The perfect window for a seat
Of all the things I love to do at home, sitting and not doing much is in my Top 5 (the other 4 revolve around eating, sleeping, socialising and family.)
I love planning how I can incorporate spaces to sit and switch off, be it with a good book, design magazine or noise cancelling headphones (Mummy what?)
I can’t get enough of these zones of happiness and tranquillity.
One such area, which is now firmly in my design vernacular, is a window seat.
I think everyone home should have at least one.
They make me happy just thinking about them.
If you’re luckily enough to live in a pre-war house, it’s likely you have a window or two that would fit the bill for the perfect place to lounge.
Our old Federation home had one original window seat in the bay window of a bedroom.
I created a new bay window at the back of the house facing the deck. You could swing the bifold windows open and sit either facing inside or facing the garden.
The much used bay window seat in our last house.
Number Four was built around 1948 and so reflects the post war austerity that dominated that time. In other words, it doesn’t have many original features.
We’ve seen a surge in the creation of bench seats in kitchen nooks, dining areas and just about anywhere social in our interiors and outdoor spaces.
They offer great storage and offer visual continuity of other joinery design in the home.
So, what have I got planned for Number Four?
Location
The window seat will be at one end of the dining room facing the pool and garden.
It’s orientated at a west/north-west aspect.
It’ll be a hot spot in the summer and perfectly toasty in the winter.
The wishlist
A custom recessed window where the glass and fly screen slide into the wall cavities. The window will be about 2m wide in a 4m wide room.
Because of the aspect, we’ll need an awning to shade the dining space and beyond at the hottest part of the year.
Joinery to wrap around the corner of the dining room under the window.
The all-important storage underneath.
Sketches to come, but for now, some inspiration..
