Across the Map · Europe

Custom cushions for Latvian apartments, wooden houses and seaside homes

In December, Latvia gets about 25 hours of sun. In July, about 300. A cushion here is built for both: a window seat for the dark months, a summer-house bench for the light ones.

LatviaEuropeCapital: Riga

Sun & UVModerate
HumidityHumid
WinterCold
CoastSalt air nearby
Typical seatsWindow seat under a tall apartment window, deep window ledge, summer-house garden bench

Field notes by Hana

The Quiet Geometer of Seattle · January 7, 2026 · Updated September 24, 2026

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A full-depth blush cushion turns a plain oak bench under two casement windows into a daybed for gray mornings.

The quick answer

Custom cushions in Latvia follow the light, and window seats matter most in winter, when December brings about 25 hours of sun and humidity averages 89%: choose velvet, corduroy or a linen blend, 2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm) thick. Summer-house and balcony cushions want water-repellent outdoor fabric and a dry place indoors, because July and August are the wettest months.

Twenty-five hours of December sun

Custom cushions in Latvia are chosen by the light. The national weather service, LVĢMC, counts 1,700 to 2,000 hours of sunshine a year: about 300 in July, about 25 in December.

The air is damp. Relative humidity averages 81%, from 71% in May to 89% in December. February is the coldest month, at 26°F (−3.1°C). July averages 64°F (17.8°C). In Riga, snow can lie unbroken for about 80 days.

Rain comes in summer. July and August are the wettest months, at about 3 in each (75.7 and 76.8 mm). April is the driest.

So the indoor seat carries the year. The outdoor one needs a dry place to go.

Tall windows in Riga, timber and pine by the sea

About a third of the buildings in central Riga are Art Nouveau, most built between 1904 and 1914 as apartment houses of up to six stories. The windows are tall. For custom cushions in Riga, start there: the sill is where the winter light arrives, and where a window seat cushion belongs.

Keep it low. A 2 in (5 cm) cushion leaves room for the window to close above it. Below 1¼ in (3 cm), piping is no longer possible. The thickness guide has the rest. How deep is your sill?

On the coast, Jūrmala runs along a 21 mi (33 km) beach and keeps more than 4,000 wooden structures, many of them houses from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Forests cover about half of Latvia. Pine, birch, sand: the palette is already outside.

In a small apartment, a daybed or a single floor cushion is enough. Leave a hand's width of floor.

Where each cushion goes in a Latvian home

Seat	Fabric	Foam and thickness	Notes
Window seat under a tall Art Nouveau window	Velvet or corduroy for winter; linen blend for summer	2 in (5 cm) where the window must close above it; 3 in (7.5 cm) elsewhere	Self piping; non-slip base on a painted sill
Deep window ledge	Corduroy or bouclé	1 1/4 to 2 in (3 to 5 cm); thinner than 1¼ in is made without piping	Draw an uneven sill with three depths
Summer-house garden bench	Water-repellent, UV-resistant outdoor fabric	3 in (7.5 cm)	Ties at the back corners; indoors on wet nights
City balcony bench	Outdoor fabric	2 in (5 cm)	Light enough to carry in with one hand
Daybed or floor mattress	Linen blend or soft poly-cotton in bone white or sand	4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm)	Very wide mattresses handle better in two halves

Outdoor fabric is water-repellent, not waterproof, and the standard foam is not quick-dry. Covers wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle; air dry them.

A real project

About 11 ft (337 cm) of window bench, 2 in (5 cm) thick

A buyer with a home in Scandinavia wrote to the workshop about one long window bench: about 11 ft (337 cm) by 22 in (56 cm), only 2 in (5 cm) thick. They wanted a non-slip base, a velvet body in P-66 and piping in P-54.

The workshop explained the method. Choose the nearest size range on the listing, then write the exact size, the thickness and every code in the personalization box. It quoted the bench as one piece.

I would usually split a run that long, at about 79 in (2 m). They kept it whole. On a built-in bench, that is a fair choice.

Thin velvet under a window. A base that holds. Nothing more is needed.

Measured: about 132 3/4 x 22 x 2 in (337 x 56 x 5 cm), one piece, non-slip base
What it taught: A very long bench can be one custom order: write the exact size, thickness and every fabric code in the personalization.

Summer houses, balconies and the shortest night

Midsummer, Jāņi, falls on June 23 and 24. Bonfires burn from sunset to dawn, mostly in the countryside, and people stay up through the night. That is a night on benches.

Summer house cushions and balcony cushions should be water-repellent, UV-resistant outdoor cushions. They handle a shower and a spilled drink. They are not made for a week of rain, and July and August bring the most of it.

Bring them in on wet nights. Close the summer house with covers washed and foam dry to the core. The winter storage guide walks through it.

Indoors, keep color quiet: bone white, sand, pine, the gray of the Baltic in November. One darker piping is enough.

Photographs for homes like these

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

Charcoal corduroy box cushion in a tall window recess with sheer curtains, a mustard velvet pillow, books and a mug — A charcoal corduroy cushion lines the base of a tall window recess framed by sheer curtains. One mustard velvet pillow is all the color it needs.

Mocha brown piped window seat cushion in an oak-paneled cabin nook with a sleeping cat and linen pillows by a forest window — Mocha pebble-weave on pale oak, looking out to pines: a cabin window seat made for long reads.

Black and ivory kilim-pattern cushion on a long white window bench with a black pillow, cast-iron teapot and pampas grass — A bold black-and-ivory geometric seat along a white bench, with sheer curtains and a cast-iron teapot.

Camel wide-wale corduroy cushion on an oak window chest in a sage green room with books and a pink throw — Camel corduroy on an oak window chest, a warm match for sage green walls and a winter garden.

Pastel multi-stripe outdoor cushion with white branch lines on a slatted storage bench on a narrow city balcony — A made-to-size cushion turns a slatted storage bench on a narrow balcony into a proper seat with room for a side table.

A Latvian year for cushions

April and May: the driest weeks. Wash covers at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle and air dry them.
June: outdoor cushions go out. On the coast, where wind averages about 4 m/s, tie them on.
July and August: the wettest months. Carry cushions in before rain, not after.
September: close the summer house. Foam dry to the core, stored indoors, off the floor, in breathable bags.
November to February: window seat season. Wipe condensation from the sill and lift the cushion now and then to air it.

Twenty-five hours of sun in December. A window seat is how you keep them.
Hana

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Buyer questions: sills, benches and flat parcels

A common question
Can each side of a window seat cushion have a different piping color, so I can flip it for a new look?
The workshop's answer
Yes. Four 90.5 in (2.3 m) linen-look cushions in L05, 3 in (7.5 cm) thick, were made with L70 piping on one side and L63 on the other, so the look changes when they're turned over.
A common question
Can you add heavy-duty velcro strips to fix the cushions to a bench?
The workshop's answer
For a banquette the workshop suggested ties, or a base made from non-slip fabric so the cushion won't slide, and asked for a photo of the bench first.
A common question
Is the fabric on the indoor bench cushion with bolsters all right outdoors, for a summer house?
The workshop's answer
No. The indoor bench-with-bolster fabrics aren't for outdoor use. There is a separate outdoor bench cushion line in water-repellent, UV-resistant fabrics, made in custom sizes and shapes.
A common question
My order arrived in a few flat packages. Can I leave it packed until we move?
The workshop's answer
No. Everything ships vacuum-compressed, and big orders can arrive in several parcels with separate tracking. Unpack as soon as possible, because foam left compressed for several weeks can be damaged. Creases settle out with time and use; allow one to two weeks before judging.
A common question
Does the cushion come with a zipper so I can wash the cover?
The workshop's answer
Yes. Every cushion comes with a zipper so the cover can be removed and washed, and covers-only orders are sent as zippered covers too.

Have it made

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

Leave your numbers and the height you like to sit at. The rest is a short conversation. — 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.

Name

Phone Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.

Best time to call optional

What to make optional

Measurements optionalIn inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

Notes optional

* 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

Latvia cushion questions

How thick should a window seat cushion be in a Riga apartment?

Usually 2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm). Choose 2 in (5 cm) where a window must close above the cushion. Thinner is possible, but below 1¼ in (3 cm) the edge is made without piping. Measure the sill at several points before ordering.

Can summer-house cushions stay outside all season?

Through dry weeks, yes, in water-repellent outdoor fabric. But July and August are Latvia's wettest months, and the standard foam is not quick-dry. Bring cushions in on wet nights and store them indoors, dry, when you close the house.

Which fabric feels warmest on a winter window seat?

Velvet or corduroy. Both are warm to sit on and wipe clean. Neither is waterproof, and relative humidity peaks at 89% in December, so wipe condensation from the sill and lift the cushion now and then to air it.

How do I keep a balcony cushion from blowing away?

Ask for ties at the back corners, or a non-slip base across the whole underside. Keep balcony cushions small and light, so they are easy to carry in when the weather turns.

— Hana

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