Example photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash, not our project
Islington · London
Highbury Window Seats
Window seats for bays and under sash windows, with storage inside, for homes in Highbury. We measure, design and quote first, then make it in our workshop and fit it.
- Wanting new furniture to sit well in an older room
- Nowhere to keep blankets, toys or books
- Unused space below a sash window
Need window seats in Highbury?
How it is made
Birch plywood
Birch plywood is made in layers, which makes it strong and stable. We use it for the frame, the seat and the drawer boxes, and its edge can be left visible or painted.
Lift-up lids
A lift-up lid gives access to the full depth of the seat. It suits blankets, toys and things you don’t need every day. We make the lid to open and close cleanly.
How we make window seats for Highbury
A window seat turns the light by a window into a place to sit. We design and make window seats for bays, sash windows and recesses, usually with storage below, under a lift-up lid or in drawers. In Highbury, as everywhere we work, it begins with a visit to measure and plan. Most enquiries start with a room with shutters and sashes that deserves a proper seat and wanting a seat without blocking the radiator; the furniture is made from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish.
A large share of the homes around Highbury were built before 1919, and houses of that age are full of tricky spaces: under the stairs, in the bay, along the hall and under the eaves of a converted loft. Fitted storage is designed to make those spaces useful, made to follow walls that are seldom true.
If the job needs another trade, like an electrician or a plumber, we’ll tell you. The quote itself covers our work, from the design to the materials and finish.
- Location
- Highbury (N1, N16, N5)
- Area
- Islington
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Materials and finish
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Fitting days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What affects the price in Highbury
Each piece is designed for one room, so each price is too. What affects it comes down to:
- Parking and unloading on your street
- How square the room is
- The internal fittings
- The width and height of the space
Every piece is quoted for your room after the design visit. Size, the number of doors and drawers and the internal fittings make the biggest difference to the price.
Getting in touch
These details help when you contact us:
- Whether it is a house or a flat, and if there are stairs or a lift
- Examples of the look you’re after
- Anything fixed to the wall that the furniture needs to work around
- Rough measurements: width, height and depth
Rough sizes are fine at the start. Everything is measured properly when we visit, including how level the floor and ceiling are. To get started, message us from the contact page with some details about the room. The written quote follows the visit.
Also near Highbury
What else we make in Highbury
When you need someone else
It is worth being clear about where our work stops:
- Fabric covers and cushions
- Any change to radiator pipes, which needs a plumber
- Fixing the window itself
If in doubt, you can drop us a line using the contact form and describe the room. Our process from visit to fitting.
Materials and parts
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Radiator grilles
- Lift-up lids or drawers
- Spray-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Hand-painted finish
Looking after your furniture
Fresh paintwork takes a while to cure fully, so go gently with it for a while. After that, a few simple habits help:
- Plan the cushion early so the seat suits it
- Bring paint colours you like to the design visit
- Clear the bay or window area before the design visit
- Check the shutters so the seat can leave room for them
A soft, damp cloth is the best way to keep the seat clean. Avoid scourers and harsh cleaners. The front edge of the seat is touched most, so give it a wipe now and then.
Don’t block the grille with cushions or things stored in front of it. A clear grille keeps the room warm and the seat at an even temperature. Things stored near a radiator stay warm, so choose what goes there with that in mind.
How fitting works for window seats
With the carcasses fixed and level, we hang any doors and fit any drawers or lids. Each one is adjusted until the gaps are even and it closes cleanly. How long fitting takes depends on whether the seat has drawers, a lift-up lid or a radiator grille, and the fitting days are agreed in your quote. Original hallway tiles and old floorboards are worth protecting, so they’re covered before anything comes in. Fixings into older walls are made carefully, as lath and plaster can crack if treated roughly. Any decorating around the new pieces is for your decorator.
- You contact us with some details about the bay or recess.
- We visit to measure the angles of the bay and the floor, and talk through the design.
- A quote in writing follows, setting out the design, materials and finish.
- In our workshop we make each section of the seat from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- 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
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
How to get a quote
Every quote follows a design visit. At the visit, we measure, look at the walls and floors and talk through the design with you, and the written quote comes after. Because every job is different, the cost is set out in a written quote after the visit. To book a design visit, send us a few details through our contact form.
Advice
Window seats in Highbury: local notes
Homes built before 1919 make up about 50% of the housing in the streets around Highbury, with about 18% built between 1945 and 1972, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. It is a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. Highbury is partly covered by a conservation area, going by Historic England’s data. Conservation area controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If you’re unsure, check with the council before work starts. Controlled parking zones cover much of inner London, and each borough runs its own. A van working in Highbury will usually need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension arranged through the council, which often needs notice. It’s useful to tell us about parking at the design visit.
The wider area includes historic houses such as Sutton House, about 2 miles east. If your own home is a period one, a radiator under the window just needs a grille in the seat front. If you live in a period home close to Christ Church, a radiator under the window just needs a grille in the seat front. If you live near Highbury Fields, living near green space often means muddy boots, bikes and outdoor kit, and window seats can give those things a place.
Highbury is part of the London Borough of Islington. We work across all London boroughs and the City of London, and Highbury is part of that. Our Islington coverage includes Highbury.
We make window seats across the N1, N16 and N5 postcode area. Streets in the area include Prah Road, Dove Road and Lough Road, and we cover homes on all of them for window seats. Highbury is near the A1199; on busy main roads, unloading window seats takes a little planning. Close by, we also work in Newington Green (1 mile east), Mildmay (1 mile east), Canonbury (1 mile south-east), De Beauvoir Town (1 mile south-east) and Stoke Newington (1 mile north-east). Across the rest of Islington, our area takes in Farringdon (2 miles south), Clerkenwell (2 miles south), Finsbury (2 miles south), St Luke's (2 miles south), Upper Holloway (2 miles north-west) and Tufnell Park (2 miles west). Highbury is among the bigger places we cover in Islington.
Local landmarks in Highbury
We fit furniture in homes around The Snooty Fox pub, City of London Academy Highbury Grove and Musical Theatre Academy and the streets around them. Highbury has its own railway station: Canonbury station. Nearby you will also find Arsenal Football Club Museum (0.6 miles north-west) and Hackney Walk (2 miles east). For a walk, there is Gillespie Park.
Your questions about window seats in Highbury
Does a conservation area in or near Highbury affect fitted furniture?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, changes inside that alter its character can require listed building consent, so check with the council first. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
Do you make window seats for homes in Highbury?
Yes. We cover all of Islington and the rest of London, and Highbury is part of that. The first step is a design visit, where we measure and discuss the design, followed by a quote.
Can you build a window seat over a radiator?
Yes. The seat has a grille or open front, so the warmth can reach the room. We also leave space around the radiator. Moving the radiator is for your plumber, if you’d prefer it elsewhere.
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. We check all of this at the measuring visit.
Which materials go into your window seats?
Our window seats are made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, then painted. A moisture-resistant grade suits a spot by a window, where condensation can form. The materials and finish are agreed in your quote.
What happens at the design visit?
It is a chance to measure properly and talk through what you’d like. We look at the walls, floors and anything the furniture has to work around, and the written quote comes afterwards.