Window seating

A bespoke window seat is fitted joinery built into a window recess or bay to create seating where there was previously dead space, almost always with storage underneath. Because bay windows are rarely symmetrical — particularly in Victorian and Edwardian houses — the seat is templated to the actual bay rather than assembled from standard units, so it meets the walls cleanly on both sides.

A straightforward straight-run window seat with lift-up storage starts from around £1,800. Curved bay seats, drawer storage instead of lift-up lids, and integrated radiator solutions run higher, typically £1300 to £2000. Upholstered cushions are included with the seat. Every seat is priced after a home visit, since bay geometry drives the cost more than length does.

Around 450mm high including the cushion, which matches standard chair height and is comfortable for most people to sit down onto and rise from. Depth of 450mm to 500mm suits sitting upright; 600mm or more allows you to sit sideways with your legs up, which is what most people actually want from a window seat. We confirm both during the home visit.

Yes, and virtually all of ours do. There are two approaches: a lift-up lid on soft-close stays, which gives one large volume ideal for bulky items like bedding and board games; or drawers, which cost more but let you reach things without moving the cushion and anything sitting on it. Drawers are the better choice for items you use weekly.

Yes. Curved and angled bays are the most common brief and the main reason to build bespoke — a standard bench cannot follow the geometry, so it leaves triangular gaps at each return. We template the bay on site, including the angle of each return and any variation between the two sides, which in a period property is usually greater than people expect.

This is the most common obstacle and there are three workable answers. The radiator can be relocated by your plumber, usually to a side wall. It can be replaced with a low-level or plinth-height model that fits beneath the seat with a ventilated grille front. Or the seat can be built around it with a slotted panel allowing convection. Your designer assesses which is practical.

It can if built as a sealed box against a cold external wall, so we design for airflow — ventilated backs or plinth gaps that let air circulate behind the seat and against the window reveal. Where a radiator sits within the seat, a grille front is essential rather than optional, otherwise you lose most of the heat output into the storage void.

Yes, and flanking storage is what turns a window seat from a bench into a feature. The most common arrangement is full-height cupboards or bookcases either side of the bay with the seat spanning between them, which frames the window and gains substantial storage. Because everything is made in the same workshop, the finish, handles and detailing match across the whole run.

A foam core of 50mm to 75mm with a fibre wrap gives the right balance — firm enough to sit on comfortably for a long stretch, soft enough not to feel like a bench. Choose a hard-wearing upholstery fabric rather than a curtain-weight one, and consider fade resistance, since a window seat sits in direct sunlight for hours a day. Removable, washable covers are worth specifying.

No permission is needed — a window seat is internal joinery, not a structural alteration. The exception is listed buildings, where internal joinery affecting a period window reveal may require listed building consent, so check with your local conservation officer first. Every Metro window seat carries the 10-year guarantee on parts and labour, covering carcasses, mechanisms, lift-up stays and finishes.