Custom Cushions in New York State: Long Island to Finger Lakes

The quick answer

Custom cushions in New York State depend on where the house sits. Long Island and Hamptons decks need outdoor fabric, ties and a fresh-water rinse for salt air. Westchester and Hudson Valley window seats need both depths measured and a notch around any casing. Finger Lakes and upstate porch cushions come in dry during October, before the freezing nights.

Three climates, one state: find your page first

Custom cushions for New York start with a map, because a Montauk deck and a Syracuse mudroom share almost nothing but a governor. Here is where to go:

A city apartment with radiators under the sills and a walk-up: read New York City apartment cushions.
An upstate farmhouse, Adirondack camp or snowbelt mudroom: read Upstate New York cushions.
A cottage on Lake Ontario or Lake Erie: read Great Lakes cottage cushions.
A Long Island deck, a Westchester colonial or a Finger Lakes lake house: stay right here.

Across the Hudson, New Jersey's Shore houses have their own page, and old New England houses have theirs.

Salt on the forks, snow in the lake country

Long Island runs 118 miles east from New York Harbor and splits into the North Fork and the South Fork, where the Hamptons sit. The ocean keeps it mild: Islip averages about 101 nights a year at or below 32°F and just 7 days at 90°F (32°C) or more. The price is salt. FEMA coastal guidance finds salt spray falls away within 300 to 3,000 ft of the waves, yet faster corrosion shows up 5 to 10 miles inland, which covers most of both forks. Long Island outdoor cushions need a fresh-water rinse more than anything.

Upstate is another country. Albany averages 143 freezing nights and 59.2 in of snow; Syracuse gets 127.8 in. The eleven Finger Lakes are deep, Seneca to 618 ft and Cayuga to 435 ft, and that depth holds summer warmth into winter. The freezes still come.

Sun is modest statewide: Central Park's noon UV index averages about 8.3 in July and 1.4 in December. Fading happens in summer, on decks and in south windows.

Shingle cottages, colonials, lake houses and their colors

The Shingle Style took hold after the 1876 Centennial, and East Hampton and the Montauk Association have some of its best-known seaside cottages. Builders sometimes dipped cedar shakes in buttermilk so they grayed early. In my experience those houses run to deep porches and sunny window corners; the seat in the photo wears navy-and-white awning stripe for exactly that light.

Westchester and the lower Hudson are colonial country: stair-landing seats, window seats under double-hung sash, bench cushions in the back hall. Casings and trim overhang the seat more often than you'd think, and a notched cushion beats a shrunken one. Finger Lakes lake houses add decks, screened porches and a dock bench that takes the wind off the water. On decks, use the right word: in the Middle Atlantic, 34% of new homes started in 2024 had a deck and only 23% of 2025 starts had a patio.

For color, let the house lead. Hamptons cushions against gray shingle and white trim want navy, white and sand; a charcoal swing cushion with a white welt reads crisp from the street. Honey pine floors like navy, ivory and warm stripes. At the lake, pistachio or deep teal looks settled against the water. The piping is the line everyone's eye follows, dear, so keep it straight.

Which one is yours: shingle, clapboard or lake camp?

One state, six seats: fabric, foam and piping

Seat	Fabric	Foam and thickness	Piping	Watch for
Hamptons or North Fork deck bench	Outdoor fabric, UV-resistant and water-repellent	4 in (10 cm) seat; back pillows about 4 in thick	Self-piping	Salt air: rinse with fresh water
Long Island pool chaise	Outdoor fabric in a mid-tone	3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm), no tufting	Self-piping	Tufts let water into the foam
Shingle-cottage porch swing	Outdoor fabric	3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm); seat and back separate	White welt on charcoal reads crisp	Ties at the back corners
Westchester window seat under a casing	Linen or a linen-look weave	3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm), notched at the back	Self or contrast	Notch around trim; don't shrink the cushion
Colonial stair-landing seat	Bouclé or velvet	3 in (7.5 cm)	Self-piping	Measure inside the frame, wood to wood
Finger Lakes dock bench	Outdoor fabric	2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm) with ties or a non-slip base	Self or none	The foam isn't quick-dry; in before storms

Striped cotton is lovely on a window seat indoors, but it stains more easily than the performance weaves; keep it off the deck.

A real project

A deck bench, one seat and two back pillows

A buyer in the US had an outdoor bench and wanted a seat of 64.75 x 23 in plus two back cushions of 32.375 x 17 in each, all in the same outdoor fabric.

The workshop checked the arithmetic first: two backs at 32.375 in make exactly 64.75 in, the length of the seat. It recommended the standard 4 in seat. The backs are filled pillows, about 4 in thick on their own, so all it needed for them was width and height.

Right, then. Two pillows instead of one long back: each is easier to lift, shake out and carry inside when the sky over the Sound turns. That is how I'd dress a North Fork deck bench or a Finger Lakes porch. Try the sizes in the bench cushion builder.

Measured: Seat 64.75 x 23 x 4 in; two back pillows 32.375 x 17 in
What it taught: Split a long backrest into pillows that together equal the seat length.

Photographs for homes like these

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

Sage seat cushion with ivory and olive-gold pinstripe backrest on a white sun lounger beside a bluestone-edged pool — Clipped boxwood, black shutters and a white picket gate give this two-fabric lounger a formal Hamptons backdrop.

Sun lounger with a green and white geometric patterned outdoor cushion on a white frame beside a pool and side table — An elevated three-quarter view shows the full seat and raised backrest in one continuous pattern.

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

Navy bouclé window seat cushion with self piping on cream shaker cupboards, leather books and a mug on top, oak floor — Deep navy anchors a pale cream window seat, and self piping keeps the edge crisp without a second color.

Forest green, lime and sky-blue striped outdoor box cushion on a built-in pine bench with plank back on a backyard deck — A lengthwise stripe dresses a DIY deck bench without hiding its timber. Striped piping keeps the colors running around every edge.

The New York cushion calendar, south shore to snowbelt

March: order indoor window seat and banquette cushions; national searches for window seat cushions peak in April.
May: outdoor cushions go out. New York's interest in outdoor cushions peaks once a year, in May.
Beach summers: hose off salt and sand, stand cushions on edge to drain, wash covers at 86°F (30°C).
October upstate: Albany averages about 7 freezing nights, Binghamton 5 and Syracuse 4. Porch and dock cushions come in, dry.
November on Long Island: Islip averages about 1 freezing night in October and 9 in November, so the south shore can wait for the leaves.
Winter: store cushions indoors, off the floor, where air moves; never sealed in plastic.
Cold mornings: lift window seat cushions when the glass sweats and let them air.

New York isn't one climate. Salt on the forks, snow in the lake country: order the cushion for the house, not the state.
Maggie

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Buyer questions: measuring across New York

A common question
How do I measure the window seat in our colonial for a custom cushion?
The workshop's answer
Use a rigid tape on the seat itself. Measure the front edge wall to wall, the back edge along the window (often shorter), the depth at left and right, and each side edge separately if the walls angle. Length is side to side; width is front to back. Send a top-view sketch with a photo and the workshop checks the numbers.
A common question
Our bench has a frame around the seat. Do I order the outside size?
The workshop's answer
No. Measure inside the frame, wood to wood, and order those exact inside measurements. The cushion is made to fit that space.
A common question
Does one outdoor bench order include the seat and the back?
The workshop's answer
No. Each order is one cushion. For a seat plus a back, order a second cushion or two separate sizes, and the workshop sends a measurement diagram to confirm before production.
A common question
We have two window seats of slightly different sizes. How do we order them?
The workshop's answer
Send the size of each, for example 19 3/8 x 75 5/8 in and 19 7/8 x 72 1/2 in, with a link or photo of the style you want. The workshop then sets up a custom order link.
A common question
I measured our corner back cushions wall to wall. Is that right?
The workshop's answer
Tell the workshop the numbers are wall to wall and it will adjust: where two back cushions meet in a corner, one is made 4 in shorter so they don't collide.

Have it made

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

Numbers first, fabric second, piping last. Jot down what you have, and the workshop will go down the list with you, item by item. — Maggie

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.

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* 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.

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

Asked across New York State

How much later can Long Island cushions stay out than upstate ones?

Usually a few weeks. Islip averages about 1 night at or below 32°F in October and 9 in November, while Albany averages 7 in October and 18 in November. South shore cushions can often stay out into November; upstate and Finger Lakes cushions come in during October.

Where should a New York City apartment owner start?

With our New York City page, which covers radiator sills, window AC units and walk-up deliveries. The city's heat season runs October 1 to May 31, so a sill cushion sits over a heat source most of the year and should be thin and split.

Which hardware survives salt air on a Long Island deck?

Coated or plastic. Salt spray is heaviest near breaking waves and falls off within the first 300 to 3,000 ft, but faster corrosion has been measured 5 to 10 miles inland, which reaches much of both forks. Rinse cushions and furniture with fresh water after windy beach days.

Do Finger Lakes lake houses need a different cushion from a Hamptons house?

The fabric is the same outdoor cloth; the calendar is different. Deep lakes like Seneca, at 618 ft, hold summer warmth into winter, but upstate freezes still arrive in October. Hamptons decks trade snow for salt air, sand and a longer outdoor season.

Stitch straight — Maggie

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