51 Window Seats To Make You Reimagine The Lowly Window Sill

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.

Designer: Turkel Design

Pulling elements of the garden inside helps a window seat connect with the outdoors. This crisp modern example is flanked by a lush indoor vertical garden wall to soften the look. A contemporary swing arm wall lamp extends over elegant white cushions.

Designer: Maayan Zusman & Amir Navon

Bed indoor plants right into the bench top, like in this sleek sunken planter design. Note how a subtle green pendant light is positioned to highlight the leaves, as well as to provide reading light. We love how the bookcase on this one is an open ladder design, making each tome look illuminated and precious in the diffused window light.

Architect: Safdie Rabines

Flanking the window seat in towering book stacks might suit the more avid bookworm with serious reading nook ambitions.

Another example of a reading nook style window seat, this time with lots of drawer space underneath. The drawers are a handy stow away for study supplies, or maybe just some cosy blankets… and snacks. Don’t forget the snacks.

Designer: Brooke Boling

A nook next to the fire. What could be more perfect than a window seat between a majestic tree and a crackling fireplace, heaps of blankets and a perfectly positioned wall light for reading on deep into the night?

Designer: Bernardo Rodrigues

A unique window calls for a unique window seat. Don’t let a challenge put you off, where there’s a will there’s a way.

Visualizer: P&M Studio

Benches for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A window seat is great way to amalgamate extra seating around a dining table, just like at this stylish breakfast nook.

Designer: NU Architectuuratelier

OK, so windows don’t typically fill the full height of a home’s staircase but when they do, oh boy, what a place to put a seat.

Architect: Phil Abram

Cute seat, cute courtyard, what’s not to love? Tropical colours and an easy breezy slouchy aesthetic help characterise the laid-back mini oasis.

Minimalist moment. Let the view do all the talking with a shallow white seat pad stretched along a deep white sill.

Architect: Ralph Matheson Designer: Butler Armsden

Sitting in this seaside box bay feels far from boxed in.

Visualizer: Ngoc Do, Nguyễn Thành & DClaw 12

Inspired by SP Penthouse by Studio MK27, this living room with a spectacular view features an entire frame of bookcases with a lengthy bench at its core. The view shines through like an enormous piece of wall art to feed the soul.

Photographer: Julien Fernandez

Colour coordinate with the view. This green seat pad and raw timber construction is inspired by a tree top scene beyond the pane.

Designer: BENT Architecture

Room for all the family. As anyone with a young family knows, often everyone seems to congregate in the tiniest part of the house, so might as well prepare for it…

Photographer: Bjorn Wallander

… And don’t forget to put out a dog window seat too.

Visualizer: Tuan Eke

A bedroom furniture refit presents ideal opportunity to incorporate a window seat. It doesn’t matter if your window isn’t in its own recess when you can fashion a new one between built-in closets, or added onto a bespoke desk.

Visualizer: Zieg Si

This bedroom refit uses wood effect wall panelling to tie a large window seat in with the rest of the furniture.

Visualizer: Duc Nguyen

Surfing the sky. This sky blue feature wall with matching blue window seat swells the perceived the window size.

Visualizer: Lauri Brothers

What’s better than a window seat? Two window seats! This deeply padded design is both seating and raised access to a dreamy hanging chair.

Designer: Galeazzo Design

Window seat goals. Although the porthole bookcase looks like something fresh off a kids TV show set, the hanging cocoon chair looks like a great place to put yourself for a timeout.

Architect: Andrew Franz Architect

Put together a sweet countryside rustic look with cheerful print fabrics. Match the curtains to the seat cushions for a truly traditional vibe.

Architect: ArqDonini

Window seats for one. No sharing.

Architect: Meta-Project

Double height bookcases? Check. Librarian ladder? Check. Window seat? Check. Lock the doors we’re never leaving.

Architect: Alterstudio

A window seat faces out of a huge floor to ceiling pane on this brutalist house exterior, where the cantilevered corner hangs like a bright lantern.

Architect: Platform 5 Architects

With an extruded design like this spectacular little gem, you couldn’t feel more part of the garden unless you were actually in the garden.

Architect: Alain Carle Architecte

This massive window seating nook could have been utilised as more floor space for the living room, but where’s the fun in being conventional? The elevated platform gives the kids their own stage, and the adults a sense of boundary.

Laying down common ground. This loft room has a satisfyingly symmetrical layout of built-in twin beds, separated by a small but perfectly formed window bench seat.

Architect: Noji Architects

Camouflage a window seat by colour matching its base with the window frames, like this slick black on black design.

Designer: Tecnova Architecture & archi5

Swinging the pendulum in the other direction entirely, create a showstopping seat design with a vivid frame that colours the entire bench, sides and ceiling of the reveal. The design pictured here features a colour matched companion bench that wraps around a few inches lower and branches into the room.

Architect: Zen Architects

The L-shaped window seat. If you’re lucky enough to have a dual aspect window, then you just gotta make the most of it. How utterly gorgeous is that botanical themed seat cushion too!

Visualizer: Irinel-Ramona Florescu

Another L-shaped design, this time wrapping around a comfortable comfortable reading chair in a conversational arrangement.

Designer: Bria Hammel

Picture perfect, this made-to-measure window seat incorporates built-in storage and display shelving in flawless uniformity.

Designer: Mimodo

Bank it. This modest sized window seat is given much bigger impact by becoming part of a larger bank of shelving. A contrasting frame helps the piece push out from the rest of the white unit.

Architect: Pleysier Perkins

A deep wood-lined window recess serves as an appealing reading area for a minimalist home office.

Designer: Sanctuary Architects

Make it pop. Choose the brightest cushions you can find to contend with the incoming stream of sunshine.

Designer: Room Design Buro

Another one to brighten your day.

Visualizer: Arina Zamorina

One last bright.

Architect: Bull O'Sullivan Architecture

Now lets get grounded. A grass green rug, or even some faux grass is all you really need to pull off the indoor-outdoor connection, though a fancy skylight certainly helps.

Architect: Studio Razavi

Hit larger window seat goals by extending the sill into the corner of the room.https://bit.ly/1Tl74Dg

Not feeling the basic bench seat? Pull some strings and get a hammock upgrade.

Architect: Vana Pernari

Spread the window seat love the entire length of the room.

Architect: Faulkner Architects

Low and understated, let the treetops do the talking.

Designer: Guan Pin

Make the window seat part of a cohesive living room layout using the same materials, and extending its linear aesthetic into storage units and the tv wall.

Photographer: David Hotsun

At a first glance, an alcove may have seemed an uninspired place to have a window let alone a window seat. Nevertheless, this nook has been given its own identity with a pastel paint job and a day bed to form one super welcoming spot.

Architect: Eduard Balcells + Tigges Architekt + Ignasi Rius Architecture

Raw natural materials and a midway shelf craft a characterful window seat on a modest budget.

Architect: Lande Architects

Its all about the details. This narrow wall becomes the site of a magnificent window, finished off with a compact window seat. A modern wall sconce is fitted to highlight the feature after dark.

Designer: HoYen Design

Create your own sense of zen, even if you don’t live in pared back perfection. You won’t be looking at the rest of your room once you’re enveloped by the outside view.

Designer: Anton Bazaliyskiy Photographer: Maxim Maximov

If you go for a plain seat base then you can change up colours how and when you like just by swapping out the seat pad and pillows – and maybe an inexpensive roller blind too.

Designer: Fabian Tan

High window? No sweat, just take the stairs.

Designer: Studio Junction

This deep frame design builds a cosy cocoon. Unfortunately it’s been completely claimed by the cat… guess the human will just be over there on the bed then.

Source: Buy On Amazon

If you’re looking for a real window seat for cats, then this is your guy. Four stong suckers make this kit completely repositionable without damage to the window or surrounding walls. But the best bit has got to be that your furry thug won’t swipe all your stuff off the window sill to make space for sunbathing. Everyone’s a winner.