Window Seat

Tara Marie
by Tara Marie
4 Materials
Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of having a window seat. First in my parent's house and then in my future house. I was obsessed with little nooks and hidden staircases and mystery. I can't see a way to incorporate a hidden staircase in my house, but I have the perfect place for a window seat. I have wanted to put a window seat in this area since the day we moved in, 11 years ago.
Here is the area from my 2016 Christmas tour.



The first step in this transformation was to remove the blinds and change out the window trim to some 1X3 boards painted white.






Then I moved the furniture out and I measured the area.  I drew up my design (with my mad art skills and high school drafting skills) and I delivered my design to my dear Dad so he could cut me some boards. Little did I know that he was actually going to construct this in his shop and bring it to my house for a quick install.  If you think I was not sweating my measurements, you are wrong!  I freaked out for about a week before he brought it down.
Thankfully, it fit perfectly!!  






After we knew it fit, it was time to cut out an area to accommodate the vent in the floor.  



Here is what the bottom looks like.




And once it is installed!





I made the cushion with some 3" dense foam that I bought at Home Depot for $25!  If I would have bought that from a craft store, I would have had to take out a loan!  So buy all your foam cushions from the hardware store, NOT the craft store!





I chose to do cubbies for storage instead of having the top on hinges because I knew I wanted to put some games, some crafting supplies and some things that we use almost weekly in the bench.   I did not want to have to remove everything on the top of the bench to get to my stuff.


One of the bins holds some frequently played games.   />


I could not be happier with how this turned out!  Even though it is a bit high (I failed to account for the 3" foam cushion when I did my drawings).  I smile every time I look at this area.  And it is even big enough that I could lay down and take a nap on it.  
What do you think?  Do you like the cubbies or would you have done a hinged top for storage?


Tara Marie
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • LDodd LDodd on Mar 07, 2018

    Well done. Did you add duct between existing vent and new vent placement?

  • Adrian Stagg Adrian Stagg on Mar 14, 2018

    Hi, if I may ask, how much was the wood and then the total purchase? My space is about that size and I just wanted an idea of the cost. It looks great and I love the cubbyholes!

  • Kiturah Humphrey Kiturah Humphrey on Mar 31, 2018

    Looks good. I will try something similar soon as part of a banquette. Any advice? And I like the cubbies much better than lifting the top.

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  • I would love to have one also

  • Angela Sanderson Angela Sanderson on Apr 22, 2018

    Love this!! My house is old, and the people I purchased it from put the bay window in themselves. No, they’re not professionals!! Any way, it’s time to rip up carpet and put in wood flooring. But it’s not a smooth transition into that part of the living room. (on the floor that is) . I think this would be the perfect solution!!! Great job!!

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