Example photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash, not our project

Bespoke Carpentry · across London

Window seats in London

Seats built into bays and under sash windows, with lift-up lids or drawers for storage and a grille where there’s a radiator.

Using a bay window as seating
Storage hidden under the seat
A seat over a radiator that still heats the room

Arrange a design visit

Thinking about window seats? Arrange a design visit.

Arrange a design visit

About our window seats

Bay windows and sash windows are common in period London houses, and the space beneath them is often wasted. A window seat makes it a place to sit and a place to store things. We build seats into bays, following the angles of the bay, and under single sash windows, with lift-up lids or drawers below for toys, blankets or shoes. Where there’s a radiator under the window, the seat is designed with a grille or open front so the heat isn’t trapped. Shelves or cupboards either side of the window can be built at the same time. At the design visit we measure the bay or window, check the radiator and talk through storage, cushions and finish. The seat is made in our workshop and fitted in your home.

Why made for your room

Bays and sash windows come in many sizes and the angles of a bay are rarely exact. A seat made for the window follows its shape, sits at a comfortable height and turns the space into storage as well as seating.

What we make

Using a bay window as seating
Storage hidden under the seat
A seat over a radiator that still heats the room
Shelves either side of the window
A reading spot in a bedroom or living room

Illustration of a painted window seat in a bay window with drawers below.

Materials and finishes

Moisture-resistant MDF
Birch plywood
Spray-painted finish
Hand-painted finish
Lift-up lids or drawers
Radiator grilles

We work in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. MDF is stable and takes paint well; birch plywood is strong and holds screws well, so it suits long shelves, carcasses and drawer boxes. Finishes are spray painted in our workshop for a smooth, even surface, or hand painted, which is easy to touch up later. The colour is agreed with you.

How it works

You get in touch and tell us about the window and any radiator below it.
At the design visit we measure the window or bay, the radiator and the floor, and talk through storage.
We send a written quote with the design, materials and finish.
The seat is made in our workshop, following the angles of the bay.
We fit it in your home and scribe it to the walls and floor.

Before the design visit

Before the design visit, think about how you’ll use the seat and what you’d like to store in it. Check whether there’s a radiator under the window and whether you use shutters, and note anything that sits on the window board now.

Things to know

Radiators under the window

A radiator boxed in tightly heats the box, not the room. A grille or open front in the seat lets the heat keep moving. Moving a radiator is for your plumber or heating engineer.

Lids or drawers

Lift-up lids are simple and hold bulky things like blankets. Drawers are easier to use day to day, as you don’t have to clear the cushions first.

Seat height and depth

A comfortable seat depends on its height, depth and the cushion on top. We’ll ask how you plan to use it, whether for reading, sitting with a view or as extra seating at a table.

Bespoke or off-the-shelf window seats?

Off-the-shelf furniture suits some rooms well. Where the room has awkward sizes, uneven walls or a lot to store, furniture made for the space usually works better. Here’s how the two compare.

	Made for your room	Off-the-shelf
Size	Made for your room, to the ceiling and wall to wall	Set widths and heights, with gaps or fillers
Uneven walls	Scribed to follow the wall and set level	Gaps where the wall bows or the floor slopes
Awkward spaces	Alcoves, slopes, bays and stairs used fully	Standard boxes that leave space unused
Inside layout	Planned around what you store	A set choice of rails and shelves
Finish	Spray or hand painted in a colour agreed with you	The colours in the range
Getting it in	Made in sections sized for your stairs and doors	Flat-pack boxes you or a fitter assemble

What affects your quote

Every job is quoted for your room after the design visit, so we don’t publish prices. These are the things that shape the quote:

The size of the piece and how much of the wall or room it fills
How many doors and drawers there are, and what goes inside
The materials: moisture-resistant MDF, birch plywood or both
The finish: spray painted in our workshop or hand painted
The room itself: uneven walls, sloping ceilings, cornices, skirting and picture rails
Access: stairs, lifts, parking and getting the sections into the room

Read how it works for the whole process.

What your quote includes

After the design visit we send a written quote. It sets out:

What we’ll make, with the layout and sizes agreed at the design visit
The materials and the finish, including the paint colour
What goes inside: shelves, hanging, drawers and any special fittings
Fitting in your home
What isn’t included, such as electrics, plumbing, gas or decorating, which are for other trades
How and when the work will be done, and the payment terms

See what a fitted furniture quote should include.

Looking after your window seats

Paint needs time to cure fully after it’s applied, so treat new paintwork gently at first: avoid knocks, wipe spills promptly and don’t stand heavy or damp things on new surfaces. Clean with a soft, damp cloth and a mild cleaner rather than anything abrasive. Hand-painted finishes are easy to touch up if they get marked, and hinged doors can be adjusted at the hinge if they drift out of line as a house moves with the seasons.

Read looking after painted fitted furniture.

300+ projectsCompleted in London homes

Design visit firstWe measure, then quote

Workshop-madeThen fitted in your home

MDF and birch plywoodMoisture-resistant MDF

Painted finishesSpray or hand-painted

All of London32 boroughs and the City

Window seats: common questions

Can you build a window seat over a radiator?

Yes. The seat has a grille or open front so heat can get into the room. If you want the radiator moved, that’s work for your plumber.

Can a window seat have storage?

Yes, with lift-up lids or drawers below the seat.

Can you build a seat in a bay window?

Yes. The seat follows the angles of the bay and is scribed to the walls, which are rarely square in period houses.

Do you make the cushions?

No. We make the seat; cushions come from an upholsterer or a shop. We can tell you the finished sizes.

Can you add shelves either side of the window?

Yes. Shelves or cupboards either side of a window seat are a common way to frame it.

Will a window seat block the shutters?

We check shutters, sash cords and window boards at the design visit so the seat doesn’t stop them working.

Which parts of London do you cover?

We work across all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. See areas we cover.

Do you work on Saturdays?

Saturdays are available by arrangement. Let us know at the design visit if a Saturday suits you better.

Advice

Other things we make

We fit window seats across London

We work in homes in all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. Choose your borough:

All areas we cover

Page updated 27 October 2026