Example photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash, not our project
Greenwich · London
Window seats in Greenwich
Window seats in Greenwich: window seats for bays and under sash windows, with storage inside. We visit to measure and discuss the design, make the furniture in our workshop and fit it.
- Wanting a quiet place to read
- Toys spread across a bedroom floor
- A recess under the window doing nothing
Window seats in Greenwich
What we do not do
Damp treatment and building work are for other specialists, so these points are worth knowing:
- Electrical work around the seat
- Fixing the window itself
- Any change to radiator pipes, which needs a plumber
If in doubt, you can get in touch through our contact form and describe the room. How it works.
What it is made from
- Spray-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Hand-painted finish
- Lift-up lids or drawers
- Radiator grilles
About our window seats in Greenwich
Each window seat is made in 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, and MDF gives the fronts and panels a smooth surface for paint. Once painted, by spray or by hand, it is brought to your home in Greenwich and fitted. If you are living with looking for a reading spot by the window and nowhere to keep blankets, toys or books, that is what window seats are for, made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted.
In a home built since 2000, there are often spaces the builder left plain, like a recess, a landing corner or an empty cupboard. Many homes around Greenwich date from 2000 onwards, so spaces like that are worth a second look. Drawers and shelves can make use of the full depth.
We write quotes in plain English. You’ll see what will be made, the boards used and the finish, all taken from the design visit.
- Location
- Greenwich (SE10, SE3, SE8)
- Borough
- Greenwich
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Made from
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- When we fit
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Greenwich
Also in Greenwich
How it’s made
Doors and drawer fronts
Where there’s a radiator, part of the front is a grille. It’s painted to match the other fronts. The rest of the front can be drawers, doors or plain panels.
Lift-up lids
A lift-up lid gives access to the full depth of the seat. It suits blankets, toys and things you do not need every day. The lid is made to lift and close cleanly.
Questions from Greenwich
Does a conservation area in or near Greenwich affect fitted furniture?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character can require listed building consent from the council. If you are unsure, the council can confirm.
I live in a flat in Greenwich. How will the furniture get up the stairs?
We measure the route in not just the room: the stairs, landings, lift and doors. The furniture is made in sections that fit the stairs and lift, and put together in the room. If your building has rules on lift booking or working hours, or your lease needs consent for alterations, it’s worth checking those early.
What is a window seat made from?
We use moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. Birch plywood gives strength to the frame and seat, while the fronts and grilles are MDF, which paints well. The finish is spray-painted or hand-painted.
How long does it take to fit a window seat?
How long fitting takes depends on the size of the window and the design, and the fitting days are agreed in your quote. Every part is built in our workshop before we arrive. Saturday fitting is possible by prior arrangement.
Should I send pictures?
Yes. Pictures help us understand the room before the design visit, along with rough measurements. It’s useful to show radiators, sockets and anything else on the wall.
What finishes do you offer?
You can choose between two finishes: by spray or by hand. A spray finish is smooth and even, while a hand-painted one is easy to touch up later.
Window seats in Greenwich: local notes
Homes built before 1919 make up about 36% of the housing in the area around Greenwich, with about 35% built since 2000, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 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. 4 conservation areas have at least part of their area less than a mile from the middle of Greenwich. England has around 10,000 in all, and their controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Parking on many inner London streets is controlled, with zones run by each borough. For fitting in Greenwich, a van usually needs a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. It’s useful to let us know about parking at the design visit.
For an older house near St Mary's Church, a radiator under the window just needs a grille in the seat front. If you live in a flat close to Maze Hill station, check any building rules on lifts and working hours early, and the sections will be sized for the way in. The wider area includes historic houses like Queen's House, about 0.2 miles north-west. For a period home anywhere nearby, a seat under a sash window can keep shutters and cills clear.
Greenwich is in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, about 3 miles east of Plumstead. Design visits and fitting in Greenwich can be on a Saturday, by arrangement. Our work takes in places right across the rest of London, large and small.
We cover every part of the SE10, SE3 and SE8 postcode area for window seats. Whether you live on a street like Cade Road, Webb Road and Creek Road or on one nearby, we can arrange a design visit for window seats. The A2203 and A2211 runs close to Greenwich, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you contact us. Other places close to Greenwich include Maze Hill (1 mile north-east), Vanbrugh Park Estate (1 mile east), Blackheath (1 mile south-east), Westcombe Park (1 mile east) and Isle of Dogs (1 mile north-west). We also make window seats in nearby places such as Plumstead (3 miles east), Eltham (3 miles south-east), Woolwich (3 miles east), Well Hall (3 miles south-east), Coldharbour (4 miles south-east) and Charlton (2 miles east).
Landmarks near Greenwich
Our area takes in the homes around The Plume of Feathers pub, John Roan School and St. Paul's and the streets around them. Greenwich has its own railway station: Maze Hill station. Well-known places in the area include Greenwich District Hospital (0.5 miles north-east) and Greenwich Castle (within half a mile south-west). For a walk, there is Creekside Discovery Centre.
Bespoke window seats or ready-made?
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 sits with the skirting, the shutters or the walls. Separate ready-made pieces can make an open-plan room feel unplanned, while fitted furniture can give the space structure.
What goes inside matters as much as the outside: drawers take more making than shelves, and each rail, divider or pull-out adds to the work. At the design visit, we work out what you need inside, then set it out in the quote.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in Greenwich
- Built in our workshop and fitted in your home
- Built from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Scribed to uneven walls
- More than 300 projects completed
See our comparison of bespoke and off-the-shelf and what to look for in a quote.
Practical tips
People planning window seats often ask about these. They’re worth knowing whatever the room:
- Think about the cushion you’d like and who will make it
- Bring paint colours you like to the design visit
- Check the shutters so the seat can leave room for them
- Decide whether you’d like a lid, drawers or both
Condensation can form on windows in cold weather, so wipe the cill and the back of the seat if it gets wet. A little ventilation helps keep things dry. If anything is not right with the seat, tell us about the room on our contact form and we will talk it through.
Open and close lids with care, rather than letting them drop. It keeps the hinges and edges in good order. Don’t overfill drawers, as heavy loads strain the runners.
How fitting works for window seats
In older rooms, the furniture normally has to meet skirting, picture rails, cornice or coving. We cut and scribe the furniture around them on site, so it sits neatly against the room. How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the window and the design, and your quote sets out the fitting days. In a newer home, floors, walls and door frames are often freshly finished, so everything on the way in is covered before the sections arrive. Corners and door frames are covered as well. Once inside, the pieces are joined in place.
- You contact us with a few 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 written quote 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.
- We fit the seat in your home, trimming the edges to meet the walls and cill, with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
Before fitting day
- Have your electrician move any sockets or switches beforehand
- Let us know about any meters, fuse boards or boilers in the area
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
How to get a quote
A quote begins with some details from you: which room it is, rough measurements and a couple of pictures if you can take them. When you are ready, get in touch through our contact form. After that, we arrange a visit to measure and discuss the design, then send a quote in writing.