23 inviting window seat ideas by the best interior designers
A window seat may have a romantic notion to it, somewhere Elizabeth Bennett would while away her time looking out across the "pretty-ish little wilderness" in Longbourne Park and considering the many faults and virtues of Mr Darcy. But far from being merely a fanciful addition to a room, it is actually an excellent space-saving idea. It's a way to add extra seating to a living room, provide a restful space for the day in a bedroom and can be a wonderful storage solution in a small space. A window seat is an instant way to make a room feel cosy too, and provides the perfect place to curl up with a book, or perch and take in views out the window.
Whether it's in front of a grand bay window or a more modest one, we've rounded up the most stylish reading nooks from the House & Garden archive.
Mark Anthony Fox1/23The corner of the primary bedroom in RIXO founder Orlagh McCloskey's house is a study in delicate pattern and colour. The bamboo dressing table is from Annä MH Living, with a table lamp from OKA atop it. The rattan pendant light is an antique piece.
The window seat is covered in the same Yarn Collective bouclé as the chairs downstairs. The curtain is the ‘Bandana’ from Lewis and Wood.
Mark Anthony Fox2/23Orlagh has employed the same idea again in a spare bedroom, this time with a plain fabric.
Lucas Allen3/23Interior designer Joanne Burgess of The Curious House has been particularly clever with colour in her Henley-on-Thames home. Here she has painted the windows in the sitting room, with their deep reveals, in a glossy green shade (Farrow & Ball's ‘Bancha’) to set them apart from the walls. This makes features of the window seats, which have smart cushions in contrasting upholstery.
Simon Brown4/23In the garden designer Butter Wakefield's elegant London home, a smart green window seat is luxuriously heated by the radiator below and is the perfect spot from which to contemplate the garden.
Yuki Sugiura5/23In the kitchen of the London home of designer Matilda Goad is a large, comfortable dining area. The reeded bench was designed by Matilda and built by her husband Tom. Its cushions are upholstered in blue denim from The Cloth House. Built into the bay window, under frothy blinds in ‘Nasturtium’ by Lake August, it strikes an interesting balance between informality and grandeur.
Simon Brown6/23After falling in love at first sight with this Victorian former artist's studio, owners Robin Muir and Paul Lyon-Maris enlisted the help of interior designer Caroline Holdaway, who adapted the layout to create spacious, light-filled rooms. The light wall panelling and white bedlinen act as a foil for various patterned Celia Birtwell fabrics in the main bedroom. The window seat has shoe storage underneath.
Martin Morrell7/23This space off the entrance hall of this remote Scottish farmhouse designed by Aldridge & Supple is warmed by an Esse wood-fired stove. Arts and Crafts leather chairs and a built-in three-sided bench provide comfortable seating.
James McDonald8/23A window seat doesn't have to be built in. A strategically- and well fitting - piece of furniture will also do the job. In Stephan Eicker's London house, a daybed sits under an original stained-glass window in a recess in the hall.
Daniel Schafer9/23If a window seat doesn't feel quite ambitious enough for you, how about a window bed? In this country house in the Basque region of south-western France, a magical room for children includes a bed built into the space under the window, with steps leading up to it.
Dean Hearne10/23A long sitting room occupies most of the first floor of this colourful seaside house in Deal. Views from the window seat provide look out over the sea. A rug by Robert Stephenson adds colour, while deep blue curtains in Romo's 'Linara Bilberry' are brightened up with a Samuel & Sons border.
11/23A reading nook in the primary bedroom of this house in Colorado is comprised of two armchairs by Travis & Company. The fabric for the Roman shades is Jean Monroe’s Wisteria Rose. The polished brass wall lights flanking the window seat feature a scallop-shell design by Collier Webb.
Simon Upton12/23In this Dorset project by VSP interiors, a small seat added to this window nook provides the perfect place to perch and take in the landscapes beyond. A palate of pinks was chosen for the upholstery throughout: ‘it’s simple and beautiful, but there is nothing extra’, says Henriette Von Stockhausen.
Paul Massey13/23Making great use of a bay window often found in a Victorian terraced house, the graphic designer Adam Ellis has added a window seat which is adorned with a scattering of cushions from Susan Deliss.
Owen Gale14/23The kitchen of the interior designer Laura Logan's house looks out onto the garden and has lots of clever storage hidden under seating and built into the walls.
15/23The front of this 1920s house in Berkeley is surrounded by thick Bamboo. Coupled with the wooden windows and the built in bench covered in Indigo fabric the space has an almost Japanese feeling.
Elsa Young16/23A sprawling farmhouse in Ibiza’s secluded Morna Valley exudes character thanks to the efforts of British decorator Joanna Plant, who has blended original elements with contemporary touches. In the living room two comfortable wooden benches run under the windows providing seating and storage.
Paul Massey17/23Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, this main living room in Martin Ephson's house in County Cork has its original cedar panelling and a window seat with unparalleled views. The neutral-coloured seat cushions run the length of the window and add a cosy contrast to the rugged landscape outside.
Simon Upton18/23The conversion of this Victorian terrace in west London was a collaborative effort between Thomas Croft Architects, John Cullen Lighting and designer Sarah Delaney. Period features were retained in the living room and an upholstered window seat put in so the family could look out over the communal gardens.
Sarah Hogan19/23Banquette seating makes for a brilliant storage solution in the main bedroom of this west London flat decorated by designers Nicholas Spencer and Sophie von Wedekind.
Paul Massey20/23This window seat belongs to a Cornish seaside cottage decorated by Paolo Moschino. 'My brief was to make the cottage as special as possible,' says Paolo. 'It needed to be bigger, lighter, fresh and a little bit modern.'
The window seating was a must-have in this room, allowing extraordinary views to be admired from the sofa. 'The sea is never the same,' says one of the owners. 'It changes colour and mood almost by the hour. The garden is so sheltered that we can sit outside even in winter, but when there is a storm, the sea-spray mists the windows and the lawn is white with foam.'
21/23In one of the bedrooms in Carskiey House, long curtains in Fermoie's green 'N-098' wicker linen work beautifully with soft pink walls. The rise and fall pendant lights over the desk draw attention to the height of the ceilings, their lampshades are from Fermoie, as are the window seat cushions and upholstery fabric.
Simon Brown22/23The wood of the table in the dining room of this former artist's studio matches that of the frames of the large window, tying the room together beautifully. The window seat maximises on space and creates a cosy feeling.
Paul Massey23/23Designer Guy Goodfellow has made the window a feature in this manor-house bedroom in Devon. Its casement is painted in Rose of Jericho's 'Mountain Green', framed by thick linen curtains and with a smart seat underneath. The ceiling is painted with floral motifs, giving the appearance of pargeting. To replicate these murals, try the painter Dawn Reader.
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