Small space and older home living can have it’s challenges. One of the most common one’s is windows placed in odd spots on the wall. There is noting more frustrating than trying to figure out the best spot for the bed and other furniture. Many times when working with clients I will find that they have this weirdly placed or odd sized window in their bedroom. It’s really not enough room to place a bed in front of the window and it’s so off-center that it throws off the entire flow of the room. I actually had clients in the same month with the same bedroom off-center window design dilemma and I wanted to share with you a solution we used for how to place a bed in front of off-center window.
What is the Best Solution for a Window that’s Small and not Centered in the Room?
One word. Drapery. Strategic placement of window treatments is normally the best option to correct the asymmetry of an off-center window, especially with a bed larger than a twin bed or daybed. This also works for a rental where you are allowed to hang curtains. In smaller bedrooms, floor space is a premium and that extra space is needed not only for storage, but to be able to walk around the bed comfortably especially if there are two people using the room. With a guest bedroom, it’s ok if space to move is a little tighter, but in a main or primary bedroom for long term living, it’s more challenging. This is why centered bed placement as a bedroom layout is more important than ever.
Bed Placement with Corner Windows
Corner windows seemed to be very popular in 1950’s- 1960’s homes, especially those that have a Mid Century Modern style or design. As you can see in the picture above, in the first client’s bedroom, the windows were placed in the corner of the room, which made for terrible furniture placement, especially one where we wanted to have the bed be the focal point of the room. In a small bedroom, it’s more important than ever to try to get the bed in a place where it’s the main focus. My client knew she wanted to do blinds for privacy so we decided to play with the size of the blind and actually stretch it out past the window so they created almost a larger window. The trick was to create an almost entire wall of curtains. Luckily, this window faces the street side and they never open the blinds to look outside. We then hang the curtain rod, high above the shade blind, and stretch the curtains all the way to the other side of the headboard. This allowed us to create symmetry with a curtain panel and matching nightstands each side and give the illusion that the window is larger and centered in the room.
In this room, the patterned fabric created interest and was eye-catching, making the window seem even brighter. We gave the entire room a bit of a makeover to light it up, and ended up painting, a lighter wall, color, and a new headboard and the bed frame along with an area rug pulled slightly in front of the nightstands. This allowed us to bring it far down below the window frame and create a little more open feeling so the bed didn’t feel so heavy.
Do you have other furniture placement issues? Check out this post about furniture around windows and doors.
We also added lots of color, and the super fun drapes and artwork from Minted, and pillows from West Elm for a fun cohesive look. There are some plans to replace the rug as well in the future for something a little more neutral. We’ll also add baskets for some natural texture and extra storage.
Adding the larger curtain panels also allowed us to balance out the other side of the room with the chest of drawers. The super cute, green vintage dresser looks amazing with the arched mirror above it next to the closet doors and makes a nice statement piece of furniture. It really just opens up the entire room with the lighter wall color. They have a nice amount of storage so we didn’t need to add an extra wardrobe.
It also allowed us to create open space in the corner for a nice, green plant. A floor lamp would be another option if we wanted to add more light.
Expand the Look of a Small, Non-Centered Window Under a Bed in Front of a Window
For clients room 2, they didn’t know what to do with the smaller window many years ago, so they covered it with a large and dramatic headboard.While that is one way to handle it at the time , the problem for them was that they had so little light in the room it just made it darker. At the time this was totally on trend, but now we really wanted to open the window up and let it some natural light. Since doing major renovation and putting in a larger window wasn’t an option, we decided to fake a larger window with curtain size and placement. We also had the sloped ceiling to content with so we also had to decide where the center of the room actually was.
We ended up doing blackout curtain panels on this window setup for light control and hanging the curtain rod close to the ceiling, which raises up the height of the room. We also ended up hanging the curtain rod out far enough past edge of the headboard that we could center the curtains. By keeping the curtains nearly closed, it still lets in light but it gives the illusion that the window is bigger than it is. Eventually we added a smalls sofa in front of the bed to give them a place to sit when dressing.
With Smaller Beds and Off-Center Windows
One thing about off-center windows is that they really work better in places like guest rooms where a smaller bed is used or a day bed. Sometimes you can’t avoid windows such as in this guest loft with a window wall. Putting a smaller bed in a corner allows for more open area. In a guest room, adding shelves of books and a bench or chair can go under the window for a place to sit.
The Key to an Offset Window in a Bedroom is Balance
I know the clients are happy with this end result and how much cozier and bright their homes feels. I hopes this post helped you if you are also dealing with one of those pesky off centered windows in your bedroom!
