Example photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash, not our project
Richmond upon Thames · London
Window seats in North Sheen, Richmond upon Thames
We make window seats in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood for homes in North Sheen. Each piece is finished by spray or by hand, in the colour you choose.
- Looking for a reading spot by the window
- No space for toys and games
- A ready-made bench that does not fit the bay
Window seats in North Sheen
How we make window seats for North Sheen
Each window seat is built in our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. Birch plywood gives the seat its strength, as it is strong and holds screws firmly, and MDF gives the fronts and panels a smooth surface for paint. It is then spray-painted or hand-painted and fitted in your home in North Sheen. Typical reasons to get in touch are needing more storage in the room and a radiator that makes the space hard to use, and the answer is made at our workshop from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted.
A solid brick outside wall in an older house can be cold and sometimes damp, so storage against it is designed with ventilation behind. That matters around North Sheen, where a large share of the homes are that old. Any damp is dealt with before storage goes in.
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’s made from and how it’s finished, and it is what the workshop builds to.
- Location
- North Sheen (TW9, SW14, W4)
- Borough
- Richmond upon Thames
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Where it’s made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Materials and finish
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- When we fit
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Contact
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
When is bespoke worth it?
Bespoke work comes into its own in rooms that are not square. Older London rooms tend to have leaning walls, sloping floors and alcoves of different widths, and standard units leave gaps.
Shop-bought shelves can sag over a long span. Span, depth and the weight on it decide whether a shelf sags, so a long run needs a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or a support. We design shelves with that in mind.
What window seats cannot fix
We’d rather be clear about where our work stops:
- Fabric covers and cushions
- Repairs to sash windows, cills or shutters
- Plastering and decorating around the seat
If in doubt, you can fill in our short enquiry form and describe the room. Our process from visit to fitting.
What goes into it
- Spray-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Lift-up lids or drawers
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Radiator grilles
- Hand-painted finish
Before and after fitting day
New paint needs time to cure fully, so treat it gently at first. After that, a few simple habits help:
- Make sure any shutters still open fully
- Choose a colour that suits the room
- Let us know about parking near your home
- Consider how often you will reach for what’s stored
We open each lid and drawer with you before we go. Any grille is checked so the radiator can still warm the room. You will know it all works as it should.
Use a step rather than standing on the seat. Standing on it can mark the paint and strain the lid. It will look better for longer with a little care.
Places near North Sheen
Also in North Sheen
Common questions about window seats
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 does not normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character can need listed building consent from the council. If you are unsure, the council can confirm.
Is North Sheen in the area you cover for window seats?
Yes, North Sheen is within the area we cover, which takes in all of Richmond upon Thames and the rest of London. We start with a design visit to measure the room and talk through what you need, followed by a quote.
Can you build a window seat over a radiator?
Yes. A radiator under the window is common, and the seat is designed to work with it. The front includes a grille so the radiator keeps working. Storage above a radiator stays warm, so it suits things that don’t mind that.
Can you fit furniture to uneven walls?
Uneven walls are normal in older London homes, and the furniture is made to deal with them. We scribe the edges to follow the wall and set the furniture level on adjustable feet or a plinth.
Do I get to choose the colour?
The choice is yours, and we agree it with you before the furniture is finished. Whichever finish you pick, it’s in the colour you have chosen.
Does someone need to be home during the fitting?
We need access, so someone has to let us in. You do not need to watch us work, though we like to go over the furniture with you at the end.
From workshop to your room
With the carcasses fixed and level, any doors go on and any drawers or lids are fitted. We adjust each one so the gaps line up and it closes cleanly. How long 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. Scribing is done on site, which means some cutting in the room or close by, so a clear area to work in near the room helps. Dust is kept down and cleared up as we go. Hand painting, if that’s your finish, can follow the fitting.
- It starts when you contact us about a window seat.
- At the design visit, we look at the window, the radiator and what you need. Shutters and cills are noted too.
- Your quote sets out the design, the materials and the finish.
- Your window seat is made at our workshop, shaped to the window, from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- The seat is fitted and set level, ready for a cushion.
How to prepare
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
- Empty the space we will be working in
Ask for a quote
Getting a quote starts with some details: which room it is, rough measurements and a couple of photos if you can take them. When you’re ready, tell us about the room on our contact form. We’ll then arrange a design visit and follow it with a quote in writing.
Advice
What affects the cost of window seats
Every room is different, so every job is quoted on its own. These are the things that affect it:
- Hanging rails, shelves, drawers and other fittings inside
- Whether you choose a spray or hand-painted finish
- Doors and drawers, and how many
- Tricky walls, sloping ceilings and uneven floors
Every room is priced on its own, because the size, the layout and the finish all vary. A spray finish and a hand-painted finish involve different work, and that shows in the price. The figure comes in your written quote after the design visit.
What to send when you get in touch
The more you can tell us at the start, the better the design visit goes. It is useful to include:
- Your postcode and the borough
- Any ideas or images you’ve saved
- A few pictures of the space, taken from the doorway and from each corner
- Rough measurements, even if they’re only to the nearest few centimetres
To make a start, use our contact form and tell us which room you have in mind and what you want the furniture to do. From there, we arrange a design visit to measure up and talk through your ideas, and send you a quote in writing afterwards.
Fitted storage in North Sheen
About 46% of the homes in the neighbourhood around North Sheen went up before 1919, and about 16% between 1919 and 1939, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). That matters for window seats, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. The National Heritage List records 17 entries within half a mile of the centre of North Sheen. You can check whether a particular building is listed on Historic England’s list. More than a third of the homes in the streets around North Sheen (about 46%) were built before 1919, in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. Sash and bay windows are common in houses of that age, and they’re natural places for a window seat.
If you live in a period home close to The Barn Church, a bay or a sash window is a natural place for a window seat. The wider area includes historic houses like Kew Palace, about 1 mile north-west. If your own home is a period one, a seat under a sash window can keep shutters and cills clear. Near listed buildings like West Farm West Lodge, less than half a mile north-west of the centre of North Sheen, older homes may keep original joinery that window seats can be designed around. For a listed home, fixing into original features may need listed building consent.
North Sheen is in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, about 3 miles south-west of Twickenham. North Sheen is part of the area we cover. In Richmond upon Thames, North Sheen is one of the places we cover, and the borough has 19 places on our list.
Every address in TW9, SW14 and W4 is covered for window seats. Streets in the area include Kent Road, Ibis Lane and The Avenue, and homes on each of them are within our area for window seats. Other places close to North Sheen include Kew (1 mile north), Grove Park (1 mile north-east), Strand-on-the-Green (1 mile north), East Sheen (1 mile south-east) and Mortlake (1 mile south-east). Elsewhere in Richmond upon Thames, we also cover Twickenham (3 miles south-west), Richmond (2 miles south-west), Teddington (4 miles south-west), Hampton (5 miles south-west), Hanworth (5 miles south-west) and St Margarets (2 miles south-west).
Landmarks near North Sheen
Around North Sheen, we cover homes near Tap on the Line, Kew College Prep and Chiswick School. North Sheen has its own railway station: Kew Gardens station. A little further out are Museum No. 2. Monocotyledons and Cryptogams (0.9 miles north-west) and Barnes Hospital (1.1 miles south-east). For a walk, there is Kew Gardens Lake and Duke's Hollow.