Often overlooked, window sills hold huge potential to create ambience and complement your home's interiors. The best part? You don't need to invest a whole lot if you don't want to. All that's required is a bit of imagination. And that's what we'll bring you today! In this article, we are sharing with you our Top 10 Window Sill Ideas, based on decor styles and sensations to set the tone...
What if just looking through your window could transport you to sweet travel memories, create warmth, cosiness, or even bring jungle-like vibes?
Window Sill Ideas: Choosing a Decor Style
Before you set out to just 'putting stuff' on your window sill, let's go through a few things to consider beforehand.
Size of Your Window Sill
Measure the width and length of your window sill. How much space do you actually have? Are you decorating a living room bay window sill or just a tiny toilet one?
Check our full guide to internal window sills if you need help choosing the right one!
How Much Sunlight the Window Sill Gets
How much light comes through the window? Does it get direct sun? This can be key as you may, for example, choose to go for white reflective ornaments or clear glass bottles if you don't get a lot of sunlight. Plus, you could also add a pop of colour. These tricks will help subtly re-distribute the incoming light and create an openness feeling.
Also, if you want to place plants, you'd need to pick the type that can cope with your home's interior conditions. And this goes both ways. Many flowering plants have extremely delicate petals, hence can't thrive on full sun conditions.
What Type of Curtains Do You Have?
To maximize the potential of your window sills decor, check in with your curtains! This may sound funny, but if you go all the way following the latest window sill ideas only to find out your long and heavy curtains constantly sweep your ornaments, you are in trouble!
Choose the Sensations and Mood You Want to Create
Your window sills hold a great opportunity to either complement or break the patterns of your home's style. If you've gone minimalist, create a visual focus with your window sills decor. Are you all in for cosiness and warmth? Then candles and lanterns it is!
Whatever you do, think first of a feeling you want to create. Keeping this in mind will point you in the right direction and help you stay focused.
Now that you know all the tricks, let's jump right in!
Top 10 Window Sill Ideas - Creating Ambience
Most of these styles can be applied to every single room in the house. Of course, it will vary if you are decorating your bathroom or your kitchen window sill. The most fun will come from actually creating and adapting these ideas across your house. Turn on your creative DIY lights!
1. Warmth and Cosiness: Hygge All the Way
You may wonder, what on Earth is Hygge? Hygge is a Danish concept that represents moments that feel homely. Imagine having a hot cup of tea by your window, while reading your favourite book -and feeling content. The idea of hygge has been taken to the interior design world under the premises of comfort and relaxation.
To apply this to your window sill, start by choosing a uniform neutral colour palette -pastel shades are perfect. You can add one big white candle or lantern, keep two or three books on the side, and use knitted coasters of different textures. If you have sitting space, place a small cushion. The key here is to keep it simple, so don't just add things to fill the space.
Hygge is not just about the visuals but also about the textures. This is why we recommend having items with different surfaces. Knitted coasters, a piece of thick wool yarn on a wooden base...you name it! This style is all about the simple pleasures.
Before you keep going, make sure your window sill is looking neat and uniform. If you decide it's not and you need a helping hand, then follow our guide to painting interior window sills!
2. Get Whimsical: Imagination on Demand
There are so many window sill ideas you can bring to life following the guidelines of this decor style! All you need to do is let your dreamer's instincts take over!
How would a whimsical window sill look like? Well, you'd want to get a few fun and uber-creative artisan or designer items. Heaps of colour, odd shapes, synthetic furs, reflective ornaments. You can also bring plants in fun pots with drawings and beading patterns.
Just take it as far as you wish. Either if you just catch a bit of inspiration and choose one single statement item, or decide to go overboard, make sure you play with the eclectic concept of this decor style.
3. Minimalist Window Sill Ideas: Simplify to Magnify
Minimalism focuses on simple living and being essential. When applied to your window sills, this means you would pick just one, two, or max three items to bring texture, and enhance your room's clean lines. You want to choose these items carefully as they should create an impact.
Minimalism is ideal for kitchen and bathroom window sills!
Start by selecting a monochromatic colour palette or create a colour accent with, for example, a blue or dark green vase. Pick a plant with a single long stem, and put it in a porcelain mid-size pot -just an idea!
Symmetry is very important as well, as it helps keep the mind calm. If you wanted to go for three ornaments, make sure the two on the sides are the exact same, and play with the one in the middle. Elegance and easy luxury is the key here!
4. The House in the Forest: The Magic of Wood
This style will work best in houses with wooden or veneered window sills. The idea behind it is to re-create the magical atmosphere of a house in the mountains, nestled within a thick forest.
You'll want to go for rustic pieces resembling old times living, and materials that evoke comfort and warmth.
When it comes to colour patterns, pick shades of browns, greens, and touches of oranges, especially for light sources -wood, nature, and fire.
There are just so many beautiful pieces you can use to create this feeling! A cast-iron kettle, stones, lush houseplants on a range of greens from light to dark -ferns, pothos, a small Norfolk island pine-, handmade wood ornaments, or ever hardcover vintage books!
If you worry about the use of candles, try fairy lights! You can arrange them around your plants, or put them inside a clear glass jar. This window sill idea invites for introspection, inner peace, and long conversations. Magic!
5. Globetrotter's Vintage: The World on Your Window Sill
What if you could evoke sweet memories of your adventures around the world? Or just get inspired to plan your next holiday?
Enter the Globetrotter's Vintage window sill ideas!
The goal is to bring to the combo objects you love and cherish, just like Marie Kondo teachings' explain. If you want to add a pop of a vintage colour palette on your home's next reno, then you could make the most of a white primed window sill that comes ready to be painted!
To 'get the look', gather a few token items from your travels. Don't go overboard! In all honesty, those are sometimes not the prettiest things to display 24/7. These objects also tend to be too small, and when arranged together, can create a cluttered sight -pick wisely.
Then, just get a small vintage globe, your favourite travel magazines, one or two photos from your trips, and vintage postcards. It's very easy to get excited and add way too many things. Keep in mind less is more!
Having photos and cute travel memorabilia on your window sills will add a subtle adventurous touch -and ignite your guests' curiosity!
6. From Exotic Lands: Feeling International
On this window sill idea, we also touch on the feelings of travel, but from a different standpoint! Imagine cultures that may seem far, far away. Their colours, scents, textures...
Did you ever dream of travelling to Thailand, Indonesia, Morrocco, Turkey, Greece? We could go on forever with our bucket list! The point is that even just a little bit of research will get you closer to any of these cultures' styles. You may not want to decorate your entire house as if you were in Asia, so here is when your window sill can really shine displaying a few objects from 'far away' lands.
Here are a few suggestions of knick-knacks from around the globe! If you have sitting space, try a Thai three-fold triangle cushion. To lighten things up, try a small Morrocan perforated lantern. If it's within your beliefs, you can also place a small Buddha statue and incense.
Even if you only had just one of these items alongside a potted plant, that would already set the stage!
7. Practical and Essential: Window Sill Ideas for Storage
It's true that so far we've been sharing with you creative inspiration you can apply to your window sills decor. However, being practical and using your window sills to serve a smart purpose is also extremely important!
You can place books on your living room's window sill. Keep herbs pots, or place a bowl of fresh fruit in your kitchen. Add an extra surface for toiletries in your bathroom. And the list goes on! From stationary to desk lamps, you could even turn a window sill into a small working space.
8. Creating a Work Space: Turning Your Window Sill into a Desk
Just as we anticipated, it's actually possible and convenient to turn your window sill into a working space. With more and more people working from home nowadays, sitting on the same spot every day can be annoying. Hence, designing an extra working area can bring variety -and it simply looks cool!
You must also consider that if you are living in a small apartment, you may be trying to work from your couch or on your dining table -if you have one! Of course, it will depend on which direction your window is facing, and how high it is. If planets align, it can be actually really easy to set this up.
On the pro side, working facing a window will give you a sense of open space -for more comfort, get a wide window sill! However, if your window gets just too much light, you'd end up closing the curtains, or just moving away. Obviously, in this case, turning your window sill into a desk may not be the best of ideas!
9. Desert Inspiration: Popping Colours Fun
Have you been feeling your home looks a bit grim? Have you had enough of neutral colours, yet you still want to keep it minimal? Then it's time to pop-it-up!
To create edgy, colourful vibes straight from the desert you'll need bright contrasting colours both cold and warm -think yellow, blue, orange. And desert plants, the more the merrier.
In this case, a mix of cactus and succulents will serve your purpose to perfection. Some varieties of succulents even change colours, adding an extra touch of fun. Both cactus and succulents are extremely easy to care for, and they look simply lovely and quirky.
The great thing about this window sill idea is that you don't really need much! A few plants, some rocks or pebbles if you want, and perhaps a colourful rustic table runner.
To go all-in with this trend, paint your window sill on a contrasting tone -hello yellow! Give your house a vibrant and lively style!
10. Window Sill Ecosystem: Your Very Own Urban Jungle
There are just so many ideas to choose from when it comes to creating a garden on your window sills!
Having plants around the house has many benefits. Plants help clear the air, reduce dust levels, are visually appealing, and have a calming effect on humans.
You could have a herb garden, a collection of succulents, hydroponics, a dry terrarium, a moss water terrarium, flowers...or all of them! There's no such things as 'too many plants', as long as you can provide them with the care they need. Some houseplants require more attention than others, so be mindful of this when choosing.
The satisfaction of growing plants helps us re-connect with the planet, and your window sill may be the ideal place for keeping your seedlings and potted greens. A final tip! To maximize this window sill idea, give your garden an extra eco-friendly twist by re-using both plastic and glass jars. You won't even need to invest in pots.
Before we wrap up, make sure to put plant saucers underneath your pots with drainage holes. Otherwise, when you water them, the excess liquid will get to your window sill, causing moss and damp.
What Did You Think of these Window Sill Ideas?
If you have more window sill ideas and would like to share them with us, just leave us a comment below! Are you planning to apply any of our suggestions?
