The living room, in the space of which there is a bay window, allows you to equip the room as profitably and uniquely as possible. Such a design feature looks impressive, however, in order to achieve the desired aesthetic perception, you need to know the subtleties of decorating a room with a bay window. We equip the living room: we take into account all the nuances.
Features of the
A bay window is a kind of ledge that is in the room, an addition to the main perimeter, which has a variety of shapes.
The bay area can be:
- semicircular;
- faceted;
- cubic;
- angular rectangular;
- two-story.
The size of the bay window area is different. In some cases, this is a miniature space in which there is barely enough space for a cozy armchair. In other rooms, most of the living room is allocated under the bay window: sometimes it seems that the area with the bay window is the dominant feature of the layout.
But whatever the bay window of the living room is, this is not a balcony or a glazed loggia. It is not so isolated from the main space, although to maintain the desired style it can have an imitation of partitions or a podium.
Its characteristic feature is the location of windows over the entire area of the bay window ledge from the side of the wall. There are always several of them, so the bay window is flooded with sunlight. It is light, although often artificial lighting is used to highlight this space. Often a bay window (half-window) is located opposite the entrance to the room.
Benefits
The design of a living room with a bay window has a lot of advantages:
- the ledge is a decoration of the living room, it does not interrupt the general idea of the design;
- you can choose a different stylistic direction;
- you can equip a separate functional corner (playroom, recreation area, dining or guest space);
- due to the bay window, you can unobtrusively zone the space, giving it a clear organization;
- with a lack of free space, the bay window can be used with maximum benefit;
- a bay window makes the room light even in the case of choosing rich tones of the color palette;
- this feature allows you to perform multi-level and hybrid methods of ceiling decoration for each zone of the space.
Minuses
With a lot of advantages, decorating a living room with a bay window has several disadvantages:
- it is difficult to place conservative furniture in this area, therefore, for the closest arrangement of upholstered furniture, it has to be ordered for the specific features of the bay window;
- it will not be possible to put a corner sofa in it: it will look inappropriate, violating the overall interior;
- sometimes the bay window has a broken perspective, which complicates its arrangement and decoration, including ceiling structures;
- in most cases, this ledge is the only light source in the room.
Subtleties of design
Whatever style you choose, it must be appropriate. The overhang of the wall with windows is good for many design options, but it is unlikely to fit into some creative directions. For example, he can hardly draw out the loft style, which is inherent in an open layout and stylized as an abandoned industrial facility. Of course, you can try to make an imitation of the style by choosing its main elements: panoramic windows without curtains, brick walls, studio layout, but rarely such a design will fully correspond to what was conceived.
An excellent solution for such a room would be any classic direction: classic, neoclassic, baroque, Italian style. Elements of palace solemnity, plaster stucco molding on the ceiling, gilding, wooden furniture with carved legs, beautiful curtains, which can be thick or lace, are inherent in these areas.
You should definitely use light colors in the design: with their help, you can visually increase the total area, erase the boundaries of the walls. Combined with gilding and white, the furnishings will look chic and modern.
Vintage and provincial styles (country, Provence) will be successful.
As a floor covering, it is preferable to use practical materials intended for areas with high traffic. The floor can be decorated with tiles, laminate, linoleum, parquet, parquet board. Moreover, its color should not coincide with the tone of the walls: this will reduce the height of the ceiling and it will seem that the floor has climbed onto the walls.
In order to visually stretch the height of the walls, it is better to keep the floor plinth to match the wallpaper or choose a color close to them.
It is undesirable to use glossy ceramics: it slips, being traumatic. For a visual separation of the bay window and guest space zones, a combination of floor materials is allowed. You can combine laminate and tiles in the room by laying out the styling of the carpet from square fragments. If a dining room is planned in the bay window, you can put tiles on the floor, and decorate the rest of the floor with linoleum, not forgetting about the "warm floor" system. So maintenance will be simple, and the durability of the materials will increase.
Furniture
The ideal solution for the arrangement of furniture in a hall with a bay window or a half-window will be a clear delimitation of the space into functional zones of different purpose. If the area allows, for example, the room has more than 20 squares, you can choose premium upholstered furniture for the guest area, and for the dining room - choose an elegant table and chairs with high backs.
At the same time, the furniture should not match in color: if the shades are excellent by at least 2-3 tones, you can convey the versatility of the interior. Especially chic interior compositions can be played on an area of 30 - 35 sq. m.
These rooms can accommodate a luxurious guest area. For this, modular furniture or two sofas and armchairs are used. Leather tables that can be used as a curbstone will not be superfluous. If there is not enough space, so as not to overload the interior, it is worth using transformer furniture. So, the guest area can be beaten with the presence of a transformable sofa, an armchair and a folding table. An excellent solution is a side table: with a minimum of occupied space, it is multifunctional.
For a bay window, it is worth choosing elegant furniture: massive and large furniture can interrupt the items in the living area, which is unacceptable. If the main purpose of the bay window is to receive guests, it is worth placing the furniture there. This is possible if the area of the room is limited, but the living room is not the only room in the apartment (house). In this case, the rest of the space is not overloaded: you can put a chest of drawers, shelves against the wall, lay a carpet, leave space for the dining area.
At the same time, it is important that there are no empty corners, otherwise, along with the arrangement of the bay window, the space will seem unsettled.
Lighting
The lighting of the living room with a bay window is special: in this case, you cannot do with one central lamp. You need two chandeliers, or a lot of LED spotlights around the perimeter of the ceiling. It is undesirable to use suspended structures on chains and cord hangers if the ceiling is low. This will visually make the interior heavy.
Separate lighting is necessary to make the room comfortable: one chandelier will not be able to illuminate the bay window.
If the interior initially has one central luminaire, you can perform illumination using wall sconces or floor models, although it is better if the light falls from above. Light sources matter: the temperature of the light flux should not be too yellow or cold blue: in the first case, it depresses, in the second, it develops depression.
It is worth avoiding unnatural illumination of areas: shades far from daylight go against the atmosphere of home comfort. Luminaires with a soft diffusing flux are good for a welcoming environment if you want to change bright light, for example, for watching TV.
Walls
For this room to look like a single space, fragmentation due to pronounced contrasts is undesirable. The bay window ledge and the guest space can be decorated in different shades, but not contrasting, otherwise the perception of the room will be difficult. Whatever the design, the living room should be light, although the chosen tones can be neutral, warm or moderately cold. As a facing material, you can use wallpaper, laminate, photo printing, decorative plaster, natural stone and brick.
All walls are not treated with stone and brick: you can show a small accent that does not interrupt the main style. This can be the finishing of a column, a ledge, a space where audio or video equipment is located. Moreover, this material should not stand out in color: this way the bay window risks becoming invisible. The pattern of wall decoration is also important: the best solution would be the relief of the texture, which can be matte, glossy, rough, voluminous or embossed.
It is undesirable to overload the walls with an abundance of drawing: in such rooms, simple walls look more harmonious, although one accent can be added to them (for example, by designating the accent part of the wall where the guest area is located).
Beautiful examples
A bay window can be a stand-alone seating area with a high ceiling and small space
You can visually enlarge the bay window ledge by means of two sofas installed on both sides of the ledge borders
A custom-made sofa in the shape of a bay window will perfectly fit into the overall style of the living room
- A custom-made narrow modular sofa and a compact dining area look great in the bay window area.
- In a large bay window space, windows can be decorated with stained glass.
For information on how to decorate a room with a bay window, see the next video.