Window Seat Inspiration: Upholstery and Curtains

Window Seat Inspiration: Upholstery and Curtains

It was Edward Gorey who wrote that looking out of the window is the best journey one can make, and, with the right view – and a place to sit – we can certainly empathise with his position on the matter. A good book, a cup of tea steaming up the glass next to us, and just enough cushioning to keep us warm and comfortable for a few hours’ rest. In a word, perfection.

Window seats – or sills big enough to be turned into windows seats – are the envy of homeowners up and down the country. While they’re most commonly associated with the traditional country cottage, plenty of newer homes have been designed to ensure a good people-watching post from which you can see the world pass by first-hand.

But a window seat without any dressings is, even with the nicest view in the world, not worth sitting on for long. Here’s just enough inspiration to spark your creativity…

Combine a floral with an abstract fabric…

We’re not suggesting anything truly revolutionary by suggesting that floral fabrics pair well with a traditional English garden or the rolling hills of the countryside, but there is a very good reason why ‘the classics’ come to be known as the classics. They are evergreen, and beautifully echo the view on the other side of the glass.

Then again, unless you’re a total traditionalist at heart, you probably don’t want to go too ‘expected’ with your window dressings. Our full fabric range pays homage to many different prints and styles, and part of the joy of interior design is finding those unlikely pairings.

By combining a floral with another print – and particularly a bolder, highly contrasting abstract – you’re going to be able take advantage of that traditional element without the entire thing feeling overrun with blooms. Look for two prints that share a similar (or at least complementary) colour story, and assign one to your curtains and the other to your soft furnishings.

The same effect can be achieved by introducing any other contrasting patterned fabric into the mix, but introducing an abstract pattern – particularly one that is bigger and bolder than your floral print – will make a particularly strong statement, which is useful if you’re looking to downplay the feminine florals of your first fabric.

…Or the French mattress with a classic stripe

The French mattress cushion is one of the ultimate at-home staples if you want to strike a balance between chic, laid-back luxury, and true comfort. The defining characteristics of these pieces are a cuboid shape featuring a plump, tufted seat, and a ruched edge. It’s a classic silhouette, but it can be modernised by the right textile.

With a delicate stripe, you can evoke a sense of the Parisienne apartment – cool linen, mismatched pillows scattered about, a throw draped elegantly over the edge of the seat, and, of course, the seasons rolling by outside.

Ticking stripes are particularly versatile. They’re utilitarian, but also carry a sense of vintage charm without looking dated, or even tied to a particular style or historic trend. The way in which they’re commonly designed – with one broader stripe, flanked on either side by a few thinner ‘pencil’ stripes – means that they don’t tend to come across as overtly stripy, which is a big reason behind their ongoing popularity and classic look.

Puddle your curtains for a romantic vista

While it may be common practice for curtains to be hemmed at just the right length to skim the floor, or float a few inches above it, that’s not to say that puddled curtains (which are so long that they form a ‘puddle’ of fabric at their base) automatically appear to be ill-measured or in need of a quick re-hem. Puddled curtains can look sumptuous, effortlessly elegant and romantic.

For this, linen is a winning choice. Being a natural textile with a distinctively creased look, it is perfect for draping and letting it pool organically over itself without looking heavy and cumbersome. In the summer, linen is light enough to be moved gently in the breeze of an open window; in the winter, it will act as a natural insulator to keep the cold nights from bringing a chill into the house. For a full guide to choosing curtain fabric, click here.

There is nothing quite like retreating into the window seat with a cup of tea, a book, and the right mindset to while away an hour watching the angle of the sunlight shift. Creating a sumptuous and inviting space is the ultimate way to live up to a stunning view, and an effective option for creating a quieter space within a larger room, just for reading, journaling, or thinking one’s own thoughts.