Example photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash, not our project
Westminster · London
Window Seats in St John's Wood
Window seats in St John's Wood: 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.
- A recess under the window doing nothing
- A radiator under the window getting in the way
- Looking for a reading spot by the window
Need window seats in St John's Wood?
Window seats in St John's Wood: local notes
Homes built before 1919 make up about 30% of the housing in the area around St John's Wood, with about 29% built between 1945 and 1972, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. We take that into account during the design visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. 14 conservation areas have at least part of their area within a mile of the centre of St John's Wood. Historic England says England has around 10,000, and the controls mainly cover the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Since the zone was extended to the outer boroughs in August 2023, the whole of London has been inside the ULEZ. So any van that delivers or fits furniture in St John's Wood is covered by it. We go through parking and access during the design visit.
If you live near Primrose Hill, living near green space often means muddy boots, bikes and outdoor kit, and window seats can give those things a place. If you live in a period home close to Church of All Souls, a seat under a sash window can keep shutters and cills clear. The wider area includes historic houses like Winfield House, about 0.6 miles south-east. If your own home is a period one, a radiator under the window just needs a grille in the seat front.
St John's Wood is within the City of Westminster, about 2 miles south-east of City of Westminster. We design and make window seats for homes in St John's Wood and the rest of Westminster, as part of our work in every London borough. Our work takes in places right across Westminster, large and small.
We cover every part of NW8, NW6 and NW3. Our area takes in homes on streets such as The Lane, Hall Road and Hill Road, for window seats and any of our other fitted furniture. Main roads around St John's Wood include the A5205. Neighbouring places we cover for window seats include South Hampstead (1 mile north), Swiss Cottage (1 mile north), Primrose Hill (1 mile north-east), Lisson Grove (1 mile south) and Haverstock (1 mile north-east). Other parts of Westminster we cover include City of Westminster (2 miles south-east), Marylebone (2 miles south-east), Soho (2 miles south-east), Chinatown (3 miles south-east), St James's (3 miles south-east) and Covent Garden (3 miles south-east).
Local landmarks in St John's Wood
We fit furniture in homes around Cecil Sharp House, Quintin Kynaston Community Academy and Cafe Med pub, among other places. St John's Wood has its own railway station: South Hampstead station. Nearby you will also find O2 Centre (0.9 miles north) and Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth (within half a mile south). Open spaces near St John's Wood include Greville Place nature reserve.
Window seats for homes in St John's Wood
Bay windows are common in period homes, and they make a natural place for a seat. A bay is rarely a simple shape, with angled sides and walls that aren’t quite straight. Each side is measured and the seat is scribed to fit, so the seat follows the bay exactly. It is the kind of space where a ready-made bench never quite fits. People typically come to us about no comfortable place to sit in the light and standard furniture leaving gaps in a bay, and the answer is made in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand.
Getting materials into a block means planning the lift, the corridor and the front door of the flat. Most households around St John's Wood live in purpose-built flats, so window seats are drawn in sections from the start. Common parts are protected while the pieces come in.
If the job needs another trade, such as an electrician or a plumber, we will tell you, so it can be arranged before fitting day. Our quote covers the carpentry: the design, the materials and the finish.
- Place
- St John's Wood (NW8, NW6, NW3)
- Area
- Westminster
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a written quote
- Making
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Made from
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Neighbourhoods near St John's Wood
Other services in St John's Wood
Your questions about window seats in St John's Wood
I live near South Hampstead station. Is that in your area?
Yes, homes across Westminster and the rest of London are within the area we cover. To get started, you can message us from the contact page with some details about the room, and tell us about parking and access at the same time.
Can you make window seats for a home in St John's Wood?
Yes, St John's Wood is within the area we cover, which takes in all of Westminster and the rest of London. The first step is a design visit, where we measure and go through the design, followed by a quote.
Do pictures help?
Yes. Pictures help us understand the room before the design visit. It’s useful to show radiators, sockets and anything else on the wall.
Do I need to be in when you fit?
We need access, so someone has to let us in. You don’t need to watch us work, though we like to go over the furniture with you at the end.
How is a window seat priced?
Every piece is quoted for your room after the design visit. A bay with angled sides involves more work than a straight recess, and drawers more than a lid. We set it all out in a quote in writing.
What is a window seat made from?
Our window seats are made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, then painted. Next to a window, the moisture-resistant grade is a sensible choice. Your quote confirms the materials and finish.
How fitting day works
Before anything is fixed, we set the furniture level. Where the floor slopes, we bring the furniture up to level on adjustable feet or a plinth, and that keeps the doors and shelves true. Only then is it fixed to the wall, with fixings chosen to suit brick, lath and plaster or plasterboard. Noise from drilling travels in a block, so neighbours may appreciate a note, and many buildings limit noisy work to certain hours. We plan the day to suit those rules. Saturdays can be arranged if your building allows work then.
- It starts when you get in touch with a few details about the window, including any radiator under it.
- We visit to measure the window and go through the design.
- We send a quote in writing setting out the design, materials and finish, for you to look over.
- We make the seat, the lids or drawers and any grille in our workshop.
- We bring it to your home, fit it and leave it ready to use.
Preparing the room
- Let us know where the boiler and meters are
- Take anything hanging off the wall we are fitting to
- Have your electrician move any sockets or switches beforehand
Getting a quote
If you know what you want, say so; if not, we can work it out together at the visit. The design is talked through at the visit, once we have measured, and the written quote then sets it out. To start, drop us a line using the contact form.
Related advice
Bespoke window seats or ready-made?
We scribe each seat to follow the walls and floor, so there are no gaps at the sides or the base. A bench simply sits in front of the window. In an older room, the difference shows. Big standalone units don’t always fit the lift or the turn on the stairs, while fitted furniture arrives in sections sized for the route. The sections are assembled once inside.
In London, parking can affect the price. The boroughs run controlled parking zones across much of the city, so a van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension. Let us know about parking during the design visit, so it can be planned.
What you get with us
- Work across the whole of London
- Edges scribed to follow your walls
- Made for your room, not a standard size
- 300+ projects completed
See how bespoke compares with ready-made and what a quote should include.
How it is made
Birch plywood
Its layered build gives birch plywood its strength. We use it for the frame, the seat and the drawer boxes, and its edge can be left visible or painted.
Spray-painted finish
Spray painting gives the seat a very even surface. We apply it in our workshop, and the paint needs time to cure fully once fitted.
Practical tips
A little care keeps the finish looking good. Here are our suggestions:
- Check the shutters so the seat can leave room for them
- Bring paint colours you like to the design visit
- Decide on cushion thickness before the design visit
- Consider adding shelving around the seat
We can give you the seat measurements for a cushion maker. Let the paint cure before the cushion goes on, to protect both the fabric and the finish.
Keep the radiator grille clear so the heat can reach the room. Keeping it clear helps the radiator work as it should. Things stored near a radiator stay warm, so choose what goes there with that in mind.
When you need someone else
Before you plan the job, it’s useful to know what we do not do:
- Painting the walls of the bay
- Seat cushions, which you source separately
- Work on the window frame or glass
If in doubt, you can drop us a line using the contact form and describe the room before you arrange a visit. Our process from visit to fitting.
What it is made from
- Radiator grilles
- Lift-up lids or drawers
- Birch plywood
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Hand-painted finish
- Spray-painted finish