Living Room Design with Bay Window. Additional Functional Zone

Living Room Design with Bay Window. It is best to start by defining what a bay window is.

Bay window — a German word that has become an architectural term, meaning "a projection from the wall" or "a lantern." Both translations accurately describe a bay window: it is indeed a projection from the wall that visually resembles a lantern. A bay window can have a trapezoidal or semicircular shape. The room in which it is located is most often a living room.

Designing a living room with a bay window is pleasant, but at the same time, it is not an easy task. First of all, not every living room has a bay window: they are mostly found in very old houses or new buildings. Therefore, when you are delighted by such a feature in your living room layout, choosing the design should be done carefully — like in medicine: do no harm, don't ruin what is already perfect by itself. Secondly, there are so many options for decorating a bay window in a living room that it's hard to decide which functional zone to place in the precious bay window.

Living Room with Bay Window Interior, Photo

Below are examples of how the design of a rectangular living room with a bay window might look.

• Guest area or additional guest zone. In a large bay window, soft furniture fits perfectly. But note that it fits in, rather than standing in front of the bay window and blocking it. This can be custom-made sofa that completely replicates the contour of the bay window or a small sofa that is about the size of one of its sides. Soft furniture for the bay window can also be used for storage — with sliding drawers.

Photo 1 — Living Room with Bay Window. Guest Area

• Workspace. A bay window offers large windows and plenty of light. It is a dream office. It’s comfortable to work here, and there will be no clutter in the living room: you can design a rectangular living room with one less functional zone.

Photo 2 — Living Room with Bay Window. Workspace

• Tea area. A large dining table in a bay window is unlikely to fit, but a small side table and two armchairs will definitely fit. A cozy corner for a cup of tea and a heartfelt conversation.

Photo 3 — Living Room with Bay Window. Tea Area

• Technology zone. Undoubtedly, there are many places in a living room where you can place technology. But if multimedia devices are numerous or large, the bay window is a great opportunity to display them visibly but outside the main rectangle of the living room.
• Library zone. Bookshelves on the sides and a chair or sofa for reading favorite literature in the center of the bay window — a good solution for book lovers.
• Garden. Flowers and plants are the best decoration for a bay window. Especially since a bay window in a living room can be fully used as a green corner.

Photo 4 — Flowers and plants are the best decoration for a bay window.

• Balcony. As always: many people with a balcony want to combine it with the living room, while some fortunate owners of bay windows don’t mind treating it as a balcony. This is, of course, a joke at the expense of the bay window, but in some cases such a design solution is possible.
• Nothing. Leaving the bay window unfurnished is especially good if its windows overlook scenic areas. It becomes a wonderful lookout point and excellent access to light in the main part of the living room.

Photo 5 — Excellent access to light in the main part of the living room.

The main treasure of a bay window lies in its unique shape, large windows, and abundance of light.

Therefore, when creating a design for a living room with a bay window, it is best to keep it as open as possible — use light and airy curtains or fabric blinds, and furniture that highlights its shape. When a bay window is designated for a specific zone, the design of that zone should be consistent with the style of the entire living room.

Interior of a Rectangular Living Room with Bay Window, Photo

Photo 6 — Interior of a Rectangular Living Room with Bay Window

Photo 7 — Interior of a Rectangular Living Room with Bay Window

Photo 8 — Interior of a Rectangular Living Room with Bay Window

Photo 9 — Interior of a Rectangular Living Room with Bay Window

Photo 10 — Interior of a Rectangular Living Room with Bay Window