Beds in Front of Windows

As regular RHW readers know, Mera is planning her new master bedroom.  Today’s post sprung from the multi-week email conversation we’ve been having about how to make her bed work in front of the windows (the only place a bed will fit in the postage stamp-sized room).  We’ve been gathering photos of bedrooms with a similarly constrained layout, and thought we’d take a closer look at when and why it works.

We’ve noticed that for a bed to look right in front of a window (and in this case we’re talking about a bed that partially obscures the glass, not one that sits beneath it), the whole composition has to be a strong focal point in the room.  Either the bed frame, or the curtains, or both should pull the eye in.  That doesn’t mean it has to be super over the top, or super colorful.  In this lovely bedroom the curtains fit within the muted palette of the room, but the pleating and the length gives them a theatricality and make the placement of the bed feel extra special.

This next photo is actually the same bedroom in a different incarnation.  Here the plant and the bright textiles on the bed create a strong vignette and make the furniture arrangement seem not just intentional, but desirable.

This bedroom is maybe a little too decorated for us.  But we love that, rather than attempting to make the bed frame disappear by painting it white, it is painted a bright kelly green. We would argue that if you’re going to put your bed in front of the window, you’ve got to own it.  Disguises don’t work.

In this room, the bed is not only in front of the window, it’s also not centered on the window.  The bright string of lights makes the placement of the bed seem beautifully unabashed, and also creates balance.  We love it.

In these next two bedrooms, the headboards are neutral, square, and solid.   In both rooms beautiful quilts at the end of the bed seem to usher you in making each feel simple, cozy, and totally livable.

This one is another look entirely.  The rectangular window panes and the black curved mountain shapes of the headboard create the ultimate contrast.  It’s less “we had to put the bed here,” and more “of course we put the bed here.”

Looking at these examples and discussing why we think they work has got us both excited about the direction Mera’s room is taking, and it also helped Mera settle on a headboard.  We’re curious – how do you work through a design conundrum?

3 responses on “Beds in Front of Windows

  1. Nina

    “We would argue that if you’re going to put your bed in front of the window, you’ve got to own it. Disguises don’t work.”

    Yes. This is the same lesson you (Mera?) learned with the TV gallery wall. Once the presence of the TV was accepted, and attempts to distract from it were abandoned, it all came together nicely.

    When I have a design conundrum, I have to really tamp down the desire to do something, anything, and take the time to pour over inspiration photos, scour consignment and thrift shops, email/call my long-distance BFF, etc. I also know from my personal experience that I often have radical changes of heart, so its best to really sit with an idea for a while to be sure its a keeper.

    1. Mera

      Great advice, Nina. I’m definitely the same way, I can get fevered about a new idea. Sometimes it sticks, but other times it fizzles within the week. Best to take it slow!

  2. Chenell

    How about a Toran, beaded curtain or macrame window dressing with your bed? It would make the whole arrangement seem really intentional. If you could find the right piece, I think it could be stunning.

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