Across the Map · Arizona & Southwest · United States
Custom cushions for New Mexico bancos, portales and adobe homes
A banco is a bench the house grew for itself, plastered by hand and never quite straight. Here is how we fit one, and how to keep the color when the sun sits this close.
- Sun & UVIntense
- HumidityDry
- WinterCold
- SettingInland
- Typical seatsBanco beside a kiva fireplace, curved placita banco, portal bench
SaveThe quick answer
Custom cushions in New Mexico start with a template, because bancos are plastered, built-in and often curved: trace them on paper, or measure both curves and the straight chord. Use outdoor fabric under portales, since Albuquerque's July noon UV index averages 11.4. Bring cushions in for monsoon storms, June 15 to September 30, and store them dry for winter.
Why the sun bites harder a mile up
Albuquerque's July sun is stronger than Phoenix's. Not hotter, stronger: the average noon UV index there runs 11.4 against Phoenix's 11.0, because the city sits about 5,300 ft (1,600 m) up. The WHO's rule of thumb is roughly 10% more UV for every 3,280 ft (1,000 m) you climb. Santa Fe, the highest state capital in the country, sits near 7,000 ft (2,130 m).
That sun shines on 76% of the possible daylight hours. The air is dry, averaging 53% humidity in the morning and 29% in the afternoon, and June afternoons drop to 17%. Rain is scarce, 8.84 in (225 mm) a year, and about 46% of it lands July through September, in the monsoon.
So what fades a New Mexico cushion is UV, not damp. Dry air is kind to indoor linen and cotton; they dry fast and rarely mildew. Outdoors, the summer storms bring rain, wind and dust together, and winter brings about 109 nights at or below 32°F (0°C). Albuquerque patio cushions live four seasons: summer shade, winter storage.
Bancos, kiva corners, portales and the placita
The New Mexico Architecture Guide defines a banco as a solid built-in bench, often plastered, against a wall. You'll find bancos curled beside kiva fireplaces, tucked into thick walls as a window seat, and outside in the placita, the small open courtyard inside the house.
Pueblo Revival houses, most popular in the 1920s and 1930s, have rounded corners, flat roofs and thick, battered walls stuccoed in earth tones. Santa Fe's 1957 historic district ordinance still requires the Old Santa Fe Style, Pueblo or Territorial, for new buildings in the center. Territorial houses add brick coping on the adobe walls and double-hung windows with trim.
Out front is the portal, a covered porch for sitting out the afternoon. Under its vigas go long benches, rockers and maybe a daybed, all in shade and all in wind.
None of it comes in stock sizes, which is why banco cushions are custom by nature. Does your banco curve around the kiva, or run straight along the wall? Either way, start with a paper template.
Fabric, foam and piping for each New Mexico seat
| Seat | Fabric | Foam and shape | Piping | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiva fireplace bench cushion | Linen or corduroy; dry air is kind to both | 3 in (7.5 cm), cut from a paper template | Self or tonal | Keep cushions and pillows 3 ft (91 cm) from the fire |
| Curved placita banco | Outdoor fabric | Matching segments for a long curve | Self-piping | Measure both curves and the chord |
| Portal bench | Outdoor fabric, UV-resistant and water-repellent | 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm), plain top, no tufting | Self-piping | Monsoon wind blows rain and dust under the roof |
| Deep-set window seat in an adobe wall | Linen-look weave or linen | 2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm) | Contrast welt | Sun through glass fades the front edge first |
| Fire-pit or pool patio | Outdoor fabric in a mid-tone | 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm) | Self-piping | June sun: shade or store |
| Casita floor cushion | Corduroy or velvet | 4 in (10 cm) | Self-piping | Dust: zip-off covers wash at 86°F (30°C) |
NFPA's rule of thumb is to keep anything that can burn at least 3 ft from heating equipment, and that includes a kiva fireplace.
A curved banquette, a toddler and a paper template
A family in the US had a curved built-in banquette, about 19 in deep, and a toddler who used every inch of it. They didn't want three separate cushions breaking up the curve. They wanted one continuous piece that followed it.
So they did the smartest thing I know: they made a full-size paper template. They asked for firm foam, 3 in thick, with a softer wrap, and a cover that could be washed or would shrug off stains. The workshop asked for photos of the template with measurements written on it, especially where each curve begins. It confirmed its 32-density foam with a fiber wrap, and covers that machine wash at 86°F (30°C), would suit a toddler just fine.
That is a banco in all but name, neighbor. Whether your curve hugs a kiva or wraps a placita, the paper does the measuring. The math is in chord, rise and radius.
- Measured
- Curved built-in banquette about 19 in deep; one continuous cushion, 3 in thick
- What it taught
- For a curved banquette or banco, a full-size paper template is the most accurate measurement.
A high-desert year for cushions
- October: the kind month outdoors. Albuquerque averages about 1 freezing night.
- November: about 15 freezing nights. Portal cushions come in, dry, by Thanksgiving.
- December and January: about 27 freezing nights each. Store cushions indoors, off the floor, never sealed in plastic.
- Spring: shake out dust after windy days; unzip covers, wash at 86°F (30°C) and air dry.
- June: afternoon humidity averages 17% and the sun is at full strength. Shade portal cushions or turn them weekly.
- June 15 to September 30, the monsoon: when the afternoon clouds stack up, bring cushions in. Rain, wind and dust come together.
- After a soaking: stand the cushion on edge and get it dry within 24 to 48 hours, the EPA's window before mold starts.
Photographs for homes like these
Open any photograph large; each one has its own link and a Save button.
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SaveEarth, sky and colors that stay put
Pueblo Revival walls are stuccoed in earth tones, and the cushion should take its cue from the plaster. The one in the photo is terracotta bouclé on a pine alcove seat under an arched window, with a geometric back cushion doing the talking. That's the idea: one warm solid, one pattern, and the wall holding the rest.
Outdoors, lighter desert tones stay cooler to sit on and hide fading better than dark colors on a sun-facing portal. Sand, caramel, clay and sage wear the sun well. Save the saturated turquoise or deep red for throw pillows you can carry in.
Pick something that wipes, too. Kids and dogs are the real quality control, and the banco by the kiva is where everybody ends up. The performance fabrics and outdoor acrylic both clean up, and zip-off covers go in the washer.
A banco was plastered by hand, so it won't be square. Trace it on paper and let the cushion follow the wall, not the tape measure.
Rosa
Curve and portal questions
- A common question
Can you make a cushion for a curved bench, like a pew or a round fire-pit seat?
The workshop's answerYes. Measure the inner curve along the front and the outer curve along the back with a flexible tape, or lay a string along each and measure it flat. Add the depth at both ends and the middle, the straight end-to-end distance and a photo. The workshop redraws the curve for your approval, and long curves are made as matching segments that are easier to handle and wash.
- A common question
Our bench is rounded at one end. Can the cushion follow it?
The workshop's answerYes, from exact dimensions and a drawing. One owner's 33 x 20 in bench, rounded at one end, was quoted from their own shop drawings, and an arched window seat about 67 x 47 in (170 x 120 cm) was drawn as a rectangle plus an arc taken from a circle of about 64.5 in (164 cm).
- A common question
How curved is too curved?
The workshop's answerMild curves are made routinely, but the workshop never promises a curved shape until its craftsmen have seen a measured drawing and photos of the seat. It says honestly when a fit is risky; it once declined a round bay window because the curve was too pronounced to make accurately from a distance.
- A common question
Will linen cushions be all right on our covered portal?
The workshop's answerUnder a roof, yes. The workshop says its regular fabrics are fine on a covered balcony or porch, and it checks that the area really is roofed before recommending them. Where rain or direct sun reaches the seat, choose outdoor fabric.
- A common question
Which fabric stands up best on a banco the whole family uses?
The workshop's answerFor indoor built-in seating the workshop points to its hard-wearing linen range. For something tougher still, the outdoor fabrics work perfectly well indoors. Every cover is removable and machine washable at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle.
Have it made
Have it made for your home — ask Rosa’s workshop
Swings sway, rockers rock, dogs circle three times. Tell the workshop what your seat goes through, and they will plan for it. — 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.
New Mexico cushions, plainly answered
Why do cushions fade faster in Albuquerque than in Phoenix?
Altitude. UV rises about 10% with every 3,280 ft (1,000 m) of elevation, according to the WHO, and Albuquerque sits about 5,300 ft (1,600 m) up. Its July noon UV index averages 11.4, against Phoenix's 11.0, even though Phoenix is the hotter city.
How much of Albuquerque's rain falls during the monsoon?
About 46% of its 8.84 in a year falls July through September, mostly in afternoon storms during the June 15 to September 30 monsoon. The rest of the year is dry, so an outdoor cushion's real risk is sun, with a few sudden soakings.
What makes a banco different from an ordinary bench?
A banco is a solid built-in bench, often plastered, set against a wall. Hand-plastered edges wander and ends are often rounded, so banco cushions are cut from a drawing or a traced paper template rather than a stock size.
Do Santa Fe cushions need a different plan from Albuquerque's?
Mostly in the calendar. Santa Fe sits near 7,000 ft, the highest state capital in the country, so by WHO's altitude rule expect even stronger sun, and nights at least as cold as Albuquerque's 109 freezing ones. Treat portal cushions as four-season: summer shade, winter storage.
Porch light's on — Rosa
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