8 Great Built-In Seating Ideas

You probably have a special piece of furniture that you sit in at your house – a chair, couch, sofa, recliner, rocker, or bench – maybe it’s a chair so comfortable that it moves with you from house to house, until it’s worn to threads.

You might also have a special place to sit in your home – a chair by a sunny window, a recliner with a perfect view of the TV, or a front porch where you can chat with neighbors. Or maybe your house combines both, like the built-in seating ideas in these homes.

Here’s a room full of built-ins – the thick walls create space for wine bottles, and the banquette seating on three walls is topped with a shelf that extends into the window sills. A perfect place for – you guessed it – wine tasting.

Just off the kitchen in this remodeled farmhouse, a small inglenook is tucked into an arched alcove, with just enough seating for a family.  A large window brightens the space with morning sun.

You might have to look a bit to find the built-in seating in this Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired home, but it’s there at the back right, tucked into a cozy corner.

Right by the front door, this remodeled entry hall includes a long, deep bench seat with bookshelves at either end.

Plain and simple, this built-in bench seat is big enough to stretch out on, while you’re enjoying the view of woods beyond. It also works as an extension of the home office space just across the hall.

This homeowner is making the most of her built-in window seat, surrounding it will a collection of artwork from her travels.  The view through the windows and across the back porch extends onto acres of woods and streams. It’s one of my favorite built-in seating ideas.

There’s a pair of bench seats between the family room and hallway in this house, and the both double as storage pedestals for the family room.  Thick walls in this house (it’s the same house as the wine room photo above) also create a space for a built-in bookshelf.

Pets are people too, right? This kitty calls this sunny “seat” her own.