December was a very stressful time for us. My son moved to Canada to study Psychology at UBC and my daughter and her dad, aka the ex-hubby, went with to make sure that he settled in okay. Canada is sooo darn far away 🙁 A week before they left, the ex-hubby also moved into a new house, which meant that my little girl not only had to say goodbye to her best friend and big brother, but the new house didn’t feel like home either. What can a mom do, besides bawl her eyes out because her son is half way across the world.
The ex-hubby and I had a chat and we decided that I could make something for Talea while they were in Canada. Something that would help her settle into her new other home. After throwing a few ideas around we finally agreed that a comfy, cozy window seat would be perfect. Who doesn’t love a window seat?
Here’s the thing though, I would only have 4 hours to install it. On the day they got back from their trip. Wait whaaaaat!!!! I can’t measure, tweak, come back again? Nope. While the ex and I are good friends, giving me unlimited access to the new house clearly wasn’t on the cards. So just in case you find yourself in a similar predicament, here’s what I learnt making a window seat completely off site and installing it in a few hours.
Made with love
The Making of a Window Seat
I was super worried the day before the install. What if I didn’t measure correctly or I couldn’t finish before they came home? What if I broke something while putting it together? I don’t think the ex would’ve be too happy if I destroyed his new house. And Talea would have been devastated if she came home to a scrap yard in the middle of her bedroom. But I’m happy to report it worked and there’s even extra storage underneath the window seat.
Would you believe that the storage is made from these el cheapo collapsible crates?
I added a mock front using shiplap (tongue and groove) that I cut to size, painted and screwed onto the front. Rope handles to fit with the nautical theme in Talea’s bedroom were screwed onto the front.
I added some wheels onto the bottom for smooth sailing 😉 To give the screws something to hold onto, I used small blocks of wood inside the crates. That way I could screw the wheels through the plastic into the wooden blocks.
The storage is perfect for Talea’s HUGE collection of swimming costumes and other bits and bobs. Did I mention that my baby girl’s biggest dream is to swim for South Africa in the Olympics. The plastic crates are a great choice because if she throws a wet costume inside it won’t get all yucky and moldy.
So what did I learn making the window seat off site
1 Do your research and learn from the experts. I’ve never built a window seat before so this tutorial from Instructables really helped. A lot.
2 Measure twice or three times. Measure the height, length and depth of the space. Then measure again and just in case, measure one more time for luck. Write the measurements in a book. I wrote the measurements down on a piece of scrap paper which mysteriously disappeared in my handbag for weeks days.
3 Take lots of pictures so you have something to refer back too. The devil is in the details and it’s amazing how quickly you forget the little things. Like the skirting at the bottom of the bay window.
4 Simple is Better. I went for a basic frame built out of 2 x 4 which I screwed into the back and side walls. More 2 x 4 were used to create the front of the window seat which was covered with shiplap . The front frame was made before the time so all I needed to do was screw it onto the “wall” mounted frame bits using brackets.
5 Use the longest, meanest screws you can find to attach the frame to the wall. Talea is almost 17 and she’s the type of girl that would rather climb a tree than go to the mall. I didn’t want the whole thing collapsing in heap just because she dive bombed her window seat from her bed.
6 Take everything with you. If you’re using a battery operated drill, make sure it’s charged and take a spare battery with. My battery ran out as I was trying to screw the second last of those longest, meanest screws in. My shoulder is still not talking to me. In fact, take everything with you. Everything, even if you don’t think you’ll need it, take it with. Okay you can leave the kitchen sink at home, but take everything else. There’s just no time to drive around looking for something you forgot.
7 A bread knife and a ruler are all you need to make a custom sized mattress for the window seat. Just use the ruler as a guide and cut the foam. You can buy foam at most haberdasheries but they charge extra if you want a specific size. A lot extra!! We ended up buying three standard size bits of foam and cutting them to fit the space.
8 And finally, believe in yourself because love really does conquer all and there’s nothing that a hammer and a chain saw can’t fix. Oh and a few pretty pillows and a cuddly toy or two.
The window seat doubles up as a single bed, so Talea can invite friends for a sleep over. I’m not the greatest when it comes to layering pillows. I’m more of a “throw it and hope for the best” kinda person.
Don’t you just love that retro clock and tray?
By keeping it simple, I had enough time to hang two of Talea’s ballet portraits on either side of the bay window and add sheer curtains to soften things up a little. I even vacuumed up all the dust and packed everything back in the car in my allocated 4 hours.
The only thing I didn’t do was iron her new throw and curtains 😀 She’s super happy with her window seat and it makes me smile every time I see one of her selfies on Facebook and she’s sitting on her window seat. Now all I need to do is make my baby girl a mermaid throne to celebrate how special she is.
Little girls with #dreams, become women with #vision
Have you ever built and installed a window seat under pressure? I’d love to hear what you learnt in the process.
And as always wishing you a super happy, love filled week.
P.S. If you’re looking for a few more gorgeous bedroom ideas, I found these lovelies on Amazon. Disclosure: Clicking on the links below, means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more amazing ideas to share with you 😉
Last update on 2026-08-16 / Source Amazon Affiliates
62 comments
you say in your post that you used 2×4’s… looking at the pictures tho? I see 2×2 (ish) and some 2×3’s maybe? Are you using 2×4 as we do in USA? as in 2in x 4 in?
Yes, it’s 2″ x 4″ (inches) and it’s not very clear in the pictures, but the frame on the inside edge facing towards her room (behind the tongue and groove boards) is made using the 2″ x 4″. I wanted that side to be really stable since it needed to carry the weight of the day bed. The other side was screwed onto the wall and I knew that wouldn’t collapse in a hurry ?
It’s beautiful, would love to see how the finished product look without the bedding on it. To see more of the details.
I’ll try and find more pics Misty and add them. I took a whole bunch, although towards the end I was in such a rush to get it all done and looking pretty that I don’t know if I took any just before the bedding went on.
I am gobblesmacked that your ex bought a new house and asked you to do a DIY project there while he was away! AND YOU DID IT. And you’re happy and excited about it! You don’t have any windows in your home? I don’t care how much you love your daughter. Have some self respect.
Hey there, I think I understand where you’re coming from and respect your opinion Even though the ex hubby and I didn’t work so well as a married couple that will never get in the way of us being a mother and father to our two beautiful children. We will both move heaven and earth to make sure they grow up in an environment that’s happy and where they can always feel confident that their mom and dad are a team when it comes to their best interests.
Love this answer. Too bad more parents aren’t this mature. Kids should always come first.
So true. It’s not always easy but they are the most important thing
and isn’t it GOBBsmacked (not gobblesmacked?) either way… Now-a-days it’s not uncommon to remain friendly with your ex – I live NEXT DOOR to mine and his new wife! ha ! I like HER more than HIM too!
LOL Susan, I agree
Self respect does not preclude courtesy nor does it stand in the way of helping one’s child adjust to new surroundings and a new situation with an absent family member. She also provided an excellent model of coping skills and tolerance for her daughter. I would say self respect in this case was displayed admirably and in abundance. If more divorced couples behaved like this one there would likely be fewer maladjusted children in the world. My hat is off to this mother. And I applaud her.
Bless you Pam, you just made my day, no wait my whole month with your comment. Thank you so much. Nothing should ever stand in the way of our kids happiness. It’s not their fault that things didn’t work out. Thank you so very much ?
You are super creative. I really like how the window seat turned out and the drawers are so cute. This would be perfect for my daughter’s room.
Thanks so much Candy. Every little girl needs a window seat to build her dreams on
Wow! That is really awesome and impressive that you did it all in a morning. I really adore this one, and the storage space underneath. That’s very clever
? Thank you Elizabeth. I’m really happy I managed to finish it in time
That’s so lovely decor , you ‘re so creative !!
You did an amazing job …well done 🙂
? Thank you Nausheen