Example photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash, not our project
Westminster · London
Window Seats in Soho
Few London rooms are perfectly square, and we scribe the furniture to follow the walls. Our work on window seats in Soho starts with a design visit, and everything is made in our workshop.
- Standard furniture leaving gaps in a bay
- A radiator under the window getting in the way
- A nursery or bedroom short of storage
Ask about window seats in Soho
How fitting day works
Every fitting follows the same order: floors are protected, the sections come in, everything is levelled, scribed to the walls, fixed and finished. At the end, we tidy up and go over the work with you. How long fitting takes depends on the size of the window and the design, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Terraced streets in London are often lined with parked cars, so details of permits, bays and any loading restrictions help. Unloading is kept short, with sections taken straight inside. Saturday fitting can be arranged.
- To begin, use our contact form; a brief note on the bay or sash window is enough.
- At the design visit we measure the window and the radiator, and plan a grille or open front so heat is not trapped.
- Your written quote sets out the seat, the grille, the materials and the finish.
- 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.
Preparing the room
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Getting a quote
If you already have something in mind, tell us; if you don’t, that is fine, and we can work it out together. At the design visit, we measure up and talk the design through with you, and the written quote that follows sets it out. To start, send us a few details through our contact form.
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About our window seats in Soho
Lots of period homes across London have sash windows. A seat beneath one needs to sit below the cill so the window still opens and closes easily. If the window has shutters, the seat is planned so they can still open fully. These details are measured when we visit your home in Soho. We make window seats from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand, and the usual reasons to get in touch are no comfortable place to sit in the light and wanting new furniture to sit well in an older room.
In streets where many homes were built before 1919, as they were around Soho, under-stairs cupboards in older terraces often house the meters or the fuse board. Those have to stay reachable, so any storage is designed around them. Bays and sash windows in period houses are natural spots for a window seat.
The quote comes in writing, so there is time to read it properly and talk it over at home. It covers the design, materials and finish agreed at the visit.
- Place
- Soho (W1F, W1T, W1D)
- Borough
- Westminster
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Why people ask for window seats in Soho
Parents often want a window seat for a child’s room, with toy storage below. Drawers keep toys within easy reach. It also keeps the floor clear.
Here are some of the needs we’re asked about most:
- Standard furniture leaving gaps in a bay
- Wanting a quiet place to read
- Nowhere to keep blankets, toys or books
- A nursery or bedroom short of storage
Close to St Anne's Churchyard? Living near green space often means muddy boots, bikes and outdoor kit, and window seats can give those things a place.
Before you choose who makes it
- Can you see real work of theirs?
- Is it spray painted or hand painted?
- How they deal with uneven walls and floors
- Which materials they’ll use, named in the quote
What affects the price in Soho
We quote each job after the design visit, because no two rooms are the same. This is what makes the difference:
- The width and height of the space
- Access to the room, such as stairs, lifts and narrow halls
- The internal fittings
- How square the room is
How it is painted is part of the price: spray painting is done in the workshop, while hand painting can be done on site. The written quote reflects your choice, along with the size and fittings.
Before the design visit
The more you can tell us at the start, the better the design visit goes. When you get in touch, it helps to send:
- Rough sizes: width, height and depth
- Where you live, with the postcode
- What the furniture needs to hold
- A few photos of the space, taken from the doorway and from each corner
For a quote for window seats in Soho, drop us a line using the contact form. Tell us which room it is and roughly what you have in mind. Next comes a design visit, followed by a written quote.
Neighbourhoods near Soho
More for homes in Soho
Storage in Soho homes: local notes
About 49% of the homes in the neighbourhood around Soho went up before 1919, and about 21% since 2000, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. 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. Soho is partly covered by the Soho Conservation Area, according to Historic England’s records. Conservation area controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Your council can advise if you are unsure. TfL’s Ultra Low Emission Zone covers every part of London, Westminster included. It applies to the vans that deliver and fit furniture in Soho, as it does anywhere else in London. We go through parking and access during the design visit.
Near listed buildings like House of St Barnabas, under half a mile north of the centre of Soho, older homes may keep original joinery that window seats can be designed around. If your own home is listed, check with the council before fixing into original features. If your children go to Soho Parish CofE Primary School or a school nearby, window seats can be planned around what a family needs to keep, from coats and bags to sports kit.
Soho is about 1 mile west of City of Westminster, within the City of Westminster. We work across all London boroughs and the City of London, and Soho is part of that. Soho is one of 29 places on our list for Westminster.
Every address in W1F, W1T and W1D is covered for window seats. We cover homes on streets such as Duck Lane, Drury Lane and Bridle Lane, along with the roads around them, whether you want window seats or another piece made for the room. Soho sits close to the A4 and A301. If your home is on one of them, tell us at the design visit, as some main roads have strict stopping rules. We also cover the places around Soho: West End (1 mile east), Chinatown (1 mile south), Seven Dials (1 mile east), St Giles (1 mile north-east) and St James's (1 mile south). Elsewhere in Westminster, we also cover Paddington Green (2 miles west), Paddington (2 miles west), Connaught Village (2 miles west), Lisson Grove (2 miles north-west), Westbourne (3 miles west) and Little Venice (2 miles west). As one of the bigger places in Westminster, Soho is covered for all of our fitted furniture.
What’s near Soho
The streets we cover here include those near LITE Regal International School, London Library and Bar Soho, among other places. Soho has its own railway station: Tottenham Court Road station. Well-known places in the area include St James Workhouse (a few minutes’ walk west) and Montfichet's Tower (1.3 miles east). Green spaces nearby include St. James's Park Lake and Ludgate Hill.
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Off-the-shelf benches aren’t designed to sit over a radiator. Put in front of one, they can trap the heat. A bespoke seat has a grille or open front designed in, so the heat can reach the room. The two recesses beside a chimney breast are seldom an identical size, and standard units bought as a pair rarely suit both. Fitted furniture is made to each one separately.
Every piece is quoted for your room after the design visit. Bigger pieces use more board and take longer to make and fit, so size is the starting point. After that, the number of doors and drawers, the internal fittings and the finish all play a part.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in Soho
- Designed for the room you have
- Work across the whole of London
- Workshop-made and fitted by us
- Saturdays by arrangement
Read our comparison of bespoke and off-the-shelf and what a quote should include.
Flats, blocks and rented homes
If you live in a flat, getting the furniture in is planned from the start. We measure the stairs, landings, lift and doorways as well as the room, so each section is sized to get through without a struggle.
Leaseholders should check the lease before anything is fixed to the walls. Some leases need the building owner’s consent for alterations, which is worth sorting early. We cannot give advice on leases, so check it yourself or ask your managing agent.
Questions from Soho
Is parking a problem for fitting in Soho?
It can be, as controlled parking zones cover much of inner London. A van may need a visitor’s permit, a paid parking bay or a bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. It helps to tell us about parking at the design visit, and we’ll plan around it.
I live in a flat in Soho. How will the furniture get up the stairs?
At the design visit, we measure the way in not just the room. Window seats are built in our workshop in sections sized to fit that route, then assembled in your flat. If your building has rules on lift booking or working hours, or your lease needs consent for alterations, it’s worth checking those early.
Should I send pictures?
Yes. Pictures help us understand the room before the design visit. It helps to show radiators, sockets and anything else on the wall.
Do you move sockets or add lighting?
No. Sockets, switches and lighting are for your electrician, and some electrical work in homes is covered by Part P of the Building Regulations. We will design around them.
Can a window seat go over the radiator?
Yes. Many windows have a radiator beneath, and we design the seat around it. A grille in the front lets the heat into the room. Anything stored over the radiator will stay warm, so we plan the storage with that in mind.
How is the furniture painted?
You can choose between two finishes: spray painted or hand painted. Spray painting gives a smooth, even finish, and hand painting is easy to touch up.