The Question of the Window Bench Seat

Out of all the seats in the living room, the window bench seat is probably the most peculiar and basically has no defined purpose -- aside from sitting you down. The living room couch is for entertaining guests and making them feel comfortable. The recliner relaxes, soothes, and even massages you into drowsiness. The bench seat, however, doesn’t come in a standard form that gives a clue as to what its role is. It may or may not have a backrest, seat cushions are optional, can be mistaken for coffee table (in fact, can be made from a coffee table), and isn’t necessarily placed beside the window.

Despite the confusion with its existence, it is in its lack of definite purpose that you can find so many uses for it. When it is placed beside the window, it’s the perfect window seat where you can relax and read a book comfortably. Without a cushion or backrests, it has the dual purpose of being a coffee table and a bench. When a person fails to justify the presence of a window bench seat in the middle of his living room, he just states the obvious: it accentuates the furniture.

What it has in common with other seats is in the considerations you have to keep in mind when buying one. What will you use it for? Your options are as wide as ever, and knowing what you’ll do with a bench seat indoors will give you an idea as to the design you’d want to choose. Benches that you will use for constant sitting, reading books, and entertaining would need to have provisions for comfort. This would mean that upholstery or cushioning should be at their top quality. Backrests are also a requirement if you’ll be doing some lounging. If you are planning on having your window bench seat as a conversation piece and possibly a part-time coffee table, you can do without the upholstery.

Durability is also a question. Because some people simply convert small tables into bench seats by adding cushioning, they usually fail to inspect how much weight it can take as benches. Coffee tables typically have legs that can’t carry anyone who is past 12-years-old. Either add reinforcement, buy an actual bench seat, or retain your coffee table to avoid any unnecessary injury.

Window bench seats, when used sensibly and artfully, can be the centerpiece of a fine-looking living room. Whether you’re hoping to seat more guests at your party or are simply looking to have something to place your knitted blanket on, this furniture has a way of making itself indispensable to your lifestyle.