IKEA Hack: How to DIY a Simple Built-in Window Seat
This window seat is the second built-in we ever tackled – and it is hands down my favourite! (The first was this stair-top bookshelf and plant stand.)
What little girl doesn’t dream of a window seat? This big girl still does!
Because of the window dormer and the angled ceilings in our daughter’s room – there are limited places for storage – I knew this window seat needed to do double – or triple – duty. It needed a seat (well, duh.), shelves and drawers.
Now drawers are super handy to have – but they are also super tricky to build – especially when you’re a beginner. They need to be perfectly square and engineered just right to make them actually work. We were daunted. Building drawers is beyond our current skill set.
What isn’t beyond our skill set? An Ikea Hack!
Armed with their trusty catalog I figured out that 2 of their humble Malm nightstands would work perfectly for our needs:
- They’re the right height.
- They’d give us four drawers.
- Their smooth face has no knobs or pulls – so there’s nothing to scratch a calf or catch a pant leg when climbing up and down.
- And they’re pretty darn affordable.
Definitely more affordable than hiring someone to build us a custom built window seat! When we added the second storey to our home – which included this bedroom – the quote we were given to build this very window seat was almost $1000!
Ours comes in at less than $200. Including the cushion – our original quote was just the hard bits!
Keep reading for Ed’s easy to follow tutorial…
