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Across the Map · Pacific Northwest · United States

Custom cushions for Washington State, west and east of the Cascades

Washington is two climates with a mountain range between them. West of the Cascades, a cushion fights damp. East of them, it fights sun. The floor, the window and the boat each want a slightly different answer.

Olympia
WashingtonPacific Northwest · United StatesCapital: Olympia
  • Sun & UVModerate
  • HumidityModerate
  • WinterCold
  • CoastSalt air nearby
  • Typical seatsReading-nook window seat, floor sofa and floor cushions, covered porch bench

Field notes by

The Quiet Geometer of Seattle · · Updated

Pale blush velvet box cushion on a long oak window bench with a book, stoneware cup and linen throw, sheer curtains behindSave
A full-depth blush cushion turns a plain oak bench under two casement windows into a daybed for gray mornings.

The quick answer

Custom cushions in Washington State depend on which side of the Cascades they live on. In Seattle, with 156 wet days and 20% of possible sunshine in December, choose zip-off washable covers, lift window seat cushions off fogging glass and use outdoor fabric even on covered porches. In Spokane and Yakima, summer sun fades patio cushions, so use UV-resistant outdoor fabric and store cushions dry before winter.

Two Washingtons, split by the Cascades

West of the mountains, the sky decides most things. Seattle gets 39.34 in (100 cm) of rain on 156 wet days a year, about three quarters of it from October to March. It gets 45% of its possible sunshine over the year, 20% in December. Mornings average 82% humidity. On the Olympic coast, Quillayute takes more than 100 in (254 cm).

The San Juan Islands sit in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and get substantially less rain than Seattle, about 65 miles to the south.

Cross the Cascades and the problem turns over. Spokane gets 16.45 in (42 cm) of precipitation, 78% of its possible sunshine in July and 20 days at 90°F (32°C) or above. Then 128 freezing nights and 45 in (115 cm) of snow. Yakima is drier still: about 8 in (20 cm) a year, 36 hot days, July afternoons near 25% humidity.

West, a cushion stays damp. East, it fades in summer and waits out winter in the garage.

Same state. Different problem. Different cushion.

Floor seating for townhouses and floating homes

Over five years of search data, Washington ranks fourth in the country for floor cushions. It fits the housing. Seattle finished a record 992 townhouse units in 2021, nearly half again as many as in any earlier year. Tall, narrow rooms. Stairs. Not much wall for a sofa.

On Lake Union and Portage Bay, 507 floating homes sit on 70 docks. Space there is counted in inches.

A floor sofa seat sits about 13.5 to 14.5 in (34 to 37 cm) off the floor. Height is a feeling. If your knees disagree, a custom layer raises it; the seat-height pattern shows how. Start with floor cushions or modular floor sofas.

Indoors, the gray months belong to the window. Washington scores 30 for window seat cushions, three times Louisiana and New Mexico. A window seat facing a wet garden in soft velvet or a wipeable performance weave is a good way through January. The regional view is on our Pacific Northwest page.

Islands, berths and small cabins

The San Juans are more than 400 islands and rocks, 128 of them named, with 478 miles (769 km) of shoreline. Four are served by the state ferries. For a cushion, that means boats and small cabins.

A berth is never a rectangle. Trace each plywood base in paper, mark the bow and the top side, and photograph it flat beside a tape measure. The V-berth pattern walks through it.

The workshop cuts berth cushions from its regular high-density seat foam in water-repellent outdoor fabric. That build suits a cabin or a covered cockpit. It is not quick-dry foam, so in a Puget Sound drizzle the cushions go below.

Cabins and vans follow one rule: measure the seat and the back separately. They are rarely the same width. See boat and RV cushions.

West side, east side, on the water: what to cut

SeatFabricHeight and thicknessCare
Seattle townhouse floor sofaSoft performance fabric, velvet or corduroySeat about 13.5 to 14.5 in (34 to 37 cm) high; add a layer to sit higherCovers zip off; wipe the non-slip base, never machine wash it
West-side window seat by cold glassVelvet, linen-look or a wipeable performance weave3 in (7.5 cm) for a neat line; 4 in (10 cm) to loungeLift off a fogging sill and dry within 24 to 48 hours
Spokane, Yakima or Tri-Cities patioWater-repellent, UV-resistant outdoor fabric3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm)Keep in shade when not in use; store dry before the freeze
Puget Sound or San Juan boat berthOutdoor fabric over regular seat foamCut from a traced template, 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm)Cabin or covered cockpit; take home at haul-out

Covers wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle and air dry. Seat foam is high-density, about 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³); floor sofa seats use a medium-hard foam.

A real project

Cedar walls, green light, and a sofa that stayed on paper

A buyer in the US wrote about a tiny house in the woods. Cedar walls, a yellow carpet, a quiet Japanese feel. They wanted an L-shaped floor sofa: two floor cushions, two backs, two arms.

The first size was 24 x 48 in (61 x 122 cm) per cushion. They measured the room again and brought it down to 20 x 44 in (51 x 112 cm). Good. Small rooms punish an extra 4 in.

Then color. They asked to see three grays side by side, a smoke, an anthracite and a mid gray, because the room held black accent pillows and a lot of green light through the windows. That is the right question. Green light shifts a gray warmer or cooler than any screen shows.

The order never happened. The note about quantities read like a price change, and they walked away. Settle the piece count and the price per piece before checkout.

Measured
2 floor cushions, 24 x 48 in re-measured to 20 x 44 in (51 x 112 cm), plus 2 backs and 2 arms
What it taught
In a room full of green window light, compare gray swatches in place, and agree the number of pieces and their price in writing before you check out.

Two calendars, one state

  • West, October to March: most of Seattle's rain falls now. Lift window seat cushions off cold, fogging sills and air them.
  • West, all year: covered porch cushions in outdoor fabric, because damp air reaches under the roof.
  • East, June to August: Spokane and Yakima summers are bright and dry. Turn patio cushions and keep them in shade when not in use.
  • East, by late fall: bring patio cushions in, clean and dry right through. Spokane averages 128 freezing nights.
  • On the water, at haul-out: take berth cushions home, wash the covers at 86°F (30°C) and dry the foam to the core.

In Seattle the enemy is damp, not sun. East of the Cascades it is the other way around. Buy the fabric for your side of the mountains.

Hana
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Buyer questions: low seats, vans and outdoor covers

  1. A common question

    How high does a floor sofa sit, and how tall is it to the top of the backrest?

    The workshop's answer

    The seat is about 13.5 to 14.5 in (34 to 37 cm) off the floor. On the convertible modular couch, 39 x 75 in (99 x 191 cm), it is 24 in (61 cm) from the floor to the top of the backrest.

  2. A common question

    Can I add padding so the floor sofa sits higher?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, an extra seat layer or padding can be added. On one set it raised the height from the floor to the top of the backrest from 16 to 20 in (41 to 51 cm). A floor sofa stays low, though, so it may not suit guests who need a standard 20 in (51 cm) seat.

  3. A common question

    Are the floor sofa cushions soft, or very firm foam?

    The workshop's answer

    The seat and ottoman cushions are high-density, medium-hard foam. The workshop describes them as not too hard, and comfortable to sit and to sleep on.

  4. A common question

    Can the back cushion be narrower than the seat, like in a van or a converted bus?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. In one converted bus the back was made 46.5 in (118 cm) wide and the seat 48 x 16.5 in (122 x 42 cm), with the backrest's thickness subtracted from the back height.

  5. A common question

    Can I use these cushions outside? Do I need a fabric protector?

    The workshop's answer

    For outdoor use the workshop suggests a fabric protectant spray, or making the cushions in its water-repellent outdoor range. Outdoor cushions are made to your exact size.

Have it made

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

A good size is a quiet thing. You notice it only when it is wrong. Let the workshop check yours first. — 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.

Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* 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

Washington cushion questions

Do Seattle window seat cushions fade?

Less than in the Sun Belt. Seattle's July noon UV Index averages about 7.3 and December's 0.6, against 10 to 12 in the sunniest states. Damp is the bigger risk: lift cushions off fogging glass and dry them within 24 to 48 hours.

Is eastern Washington hard on patio cushions?

Harder on color than the west. Spokane gets 78% of its possible sunshine in July, Yakima averages 36 days a year at 90°F (32°C) or above, and July afternoons drop to about 25% humidity. Use UV-resistant outdoor fabric and store cushions dry for winter.

Can boat cushions live aboard in the San Juans?

They suit a cabin or a covered cockpit. The fabric is water-repellent outdoor cloth, but the foam is regular seat foam, not quick-dry, so water that gets in at the seams takes time to leave. Trace each berth for a template and take the cushions home at haul-out.

Do outdoor cushions need winter storage in Seattle, where it rarely freezes?

Yes, for damp more than cold. Seattle averages 32 freezing nights but 156 wet days, most of them from October to March. Cushions left out stay wet. Store them indoors, clean and dry right through, somewhere air moves.

— Hana

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