Benefits of a window seat
Sure I can tote the importance of a window seat, but realistically, not every home offers opportunity for a perfect little built-in niche filled with pillows and storage solutions. So, that's not what I'm going to do here. However, I do want to share the benefits of finding a cozy space in your home that is full of sunlight, especially here in the Pacific Northwest.
We've all experienced the antsy feeling of cabin fever mid-February... you know, right about that time when we think the gray will never go away. What if there were ways to make it more bearable (no, I can't make long, gray, damp winters feel like cheerful spring or toasty summer. But, we can certainly find ways to warm ourselves in the long, cold months and fill us with energy that this time usually drains from us. Two magic words- vitamin D.
Benefits of a window seat: Health
As mentioned on the US Department of Health and Human Services website, Vitamin D strengthens our bones, modulates cell growth, decreases risk of cancer, and prevents several other medical conditions. Medical News Today shows us that in addition to our physical well being, vitamin D helps with our mental well being as well, and we can see this in Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Benefits of a window seat: Enrichment
What is a window seat used for, if not curling up with a good book? Use this space to soak up that sun while reading a good book and you will be enriching yourself and reaping the health benefits simultaneously.
Benefits of a window seat: Self-reflection
One of my favorite things to do in my apartment in Pullman when my husband and I were in college was to sit leaning over the back of the sofa, gazing out the window. I could stare at my garden, watch the funny baby skunk who liked to hang out in the yard, or just stare at the rolling hills and reflect on what was happening in my life. Those moments of staring out the window were refreshing and allowed me to break from my intense college regimen.
Benefits of a window seat: Efficient use of space
Well, yes, I do have to look at the space planning aspects as well, and window seats are a fantastic way to optimize space. It is an opportunity to build in seating that can be utilized as storage and overflow seating.
Knowing all these benefits does not give us the ability to incorporate a built in bench in our homes, but this is where we think outside the box. Your window seat does not have to be a built in bench. Maybe it's a cozy arm chair. A sofa placed under a skylight. Perhaps it's simply a floor cushion placed in an odd nook.
Wherever your window seat is, take a moment and create one. Find a space in your home that gets optimal daylight at a time when you are home and have the opportunity to relax- even if it means pulling up with your laptop to get some work done.