seat looks and lasts best in sections: rose cushions at the ends where people lean, a lighter center, each piece piped the same way and cut flush with the base.
- [Sage Palm Window Seat Cushion: Mixing Print, Plain and Texture](https://cushionguide.com/readings/sage-palm-window-seat-cushion-arched-plaster-alcove/): A patterned window seat cushion mixes best with one plain and one textured piece, never a second print of the same scale.
- [White Window Seat Cushion for a Cottage Book Nook](https://cushionguide.com/readings/white-window-seat-cushion-cotswold-cottage-nook/): A white window seat cushion works in a reading nook when every white surface has its own texture and the view outside supplies the color.
- [Custom cushions for Maltese balconies, roof terraces and townhouses](https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-malta/): Custom cushions in Malta do three jobs: a slim window seat inside the enclosed wooden gallarija, sun-safe cushions for the flat roof terrace, and courtyard seats in old limestone farmhouses.
- [Outdoor cushions for Spanish patios, terraces and roof decks](https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-spain/): Outdoor cushions in Spain need UV-resistant, water-repellent outdoor fabric and a shady place to rest at midday, because Seville averages 97°F (36.3°C) July highs and about 3,089 hours of sun a year.
- [Custom cushions for Portuguese terraces, balconies and townhouses](https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-portugal/): Custom cushions in Portugal have to handle two climates: sunny, nearly rainless summers in the Algarve and the hot interior, and wet Atlantic winters in Lisbon and, above all, Porto.
- [Why mildew grows under a window seat cushion in winter, and what helps](https://cushionguide.com/guides/window-seat-cushion-mildew-condensation/)
- [Will a window seat cushion fade? Choosing fabric for sun through glass](https://cushionguide.com/guides/window-seat-cushion-fading-sun/)

*— Hana*

---

Written by Hana Lindqvist (https://cushionguide.com/masters/hana/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-finland/