Across the Map · Tennessee & Kentucky · United States

Custom cushions for Tennessee cabins, porches and Nashville homes

Tennessee lives on its porches and rents out its mountains. Both are hard on a cushion, and both reward one that was sewn with the weather and the guests in mind.

TennesseeTennessee & Kentucky · United StatesCapital: Nashville

Sun & UVStrong
HumidityHumid
WinterMild
SettingInland
Typical seatsPorch swing, screened-porch daybed, cabin bunk

Field notes by Harlan

The Elder of High Point · February 10, 2026

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A thick ivory mattress cushion with navy piping turns a wicker daybed into the porch's summer reading bed.

The quick answer

Custom cushions in Tennessee should be sewn for humid summers and busy rentals. Use outdoor fabric on open and screened porches, zip-off covers that wash at 86°F (30°C) with a spare set for Smoky Mountain cabins, and plain zippered cushions instead of tufted ones outdoors. Keep every cushion at least 3 ft (91 cm) from a woodstove, and bring porch cushions in before hard freezes.

Third in the nation for outdoor cushions, and the weather explains why

Only two states search harder for outdoor cushions than Tennessee, and it ranks third for patio cushions and ties for third on porch swing cushions. Folks here sit outside, and the weather tests every cushion they sit on.

It is wet. Memphis gets 54.94 in (140 cm) of rain a year and Knoxville 51.93 in (132 cm), and Knoxville sees measurable rain on 127 days. Up in the Great Smoky Mountains, yearly precipitation runs from about 50 to 80 in (127 to 203 cm).

It is hot. Memphis logs 69 days a year at 90°F (32°C) or above, its mornings average 80% humidity, and its July noon UV Index averages about 9.6, very high on the EPA scale.

And it freezes: 52 days a year at or below 32°F (0°C) in Memphis, 67 in Knoxville, 72 in Nashville. So a Tennessee porch cushion needs outdoor fabric, a dry-out plan after storms and a winter storage spot. Read what water-repellent really means before you order; on a porch the difference matters.

Smoky Mountain cabins, East Nashville parlors, Memphis porches

Great Smoky Mountains National Park had over 11 million visitors in 2025, more than any other national park, and its Gatlinburg entrance is the busiest. A good many of those visitors sleep in rented cabins around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Those cabins want daybed and bunk cushions, floor cushions by the fire, a porch swing cushion and covers that come off between guests.

In Nashville, the fire of March 22, 1916, took more than 500 houses in East Nashville. Historic Edgefield still mixes grand Italianate and Queen Anne houses with bungalows. A Victorian bay there takes a bay window cushion cut from a measured drawing, and the bay window calculator checks the angles before anything is cut.

In Memphis, the Cooper-Young district holds cottages and bungalows built between 1880 and 1940, in Craftsman, Colonial Revival and Queen Anne dress. Porches there work through long humid summers, and screened ones still want outdoor fabric.

Rockers and their paper templates live on our Tennessee and Kentucky page. This one covers the rest of the house.

What to sew for each Tennessee seat

Seat	Fabric	Build	Why
Cabin porch swing	Outdoor fabric: woven polyester, water-repellent and UV-resistant	Seat and back as separate pieces, ties on the back rail, zip-off covers	Wind-blown rain reaches under the porch roof
Cabin bunk or daybed	Soft performance weave or velvet	Zippered cover sized to the mattress, spare set in the closet	Washes at 86°F (30°C) between guests
Fireside floor cushion	Velvet or corduroy	Plain zippered cushion, not tufted, at least 3 ft (91 cm) from the stove	Tufted cushions can only be wiped, never machine washed
East Nashville bay window	Velvet or ticking stripe, indoors only	Trapezoid cut from a drawing, 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm)	Victorian bays are rarely square
Memphis screened-porch daybed	Outdoor fabric	One-piece 4 in (10 cm) mattress with separate back pillows	Screens stop bugs, not damp mornings

A tufted cushion lets water inside even when it is made in outdoor fabric, so porch cushions are plain, foam-filled and zippered.

A real project

A swing back pillow 23 inches short, and the fix

A buyer in the US ordered a porch swing set: a seat cushion and a back pillow that sits on top of it, in a striped fabric. The back pillow arrived 23 in (58 cm) shorter than the seat.

The workshop had misread the measurement diagram. At first it pointed to the schematic the buyer had approved; then it looked again and owned the mistake. The buyer kept the first pillow, and a new one was made free: 63 3/4 in (162 cm) long, 18 in (46 cm) deep and 3 in (7.5 cm) thick, with the stripes running top to bottom as asked.

The new pillow fit, and it looked right out on that patio. The lesson is an old one, my friend. Put a number on every edge of the drawing, and say in words which way the stripes should run.

Measured: Replacement back pillow 63 3/4 x 18 x 3 in (162 x 46 x 7.5 cm), stripes running top to bottom
What it taught: Label every dimension on a swing diagram and state the stripe direction in words.

Rental-proof seams and heritage cloth for mountain winters

A seam is a promise, and a rental cabin asks for it every few days. Double-stitched seams, a hidden zipper and a cover that comes off without a fight get a cushion through a summer of guests. Tufting does not: a tufted cushion has no zipper, so it can only be wiped where it sits. Keep tufted pieces for your own house and give the rental plain zippered cushions.

For mountain winters I like the heritage cloths indoors. Velvet and corduroy are warm to sit on in January and easy to spot-clean, and a forest green cushion on an old oak settle looks like it came with the cabin. A navy ticking stripe suits a Nashville window seat, though cotton stains more easily than the performance weaves, so keep it where the muddy boots don't go.

What does your fireside wall measure from the stove to the corner? Anything within 3 ft (91 cm) of that stove stays bare.

Photographs for homes like these

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

Forest green velvet seat cushion on an antique oak settle with leather-bound books, a mug and a brass floor lamp — Forest green velvet softens the seat of an antique oak settle under the beams of a book-lined room.

Navy ticking stripe window seat cushion with navy piping in a white paneled nook, brass sconce and linen pillows — A white V-groove window seat with a navy ticking cushion, navy piping, linen pillows and a brass reading sconce.

Terracotta linen-look trapezoid window seat cushion with dark piping, knit pillows and olive lumbar on white oak cabinets — A warm clay color makes the bay glow even under a gray sky, and the dark welt keeps its angled end sharp.

Pale blue ticking-stripe seat and back cushions with a front drop on a wooden garden swing among roses — A soft blue ticking stripe covers the seat and two back cushions of a timber garden swing, with the seat fabric dropping over the front rail.

Cranberry red velvet box cushion with self piping on a rustic pine bench at the foot of a linen-dressed bed — A cranberry red velvet cushion with self piping sits on a rustic pine bench, adding one rich color to a bed dressed in natural linen.

The Tennessee porch and cabin calendar

March: check swing zippers and ties, and order new covers before the spring rush.
After a summer storm: stand porch cushions on edge under the roof and get them dry within 24 to 48 hours, the EPA's window before mold starts.
Every cabin turnover: zip off bunk and daybed covers, wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle, air dry and put the spare set on.
July and August in Memphis: turn porch cushions out of the midday sun when you can; noon UV averages about 9.6.
Before the first hard freeze: store porch cushions dry, off concrete and out of sealed plastic.
Stove season: keep floor cushions, throws and pillows at least 3 ft (91 cm) from the woodstove.

Keep the tufting indoors. On a porch, every button is a doorway for rain.
Harlan

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Buyer questions: porches, tufting and covers

A common question
Can I use your floor cushions outside on a covered or screened porch?
The workshop's answer
Under a fully closed roof, the regular fabrics are fine. For open-air use the cushions are made in outdoor fabric, and any piece, whether seat, backrest or bolster, can be made in it, screened porches included.
A common question
Can I have a tufted cushion outdoors by the fire pit?
The workshop's answer
A tufted cushion will let water inside, even when it is made in outdoor fabric. A plain, non-tufted cushion filled with foam and covered in outdoor fabric is the one to use outside.
A common question
Which fabric is most durable for a rental?
The workshop's answer
The soft performance fabric and velvet are the most durable and the easiest to keep clean, though the other fabrics are durable too. The workshop recommends them for daily-use banquettes, kitchens with small children and rental units.
A common question
Can you make zippered covers for my old porch cushions, to fit the inserts I already have?
The workshop's answer
Yes, in the workshop's own outdoor fabrics. Send photos and a drawing with every size on it. The original cushions don't need to be sent; measurements and photos are enough.

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.

Name

Phone Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.

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

Tennessee cushion questions

Do screened porches in Tennessee need outdoor fabric?

In most cases, yes. Screens stop bugs, not damp: Memphis mornings average 80% humidity and Knoxville sees 127 wet days a year. Outdoor fabric is water-repellent and UV-resistant; indoor fabric belongs only on a porch that is fully closed in.

What should a Smoky Mountain cabin rental order?

Zip-off covers that machine wash at 86°F (30°C), in the soft performance weave or velvet, with a spare set ordered at the same time so both share a dye lot. Skip tufting on anything guests use every day, because tufted cushions can only be wiped.

When should porch cushions come inside for a Tennessee winter?

Before the first hard freeze. Memphis averages 52 days a year at or below 32°F (0°C), Knoxville 67 and Nashville 72. Water in standard foam freezes, thaws and never fully dries, so store cushions dry and off concrete.

Will a porch swing cushion fade in a Memphis summer?

It can. Memphis's July noon UV Index averages about 9.6, very high on the EPA scale. Outdoor fabric has a UV-resistant finish; indoor velvet, linen and cotton have limited UV resistance and can fade in strong, prolonged sun.

How much room should a cabin woodstove get around fireside cushions?

At least 3 ft (91 cm). The NFPA says to keep anything that can burn that far from heating equipment, woodstoves included. Size fireside floor cushions and benches to that line, and keep throws and pillows outside it too.

Sit well. — Harlan

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