How to style a window bench

By Kaitlyn Parness

Adding a window bench to your home is the perfect way to maximize space and create a cozy nook in your home. Window benches can work in any area of your home- bedroom, living room, dining room. In our home we were lucky to inherit one in our breakfast room, which with two young kids we use as a first floor playroom (See the full room design here). Let me walk you through my thought process for how to style a window bench.

Blending your bench into your room

Because most window benches are permanently built-in additions to a room, you want to use your bench and room decor to integrate this piece seamlessly into the room. For our playroom, the design process started when we painted the house. Our entire main floor is a warm white, with trim and door accents of beige. So it made sense to carry the beige over to the bench as well. 

Window Treatments

From there it was time to pick our window treatments. For the majority of the windows in our home I prefer a window shade and floor length curtain combo. While I have seen window benches with long curtains draped to the side, I didn't think this would be the greatest option for my young family.

Another option you could select for a window bench is a sill-length Cafe Curtain. A sill length curtain creates that neat and tailored look with the consideration of a piece of furniture in front of it, in this case a window bench.

I however went for the third option- a window shade. More specifically a roman shade with a fabric fold design. 

There are two ways that you can hang a window shade, inside or outside mount.When selecting your mount style, there are a few things to consider: 

For an inside mount you need to make sure your window frame is deep enough for the support hardware. Typically an inside mount is the choice when you prefer a cleaner look or have window trim that is too pretty to cover up. Whereas an outside mount is often chosen when your windows may have some imperfections you wish to hide, if you don't have the window frame depth for the hardware, or are looking for maximum light control (this method blocks more light).

I was actually torn as to which mount option I wanted to go for in this room. My go-to choice is an inside mount, but there is something that calls to me about the outside mount. It can make your window look bigger, and in this case I knew I wouldn't be layering curtains over top and didn't want too much dead space around the window. I also think that an outside mount gives the room more charm and leans more into traditional style.

My compromise was to select an inside mount, but I went with Custom Cordless Deco Fold Roman Shade. The deco fold gives the window an extra design element that fits my vision for the room perfectly.

Finishing Touches

The final step in styling your window bench is to add a seat cushion, and mix of decorative pillows and blankets. Think cozy, but cohesive. These items should compliment the rest of your room to tie the space together. I picked colors from my wall art to pull from for my pillows and blankets. This is also the part where you can be the most creative! Don’t be afraid to use different size pillows, mix patterns, and add texture.

Whether you're using your window bench as extra seating or a playful space for kids, your thoughtful selections of window treatments, cushions, and color palette can turn it into one of the coziest spots in your home. 

I hope this gave you some inspiration for creating the perfect window bench for your space!

*All photographs credit: Kaitlyn Parness

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