How to dress bay window in a multi-use retro room?

HU-922802032

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

I am doing pretty well with getting the living room/dining room/hallway to the kitchen/yoga studio space to work for me aesthetically and practically.

I am looking for advice on the window dressing, but also open to ideas about the layout and decoration of the room generally.

The windows

We have found a lovely fabric for the window dressings and we had planned to do Roman blinds for their minimal profile. I was originally going to make up the blinds myself, but now I am nervous of my ability to do so. My partner has suggested short curtains as these will be easier to make up, but have some sort of block about short windows in a bay window, especially as they will sit right next to/on our dining table.

The room generally

We have lots of colourful knick knacks, vintage and retro furniture, an open plan layout with living room at one end and dining table in the window bay, a fish tank, a wooden mantelpiece to cover the metal fireplace underneath and we have, amazingly, managed to fit in a very large and very nice sounding hifi and speakers without turning the room into a listening room.

Thoughts and plans

I am planning to get a new (old) extending dining table with central legs instead of the gateleg one I have now. I would like to find a rug for colour and insulationWe are bringing down a wood and glass display cabinet from my mum's which will sit in fron of the metal fireplace and house the hifi equipment, with the fish tank moving across the room to sit on top of the sideboard.

Living room · More Info

Living room · More Info

Living room · More Info

Featured Answer

rinked

4 years ago

Though I have pale grey roller blinds in my livingroom (looks great on the white window frames and both moss green wall and white walls), I'm a fan of top down bottom up cellular blinds! My livingroom window is too wide for one, but they would look great at your place. And they provide plenty of privacy in the bottom half, right where you need it and are available either translucent or with a sun-reflecting coating (thus blinding too). You could combine them with curtains, but would suffice on their own.

Comments (11)

Emma Lamb
4 years ago
I think firstly I would consider re configuring your layout, in your drawing you have to walk "through" the living area to get to your dining table. Also atm you have all your furniture pushed back against the walls, making it almost corridor like. I would totally go with romans. You can get kits to make them up and they would look fab in the fabric you've chosen. Or full length curtains, depending on how much fabric you have you'll want them nice and full, maybe put your mums dresser in the window? the curtains would frame it or blinds will give it a sleek look.
HU-922802032 thanked Emma Lamb
Emma Lamb
4 years ago
Just to add, looking at your windows, if you make curtains you are going to have to pattern match your fabric, and that might give you a headache. Doing blinds however, you might get away with one width in each blind.
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Sonia
4 years ago
I have a very similar sitting room. Mine is a through room from the front door through to the kitchen. I have a large bay window with a wide windowsill so I couldn’t have long curtains. I decided on short curtains that neatly sit on the window sill. My table and chairs sit in the bay and it’s nice to sit there looking out and being a nosy neighbour! If I had to renew the curtains I think I would go for roman blinds as they give such a neat finish. I’ll share a picture once I get home.
Sonia
4 years ago
Here’s a photo of my bay window with short curtains sitting on windowsill.
HU-922802032 thanked Sonia
Emma Lamb
4 years ago
Sonia, I love how you're on it even when you're out and about ;-)
Sonia
4 years ago
@Emma. I was waiting in the car for OH to get a few bits in Sainsbury’s and I’m not good at waiting at the best of times, so out came my phone haha! :-)
Emma Lamb
4 years ago
@Sonia Houzz is the only one I go on, can't be doing with the other social media stuff lol.
HU-922802032
Original Author
4 years ago
Hi @Emma Lamb. I'm super up for a reconfiguration, but don't really know what else to try. I've had various arrangements in the past and this is the best yet.

In an ideal world, we wouldn't have the furniture all against the walls, but we do yoga in here so we need the space. The two chairs are meant to angle in a little more than they were when I took the picture (after the Christmas mess!), but the one closest to the kitchen really just sits awkwardly blocking access to the kitchen and occasionally hiding the fish tank :(

If you have any suggestions of things to move around, I'd be really up for hearing them. I know I want to keep the table where it is as I like to sit in the window while I'm working, the sofa and speakers are also pretty stuck in place due to listening angles, but the chairs, dresser, side tables, storage unit and small table holding the fish tank can all move. I'm planning to remove the fish tank table from the mix when the cabinet arrives, but they are similar in size so I could plan around either just now.

I think I will go with Roman blinds and now just debating whether to get them made up or do them myself. The middle window will need more than one width so it will be a lot of matching, but I'm going to speak to the fabric store and see how I feel. So excited to get them in situ!!
HU-922802032
Original Author
4 years ago
@Sonia Thanks so much for the description and pic! I have settled on Roman blinds now and just figuring out whether I can manage to DIY them.

Please let me know if you have any more thoughts!!
Sonia
4 years ago
Great decision. I will choose roman blinds when the time comes to renew too. Good luck with it all.

How to dress bay window in a multi-use retro room?

rinked

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