---
title: "Custom Cushions in Latvia: Riga Apartments, Seaside Summers"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-latvia/"
section: "Across the Map"
author: "Hana Lindqvist, The Quiet Geometer of Seattle"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/hana/"
published: "2026-01-07"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "custom cushions latvia, custom cushions riga, window seat cushions, summer house cushions, balcony cushions"
---

# 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.*

> **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.

![Pale blush velvet box cushion on a long oak window bench with a book, stoneware cup and linen throw, sheer curtains behind](https://cushionguide.com/media/window-seat-cushions/blush-velvet-window-bench-cushion-misty-garden-928.webp "A full-depth blush cushion turns a plain oak bench under two casement windows into a daybed for gray mornings.")

## 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](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/window-seat-cushions/) 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](https://cushionguide.com/guides/window-seat-cushion-thickness/) 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](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/daybed-cushions/) or a single [floor cushion](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/floor-cushions/) 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.

## 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.

## 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](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/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](https://cushionguide.com/guides/outdoor-cushion-care-winter-storage/) walks through it.

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

## 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

> **Tailor's margin:** Old sills are rarely square. Measure the depth at both ends and in the middle, and send all three on a drawing.

## 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.

## 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.

## Related at the atelier

- [Custom cushions for Lithuanian apartments, country homes and seaside cottages](https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-lithuania/): Custom cushions in Lithuania should pair linen's natural colors with warmer textures for winter.
- [Custom cushions for Hungarian apartments, balconies and lake houses](https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-hungary/): Custom cushions in Hungary follow a continental year of hot summers and cold winters.
- [Custom cushions for Icelandic homes, summer houses and hot tub decks](https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-iceland/): Custom cushions in Iceland have to handle wind first, then wet: on decks and beside a hot tub, use water-repellent outdoor fabric, quick-drying construction, ties at the back corners and cushions…
- [Can I get the floor sofa metal bars in gold, black or another color?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/floor-sofa-metal-bar-colors-chrome-only/): No, the floor sofa's metal support bars come in one finish only: chrome-finish silver steel, whatever color the cushions are.
- [Do you make a frameless floor sofa with no legs, just foam and fabric?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/frameless-legless-floor-sofa/): Yes, the modular corduroy floor sofa is frameless: no wooden or metal legs, only cushions and fabric.
- [Window Seat Cushion in Navy Corduroy, Summer Through Winter](https://cushionguide.com/readings/navy-corduroy-window-seat-overhead-sunlit-nook/): A navy corduroy window seat cushion changes with the seasons: summer sun is the main risk, so turn and flip it now and then to fade evenly, while in winter the raised pile feels warm beside cold…
- [Cushions for 7-sided and rounded bay window seats in older homes](https://cushionguide.com/guides/7-sided-rounded-bay-window-seat-cushion/)
- [Window seat cushion thickness compared: 2, 3, 4 and 5 inches](https://cushionguide.com/guides/window-seat-cushion-thickness/)

*— 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-latvia/