IKEA Hack Window Seat: Built-In DIY with Storage

Last Updated on April 16, 2026 by

If you’ve been dreaming of a cozy window seat with tons of storage but don’t want to break the bank, you’re in the right place! Today, I’m sharing our latest IKEA hack window seat that transformed our kids’ room and created the perfect reading nook. This DIY window seat project using IKEA cabinets is not only budget-friendly but also adds a custom look to any room.

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En Nuestra Casa

When we redid our kids’ room (for the millionth time, it feels like…!), I wanted as much of a built-in look as I could get. Floor to ceiling, wall to wall. Sometimes I also have a hard time with commitment, so I loved the idea of something like the Pax wardrobes, where we could buy the frame and potentially change the inside structure / organization over time.

Because Pax comes with so many different size options, we had to figure out if we wanted two small ones, or one small and one big, if we wanted them shallow or deep, etc. Additionally, the radiator pole on the right side in the corner presented a challenge, because it removes a full 6″ from the equation.

Finally, we ended up deciding on the shallower Pax cabinets (19″ instead of 22″) so that the right side french door could open more fully, and so that we’d have more floor space. Sometimes the closets do feel a bit cramped, but we’re also currently storing more than we need to store in them over time, and you know I’m a firm believer that humans are adaptable–so I’m confident we’ll always find a way to make these work for us. (And truly I think the deeper cabinets would have felt a bit menacing in the room.)

To go with the floor-to-ceiling look I had in mind, I convinced Peterson to build a cabinet underneath the Pax wardrobes. I wanted extra storage (toys, books), and I wanted an easy way to access the window. (Our grill is out there, after all–please don’t tell our landlord.)

We decided one large Pax on the left, one small Pax on the right, with a big shelf underneath for storing books and baskets of toys, and the top open part of the shelf could be used as an IKEA hack window seat.

The construction of the shelf / seat itself is pretty simple, if you have some background experience with that sort of thing. Keep reading for a step-by-step.

How to Construct a Built-In DIY Window Seat with Storage

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the DIY process, here are the materials you’ll need for this IKEA hack window seat, many of which are available online or at a local hardware store (most are linked in our Amazon storefront here for you):

• IKEA PAX wardrobes (we used two units)
• Pocket hole jig
• Pocket hole screws
• 3/4″ Plywood (amount depends on the size of your space–just make sure you have enough for top, bottom, sides, and dividers for each compartment; we bought one sheet 4’x8′ that we then cut down to the dimensions of our shelf)
• 1/4″ Plywood for backing
• Quarter round or molding, just for the length of the window seat itself
• Edge banding
• Edge banding cutter
• Iron
• Wood stain
• Paint (color of your choice)
• Wood filler
• Wood glue
• Nails
• Putty knife
• Sand paper
• Carpentry square
• Drill and drill bits
• Nail gun or pin nailer
• Tape measure
• Level
• Pliers
• Wood clamps
• Right angle clamp or corner clamp
• Saw (we used a circular saw) — or get your wood cut at your local hardware/lumber store, just know the measurements might be off a bit!

Now let’s get into the step-by-step guide for this DIY project (IKEA hack window seat)! Keep in mind this tutorial is for a full wall-to-wall storage unit that doubles as a window seat, so the shelving unit itself will be much bigger than just the window seat. And this of course would work in a living room, dining room, or even a breakfast nook. Ours of course is a built-in window seat that provides us additional seating in the kids’ room.

1. Measure and Plan

First things first for your DIY bench seat – grab your tape measure! Carefully measure your window area and decide on the height and depth you want for this piece of furniture (your window seat). Remember, you want it to be a comfortable height and depth for sitting. We found that 14 inches was the perfect height for what we had in mind: a storage compartment that would fit storage baskets that weren’t too big and could double as a window seat.

Because this storage shelf / storage bench had to fit perfectly under our IKEA Pax cabinets, the depth had to be 14 1/4″. Fortunately, this felt like enough room to sit comfortably without taking up too much floor space for this IKEA hack window seat.

Determine how many inside compartments you want, based on aesthetics and function. We wanted a balanced look, where the compartments under each wardrobe matched up perfectly with the wardrobes. We also wanted one larger section for book storage.

2. Build Your Base Cabinet Frame

1. Using a circular or table saw, cut 3/4″ plywood to size for top & bottom of shelf. For us this meant two long pieces, each 14 1/4″ wide x 88″ long.
2. Cut 3/4″ plywood to size for dividers and end pieces of shelf. We cut six pieces, each 14 1/4″ deep x 12.5″ high. Remember to measure keeping in mind the width of the top & bottom pieces here. ie If you want a 14″ high shelf, take 14″ – 3/4″ for the top – 3/4″ for the bottom = 12.5″ high dividers.
3. Cut 1/4″ plywood to size for the backing of the shelf. Ours is 88″ long x 14 1/4″ high.
4. Paint all cut 3/4″ plywood pieces and one side of the cut 1/4″ plywood piece.
5. Drill pocket holes into each of the dividers / end pieces, using the pocket hole jig. For the inside dividers, we did 3 holes evenly spaced near the top, 3 holes evenly spaced near the bottom. For the ends of the shelf, we went above + beyond and made 10 pocket holes.
   • Tip for success: Drill your pocket holes on the side of the wood less likely to be seen. For example, our end pieces have pocket holes on the outside ends of the shelf (which is against the wall, so you can’t see it if you look inside the shelf). When you’re looking at the shelf, some dividers have the pocket holes on the left side of the piece, and some have it on the right–just depends which side you see when you walk into the room.
6. Connect top + bottom + end shelf pieces, using screws. Use the right angle clamp or corner clamp to hold the pieces in place while you attach them by drilling pocket screws into the pocket holes.
   • Tip for success: Put the clamp in place, then make sure everything is square (using a carpentry square), and THEN drill.

3. Finish the Base Cabinet Frame for the IKEA Hack Window Seat

1. Assemble each compartment. Measure the amount of space you want for each compartment, and repeat Step 6 to screw each divider into place according to those measurements.
   • Tip for success: Remember to account for the 3/4″ thickness of the wood! If you want compartments that are all the exact same size, take your full inside length measurement minus 3/4″ for the width of each divider, and divide that by the number of compartments you’ll have.
2. Attach 1/4″ backing to one side of the shelf. We used a nail gun to work fast.
3. Attach edge banding to the front edges of shelf according to package instructions. Take your time–if you rush it, it won’t stick well!
4. Trim edge banding if needed. We purchased an edge banding trimmer to make this step a bit smoother.
5. Stain and seal edge banding. Confession: we haven’t actually done this step yet, but we hope to get around to it one day!
6. Cover pocket holes. Fill in with wood filler (using a putty knife). Let dry, and then gently sand til smooth. Give a light coat of paint to help it blend in.

4. Bring It All Together

We went with the IKEA PAX wardrobe system to complete this built-in look. These cabinets come in a variety of sizes, making it easy to customize to your space. We chose two units that gave us the amount of storage we were looking for, with enough space in between to comfortably sit an adult and a child for reading books together. Of course, the space constraints on the right side of the window left us with only one wardrobe size option for that side.

Assemble the cabinets (of course) according to IKEA’s wordless assembly instructions. One time I bought Peterson a “happy anniversary” greeting card that said something about the power of a couple who builds IKEA furniture together. Honestly, we love building IKEA furniture!

BUT–here’s where the real IKEA hack magic happens! To create a seamless look, we decided to make custom doors for our PAX units. This of course is not going to work for everyone, but it really elevates the whole thing from “nice IKEA furniture” to “wow, is that built-in?”

If you want to learn how we made our custom doors, check out our detailed DIY tutorial. It’s not the easiest project we’ve taken on, but it really makes such a difference!

5. Install the BASE SHELF

Once your base shelf is completed and the wardrobes are assembled and customized, it’s time to install everything. This is where working as a team really comes in handy.

1. Put your base shelf into place on the floor. Since ours is wall-to-wall, we were able to just fit it right into place and did not screw it into the surrounding walls.
2. Use a level to make sure your base shelf is level. Ours was of course not level at all, so we starting stuffing shims until we reached a level point. We ended up with almost an inch of shims, which made us reconsider our strategy. Here’s what we did: We cut a piece of 3/4″ plywood the same length as our shelf and 2″ deep. We added edge banding and used wood glue and nails to attach it to the front bottom edge of our base shelf.

6. Install the WARDROBES to frame your IKEA Hack window seat

1. Position your wardrobes on top of the shelf and use a level to make sure they’re straight. If they’re not (and inevitably in NYC the walls and floor are NEVER straight) use a shim of some sort. Keep adding shims until the whole thing is level.
2. Secure the wardrobes to the wall using the screws that come with them and wall anchors where necessary.
   • Note: We didn’t actually attach the wardrobes to the shelf. The shelf is sitting freely on the ground (sandwiched between walls), and the wardrobes are sitting on top (anchored into the back wall).

7. finish the Bench Top

Now for the piece that ties it all together – the bench top! Here’s how we did it:

1. Measure the distance between each wardrobe, and cut your molding to size to fit in between them.
   • Note: Our molding here isn’t actually attached to anything–just (lovingly) shoved into place.
2. Measure the length and depth of your finished top, and order a custom-fit cushion to sit on top.
   • For the cushion, I custom-ordered this cushion from Amazon. It was expensive, but we’ve never had any issues with it, it was literally the PERFECT size for the measurements I gave them, and I can tell it’s going to last us.

8. Add the Finishing Touches to your IKEA hack window seat

This is where your window seat really starts to come to life!

1. Find a cute throw pillow or stuffed animal to place in the corner of the window seat.
2. Consider taking the whole built-in look to the next level and adding a long piece of wood on top of the two wardrobes like we did, and then placing (attractive) storage boxes on top.

Okay quick confessional–this delightful window seat more often becomes a dumping ground for clothes and toys that need to be put away BUT our littlest one does love climbing up and down from there, and we’ll often sit for a minute to help get kids dressed. I think, for us, because the couch is just so darn close to the kids’ room, we more often sit there to snuggle and read. But maybe in another life we’ll use the window seat more as originally intended!

The Results of this IKEA hack window seat

In conclusion, I can’t tell you how much this IKEA hack has transformed our kids’ room. Not only do we have a beautiful, custom-looking window seat, but we’ve also gained so much storage space. The PAX wardrobes with the custom-made shelving unit underneath provide ample room for clothes, toys, and all those little treasures kids seem to accumulate.

So if you want to see how this window seat fits into the overall evolution of our kids’ room, check out this post. It’s amazing to see how the space has grown with our family!

Final Thoughts: IKEA Hack Window Seat

This IKEA hack window seat project is proof that you don’t need a huge budget or a ton of space to create something beautiful and functional. So with some IKEA products, a little bit of creativity, and a weekend of DIY, you can transform any room in your home.

The total cost for this project came in under $200 (plus the cost of the PAX wardrobes), which is a fraction of what a custom built-in would have cost. And the best part? We got exactly what we wanted, tailored perfectly to our space and style.

Have you tried any IKEA hacks in your home? We’d love to hear about them! Drop a comment below or share your creations with us on social media. And if you tackle this window seat project, please tag us – we can’t wait to see what you create!

Finally, remember that small space living doesn’t mean sacrificing style or function. With a little creativity and some elbow grease, you can create a home that’s perfectly tailored to your family’s needs.

Tap here to see our window seat / book bench in action!