Window seat cushion ideas for every American house style

Why old-house window seats are rarely square

A corner window seat in a 120-year-old house took three rounds of the tape before its drawing closed within 1/4 in (6 mm). Nobody measured badly. The corner simply wasn't square, and old houses rarely are.

That's the use of window seat cushion ideas sorted by house style: each style builds its seat a particular way and hides a particular trap. Colonials hide radiators. Bungalows add short returns before the angle. Dormers swing the window over your knees. Know the trap and the tape work is ordinary.

Below are ten American house styles, each with its typical seat, its trap, a thickness, an edge and a link to the full Concept Sketch. Plain rectangles live under window seat cushions, and the tape work is in measuring a window seat. Which style is your house, dear, and which seat is giving you trouble?

Colonials, Capes, brownstones and Victorian bays

Colonial. Long ledges, and a radiator under half of them. Split the cushion: a 106 in (269 cm) ledge over a radiator became two 53 in (135 cm) pieces, so heat escapes and each lifts out. Measure the bench, not the cushion you used to have; I learned that one the embarrassing way. See colonial window seats.

Cape Cod dormer. The window gets a vote, so open it and measure. A 21 in (53 cm) deep seat was cut to 16 in (41 cm) because the handle swung into it. A casing overhanging by 0.75 in (1.9 cm) got a notch 96.25 in (244.5 cm) long on a 109.25 in (277.5 cm) seat instead of a shallower cushion. See dormer window seats and notches around casings.

Brownstone. Deep masonry reveals, often a window unit nearby. Two sills in one apartment stayed at 2 in (5 cm) because a unit set the height, and the window seat thickness Pattern explains the trade. Photos taken at an angle make rectangles look like trapezoids, so measure both edges. See brownstone window seats.

Victorian bay. A buyer wrote both cheeks as 43.25 in, the same as the front. Re-measured, they were 21.25 in and 20.75 in (54 and 53 cm). See Victorian bays.

Bungalows, ranches, farmhouses, curves, bancos and beach houses

Craftsman bungalow. A short straight return at each end of the bay can move a slant by more than an inch. One bay written with 31 in slants only closed at 32.5 in (83 cm), and the re-measure agreed. See craftsman bungalow seats.

Mid-century ranch. Long, low and a hair under the ledge. A 16 x 105 in (41 x 267 cm) seat was made in two halves that sit end to end. See mid-century window seats.

Modern farmhouse. White shiplap shows every color at full strength, so hold swatches against the cabinets in morning and evening light. See farmhouse window seats.

Curved or bow window. A curve isn't read from numbers alone: mark where it starts, where it ends and how deep it runs, or send a paper template. A smooth round bay was declined as too pronounced to fit from a distance. The sage seat in the gallery follows its oak built-in's rounded corner. See curved and bow windows.

Spanish Revival. Plaster rarely runs straight, so take the depth at both ends and the middle, and trace arched ends. The rust bouclé seat in the gallery sits on a white plinth above terracotta tile. See Spanish Revival bancos.

Beach house. Sandy feet and damp air want zip-off covers that wash at 86°F (30°C), and benches with lift-up lids take cushions split at the lid lines. The ivory shiplap nook in the lead photo faces the dunes. See beach house window seats.