Example photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash, not our project
Merton · London
Window seats in Cannon Hill, Merton
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. Our work on window seats in Cannon Hill starts with a design visit, and everything is made at our workshop.
- A bay with no furniture that fits
- Wanting new furniture to sit well in an older room
- A child’s room that needs storage and seating
Window seats in Cannon Hill
Window seats in Cannon Hill
A radiator under the window is common, and a seat has to work with it. Over a radiator, the seat needs a grille or open front so warmth can reach the room. The front of the seat includes a grille, with space left around the radiator. When we visit in Cannon Hill, we will check the radiator and plan around it. Typical reasons to get in touch are a room with shutters and sashes that deserves a proper seat and a radiator under the window getting in the way, and the answer is built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish.
An interwar house tends to have truer walls than a Victorian one, though rarely square corners. Around Cannon Hill, interwar houses, semis and detached homes make up a big part of the housing, so we still scribe every piece to the wall. Lids, doors and drawers are set level on site so they run true.
We write quotes in plain English, without jargon. They say what will be made, what it is made from and how it will be finished, all taken from the design visit.
- Where
- Cannon Hill (SW20, SM4, KT3)
- Area
- Merton
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Making
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Enquiries
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What happens on fitting day
With the carcasses fixed and level, any doors go on and any drawers or lids are fitted. Each one is adjusted until the gaps are even and it closes cleanly, and then we check it all again. The time the fitting takes depends on the size of the window and the design, and the fitting days are agreed in your quote. Semis and detached houses often have a front path or a side gate, which can make carrying in easier. Gates, paths and steps up to the door are part of the route we measure. Floors are covered from the door to the room, and the sections are assembled in place.
- You send us a note about the window and the seat you’d like.
- We visit to measure and go through the design, the storage and the finish.
- A written quote follows, with the finish written in.
- The seat is made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood; a spray-painted finish is done there for a smooth, even surface.
- The seat is fitted and scribed, and any hand painting is done on site.
- Give new paintwork gentle use while it cures; a hand-painted finish is easy to touch up later.
Preparing the room
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
Ask for a quote
If you know what you want, say so; if you do not, that is fine, and we can work it out together. The design is talked through at the visit, once we have measured, and the written quote then sets it out. To start, message us from the contact page.
Related advice
Fitted storage in Cannon Hill
The biggest shares of homes in the neighbourhood around Cannon Hill were built between 1919 and 1939 (about 61%) and before 1919 (about 16%), in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. 9 conservation areas have at least part of their area within a mile of the centre of Cannon Hill. England has around 10,000 in all, and their controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings. About 39% of households in the streets around Cannon Hill live in terraced houses, according to Census 2021. Bay and sash windows are common in London terraces, and suit a window seat.
For families living near Hillcross Primary School, deep drawers suit the bulky things families collect, from scooters to swimming kit. If you live in a flat close to South Merton station, the lift, the stair turns and the front door all set the largest piece that can come in.
Cannon Hill is part of the London Borough of Merton, about 2 miles north of Wimbledon. Homes in Cannon Hill are part of the area we cover for window seats. Our work takes in places right across Merton.
Every address in SW20, SM4 and KT3 is covered for window seats, from the main roads to the quieter streets. You’ll find streets here like Aylward Road, Camborne Road and Botsford Road, and homes on each of them are within our area for window seats. If you are just outside Cannon Hill, we also cover Bushey Mead (1 mile north-west), Raynes Park (1 mile west), Wimbledon Chase (1 mile north), West Barnes (1 mile west) and Merton Park (1 mile north-east). Across the rest of Merton, our area takes in Wimbledon (2 miles north), Colliers Wood (2 miles north-east), Eastfields (3 miles east), South Wimbledon (2 miles north-east), Merton Abbey (2 miles north-east) and Crooked Billet (2 miles north).
Landmarks near Cannon Hill
In Cannon Hill, that includes homes near The Edward Rayne pub, Merton College and Harris Academy Wimbledon, among other places. The closest station to Cannon Hill is South Merton station, roughly 0.5 miles north-east. Nearby you will also find Wimbledon Museum (1.6 miles north) and St. Anthony's Hospital (1.5 miles south). For a walk, there’s Cherry Wood.
Why people ask for window seats in Cannon Hill
Many people want a window seat for the storage beneath it. A seat with a lift-up lid or drawers can hold toys, blankets, books or games. It adds storage in a space you’re not otherwise using.
Window seats can help with:
- A radiator that makes the space hard to use
- A bay window that’s hard to furnish
- A child’s room that needs storage and seating
- Nowhere to keep blankets, toys or books
Southside House, about 1.2 miles north-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. If your own home is a period one, the deep reveals of an older window can frame a seat neatly.
Before you hire any carpenter
- How parking will work on your street
- Real projects you can actually look at
- How the doors are hung and adjusted
- A quote in writing that sets out the job
Could you do it yourself?
Where bespoke earns its keep is in rooms that aren’t square. Older London rooms tend to have leaning walls, sloping floors and alcoves of different widths.
A confident DIYer can manage simple shelves or a standard wardrobe in a square room. Sloping ceilings, uneven floors and lath-and-plaster walls make it harder, where scribing and fixings that suit the wall are important.
Why bespoke in Cannon Hill?
With a ready-made bench, the colour is the maker’s choice. Ours is spray-painted or hand-painted in a colour agreed with you, so it can match the woodwork or the walls. Ready-made furniture rarely suits a bay, a box room or a bulkhead over the stairs, and interwar homes often have all three. Fitted furniture is made around them.
Rooms that aren’t square take more work: walls that lean, floors that slope and sloping ceilings all mean more scribing and cutting. That is reflected in the quote, written once we’ve measured up.
Why choose us
- Saturdays by prior arrangement
- More than 300 projects completed
- Finished by spray or by hand
- Every London borough and the City of London covered
Take a look at bespoke vs off-the-shelf and what a quote should include.
Places near Cannon Hill
More for homes in Cannon Hill
What we do not do
We make and fit furniture, and we don’t do electrics, plumbing, gas, plastering or structural work. Please bear these in mind too:
- Making good the walls, which is for a plasterer or decorator
- Fabric covers and cushions
- New sockets or lights near the window, which are for your electrician
If in doubt, you can drop us a line using the contact form and describe the room. How a job runs, step by step.
Materials and parts
- Spray-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Hand-painted finish
- Radiator grilles
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Lift-up lids or drawers
Your questions about window seats in Cannon Hill
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Cannon Hill?
It depends on the street, as many London boroughs run controlled parking zones. Depending on the street, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension through the council may be needed, and suspensions often need notice. Let us know what parking is near you during the design visit, and we’ll plan around it.
Can you make window seats for a home in Cannon Hill?
Yes, we work across Merton, Cannon Hill included, and across the rest of London. To get started, you can send us a few details through our contact form with a few details.
Should I send pictures?
Yes, they help. A few pictures of the room, from floor to ceiling, tell us a lot. You can send them when you fill in our short enquiry form.
Do you move sockets or add lighting?
No. Any new wiring, sockets or lights need an electrician, and some electrical work in homes is covered by Part P of the Building Regulations. We’ll design around them.
Do I choose the paint colour?
The choice is yours, and it is agreed with you before painting. Whichever finish you pick, it’s in the colour you’ve chosen.
How long does it take to fit a window seat?
How long the fitting takes depends on the shape of the bay or recess and what goes under the seat, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. The seat is made in our workshop first, so the time in your home is spent fitting. We work tidily and keep the room as clear as possible.