The Best Uses for a Bay Window

The bay window is a blessing and a curse. If you have one, you might not know what to do with it. If you don’t have one, you dream of all the things you could do with it.

No matter which group you fall into, these ideas for either utilizing a bay window or adding one can help.

Bay windows — or bow windows, as they are called when they’re more rounded, as on this building — date back to medieval times. In those days a small bump-out was often used as a chapel or altar.

Roots of Style: Does Your House Have a Medieval Heritage?


They caught on in Britain in Victorian-style architecture and were adopted into American buildings in the late 1800s, where they proved popular on the West Coast. A bay window is probably one of the first things you think of when you picture a house in San Francisco.


The added floor space and light make bay windows an attractive home feature. But figuring out how to get the most out of one can be a challenge. One of the most common uses is with a window seat. Here an antique table in front of the seat provides a place for a game, but the height hinders its use for dining.

More about adding a bay window to your home


A built-in banquette is your best option when using a bay window for dining. Be sure to choose a pedestal-style table, make sure the height is right and leave plenty of legroom underneath.

This is a snug curved arrangement, but it works well.


When installing a banquette inside a bay window, consider not only the height of the seat and room for legs, but also the height of the back cushions. In this home a shelf behind the back cushion provides a transition to the windowsill.


If you want a casual look and your bay window is located on the ground level (and you don’t have children), install the banquette just below the sill and toss on some pillows.

It’s a good idea to cover the seat cushion with a washable slipcover made from indoor-outdoor fabric, since dirt is an inevitable by-product of bringing the outside in.


Or go with a high windowsill, to provide back support without the need for a built-in upholstered back.


If you’re adding a bay window and want to make it a spot for eating, consider raising the windowsills so they’re right above table height, then build a dining counter directly into the bay.


Built-in desks are a beautiful way to use a bay window too. Again, make sure your windowsills are at the proper height for the desktop, and it’s ideal if you don’t have any baseboard heaters in the way. Keep an eye on the sunlight to make sure the glare isn’t too strong on your computer monitor; window treatments can regulate the light, but if they’re closed all day, it could defeat the purpose of sitting in the bay.


A bay window is also the perfect place to showcase a freestanding desk, especially a vintage or unique piece. Here wood blinds help moderate the light and still allow a view to the outside.


Maybe you have a tall, freestanding radiator in your bay window. In this home, the owners accepted that fact and used a single chair and window treatments to define the space but still make it feel like part of the room.


If you can accommodate a floor-to-ceiling bay window, you won’t regret it, given the amount of light and perceived space it can create. Just keep in mind what you’ll be looking at and who might be looking in at you if you’re in a more populated area.

Learn more about this kitchen bump-out


In a more suburban or rural setting, a floor-to-ceiling bay window with no window treatments can push a space right into the backyard, with no interruption even near ground level. The gloss finish on this floor highlights the effect, while the transom breaks up the height of the bays.


On a smaller scale, consider a transitional-style bay bumped out onto the patio, again linking the activity of the outside space to the inside space.


In the dining room, a bay window is a natural fit for a bar cart or a console outfitted as a bar.


With no other furniture to distract, this dining table comfortably mimics the shape of the bay window, so it looks as if the table and window could fit together like puzzle pieces.


You’re typically limited as to the size of furniture you can fit within a bay window. However, a love seat can provide plenty of seating when paired with other pieces of furniture.


Consider creating a “faux” bay window by building out the walls on either side of a conventional window. Insert bookcases into the sides of the bay, and use the space below the seat for drawer or cabinet storage.


Storage that opens from the top is smart for families with little ones that they want to keep away from pullout drawers or cabinets, but the seat cushion will have to be removed for someone to get to the storage underneath. Storage accessed from the top also benefits those of us who tend to lose things at the backs of cabinets.


In a kids’ room, use curtains to make a nook special.


Minimalists can make a bay window the focal point with bare glass and sconces on either side.


In bathrooms, tubs are typically built into bay windows, much like window seats. For a different take on the idea, use a freestanding tub and let the space around it work to highlight the depth of the room. Wood blinds keep the focus on the view beyond the windows here. (Conventional shades would have blocked the top of the view, and curtains would have attracted undue attention to the height of the counter.)


Whether a bay window is on the facade of a home, tucked into a snug corner, or an element that pulls a backyard in, it’s an architectural feature that can transform nearly any room.

More:
Micro-Additions: When You Just Want a Little More Room
The Bay Window Goes Modern

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