Bay Window Decorating Ideas Living Room

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What is it about bay windows that we love so much? Generally found in Victorian houses, they originally came about because of a change in building regulations, which the Victorians took advantage of as the design allows more light to come into a room. But they can be a tricky shape to work with when you first encounter one. Do you opt for blinds, curtains, shutters or some combination of the three? It can take some trial and error to work out what to do with the extra, slightly awkwardly shaped space that a bay window creates. First things first, you can get curved curtain poles from John Lewis that are a godsend for bay windows. They offer made-to-measure options, bay bends for working straight poles together for a bay window and entire off-the-shelf bay window curtain kits. All you need now are some ready-made curtains.

Here below, ten examples from the House & Garden archive of what to do with a bay window, whether it's in a living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom or even bathroom.

A bay window can become the focal point of a room, as this glamorous and dramatic curtain decoration by Maddux Creative proves. Curved furniture and voluminous curtains in a Bruno Triplet taffeta reflect the curved shape of the window and ornate architraves and make the window a statement feature. The unique shape of the sofa works brilliantly as it eliminates any dead space between its back and the window.
One obvious use for the sometimes awkward blank space that a bay window can leave is to turn it into a window seat. Here, during the conversion of this Victorian terrace in west London, designer Sarah Delaney retained the period features in the living room and created an upholstered window seat so the family could look out over the communal gardens. It acts almost as another sofa, meaning there is ample seating in the room and no need to block the window with another armchair.
Fiona Golfar also used a bay window for a seating area in her Cornish house, filling it with a pile of cushions with varying covers and in all different sizes to create a cosy, separate space from the rest of the room.
In this house by Shalini Misra, the bay window in the sitting room features French doors out onto the garden. Therefore, Shalini had to keep them free of furniture so that they could be opened easily, but still acknowledge their presence. She managed this by adding 'Rita' chairs by Martino Gamper with space behind them, framing them expertly with mustard yellow curtains. Overscaled cornices wrap around the french windows to double as pelmets for the velvet curtains.
Emma Grant also has a bay window with French doors in her absolutely lovely London house. She has decorated it with kitchen blinds salvaged from a New England beach house and finished with a raffia trim found at a French market, framing the space with identical bull sculptures on either side. The bay window gives extra space to the kitchen, allowing Emma to fit a breakfast table within the room.
Were it a window and not French doors, Emma could have followed our decoration team's example and used the space to frame a dining space. A bay window is often a symmetrical feature in Victorian properties, creating a natural space to place a dining table and chairs and create a light-filled, lovely space to entertain.
Journalist Pandora Sykes makes the most of the bay window in her London house for a statement seating nook. She chose to frame it with curtains made from a leopard print by Le Manach; 'They were my biggest investment – and a controversial one. A lot of people advised against it, but I knew if I had a really good leopard print, it would work.' Within the space created by the window, she has added a yellow chair that picks up on the walls and sofa, with tables on either side.
Putting a statement seat in a bay window is often the best solution, especially in a living room or bedroom. Here, in garden designer Butter Wakefield's London house, it is the perfect size for a loveseat, creating an area to relax in the room and look out onto the garden below.
In a more minimal example, food writer Melissa Hemsley has kept her bay window fairly bare, adding just shutters and an ottoman and lamp. This allows more light into the room.
Finally, what could be more appealing than a bath set in a bay window, for uninterrupted views as you soak? Of course, this is only an option in a country house that is not overlooked, but what a marvellous option it is.