22 Creative Ideas for Window Seats

February 19, 2016
Whether you're planning to build a window seat or personalizing a basic design, optimize a spacious window setup with a seat that marries style and function. Browse photos of window seats for every space and style to find the perfect fit for your home.
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Make Use of Every Space

Distinct areas encourage family members to mix and mingle while multitasking. Once overlooked as empty space, a wall-hugging window banquette springs to life as a lengthly lounge area. Located across from the kitchen island, the custom window seat stows small appliances to supplement traditional cabinetry.

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Add Amenities

Even when space is limited, niches can capitalize on style. Make the area as inviting as it is functional by hanging artwork and accessorizing with pretty, plush fabrics.

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Blend with Cabinetry

Designed to appear as an extension of this kitchen's beautiful blue cabinetry, a corner configuration makes this window seat a cozy place to start each morning.

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Bring Comfort to Small Spaces

Plentiful storage and seating are often sacrificed for style in small spaces, but this streamlined living room shows how to restore order through thoughtful design. A daybed beneath the window takes on two roles: guest bed and extra seating. Roomy built-in drawers store linens within easy reach.

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Boost Livability

Bundling a warren of rooms into a single spacious package has its advantages. In this stay-awhile work space, cabinets linked by a low set of drawers span an office window, providing a sunny seat to read, work, or play. By connecting the desk, window seat, and storage centers, the small setup is perfect for multitasking.

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Highlight Storage

Built-in bookcases framing a window seat are ideal for displaying favorite reads and decorative items. A coordinating Roman shade and cushion soften the space.

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Elevate Style

In keeping with this bathroom's modern style, a floating maple cabinet perched between vanities provides extra storage and takes advantage of views. A barely-there solar shade above the window seat ushers natural light while providing privacy.

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Integrate Technology

Transform personal spaces with fashion-forward features. Traditional appeal meets modern technology in the master bedroom, where a pullout TV above the window seat is handsomely concealed within a paneled wall.

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House Other Furniture

Keep order in the house by filling busy rooms with double-duty furniture. A slim window bench stows a rolling ottoman that transitions between additional seating and a landing spot for a serving tray. And because it's on wheels, the ottoman can always be where it's needed—or tuck away to make room for play.

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Look to Underused Spots

Carve out a little spot where you can read and relax surrounded by favorite treasures. At the top of the stairs, a charming niche taps into unused space to create a mini library. With storage underneath, this awash-in-light window seat is the perfect addition to the home's upper level.

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Solve a Tricky Layout

Never underestimate the power of a savvy space plan. Rather than forfeiting square footage with a traditional twin-size bed, a sun-loving window seat embraces this attic's angular design. Dressed with plush pillows and botanical prints, it's as inviting as it is comfortable.

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Utilize Drawers

When planning a window seat design, consider outfitting it with storage to pull double duty. Fill drawers under a window seat with seasonal linens, serving trays, and bulky pots you don't use regularly.

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Enhance Narrow Spaces

Take advantage of a long, narrow space by pairing a window seat with a dining table. This arrangement can host a crowd or comfortably seat a small gathering.

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Personalize with Pattern

Boost your window seat's style quotient with an attention-grabbing cushion pattern and colorful pillows. Because built-in window seats are often white, bold accessories add contrast and excitement.

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Conceal Pet Gear

Make a kitchen window seat work twice as hard by corralling pet essentials within its base. Fill a plastic container inside a deep drawer with food or litter. The setup conceals unsightly storage and makes it a breeze to remove and clean.

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Maximize a Sunroom

A spacious indoor porch outfitted with wooden window benches is the perfect place to display plants or catch some sun. Open shelves provide ample storage for books and baskets. Neutral wood tones allow plants and colorful fabrics to pop.

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On-the-Cheap Window Seat

Outfit a small window seat with function and flair by blending storage and kitchen features. A few tweaks to stock cabinets result in a window seat that looks custom but costs much less. Remove cabinet doors for open storage. A toe-kick creates a finished look and boosts the seat height.

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Outfit a Daybed

A daybed beside the desk area is pressed into service as a spot to sit while helping kids with homework. Two drawers built into the bed's platform and a shelf overhead provide ample storage for growing needs.

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Update with Beaded Board

Play up a kitchen's cottage character by refreshing a basic window seat with beaded-board panels. Beaded board is easy to install in a weekend and can be found at your local home improvement center. A farmhouse-style table pulled up to the banquette gives the eating area a furnished look.

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Cater to Your Needs

An opening at the end of this banquette offers a handy spot for shoes near the back door—a smart solution for keeping muddy footprints off the kitchen's oak floor.

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Streamline the Entryway

Nestled between locker-style storage cabinets, a single window seat offers a perch to put on shoes before heading out the door. Waist-high bookcases separate the area from hallway traffic and keep everyday items out of sight.

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Create Niche Appeal

Books are easy to read and easy to put away in this bedroom's clever reading nook. Topped with a thick cushion and pillows, the window seat combines comfort with storage.

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