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Cushions for Great Lakes cottages and lake houses

Summer on the big lakes is short and bright. Fall closes the cottage until late spring. Build lake house cushions for the day you leave, and the day you come back takes care of itself.

Great LakesUnited States3 states · tap one to open its guide

Sun & UVModerate
HumidityHumid
RainFrequent
WinterLong winters

Field notes by Callum

The Weather Man of Casco Bay · September 11, 2026 · Updated September 24, 2026

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Tone-on-tone dots give the cream cushion depth without adding any color to a pale room.

The quick answer

Lake house cushions on docks, decks and screened porches need outdoor-rated, water-repellent fabric, zippered covers and ties for the wind off the water. The foam is not quick-dry, so bring cushions in before storms and before the first frost. Wash the covers, dry everything completely, and store cushions off the floor, never sealed damp in plastic.

Field notes

Weather and light in the Great Lakes

Sun & UVModerate (level 2 of 4)Long summer days on the water
HumidityHumid (level 3 of 4)Damp lake air
Rain & stormsFrequent (level 3 of 4)Rain and summer storms
Snow & freezeLong winters (level 4 of 4)Lake-effect snow

Watch for

Wet docks and boats
Cottages closed for winter
Wind off the lake

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

Short summers, damp mornings, lake-effect winters

The dock cushion you forget in September is the one you replace in June.

Summers on the Great Lakes are short. Duluth sees about 2 days a year at 90°F (32°C) or above, Erie about 4, Grand Rapids and Milwaukee about 10. Mornings are damp: average morning humidity runs 82% in Grand Rapids and 84% in Sault Ste. Marie. Grand Rapids logs about 205 cloudy days a year, Cleveland 202.

Then winter comes off the water. The lake-effect snowbelts lie downwind, along the southern and eastern shores, and the Upper Peninsula carries one of the largest in the country. Erie averages 104.3 in of snow, Duluth 90.2 in, Grand Rapids 77.6 in. Duluth counts about 182 days a year at or below 32°F (0°C).

Sun is the smaller worry. The July noon UV Index sits around 7.9 to 8.4 across the region. Damp and a long closed season do more harm than fading. Bring them in before the first frost and they'll forgive you everything.

Shingle cottages, screened porches and the bench at the end of the dock

Lake houses from Door County to Traverse City share a set of seats. A screened three-season porch faces the water, with a swing at one end. There's a bench on the dock, a window seat looking at the lake, bunks under the eaves, a quilt box or storage bench by the door, and a boathouse if you're lucky.

The porch is where fabric goes wrong. Under a closed roof, where rain and direct sun never reach, indoor fabric is fine. A screened porch is different: pollen, dust and humid air come straight through the screen, so the workshop recommends outdoor fabric there. The Pattern on indoor cushions on a covered porch lays out the reasoning, and the porch swing cushions hub covers sizes.

Docks and boats take outdoor fabric, no argument. If a berth already has hook velcro, new covers can carry matching loop velcro on the bottom; see boat and RV cushions. What's sitting on your dock right now, friend?

Dock, porch, boat, window seat: what to sew for each

Where lake weather can reach the seat, outdoor fabric. Where it can't, choose for comfort. Keep a zipper on everything.

Seat	Fabric	Thickness	Hold-down and care
Dock or open deck bench	Outdoor fabric, not tufted	2 to 4 in (5 to 10 cm)	Ties or a non-slip base; carry in before storms
Swing on a screened porch	Outdoor fabric	4 in (10 cm)	Back-corner ties; extra-strong zippers on request
Boat cushions	Outdoor fabric on deck; velvet only in a dry cabin	Measured piece by piece	Loop velcro under the cover to meet the hook strips already fitted
Lake-view window seat	Striped cotton, linen or velvet	3 in (7.5 cm)	Zippered cover washes at 86°F (30°C) on delicate
Quilt box or storage bench	Indoor fabric inside, outdoor fabric on the porch	3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm)	Ties on the hinge side, placed between the hinges
Any seat that stays damp	Add a waterproof inner liner	Same as the seat	Worth asking for where spills, pets or damp are likely

Picked for the Great Lakes

Seats to start from

Fabric families

Try it in the Studio

3D bench cushion builder

A real project

A 77-inch quilt box and four hinges

A buyer in the US came back to the workshop after an earlier patio swing cushion. This time it was a quilt box, 77 in (196 cm) long, with a cushion from the outdoor range. The lid is hinged. Hinges are where tie-on cushions go wrong.

The plan was ties on the hinge side only. She sent the four hinge positions: 8 5/8 in, 29 in, 48 in and 68 1/4 in. Good numbers. The workshop still wanted two more things before cutting. Which end did she measure from? And how wide is each hinge? Without both, a tie can land right on the hardware.

She was also asked for photos. With a named starting end, each hinge's width and a picture, the ties can line up between the hinges instead of fighting them.

That's the rule for every lake house storage bench and blanket chest. Measure hinge positions from one named end, write down each hinge's width, and send a photo. The storage bench and blanket chest sketches and the bench cushion builder help you draw it.

Opening weekend to closing day: the lake house cushion year

Opening weekend: unpack cushions in a dry room and check for damp spots or chewed corners before they go out.
Early summer: check every tie on the dock bench and the swing before the first windy afternoon.
Foggy mornings: stand damp cushions on edge under cover so both faces dry.
Storm on the water: carry dock and deck cushions in. Outdoor fabric handles showers, but the foam is not quick-dry and there is no mesh bottom.
After a soaking: get foam and covers dry within 24 to 48 hours, before mildew sets in.
Before the first frost: unzip the covers, wash them at 86°F (30°C) on delicate, and dry foam and covers completely.
Closing day: store cushions off the floor in a dry room or a breathable bag. Never seal a damp cushion in plastic.

Photographs for homes like these

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

Turquoise linen-look box cushion with self piping on a light oak waterfall bench, cream and gray pillows, eucalyptus vase — A bright turquoise seat softens a minimal oak bench in the hallway, calmed by two neutral pillows and a sprig of eucalyptus.

Navy and cream floral box cushion on a white storage box next to an oak fireplace, mustard and duck-egg pillows — The same navy botanical print, brightened this time with mustard velvet and a duck-egg ruffle.

Close-up of a mustard yellow bouclé box cushion corner without piping on a dark walnut bench base — Mustard bouclé on walnut: a mid-century pairing where the fabric texture carries the edge.

Stack of caramel bouclé with brown piping, multi-stripe chenille, and cream bouclé with caramel piping on an oak bench — Three cushions stacked to compare piping: brown on caramel, caramel on cream, and a striped chenille between them.

Three stacked velvet box cushions in violet, rust red and charcoal gray with matching piping on a pale gray backdrop — Three velvet colors stacked to compare pile, sheen and piping; each cushion is piped in its own shade.

Three stacked corduroy box cushions in dusty pink, steel denim blue and espresso brown with matching self piping — Dusty pink, denim blue and espresso brown: three moods in the same wide-wale cord, stacked side by side.

Close-up of a mauve-taupe and cream hexagon jacquard box cushion with self piping on a pale oak surface — The close view shows what a room shot can't: raised cream lines and a pattern that continues down the boxed side.

Unzip lake house cushion covers, wash them at 86°F (30°C) on delicate, and dry foam and covers completely before the cottage closes for winter.
Callum

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Buyer questions: swings, boats and outdoor benches

A common question
We already have good foam for our hanging porch swing. Can you make just the covers, with heavy-duty zippers?
The workshop's answer
Yes. Covers only are sewn to your foam's exact sizes, in that case a 55.25 x 27.75 x 4 in seat and a 50 x 13 x 4 in back pad in a cinnamon color. Extra-strong zippers can be requested. The workshop double-checks that you really want covers without inserts, and the covers machine-wash at 86°F (30°C) on delicate.
A common question
Can new boat cushion covers get velcro that lines up with the strips already on the boat?
The workshop's answer
Yes. Give the length, width and thickness of each cushion, and soft loop velcro is sewn to the bottom of each cover to meet your hook strips. Send photos and a simple sketch of where the strips sit, and measure every cushion on its own, because each cover is made to the numbers you supply.
A common question
Do outdoor bench cushions only come 4 in thick? I'd like something slimmer for two benches.
The workshop's answer
No: 2, 3, 4 and 5 in are all available. One buyer chose 2 in, a black outdoor fabric and a non-slip backing for a 16 x 74 in bench, then ordered an identical cushion for her second bench. Every black in the outdoor range is the same quality; the charts differ only in texture and tone.
A common question
Our three-season porch is screened but not glassed in. Is regular indoor fabric OK out there?
The workshop's answer
Under a closed roof where rain and direct sun never reach, linen, velvet and the soft fabrics are fine, though none of them is waterproof. A screened porch lets in pollen, dust and humidity, so the workshop recommends outdoor fabric there and can send samples first.
A common question
Is the outdoor fabric actually waterproof, or just water resistant?
The workshop's answer
Water-resistant, in practice. It's a separate water-repellent outdoor range that handles rain showers and spills, with outdoor-suitable inserts, but it isn't a sealed, coated material. Store outdoor cushions indoors through long off-seasons. For a bigger project you can order one cushion first to check the fit.

Have it made

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

Tell them where it lives. Porch, deck or boat: the weather picks the fabric and the foam before anyone else does. — Callum

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

Questions buyers ask next

When should lake house cushions come in for the year?

Before the first frost, and before any storm in between. Freezes come early near the lakes: Duluth averages about 182 days a year at or below 32°F and Grand Rapids 139. Foam that goes into winter wet stays wet, so bring cushions in clean and completely dry.

How should cushions be stored in a cottage that's closed all winter?

Wash the zippered covers, dry covers and foam completely, and store everything off the floor in a dry room or a breathable bag. Never seal a damp cushion in plastic. Mildew and nesting pests both go looking for whatever was left behind damp.

Can a dock or boathouse cushion be tufted?

It can be made, but tufting lets water inside even when the fabric is outdoor-rated. For a dock, deck or boathouse seat that gets wet, choose a non-tufted, foam-filled cushion in outdoor fabric with a zippered cover, and carry it in when storms roll off the water.

Do dock bench cushions on the Great Lakes need ties?

On an exposed dock, yes, or a non-slip base. Ties are sewn into the seams only on request, at the corners or along the back, so write the number and position when you order, and check the pre-dispatch photo to confirm they were added.

Fair winds — Callum

Concept Sketches

Sketches for homes like these

Real projects, drawn up as ideas you can borrow.

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