Example photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash, not our project
Richmond upon Thames · London
Window seats in East Sheen, Richmond upon Thames
Window seats for bays and under sash windows, with storage inside, for homes in East Sheen. We make each piece in our workshop and fit it in your home.
- An empty bay that does not get used
- No space for toys and games
- A room with shutters and sashes that deserves a proper seat
Window seats in East Sheen
Window seats in East Sheen: what you get
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. We’ll look at your radiator at the design visit in East Sheen. If you are living with a bay with no furniture that fits and a nursery or bedroom short of storage, that’s what window seats are for, made from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted.
Original features like shutters, cupboard doors and panelling are worth keeping where they survive. Around East Sheen, where homes from before 1919 make up a large share, fitted storage can be designed to sit alongside them. Door styles can be chosen to suit the age of the house, and painted to match. For a listed home, fixing into original joinery can need consent, so check first.
A quote in writing follows the design visit. It describes the design we discussed, the materials and the finish.
- Location
- East Sheen (SW14, SW13, SW15)
- Borough
- Richmond upon Thames
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Made from
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Fitting days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What it is made from
Moisture-resistant MDF
Because it cuts cleanly, MDF is ideal for angled panels and radiator grilles. We use a moisture-resistant grade, which is stable and takes paint well. It forms most of the visible parts.
Spray-painted finish
A spray-painted finish works well on grilles as well as flat fronts. It is carried out in the workshop for an even coat. The colour is your choice.
Why bespoke in East Sheen?
Off-the-shelf benches are made for straight walls and square corners, but bays have angled sides and walls that are rarely flat. A bench in a bay leaves gaps at the sides and wasted space at the corners. A bespoke seat follows the shape of the bay. It is a bigger investment, and the gain is a seat that fits the space. Standard furniture is drawn for modern rooms, so its proportions can look odd in a tall period room, while fitted furniture can follow the room’s own lines.
Rooms that are not square take more work: walls that lean, floors that slope and sloping ceilings all mean more scribing and cutting. The quote allows for it, written once we’ve measured up.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in East Sheen
- We work across all London boroughs
- Spray painted or hand painted, in the colour you choose
- Every quote follows a design visit
- Saturdays by arrangement
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, which often brings a shared hall and tight turns on the stairs. We plan the size of each section around it, once we have measured the way in.
We also make and fit furniture for landlords furnishing a let. It is made from the same moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood as any of our work.
Nearby places to East Sheen
What else we make in East Sheen
How fitting works for window seats
The last stage of the day is the finish. If the furniture was spray painted in the workshop, we fill the fixing holes and touch up on site; hand painting, if that is what you chose, can be done in place once everything is fitted. The finish is always the one agreed in your quote. On fitting day, edges are trimmed on site to follow the walls, so we ask for a clear space to work near the room. We keep dust down and tidy as we go. Where the finish is hand-painted, it can be done after the pieces are in.
- You get in touch and let us know about the window, and whether a radiator sits beneath it.
- We visit to measure up and work out how warm air from the radiator will reach the room.
- A quote in writing follows, covering the seat and the grille.
- We make the seat and grille in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We fit it in your home and scribe it to the walls, with the finish sprayed beforehand or painted by hand on site.
How to prepare
- Let us know where the boiler and meters are
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- Keep pets out of the room and the hallway
Starting with a design visit
To get a quote, use our contact form and let us know which room you have in mind. We then arrange a design visit to measure and go through the design, and send you a written quote afterwards.
Related advice
What window seats can’t fix
Electrics, plumbing, gas, plastering and structural work aren’t part of what we do. There are a few other points to bear in mind:
- Plastering and decorating around the seat
- Moving or replacing a radiator, which is for your plumber
- Seat cushions, which you source separately
If in doubt, you can get in touch through our contact form and describe the room before you arrange a visit. Our process from visit to fitting.
Materials and parts
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Spray-painted finish
- Lift-up lids or drawers
- Hand-painted finish
- Radiator grilles
- Birch plywood
Common questions about window seats
My house in East Sheen is Victorian. Can you deal with uneven walls?
Yes, that is normal in older houses: each piece is scribed to the wall and levelled at the base. Skirting, picture rails and cornices are met neatly or cut around. Older walls can be solid brick or lath and plaster, and the fixings are chosen to suit.
Do you make window seats for homes in East Sheen?
Yes. East Sheen is one of the places we work, along with the rest of Richmond upon Thames and London. You can drop us a line using the contact form to arrange a design visit.
Can you fit a window seat under a sash window?
Yes. Sash windows are a natural place for a seat in many period homes. The cill height and any shutters are measured carefully, so the seat sits neatly and the window still works. Repairs to the window itself are not our work.
Is an outside wall a problem for fitted furniture?
An outside wall can be colder and damper than an inside one, so we allow for ventilation behind and inside the furniture. If there is damp, it should be sorted before anything is fitted.
Do you work on Saturdays?
Yes, Saturdays are possible by prior arrangement. Just mention it when you contact us, and we’ll see what we can do.
Do you move sockets or add lighting?
No. Electrical work is not something we do; it’s a job for your electrician. We can plan cable routes into the design, and any new sockets are best done before fitting day.
East Sheen homes and window seats
Homes built before 1919 make up about 58% of the housing in the neighbourhood around East Sheen, with about 15% built between 1945 and 1972, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). The age of a home tells us a lot about its walls, floors and ceilings, and so about how window seats are fixed and fitted. Part of East Sheen is in the Sheen Lane (Mortlake) Conservation Area, according to Historic England’s records. Conservation area controls are mainly about the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If you want to be certain, ask the council’s planning team. Terraced houses are home to about 32% of households in the neighbourhood around East Sheen, going by Census 2021 figures from the ONS. Bay and sash windows are common in London terraces, and suit a window seat.
If your children go to Thomson House School or a school nearby, window seats can be planned around what a family needs to keep, from coats and bags to sports kit. If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, such as Parish Church of St Mary, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can need listed building consent. If you live near Palewell Park, window seats can be designed to hold outdoor kit, from walking boots to picnic things.
East Sheen is in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, about 3 miles west of Twickenham. Design visits and fitting in East Sheen can be on a Saturday, by arrangement. In Richmond upon Thames, East Sheen is one of the places we cover, and the borough has 19 places on our list.
Every address in SW14, SW13 and SW15 is within our area for window seats, from the main roads to the quieter streets. We cover homes on streets such as Elm Road, Well Lane and Fife Road, whether you want window seats or another piece made for the room. Neighbouring places we cover for window seats include Mortlake (1 mile north-east), North Sheen (1 mile north-west), Barnes (1 mile north-east), Grove Park (1 mile north) and Richmond upon Thames (1 mile west). Other parts of Richmond upon Thames we cover include Twickenham (3 miles west), Richmond (2 miles west), Teddington (4 miles south-west), Hampton (5 miles south-west), Hanworth (5 miles south-west) and St Margarets (2 miles west).
Around East Sheen
Around East Sheen, we cover homes near Ibstock Place School, Richmond Park Academy and Hare and Hounds pub. East Sheen has its own railway station: Mortlake station. Well-known places in the area include Ubuntu Museum: African Museum of Humanity (1.1 miles south-east) and Barnes Hospital (0.5 miles east). For a walk, there is Duke's Hollow.