Across the Map · Europe

Custom cushions for Norwegian cabins, apartments and fjord homes

Bergen gets about 98 in (2,500 mm) of precipitation a year. Oslo gets about 34 hours of sunshine in December. Build for wet, and for dark.

NorwayEuropeCapital: Oslo

Sun & UVModerate
HumidityHumid
WinterCold
CoastSalt air nearby
Typical seatsHytte bench around the table, cabin bunk or floor bed, view window seat

Field notes by Hana

The Quiet Geometer of Seattle · April 23, 2026

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A slim graphic jacquard seat on an ash bench with a back, kept sparse with a wool throw, one tulip and a globe lamp.

The quick answer

Custom cushions in Norway are built for three places: the hytte cabin, the big view window and the boat or boathouse. Choose zippered covers and pieces small enough to carry on cabin trips, low 2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm) window seats in corduroy or linen, and water-repellent outdoor fabric with ties by the water. Store cabin cushions dry and off the floor.

Field notes

Weather and light in Norway

Sun & UVModerate (level 2 of 4)About 34 sunshine hours in an Oslo December, 241 in June
HumidityWet west, drier east (level 3 of 4)Damp on the west coast, drier in the east
Rain & stormsHeavy (level 4 of 4)About 98 in (2,500 mm) a year in Bergen, 33 in (835 mm) in Oslo
Snow & freezeRegular (level 3 of 4)About 55 in (139 cm) of snowfall a year in Oslo, deep snow in the north

Watch for

Cabins closed and cold between visits
Condensation on big view windows
Spray and damp in boathouses

Plain-language levels from general climate patterns, not measurements. Your own porch, shade and window exposure matter more.

Wet in the west, snow in the east, dark in the north

Bergen averages 98 in (2,495.5 mm) of precipitation a year, with 0.04 in (1 mm) or more on about 201 days. Oslo gets 33 in (835 mm) and about 55 in (139 cm) of snowfall. Its January days reach about 32°F (0°C); nights fall to about 24°F (−4.7°C).

Farther north, light comes in seasons. In Tromsø the sun stays below the horizon from about 26 November to 15 January. From about 18 May to 26 July it does not set.

For a cushion, the west means damp that dries slowly. The east means snow on boots and dry heated air. The north means months of lamplight, then months of sun on the window seat at any hour.

One cabin for about every ten Norwegians

Norway has about 473,000 holiday homes, roughly one for every ten people. A hytte sits in the woods, in the mountains or by the sea.

The seats are simple. Benches around the table, bunks, a window seat facing the view. The cushions travel too: up in the car, across on the boat, home again to be washed.

So make them small enough to carry. A long bench is easier as two cushions than one; see one piece or two. Between visits the cabin is cold and closed, so foam goes in dry and stays off the floor.

The same rules hold in Mountain West cabins and on Alaska's cabin bunks.

The view window and the long dark

Oslo gets about 34 hours of sunshine in December and about 241 in June. The window is where the day happens.

Under a big view window, keep the cushion low, 2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm), so the sill and the view stay clear. Height is a feeling. A backrest at the wall end is usually 16 in (about 40 cm) tall. The Pattern on window seat thickness has the numbers, and the window seat hub the shapes.

Cold glass sweats. Keep the cushion off the pane, and dry the sill quickly when it is wet. Corduroy is warm to the hand in a dark month.

Hytte, window, boathouse: the cutting list

Seat	Fabric	Thickness	Detail
Cabin bench around the table	Performance fabric or corduroy	Seat and back 4 in (10 cm)	Every piece as length x depth x thickness
Bunk or floor bed	Linen or corduroy	Cover cut to your mattress	L-shaped backrests sized to the mattress
View window seat	Corduroy or linen	2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm)	Backrest about 16 in (40 cm) at the wall end
Softer cabin seat	Any indoor fabric	Foam plus 3/4 in (2 cm) wadding on top	Say so when you order
Boathouse bench or boat berth	Outdoor acrylic	Cut to your template	Dry fully before stowing
Fjord terrace bench	Outdoor acrylic	2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm)	Ties at the back corners

Outdoor fabric here means UV-resistant and water-repellent. It sheds rain; it is not waterproof.

Picked for Norway

Seats to start from

Fabric families

Try it in the Studio

A real project

Twelve cushions for a built-in lounge, and a plain answer

A buyer in Norway sent a sketch of a built-in lounge. Twelve cushions, six seats and six backs, all 4 in (10 cm) thick: two at 54¼ x 15¾ in, two at 54¼ x 30¾ in, four at 39¼ x 23½ in and four at 39¼ x 15¾ in (138 x 40, 138 x 78, 100 x 60 and 100 x 40 cm).

The workshop checked every width against the sketch before quoting. The quote came to about twice the budget, and a maker nearby offered less. The workshop said so plainly: go ahead locally.

The useful part stays with the buyer. Every piece was written as length x depth x thickness, in one list. Any workshop can quote that list, and the quotes can be compared line by line.

Have you written your cabin's cushions down yet?

Measured: 2 at 54¼ x 15¾ x 4 in, 2 at 54¼ x 30¾ x 4 in, 4 at 39¼ x 23½ x 4 in, 4 at 39¼ x 15¾ x 4 in (138 x 40, 138 x 78, 100 x 60 and 100 x 40 x 10 cm)
What it taught: For multi-piece projects, list every piece as length x depth x thickness in one table so quotes can be compared line by line.

Closing the hytte: cabin cushion covers and foam for winter

Last weekend: zip off the covers and take them home to wash at 86°F (30°C), gentle cycle, no bleach, air dry.
Stand foam on edge in a heated room until it is dry all the way through.
A soaked cushion needs to be dry within 24 to 48 hours, the EPA's window for stopping mold.
What stays at the cabin goes off the floor, in breathable bags. No sealed plastic.
Boathouse and boat cushions come up to the house, or home.
First visit in spring: air everything for a day before anyone sits.

Photographs for homes like these

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

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.

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.

Peach pentagon-shaped corner window seat cushion in an oak-lined nook with linen pillows and forest views — A peach pentagon cushion fills an oak corner nook between two forest-facing windows. The clipped front corner makes it easy to climb in.

Cobalt blue linen-look V-berth cushion with ivory piping in a white boat cabin with teak trim, chart and coiled rope — A forward cabin V-berth made in two pieces, a large tapered base and a separate bow infill, both piped in ivory.

Deep teal solid box cushion with self piping on a weathered gray wooden bench on a lake jetty with rope and lantern — A single block of deep teal on silvered timber, set against lake water of almost the same color. The rope and lantern are the only props.

Colors for snow light and wooden walls

Snow throws cool light into a room. Wooden walls answer with warmth. The cushion sits between them.

Choose a body that is neither cold nor yellow: oat, heather gray, undyed wool. Put the color in the piping, or in one bolster. Lingonberry. Fjord blue. Spruce.

Lamplight in December. Sun at midnight in June, up north. One cushion for both.

Pack cabin cushions small. What you can carry, you will actually take home to wash.
Hana

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Buyer questions: backrests, softness and pieces you can carry

A common question
I want a pillow to lean on at the end of my window seat. What size backrest should I order?
The workshop's answer
Backrests are usually made 16 in (about 40 cm) tall. Order two cushions and one is made into the backrest, sized to the width of your seat.
A common question
Can you add a soft layer on top of the foam for a bench cushion?
The workshop's answer
Yes. A 3/4 in (2 cm) layer of volume wadding over the foam was confirmed for a custom 15¾ x 44 x 4 in (40 x 112 x 10 cm) cushion.
A common question
Can you make a plain 59 x 59 in (150 x 150 cm) floor mattress with a simple finish?
The workshop's answer
The suggestion was to make it as two 29½ x 59 in (75 x 150 cm) pieces instead of one. Two halves are easier to make, ship and handle.
A common question
Can I buy just the corner backrests and use my own mattress as a floor bed?
The workshop's answer
Yes. Order as many L-shaped backrests as you need and they are sized to your mattress, for example a 35½ x 78¾ in (90 x 200 cm) one.
A common question
The cushions look flat and smaller than in the photos. Is that normal?
The workshop's answer
Yes. Everything is vacuum-compressed for shipping and needs a few days after opening to reach full size. Buyers often worry when they first see the compressed pieces.

Have it made

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

Measure once, slowly. Write the numbers here. The workshop will go over them with you. — 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

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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

Questions buyers ask next

Which cushion fabric holds up in a damp west-coast cabin?

Bergen averages about 98 in (2,500 mm) of precipitation a year. Choose zippered covers that wash at 86°F (30°C): performance fabric or corduroy indoors, outdoor acrylic outside. Keep foam off cold floors and walls, and dry it fully before you leave.

How do I get cushions to a hytte I reach by car or boat?

Order long runs in pieces one person can carry, and choose zippered covers so you can take only the covers home to wash. New cushions arrive vacuum-packed; open them as soon as they arrive, because foam left compressed for weeks can be damaged.

How thick should a window seat cushion be under a big view window?

2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm) keeps the sill and the view clear. Add a backrest at the wall end, usually 16 in (about 40 cm) tall, and keep the cushion away from cold, wet glass.

What should go on boat and boathouse benches in Norway?

UV-resistant, water-repellent outdoor acrylic, cut to a paper template of each berth or seat, with ties wherever wind reaches. Water-repellent is not waterproof, so dry the cushions fully before you stow them.

— Hana

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