Example photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash, not our project
Westminster · London
Window Seats in Charing Cross
Window seats for bays and under sash windows, with storage inside, designed for your room in Charing Cross. After a design visit and a written quote, it is made at our workshop and fitted in your home.
- Nowhere to keep blankets, toys or books
- No comfortable place to sit in the light
- A ready-made bench that doesn’t fit the bay
Need window seats in Charing Cross?
Window seats in Charing Cross
A window seat can hide a surprising amount of storage. A lift-up lid is simple and gives access to the full depth, while drawers are easier to reach if there’s a cushion on top. We’ll talk through which suits the way you use the room. People normally come to us about no space for toys and games and a ready-made bench that doesn’t fit the bay; the furniture is made from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
Ceilings and floors in homes built before 1919 are rarely level, and a large share of the homes around Charing Cross date from then. Window seats are scribed to the walls and levelled on site so doors, lids and drawers run true. Picture rails, skirting and cornices are worked around rather than removed.
A quote in writing is the clearest record of what we have agreed. It describes the window seat we’ve designed for the room, its materials and its finish, and the workshop works from it.
- Place
- Charing Cross (W1F, W1D, W1S)
- Area
- Westminster
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a written quote
- Where it is made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Made from
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- When we fit
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Get in touch
- Send us a message
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Window seats for homes in Charing Cross
The biggest shares of homes in the neighbourhood around Charing Cross were built before 1919 (about 50%) and since 2000 (about 21%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. It’s a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. Near the centre of Charing Cross, Historic England’s list includes Church of St Martin in the Fields (Grade I), less than half a mile north, and Admiralty House (Grade I), less than half a mile south. If you live in a listed building, fixing into or taking out original features such as panelling can need listed building consent. Check with the council’s conservation officer first. Purpose-built flats are home to about 77% of households in the streets around Charing Cross, the 2021 Census shows. For a flat, window seats are made in sections sized for the stairs, the lift and the doors. Many blocks have rules on lift booking and working hours, so check with the managing agent before fitting day.
If you live in a period home close to St Martin-in-the-Fields, the deep reveals of an older window can frame a seat neatly. If you live in a flat close to London Charing Cross station, the route in is measured not just the room, and the sections are sized to fit it.
Charing Cross is part of the City of Westminster, about 1 mile north-west of City of Westminster. We design and make window seats for homes in Charing Cross. Across Westminster, we cover Charing Cross, along with the rest of the borough.
Every home in W1F, W1D and W1S is within our area for window seats. Our area takes in homes on streets such as Duck Lane, Drury Lane and Bridle Lane, for window seats and any of our other fitted furniture. The A4 and A301 runs close to Charing Cross; on busy main roads, unloading window seats takes a little planning. If you are just outside Charing Cross, we also cover St James's (1 mile west), Adelphi (1 mile north-east), Chinatown (1 mile north-west), West End (1 mile north) and Covent Garden (1 mile north-east). We also make window seats in nearby places like Paddington Green (2 miles north-west), Paddington (2 miles west), Connaught Village (2 miles west), Lisson Grove (2 miles north-west), Westbourne (3 miles west) and Little Venice (3 miles west).
Near you in Charing Cross
We fit furniture in homes around Silver Cross Tavern, Westminster Abbey Choir School and London Library, among other places. There is a railway station in Charing Cross itself: London Charing Cross station. Other landmarks nearby include Kingly Court (0.6 miles north-west) and Montfichet's Tower (1.2 miles east). For a walk, there is St. James's Park Lake and Ludgate Hill.
Is bespoke worth it?
Ready-made benches are made in fixed widths and depths. Bespoke seats are made to the size of the space, so nothing is wasted, with drawers, a lift-up lid or a mix below. Tall ceilings in older homes leave a band of empty wall above standard furniture, and that space collects dust instead of storage. Built-in pieces can run to the cornice or the picture rail.
In London, parking can affect the price. Much of London is covered by controlled parking zones, so a van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension. It is useful to talk about parking during the design visit, so it can be planned.
Why us?
- We visit, measure and discuss the design before we quote
- Fitted tight to walls that aren’t straight
- Saturday work by arrangement
- A spray or hand-painted finish
See how bespoke compares with ready-made or how to compare quotes.
From workshop to your room
Getting everything level comes first. Floors are often out of level, so adjustable feet or a plinth take up the difference. After that, it’s fixed to the wall using fixings that suit the wall, whether that is solid brick, lath and plaster or plasterboard. Hallways in period houses are often narrow, and the stairs turn sharply, so the furniture comes in sections sized for the route in. Floors, stairs and doorways are covered before anything is carried through.
- First we hear about your bay or window and what you’d like.
- At the design visit, every side of the window is measured. Then we talk through the seat height and storage.
- The design is agreed and a written quote follows.
- Every part is made at our workshop, ready for a spray-painted or hand-painted finish. The materials are moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We fit it in your home and check every lid and drawer with you. A radiator grille, if there is one, lets the heat through.
Preparing the room
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- Book any lift and let the concierge or building manager know
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
Starting with a design visit
Getting a quote starts with a few details: which room it is, rough sizes and a couple of pictures if you can take them. When you are ready, fill in our short enquiry form. We will then arrange a design visit and follow it with a written quote.
Advice
Do you need window seats in Charing Cross?
In a period home, a window seat can suit the character of the room. Painted to match the woodwork, it can look as though it has always been there. That appeals to people restoring or updating an older home.
Here are some of the needs we’re asked about most:
- A bay with no furniture that fits
- A period room that needs furniture to suit it
- A child’s room that needs storage and seating
- Standard furniture leaving gaps in a bay
For families living near Soho Parish CofE Primary School, window seats can give school bags, shoes and sports kit a proper home.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- Whether the quote says what the furniture is made from
- Will the quote be in writing?
- How doors and drawers are fitted
- How they’ll get the furniture into the room
What it is made from
Pull-out drawers
Pull-out drawers bring everything into view. They’re often easier for children than a lid. We make the boxes from birch plywood for strength.
Lift-up lids
A lid that lifts is the simplest form of window seat storage. Any cushion has to come off before the lid can lift, so it suits things you reach for now and then.
FAQs: window seats in Charing Cross
Do I need permission for fitted furniture in a conservation area?
Usually not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, works inside that affect its character can require listed building consent, so check with the council first. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Do you make window seats for homes in Charing Cross?
Yes, we work across Westminster, Charing Cross included, and across the rest of London. You can message us from the contact page to arrange a design visit.
Will a window seat work below a sash window?
Yes. We set the seat below the cill, so the sash still works. If there are working shutters, we leave room for them to fold back. These details are measured when we visit.
What happens when you come to measure?
We measure the space and discuss the design, materials and finish. We look at the walls, floors and anything the furniture has to work around, and the written quote comes afterwards.
How is a window seat priced?
The price comes in a written quote, worked out from the measurements and the design you choose. A bay with angled sides involves more work than a straight recess, and drawers more than a lid. Everything is set out in a written quote after the visit.
Do you move sockets or add lighting?
No. We’re carpenters, so electrical work is for your electrician. We can plan cable routes into the design, and any new sockets are best done before fitting day.
Could you do it yourself?
Shop-bought shelves can sag over a long span. How much a shelf bends depends on its span, depth and load, and long runs need a thicker shelf, a lip along the front or a support. That’s something we plan for in the design.
Standard units come in set widths and heights, so there’s often a strip of wasted space at the side or above. Fitted furniture is made to the room’s measurements, so it can run to the ceiling and fill the width.