Across the Map · Midwest · United States

Custom cushions for North Dakota farmhouses and prairie homes

In the winter of 1935 to 1936, Langdon stayed below 0°F for 41 days straight. A house that has lived through winters like that knows where people really sit: on the bench by the back door, at the kitchen table, and in the one window that catches the low sun.

North DakotaMidwest · United StatesCapital: Bismarck

Sun & UVModerate
HumidityModerate
WinterLong and hard
SettingInland
Typical seatsMudroom bench, window seat, storage bench with a lid

Field notes by Harlan

The Elder of High Point · January 14, 2026

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The cushion fills an oak-lined alcove edge to edge, turning a deep window into a proper perch over the fields.

The quick answer

Custom cushions in North Dakota work hardest indoors: a wipe-clean mudroom bench cushion by the door everyone uses, and corduroy or velvet window seats where the low winter sun comes in. Porch and lake-cabin cushions in outdoor fabric come inside before the first freeze, clean and fully dry, because Fargo averages 177 freezing nights a year.

Fifty inches of snow and a sun that stays low

Fargo's normal snowfall is 51.4 in (131 cm) a year and Bismarck's is 50.5 in (128 cm). Freezing nights run 177 in Fargo and 186 in Bismarck, and April alone still averages 16 in Fargo. Summer is short and kind, with about 14 days at 90°F (32°C) or more in Fargo and 22 in Bismarck. Precipitation is light: 23.95 in (61 cm) in Fargo, 19.05 in (48 cm) in Bismarck.

The light changes most. Fargo gets 74% of its possible sunshine in July but only 39% in November and December, and what winter sun there is rides low enough to reach across a room. The wind hardly leaves. By NOAA's station averages, Fargo is breezier than Chicago.

So a cushion here lives two lives. Indoors it gets heated, dry air and hard daily use, which firm foam and a stable weave handle best. Outdoors it gets a short season and then months when any water left in the foam freezes, thaws and never quite dries.

Shelterbelts, bungalows and the door everyone uses

Out on the farms, the house sits behind trees. More than 55,000 miles (88,500 km) of windbreaks have been planted in North Dakota since the 1930s, the state Forest Service says, to slow the wind and catch the snow before it reaches the yard. Inside, almost nobody uses the front door. The mudroom began as the rural back entry for muddy and snowy boots, and on the prairie it still is one. Start with mudroom and entryway bench cushions, and if the bench lifts, read splitting at the hinge. A good mudroom bench cushion is plain, firm and washable.

In town, Fargo's Eighth Street South holds a dense run of Craftsman bungalows from the 1920s building boom, each with its covered porch, and one of the city's earliest ranch houses dates to 1937. Finished basements add a second living room, which usually means a second window seat or a daybed. Window seat cushions in Fargo tend to face a long, white view.

The settlers left their mark on the rooms. In the 1910 census, Norwegian-born residents were the largest foreign-born group, and German speakers, many of them from Russia, numbered about 52,400. Plain farmhouse bench cushions, painted wood and wool throws still suit these houses. Summer goes to the lake: cabins around Lake Metigoshe in the Turtle Mountains and along Lake Sakakawea, the third-largest artificial lake in the country. The Midwest guide and the Great Lakes cottage guide carry the closing-up routine.

Warm cloth indoors, outdoor cloth by the door

The standard seat foam is 32 kg/m³, about 2.0 lb/ft³, firm enough for a bench that gets sat on at every meal. Every cover unzips and washes at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle.

Seat	Fabric	Build	Why
Mudroom bench by the back door	Outdoor fabric or a pet-friendly weave	2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm), non-slip base	Snow, road salt and dogs; outdoor cloth wipes clean
Storage bench with a lid	Velvet or linen-look	Split at every lid line, ties on the hinge side only	Each section lifts with its own lid
South window seat in the low sun	Corduroy or velvet	3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm); corduroy without piping	Warm to the hand; flip and rotate each season against fading
Farmhouse kitchen bench	Velvet or a tight linen-look weave	3 in (7.5 cm) over wood, contrast piping	Spills wipe off, and the cover goes in the wash
Basement daybed or reading corner	Velvet	Seat plus round bolsters in the same fabric	Order bolsters with the seat so the dye lot matches
Lake cabin porch	Outdoor fabric	Box cushions with ties	Short season, long storage; comes home dry in fall

A real project

Ninety-eight inches of corduroy, then the bolsters

A couple in the US ordered a window seat cushion about 26 in deep and 98 in long (66 x 249 cm) in an orange corduroy. They chose 6 in (15 cm) thick over 8 in, and they added two round bolsters for the ends, 8 in (20 cm) across and 26 in (66 cm) long.

They liked it enough to come back. The second order was a matching back cushion 90 in long, 11 in high and 3 in deep (229 x 28 x 7.5 cm). They wanted the corduroy ribs to run up and down, and the workshop checked that with production before it promised anything.

Here is what I take from it, my friend. A window seat with bolsters and a thin back becomes a daybed, and a daybed in a sunny prairie window is where January becomes bearable. When you add a piece later, give the fabric code, and matching is far easier. Which window in your house gets the January sun?

A prairie cushion calendar

September: bring lake and porch cushions home before the first freeze. Wash the zippered covers at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle and air dry them.
October: store outdoor cushions fully dry, off the concrete, where air moves. Sealed plastic traps damp.
November to March: brush snow off the mudroom cushion before it melts in. Covers with a non-slip base stay out of the dryer.
December: the window seat becomes the sunniest chair in the house. Flip and rotate it so one face doesn't do all the fading.
All winter: velvet remembers the hand that brushed it, so brush with the pile. A corduroy shade that shifts in different light is the pile, not a flaw.
May: porch cushions go back out, with an eye on the forecast. Fargo still averages 4 freezing nights in May.

Photographs for homes like these

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

Olive green and cream striped bench cushion with self piping on a knotty pine mudroom bench beneath a small window — Olive stripes give a pine mudroom a fresh, garden-shed feel and hide muddy-boot marks better than a solid color.

Taupe and cream pinstripe cushion on an oak entryway bench below coat hooks, with boots underneath and keys on top — A padded top turns a simple oak entry bench into the place where boots come off and keys land.

Anthracite corduroy cushion on a cream storage window seat next to a stone fireplace, with a knit throw and forest view — The seat runs from the hearth to the window corner, so it gets both the fire's warmth and the forest view. A knit throw hangs ready over the end.

Plum velvet window seat cushion with self piping on white drawers with brass pulls, with charcoal, gold and faux-fur pillows — A thick plum velvet cushion turns a white storage seat into a jewel-toned perch, finished with gold, charcoal and fur pillows.

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.

A palette for long winters

Winter-sky navy#2A3550Corduroy or velvet for a south window; deep enough to feel warm.
Barn rust#9C4A2AHides mudroom wear and looks right beside pine.
Shelterbelt spruce#3F5A47A green that stays green in February.
Oat wool#D8CDB8For the reading corner; pair it with navy piping on velvet.
Harvest wheat#C9A96BCamel corduroy for an oak window chest.

On the prairie the back door is the front door. Build the mudroom cushion the way you would pick a good pair of boots.
Harlan

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Buyer questions: benches, lids and winter fabric

A common question
My entry bench sits right by the door where two big dogs come and go. Which fabric should I pick?
The workshop's answer
For a busy spot with dogs the workshop recommended outdoor fabric as the rugged choice, and pointed to the outdoor charts for the colors.
A common question
Can you put ties on one side so the cushion stays on a hinged lid, like a storage chest?
The workshop's answer
Yes, ties can go on the hinge side only, usually for a small extra charge. Write your exact size and a note such as 'ties on the hinge side', give each hinge's position measured from a named end, and send a photo showing each hinge's width so the ties line up.
A common question
Does a corduroy cover come with piping?
The workshop's answer
No. Corduroy covers are made without piping, because the ribs already draw the lines. Velvet and the other fabrics can have piping in the same color or a contrast.
A common question
My wooden window seat is 12 in deep. Can the cushion be 14 in and hang 2 in over the front?
The workshop's answer
Yes. Up to 2 in (5 cm) of overhang is common and won't hurt the cushion, because high-density foam keeps the front edge structured. For extra support the foam can be made slightly firmer, with a supporting inner wrap so the edge holds its shape long term.
A common question
Is linen-look L-07 or velvet the better pick with a dog and small children?
The workshop's answer
Either works. L-07's weave wipes clean of everyday marks, velvet is durable and soft and spills wipe off by hand, and both covers come off to machine wash at 86°F (30°C).

Have it made

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

Old upholsterers will tell you the real cutting happens in the conversation, long before the shears come out. Tell the workshop what you sit on, and they will talk it through with you. — Harlan

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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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

Questions from prairie houses

Can porch cushions stay out through a North Dakota winter?

No. Bismarck averages 186 nights at or below 32°F (0°C) and Fargo 177. Outdoor cushions in North Dakota have water-repellent fabric, but the foam is not quick-dry, and water left inside freezes and thaws all winter. Bring them in clean and fully dry before the first freeze.

Corduroy or velvet for a prairie window seat?

Both are indoor pile fabrics that wash at 86°F (30°C). Corduroy has ribs, a short fixed color list with no black, and no piping. Velvet runs about 40 colors and takes matching or contrast piping. Order swatches and judge them in your own winter light.

How do I choose the thickness for a mudroom bench cushion?

Work back from the seat height you want. One buyer had a bench niche 15 in (38 cm) high and wanted the seat at 18 in (46 cm), so a 3 in (7.5 cm) cushion did it. Bench height plus cushion thickness is your seat height.

Will a south-facing window seat fade in winter sun?

It can, slowly, when hours of direct sun reach it through the glass. Choose a fabric with good lightfastness or a sun-resistant outdoor fabric, ask for the same fabric on both faces, and flip and rotate the cushion each season so the wear is shared.

Sit well. — Harlan

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