Design window seat
51 Window Seats To Make You Reimagine The Lowly Window Sill
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There is something so very magnetic about a window seat. The minute we see that sun trap, bathed in beautiful natural light, we just can’t wait to plant ourselves up against the glass. Proximity to the outside world makes us feel connected, without putting a foot outside the comfort of home. Upper floor window seats can float you above the city or put you amongst the birds in the treetops, ground floor benches unite you with garden life even in rain, sleet or snow. From simple extensions of the lowly window sill, to key extensions of living space, this extensive collection of inspirational window seats has it all.
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- Designer: Turkel Design
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- Designer: Maayan Zusman & Amir Navon
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- Architect: Safdie Rabines
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- Via: duslerdenizi
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- Designer: Brooke Boling
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- Designer: Bernardo Rodrigues
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- Visualizer: P&M Studio
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- Designer: NU Architectuuratelier
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- Architect: Phil Abram
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- Via: Realtor
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- Architect: Ralph Matheson
- Designer: Butler Armsden
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- Visualizer: Ngoc Do, Nguyễn Thành & DClaw 12
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- Photographer: Julien Fernandez
- Via: Domino
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- Designer: BENT Architecture
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- Photographer: Bjorn Wallander
- Via: Martha Stewart
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- Visualizer: Tuan Eke
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- Visualizer: Zieg Si
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- Visualizer: Duc Nguyen
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- Visualizer: Lauri Brothers
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- Designer: Galeazzo Design
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- Architect: Andrew Franz Architect
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- Architect: ArqDonini
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- Architect: Meta-Project
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- Architect: Alterstudio
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- Architect: Platform 5 Architects
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- Architect: Alain Carle Architecte
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- Via: Attic bedrooms
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- Architect: Noji Architects
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- Designer: Tecnova Architecture & archi5
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- Architect: Zen Architects
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- Visualizer: Irinel-Ramona Florescu
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- Designer: Bria Hammel
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- Designer: Mimodo
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- Architect: Pleysier Perkins
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- Designer: Sanctuary Architects
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- Designer: Room Design Buro
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- Visualizer: Arina Zamorina
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- Architect: Bull O'Sullivan Architecture
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- Architect: Studio Razavi
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- Via: Historias De Casas
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- Architect: Vana Pernari
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- Architect: Faulkner Architects
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- Designer: Guan Pin
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- Photographer: David Hotsun
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- Architect: Eduard Balcells + Tigges Architekt + Ignasi Rius Architecture
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- Architect: Lande Architects
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- Designer: HoYen Design
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- Designer: Anton Bazaliyskiy
- Photographer: Maxim Maximov
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- Designer: Fabian Tan
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- Designer: Studio Junction
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- Source: Buy On Amazon
Recommended Reading:
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40 Fabulous Floor Reading Lamps For The Design Conscious
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21 Window Seat Ideas for Every Room
By
Kristin Hohenadel
Kristin Hohenadel
Kristin Hohenadel is an interior design expert who has covered architecture, interiors, and decor trends for publications including the New York Times, Interior Design, Lonny, and the American and international editions of Elle Decor. She resides in Paris, France, and has traveled to over 30 countries, giving her a global perspective on home design.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 12/15/22
The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto
A window seat is always the best seat in the room, made for soaking up the light, gazing out at the view, curling up with a book, snuggling with a loved one, or sneaking in a power nap.
The built-in, upholstered window seats common today are a modern evolution of the small free-standing benches that people began placing beneath their sash windows centuries ago. If you don't have the budget or the space for a built-in, you can improvise a window seat using a wood or upholstered bench or loveseat of any style or period. Just pay attention to proportion to make sure that the window seat fits seamlessly beneath your window of choice, and style it to suit your needs by adding throw pillows, a cozy blanket, or a reading light.
Get Inspired by These Window Seat Ideas for Every Room
Let these window seats—located everywhere from the living room to the bedroom, dining room, mudroom, home office, and beyond—inspire you to install a window seat in your room(s) of choice that will become everyone's favorite spot.
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Leave the Windows Bare
Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Photo by Christy Q. Photography
In this light-flooded Palo Alto, California home from Cathie Hong Interiors, a built-in, wood-topped window seat in the dining room creates an off-duty reading nook or extra bench seating when there's a crowd. Windows are curtain free to maximize functionality, while patterned throw pillows in neutral tones add softness.
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Maximize a Pass-Through Space
Design by Mindy Gayer Design Co.
This spacious upstairs landing from Mindy Gayer Design Co. is flooded with Southern California light, making the pass-through space an ideal location for a built-in window seat that runs beneath a wall of double windows. A natural-toned floor basket is a decorative way to store extra blankets or favorite reading material between uses to keep the space looking tidy.
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Cozy Up the Home Office
Design and Photo by Anita Yokota
One of the joys of working from home is having the option to stay focused—and take needed breaks—in any location or posture without having coworkers looking on. This cozy L-shaped home office from Anita Yokota includes a cozy and casual window seat daybed for reading drafts, brainstorming new ideas, or grabbing a power nap.
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Optimize the Mudroom
Design by Becca Interiors
This built-in mudroom window seat from Becca Interiors is located steps from the front door of a Hudson River view Colonial home in New York state, making it a convenient place to take off muddy boots or set down your sun hat and farmers market haul.
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Use a Vintage Love Seat
Design by Becca Interiors
Becca Interiors created an improvised window seat in the home library corner of this Hudson Valley, NY Colonial home by placing an upholstered vintage loveseat beneath the window that fits snugly between a pair of built-in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
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Create an Attic Perch
Design by Jersey Ice Cream Co.
This attic reading room from Jersey Ice Cream Co. is kid-friendly but fun for the whole family, with cozy floor rugs and pillows and wrap-around banquettes that include a built-in window seat that hides the AC and offers natural light and views.
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Supersize It
Design by Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp
In this spacious bedroom from Emily Henderson Design, an extra-long window seat is built beneath a large bank of windows, hugging the irregular shape of the room's walls to maximize surface area and achieve a streamlined look. The extra bench space means that it's big enough to share or use to display plants, books, or decor objects. A reading light sconce in the corner and some throw pillows and blankets make it comfortable and functional.
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Accessorize the Dressing Room
Design by Britt Design Studio
This fully loaded dressing room from Britt Design Studio includes ample storage for clothes, accessories, and shoes, plus a built-in window seat under the arched window for gathering yourself before heading out to face the world.
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Use Warm Colors
Design by Becca Interiors
This kids room from Becca Interiors has vintage wallpaper and furniture, warm colors, and tons of homespun Colonial charm. But the focal point of the room is the charming double window seat that's all set up for story time.
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Add a Storage Bench
Design by Emily Bowser for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp
If you don't have the budget for a built-in, or your window is on the smaller side, try installing a bench instead. In this bedroom window seat hack designed by Emily Bowser for Emily Henderson Design, a simple upholstered bench with built-in hidden storage is wedged into the corner for extra stability, and runs to the edge of a small window to fill the space and create the impression that the window is larger than it is.
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Add Shelves
Design by Christina Kim Interior Design
Christina Kim Interior Design created a reading corner in this blue-and-white home office, complete with a comfortable window seat flanked by bookshelves for storing reading materials and displaying objects.
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Create a Way Station
Design by KG Designs
This long, rectangular combination laundry room mudroom from KG Designs has wall hooks for storing jackets and backpacks, bench seating for putting on shoes, and a pair of window seats where you can take a load off while you wait for the towels to finish drying.
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Maximize Light
Design by JK Interior Living
Not every window is possessed of a picturesque view. This window seat from JK Interior Living faces a brick wall, but lets plenty of natural light into the mudroom, and includes a place for plants on the windowsill. The bench is outfitted with a generous smattering of plump pillows, and dark navy wall paint defines the window seat area.
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Add a Spa-Like Feel
Design by Desiree Burns Interiors
This spacious bathroom from Desiree Burns Interiors has enough room for large twin vanities, with a generous window seat tucked in between them that adds a spa-like feel. The window seat is built in beneath a large arched window with a view of the outdoors, a perfect place to paint your toenails or share a moment with your partner while admiring the leafy view.
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Create a Kids Reading Corner
Design by Mindy Gayer Design Co.
This kid-friendly corner window seat from Mindy Gayer Design Co. is decorated in keeping with the blue, white, and red theme of the room. Built-in drawers add storage, a thick upholstered seat provides comfort, and plenty of throw pillows and a spare blanket invite quiet time and encourage reading.
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Add Bench Seating
Design by Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp
In this roomy bedroom from Emily Henderson Design, the closets on either side of the far window make it impossible to install a built-in window seat. But there's room enough for a small wood bench that can serve as a perch for putting on shoes, sipping morning coffee, or daydreaming by the light of the window on a cold winter's day. Light billowy curtains scrape the floor and help fill in the empty space around the bench without looking heavy or encroaching on the closet doors.
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Fill a Dead Space
Design by KG Designs
This built-in window seat with under-bench storage from KG Designs turns the dead space of an empty hallway into a dedicated zone for reading, chilling, or seating waiting clients just outside of the home office.
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Add Wall to Ceiling Shelving
Ursula Carmona of Home Made by Carmona
Blogger Ursula Carmona of Home Made by Carmona gave her parents' rustic and traditional mountain home library a modern refresh with white paint, floor-to-ceiling shelving, and a built-in window seat for whiling the hours away reading, hanging out, and playing music in the shadow of the wood-burning stove.
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Add Charm to the Nursery
Design by Becca Interiors
It may be true that every nursery needs a rocking chair, but this baby room from Becca Interiors makes the case that window seats are another flexible seating option for everything from burping the baby to supervising toddlers playing on the floor.
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Spice Up an Eat-In Kitchen
Design by Jessica Nelson Design / Photo by Carina Skrobecki Photography
This eat-in kitchen dining area from Jessica Nelson Design gets an extra kick with the addition of a cozy corner window seat banquette outfitted with comfy throw pillows and a small round cafe table to preserve flow.
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Embellish the Bay Window
Design by Kate Marker Interiors / Photo by Stoffer Photography
The dark green paint on the walls of this home library from Kate Marker Interior has a calming effect that invites relaxation and gives definition to a cozy window seat that is built into a recessed bay window providing views and natural light.
10 stunning window seat rooms - make the most of your free space in your interior
September is the time when children go to school, and adults gradually return to the regular pace of work after the slow pace of summer. And, of course, you need a cozy corner for relaxation, where you can relax and dream.
Living room with a view
Take this living room in Seattle with a huge window sill that allows you to sit comfortably and watch the stars. But if you don't have a great view from your room, don't worry. Regardless of the scenery outside the window, comfortable seats and an original coffee table will help you relax. nine0003
And New York is an unforgettable sight, especially when a few decorative pillows add comfort to your window seat. It looks very interesting located next to the usual stumps, painted white.
Bedroom window seat
It's amazing to have a large window sill in your bedroom. Especially when the sleeping rooms are small and cannot accommodate either armchairs or large soft sofas. Such spaces perfectly replace both. And warm, neutral tones will create the necessary comfort. By grouping the cushions on only one side of the seat, you provide yourself with enough space to stretch out and enjoy your favorite book. nine0003
Those who have large enough bedrooms with expansive window sills to make the most of them are very lucky. Like, for example, this room, with its chic features.
Even if your space does not have a panoramic view and natural landscape outside the window, you can still enjoy a serene place to relax with it. Use interesting cushions that have an attractive texture and sheen.
And if you have a wonderful epic space behind your glass, arrange your scenery so that it is in the center of attention. As shown in the photo. Notice the placement of the pads that add natural beauty to the opposite side of the window. nine0003
To be comfortable, a place to rest should not be long. Even small spaces will fit, for a built-in bench that will help take your interior to the next level. Arrange your bedroom so that the pillows near the window blend beautifully with the tones of the other home textiles in the room.
Kitchen and window sill
You might think that decorating a kitchen window sill in this way is a little unexpected, but that's why these places make culinary spaces so special. Try adding colored pads and see how they bring a new pattern to your design concept. nine0003
And one more possibility of such a cozy place is special offers for arched windows. It can be special curtains, textured pillows, and indeed this custom window itself is already an unusual addition to the kitchen. Fabulous - in the full sense of the word!
With the right soft furnishings, curtains, a drink or a book, any window can be a delightful place to relax.
original finishWindow seat: 10 design ideas that don't have a window sill :: Design :: RBC Real Estate
Many designers have appreciated the advantages of wide window sills. Others have gone further and turned the window seat into a recreation and work area. In this material, the editors of RBC-Real Estate have collected the most interesting design options.
Photo: Freestocks/Unsplash
Custom furniture can be ordered for this design. A more economical format is to put any finished bed close to the window, after cutting off the window sill. The design is suitable for small rooms and studio apartments where it is important to save space. nine0003
Photo: Pinterest.com
adv.rbc.ru
Standard hallways rarely have a window, but you can repeat the idea in a country house or dressing room where it is. To do this, you do not have to purchase expensive furniture: just make sure that the wide window sill can withstand the weight of a person. You can put a mattress and pillows on it, and take the space under the seat with a shelf for shoes.
Photo: Pinterest.com
In the case of wide slopes, designers suggest creating a kind of sofa. In this example, several storage boxes are located under the seating area, which increases the functionality of the structure. In such a space, you can take a nap if it is wide enough, and store bedding below. nine0003
Photo: Pinterest.com
The seat can be shortened to save space for cabinets or shelves, as in this example. The designer has created a relaxing corner that will fit perfectly in the living room, bedroom or large kitchen.
Photo: Pinterest.com
You can make soft seats near a narrow window. Puffs or a full sofa will do. It is convenient to sit on it together or sit alone with a tray. As in the case of a sleeping place, it is enough to remove the window sill and place the furniture close to the window. nine0003
Photo: Pinterest.com
If the window is located in the corner of the room, a sofa or bed can be placed as in this photo. It is worth thinking separately about the headboard, so this option should be considered at the stage of planning an apartment or a major overhaul. If you do not want to build new walls, then a screen or a high rack is suitable for zoning.
Photo: Pinterest.com
Window space is also adapted to work needs. This is especially true for freelancers who need to work from home. To create an office, a table with a width of 45 cm is enough. Do not forget about good lighting - in the evening you will need a lamp on the left or built-in LED lights on the slopes or ceiling. nine0003
Photo: Pinterest.com
The window sill can also play the role of a table, and it is not necessary to place it strictly under the windows. The space is limited by walls or left open. Such an office can also be made at the panoramic window.
Photo: Pinterest.com
You can not lean anything against the panoramic windows at all and at the same time decorate the space in an original way. Flowers are often placed near the window; without a window sill, you can build a small podium for them. Or make a place for a pet by putting a bed, bowls and toys. In this example, the designer has added a glass shelf that is perfect for plant pots. A transparent horizontal does not create the effect of dividing space. nine0003
Photo: argusm.com
The window seat is perfect for a beauty shelf. The sun's rays will fall on the face, so you can do without additional illumination.