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45 Window Seat Designs for a Hopeless Romantic in You

There is something undeniably romantic about a window seat. But there are even more practical uses for it like sitting and pondering life, reading, eating, and even napping. It can be narrow and improvised or you can plan it from start to finish during your next remodeling. These window seat designs will fit any window type, so be sure to scroll all the way down to find what you need.

Classic Windowsill

A classic windowsill may become a small seating area in a living room or bedroom. All you have to do is make sure that it’s comfy enough. And even that can be solved with a cushion, a few throw pillows, or a simple throw.

Midway House by Studio McGee
Midway House by Studio McGee
Prospect House window seat
Prospect House window seat by Breathe Architecture
Upholstered window seat
Upholstered window seat via Genesis
Elwood Residence window seat
Elwood Residence window seat by Robson Rak

A classic windowsill does not always make a good seat, because of its usually narrow size. To solve this problem, you could build a wide wooden window frame, but it would require some investment, at least in time.

Modern Window Seat Designs

That’s why modern window seat designs are specifically planned and constructed to provide enough space for comfortable sitting and lounging. Architects also experiment with window sizes and structures. Some seats are wide and long enough to stretch out your legs and lie down whenever you feel the need for an energizing nap.

Rustic modern window seat
Rustic modern window seat by Sagemodern
Narrow window seat
Narrow window seat via Gealan
Randers Villa wide frame window seat
Randers Villa, wide frame window seat by KRADS Architects
Local House by MAKE Architecture
Local House by MAKE Architecture

Window seats can be made of any material from traditional wood to contemporary concrete. Wide wooden frames are very popular, and give window seats a contemporary look. Stone veneers, on the other hand, offer a rustic touch.

Modern frameless windows aren’t a deterrent to a window seat, as it may come as a fitting albeit separate furnishing.

Low Window Seats

Such independent furnishings aren’t difficult to find. Low daybeds, benches, and even palettes can make for great window seats. These are also good alternatives to the windows without sills, which can often be seen in contemporary homes.

Wide window seat
Wide window seat via Casa Tres Chic
Low window daybed seat
Low window daybed seat via BOLIG Magasinet 
Floor window seat
Floor window seat via Dwell

If your window is wall-sized and goes all the way down to the floor, you can simply pile up the cushions beside it to use as your window seat. Poufs and lounge chairs may also do, but they won’t have that same look as the built-in window seats.

Storage-Friendly Window Seat Designs

Storage-friendly window seats just make sense. If you have enough space for them, use them to store seasonal clothes, various gear, or bedding. Open storage seats are a perfect place for books and magazines or display storage.

Mahogany window seat and bedroom closet
Mahogany window seat and bedroom closet by Matarozzi Pelsinger Builders
Apartment in Oslo by Haptic Architects
Apartment in Oslo by Haptic Architects
Storage-friendly window seat
Storage-friendly window seat via C Home
Window storage bench
Window storage bench via My Dubio

Window seat storage can take many shapes and forms. Some repurpose Ikea cabinets as window benches, taking advantage of spare space inside them. Others build entire storage walls with incidental window seats in them.

Regardless of the form that you decide to choose, storage accessories like baskets and boxes can further help you keep clutter contained and the window seat neat.

Oddly-Shaped Windows With Seats

Oddly-shaped windows have a tendency to look cool, but are they practical? Well, they can certainly be so. Nothing really stops you and your architect from creating some extraordinary window that you can sit on.

Oddly-shaped window
Oddly-shaped window by Bernardo Rodrigues
Irregular window seat
Irregular window seat by Dominique Coulon
Seat-friendly window
Seat-friendly window by AND’ROL Architecture
Harbour Front Row Seat
Harbour Front Row Seat Luigi Rosselli Architects

Protruding rounded windows are especially suitable for a window seat, as you can see more and enjoy more daylight in the room. Luigi Rosselli Architects took advantage of rounded architecture in one of their projects to create the most exciting window seat.

Wide Window Seat Designs

Wide window seats are for those who like to spend a lot of time reading, lounging, or working in the natural light, which is certainly useful for telecommuters.

Spacious window seating
Spacious window seating by Spacon & X
Mjölk House bedroom window seat
Mjölk House bedroom window seat
Cabin window frame seat
Cabin window frame seat by Raum Architects
Window reading nook
Window reading nook via Max and Lizzie

The wider your window, the bigger its seat will be. And the bigger the seat, the more you can do with it. In a living room, it may become your daybed, which you can use in place of a traditional sofa.

In the cabin by Raum Architects the big wide wooden window frame became an avenue for day lounging and nature observing.

Window Seats With a View

Speaking of observing nature, if you’re lucky to have a great view outside your window, it’d be a crime not to outfit it with a seat. Just take a look at some of these designs. The architects purposefully dropped them lower to take advantage of the views beyond.

Window seat with a view
Window seat with a view by Graux & Baeyens Architecten
Leather window seat
Leather window seat by Balance Associates Architects
Spectacular window seat
Spectacular window seat via Pinterest
Bedroom window seat
Bedroom window seat by Bark Design Architects

Bark Design Architects went further with a corner window and a matching seat that opens the contemporary bedroom up to the untamed green jungle.

By the way, the corner windows are getting more popular, especially in private homes located in beautiful natural sites.

Table Window Seats

A window seat doesn’t have to stand separately from the rest of your interior. In smaller homes, it makes sense to integrate it with the rest of the area to save space. A popular idea is to use it as dining table seat or bench. Or you could set up a smaller breakfast nook using it.

Table window seat
Table window seat by HAO Design
Inbuilt window benches
Inbuilt window benches by Sagemodern
Kitchen corner window seat
Kitchen corner window seat via Icon Home Design

A window kitchen corner is a perfect place to have breakfast, and the built-in seats look right at home in place of traditional windowsills.

Bay windows make natural breakfast nooks, so take advantage of them, if you want to meet the new day with a hearty breakfast with a side of sunrays.

Kitchen Window Seat Designs

You don’t need a kitchen corner to take advantage of that kitchen window, though. A modern window seat might become an area of its own, where to sit and wait for that dinner to get ready or have your morning cup of joe.

Kitchen window seat
Kitchen window seat by Brian O’Tuama Architects
Estelle Road cat-friendly window seat
Estelle Road cat-friendly window seat by Platform 5 Architects
Loft window seat
Loft window seat by InArch
Ample window seat
Ample window seat by Mani Architecture

In contemporary architecture kitchen enjoys plenty of daylight from the wide-sized windows. So take advantage of them, and create a dreamy kitchen area, rendering the functional glossy den more inviting.

InArch did a great job hiding that heating unit with wooden slats that match with the window frames, and create a generous seat where two can have a conversation over a simple snack.

Soft Window Seat Designs

But window seats don’t have to always be sturdy and hard. Built-in seats and sofas can, too, find their place near the world-revealing panes. Again, this is a great opportunity to step away from a classic living room sofa, and create a more comfortable window seat.

Scandinavian style interior window seat
Scandinavian style interior window seat via Mother Goose Decor
Modern window seat
Modern window seat by Labu Hardi
Bay window seat
Bay window seat via Linsos
Elevated window platform
Elevated window platform via Lifedsign

Even if your window seat is a wooden bench, padded foam cushions are in order, if you want to be able to enjoy your throne for prolonged periods of time.

Window Seats in Transition Spaces

Windows in transition spaces are often empty and function-less. A window seat can make the area more welcoming and thus habitable. This is also a perfect opportunity to create a reading nook.

Under stairs window
Under stairs window via Visual Craze
Transitional window seat
Transitional window seat via Dwell
Contemporary home window seat
Contemporary home window seat by Robson Rak

Areas between the flights of stairs are very prone to dullness, so take note of how to plan these, and make the most of your available space.

We love the example in which a double height window is barely obstructed by a floating staircase that leaves plenty of room for a window seat underneath it.

No Typical Window Seats

A typical window seat won’t surprise anyone. So to really break the mold, opt for protruding windows, sunken seats, or take the matter to the great outdoors.

Double window seat
Double window seat by Muxin Design via Contemporist
Glazed window seat
Glazed window seat by Platform 5 Architects
Levitating window seat
Levitating window seat by Studio Razavi Architecture
Outdoor window seat
Outdoor window seat by Matt Gibson Architects

Window seat designs can be as imaginative and creative as your fantasy and budget allow. Don’t limit yourself to the padded windowsill, as you can have oh so much more.

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