Example photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash, not our project
Greenwich · London
Eltham Window Seats
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. We make window seats for homes in Eltham, each designed at a visit to your home.
- A period room that needs furniture to suit it
- Looking for a reading spot by the window
- A radiator under the window getting in the way
Window seats in Eltham
Window seats in Eltham
Each window seat is made at our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. Birch plywood is strong and holds screws well, which suits a seat that takes weight every day, while MDF takes paint well for the fronts and panels. Once painted, by spray or by hand, it is brought to your home in Eltham and fitted. Most enquiries start with a ready-made bench that doesn’t fit the bay and nowhere to keep blankets, toys or books; the furniture is made from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted.
If you live in one of the post-war homes around Eltham, you may have wide windows with radiators underneath. A window seat there needs a grille or an open front so the heat still reaches the room. Fitted storage can also use the hall, the landing or the space below the stairs, made to fit the room as it is.
A quote in writing is the clearest record of what we have agreed. It describes the window seat we’ve designed for the room, what it is made from and how it’s finished.
- Where
- Eltham (SE9, SE12, DA15, BR7)
- Area
- Greenwich
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Where it is made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Boards and paint
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Enquiries
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How fitting day works
At the end, we tidy up and lift the floor protection. Before we leave, we go over the finished piece together and explain how to look after the paint. How long the fitting takes depends on the shape of the bay or recess and what goes under the seat, and the fitting days are agreed in your quote. Communal stairs in older blocks often have tight landings, so sections are sized for both the stairs and any lift. Letting the caretaker or managing agent know in advance helps. We cover the floors in shared areas on the way in.
- First we hear about your bay or window and what you’d like.
- We measure the window, the cill and any radiator or shutters.
- The design is agreed and a written quote follows. Take your time with it.
- Every part is built in our workshop, ready for a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
- The seat is fitted, scribed to the walls and checked with you.
How to prepare
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
- Book any lift and let the concierge or building manager know
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
Starting with a design visit
To get a quote, drop us a line using the contact form and tell us a little about the room and roughly what you’d like. From there, we arrange a design visit to measure up and talk through your ideas, and send you a written quote afterwards.
Read more
Your questions about window seats in Eltham
Do you make window seats for homes in Eltham?
Yes. We cover all of Greenwich and the rest of London, and Eltham is part of that. The first step is a design visit, where we measure and talk through the design, followed by a quote.
Do I need permission for fitted furniture in a conservation area?
Normally not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character can need listed building consent from the council. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Can the fitting be on a Saturday?
Yes, by arrangement. Let us know when you contact us if a Saturday suits you best.
Can you fit a window seat under a sash window?
Yes. The seat is set below the cill so the window can still open and close. If there are working shutters, we leave room for them to fold back. We check all of this at the design visit.
Do pictures help?
Yes, they help. A few pictures of the room, from floor to ceiling, tell us a lot, especially with rough sizes. You can send them when you get in touch through our contact form.
Do I choose the paint colour?
You do. The paint colour is agreed with you.
How it’s made
Birch plywood
Birch plywood is strong and holds screws well. It suits the frame and the seat top, which take weight every day. Its layered edge can be shown or painted.
Hand-painted finish
Hand painting on site lets the seat be finished alongside the woodwork around it. Marks can be touched in without much trouble. Paint needs time to cure fully, so treat it gently at first.
Flats, blocks and rented homes
Conversions and newer flats often have stud walls rather than solid brick. Fixings are chosen to suit whatever the wall is made of.
We also make and fit furniture for landlords furnishing a let, as it makes good use of an awkward room. The materials are the same as for any home: moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand.
Where other trades come in
We design, make and fit the furniture. That means:
- Electrical work around the seat
- Making good the walls, which is for a plasterer or decorator
- Seat cushions, which you source separately
Not sure whether your space suits window seats? You can message us from the contact page and we will tell you before you arrange a visit. Our process from visit to fitting.
What goes into it
- Spray-painted finish
- Lift-up lids or drawers
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Birch plywood
- Radiator grilles
- Hand-painted finish
Window seats in Eltham: local notes
About 40% of the homes in the area around Eltham went up between 1945 and 1972, and about 28% between 1919 and 1939, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. It is a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. Eltham is partly covered by a conservation area, going by Historic England’s data. Planning controls in conservation areas are mainly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitting furniture inside a house does not normally need permission. The council can confirm if you’re not sure. About 28% of homes in the neighbourhood around Eltham date from between 1919 and 1939, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. Many houses of that era have bay windows, natural places for a window seat, with a grille where there’s a radiator underneath.
For a flat near Mottingham station, the route in is measured as well as the room, and the sections are sized to fit it. If you live in a period home close to Church of Holy Trinity, a bay or a sash window is a natural place for a window seat. The wider area includes historic houses such as Eltham Palace, about 0.4 miles north-west. If your own home is a period one, the deep reveals of an older window can frame a seat neatly.
Eltham is part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, about 3 miles north of Plumstead. We design and make window seats for homes in Eltham and the rest of Greenwich. Our work takes in places right across Greenwich, from the busiest high streets to quiet residential roads.
Every address in SE9, SE12, DA15 and BR7 is covered for window seats, from the main roads to the quieter streets. We cover homes on streets like Eltham High Street, Tarnwood Park and Elmslie Court, along with the roads around them, for window seats and any of our other fitted furniture. Main roads around Eltham include the A20 and B263, and we plan where the van can stop before fitting day. Other places close to Eltham include Middle Park (1 mile west), New Eltham (1 mile south-east), Well Hall (1 mile north), Coldharbour (1 mile south) and Avery Hill (1 mile north-east). We also make window seats in nearby places such as Plumstead (3 miles north), Greenwich (3 miles north-west), Woolwich (3 miles north), Westcombe Park (3 miles north-west), Maze Hill (3 miles north-west) and Charlton (3 miles north). Being one of the larger places in Greenwich, Eltham is covered for all of our fitted furniture.
Around Eltham
The streets we cover here include those near Eltham Church of England Primary School and The Greyhound Public House, among other places. Eltham has its own railway station: Mottingham station. A little further out are Eltham Community Hospital (close by, under half a mile north). Not far away are The Tarn.
Why bespoke in Eltham?
Off-the-shelf benches are not designed to sit over a radiator. Placed in front of a radiator, they block the warmth. A bespoke seat has a grille or open front designed in, so the heat can reach the room. In a flat with stairs or a small lift, large flat-pack units can be hard to get in, whereas fitted furniture is made in sections sized for the way in. The sections are joined once inside.
Getting to the room affects the job as well. Several flights of stairs, a small lift or a narrow hall can mean smaller sections and more carrying, which the quote allows for. There’s no price list: each design is priced in writing after we’ve seen the space.
What you get with us
- Every quote follows a design visit
- Fitted tight to walls that are not straight
- Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Made for your room, not a standard size