Example photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash, not our project
Hackney · London
De Beauvoir Town Window Seats
We make window seats in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood for homes in De Beauvoir Town. The finish is spray painted or hand painted, in a colour agreed with you.
- A recess under the window doing nothing
- Wanting a seat without blocking the radiator
- No comfortable place to sit in the light
Window seats designed for your room
Window seats in De Beauvoir Town: what you get
Cushions are not something we supply, so we agree the seat size with you and you can have one made to fit. You can then choose the fabric and style yourself. We plan the depth and height so the seat is comfortable with a cushion on it. Typical reasons to get in touch are a radiator under the window getting in the way and a sash window with space beneath it going to waste; the furniture is made from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
In a block, the lift, the corridors and the door to the flat set the size of each section. Most households around De Beauvoir Town live in purpose-built flats, so the sections for window seats are planned at the measuring visit. Floors in the corridor and the flat are covered on the way in.
Our quotes are written in plain words. They say what will be made, what it’s made from and how it will be finished.
- Location
- De Beauvoir Town (N1, E8, N16)
- Borough
- Hackney
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Materials and finish
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- When we fit
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Making use of awkward spaces in De Beauvoir Town
The biggest shares of homes in the neighbourhood around De Beauvoir Town were built before 1919 (about 39%) and since 2000 (about 25%), on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. That matters for window seats, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. There are 105 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of De Beauvoir Town. Original fireplaces, shutters and panelling are worth keeping where they survive, and window seats can be designed to work around them. Controlled parking zones cover much of inner London, and each borough runs its own. For fitting in De Beauvoir Town, a van typically needs a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. Tell us what parking is near you at the design visit.
For families living near Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School, deep drawers suit the bulky things families collect, from scooters to swimming kit. If you live near Shoreditch Park, window seats can be designed to hold outdoor kit, from walking boots to picnic things. Sutton House, about 1.3 miles east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. For a period home anywhere nearby, a radiator under the window just needs a grille in the seat front.
De Beauvoir Town is about 1 mile south of Shoreditch, within the London Borough of Hackney. De Beauvoir Town is part of the area we cover, and the process is the same everywhere we work. We list De Beauvoir Town among 20 places we cover in Hackney.
In N1, E8 and N16, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. If your home is on a street such as Dove Road, Essex Road and Clare Lane, or close by, we can visit to measure up for window seats. We also cover the places around De Beauvoir Town: Kingsland (1 mile north-east), Canonbury (1 mile west), Mildmay (1 mile north), Dalston (1 mile east) and Newington Green (1 mile north). Other parts of Hackney we cover include Homerton (2 miles east), Lower Clapton (2 miles east), Stamford Hill (2 miles north), Upper Clapton (2 miles north-east), Manor House (2 miles north) and Lea Bridge (2 miles north-east).
Around De Beauvoir Town
Our area takes in the homes around The Prince of Wales pub, Kingsland Secondary School and Bishopsgate Institute Special Collections and Archives, among other places. There’s a railway station in De Beauvoir Town itself: Dalston Junction station. Other landmarks nearby include Hackney Walk (1.3 miles east) and Clowns Gallery-Museum (within half a mile east). Open spaces near De Beauvoir Town include Barnsbury Wood.
Also near De Beauvoir Town
Other services in De Beauvoir Town
FAQs: window seats in De Beauvoir Town
Do you make window seats for homes in De Beauvoir Town?
Yes. De Beauvoir Town is one of the places we work, along with the rest of Hackney and London. You can tell us about the room on our contact form to arrange a design visit.
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in De Beauvoir Town?
It can be: much of inner London is covered by controlled parking zones. A van may need a visitor permit, a pay-and-display bay or a suspended bay, which the council arranges, often with notice. It helps to tell us about parking during the design visit.
Which is better under a window seat, a lid or drawers?
Often a mix works best. Drawers suit things you use often, and a lid suits bulky items. In a child’s room, drawers tend to be simpler for small hands. We will suggest a layout during the design visit.
What if the wall is cold or damp?
It can be done with some care: leaving ventilation behind and inside helps stop condensation. Damp treatment is not something we do, so any damp needs sorting first.
Do I get to choose the colour?
You do. We agree the colour with you.
Should I send pictures?
Yes. Pictures help us understand the room before the design visit, along with rough sizes. Show anything the furniture has to work around, such as radiators or sockets.
Flats, leases and landlords
If your building is on a red route or a busy main road, unloading takes some planning. TfL runs the red routes, and the stopping rules are strict, so it’s worth raising during the design visit.
We also make and fit furniture for landlords furnishing a let, as it makes good use of an awkward room. It is made from the same moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood as any of our work, finished by spray or by hand.
Practical tips
None of this takes much effort. What we’d suggest:
- Check the shutters so the seat can leave room for them
- Tell us about parking during the design visit
- Think about whether you’d like shelves either side
- Think about the cushion you’d like and who will make it
Wiping the seat with a soft, damp cloth is typically all it needs. Avoid scourers and harsh cleaners. The front edge of the seat is touched most, so give it a wipe now and then.
Open and close lids with care, rather than letting them drop. That protects the hinges and the paint. Do not overfill drawers, as heavy loads strain the runners.
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Bespoke work comes into its own in rooms that aren’t square. Older London rooms tend to have leaning walls, sloping floors and alcoves of different widths, which leaves standard units with gaps at the sides and top.
Flat-pack and off-the-shelf furniture has its place. In a room with square walls and standard sizes, it can work well, and it’s easy to buy.
Fitting day, step by step
At the end, we tidy up and take up the floor coverings. Before we go, we look over the finished furniture with you and explain how to look after the paint. How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the window and the design, and your quote sets out the fitting days. With little room to spare in a flat, pieces come in as they’re needed. We protect the floors and keep dust to a minimum. The fixings suit each wall, whether solid or stud.
- You contact us with some details about the bay or recess.
- At the design visit we measure each side of the bay, because walls in older houses are rarely square.
- A quote in writing follows, setting out the design, materials and finish.
- The seat is built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, following the angles we measured.
- On fitting day the seat is set level and scribed to follow the walls and floor.
Before fitting day
- Move anything in the hall or on the stairs out of the way
- Let us know if your street is in a controlled parking zone
- Keep pets in another room while we work
Arranging a design visit
The quote is built from the design visit. We take full measurements, see how true the walls and floors are and work through the design together. A quote in writing follows the visit, so you can take your time with it. To book one, tell us about the room on our contact form.
Advice
Materials and finishes
Lift-up lids
Lids can be made in one piece or in sections. Sections are lighter to lift and easier to handle. We will go through the options at the measuring visit.
Doors and drawer fronts
What shows of the seat is mainly its fronts. We make them plain or panelled, with handles to match. A radiator grille can be built into the front.