Porch Swings

Aww, the beloved porch swing. Like the one in one of my favorite movies, The Notebook, it is a place to wait, contemplate, to sleep, to converse, to relax, sip lemonade or coffee, to dream or watch.

Did you know that porch swings have been around since the middle of the 19th century? They are one of those home elements that have stood the test of time. They started out as a way to look at the front yard and check the garden and neighborhood without peering out the window. Over the past several years, a yearning for simple comfort and the front porch are making a comeback and with that, so are swings.

But the swing isn’t restricted to just the front porch. They can be hung from really anywhere that will support them, like a back porch, a swing stand or even indoors. And they are not limited to “swinging”. They can glide too.

A new twist on the traditional hanging swing is the bed-swing. And just as the name implies, it is big enough to take a nap on. After making several cushions for bed swings last summer I started to envision it on our dock angled just right to get the best view of the lake. However, we were concerned on how it would be supported in the area we were contemplating. Though I absolutely love the look of the big knotted ropes and the swaying capabilities the bed swings holds, I knew I had to find another solution or my dream would be over. Below are two custom-made swings for which I made custom cushions during the (first) summer of the pandemic.

I found a bed swing at The Porch Swing Company that had legs. So not really a swing but I call it the Dock Bed. I gave up the gently swaying hanging rope swing for the more versatile bed with legs that I could easily (well sort of…it’s heavy!) move around should I want to move it to under my deck. We have already moved it around to snuggle up and watch a movie on the dock.

There were many option to choose from: style, width, color, cup holder, finish, or unfinished. I chose the 5 foot painted white dock bed and have to admit I was a little worried it would be too deep and I would need a lot of pillows to make it comfortable. But at this point I was committed. I had already ordered a 4″ Dacron wrapped foam for the seat cushions, 2″ Dacron wrapped foam for the back cushion and two 36″ foam bolsters as well as the fabric and the Revolution Outdoor performance fabric.