What I’m about to write about is not an “ideal” design situation. In fact, it’s more of a “good enough” design solution. But the fact is, most of us are dealing with these “good enough” scenarios, aren’t we? The majority of you reading here did not custom-build your house with a furniture plan in place already to perfectly plan the placement of said furniture around things like windows and doors. We have all inherited architecture and floor plans, and we just make it work.
Case in point: my current bedroom. No, not *this* bedroom. But the same one I wrote about earlier this month with the behemoth wall of sliding closet doors.
Due to the unique combination of the floorplan of the room and the size of our furniture (read: huge king-sized bed, large nightstands), we can really only put the bed in one place: against the one large window. That window? It’s off-center to the wall, which makes my bed (which is centered on the wall) sit halfway on the window and halfway on the wall. It looks…kind of wild.
When we moved in, the landlord already had a (very dinky, wobbly) curtain rod in place that we just left up until we could figure out what we were doing here to make things look better. My side of the bed is on the part with the wall, so I put up my art and sconce the way I had it in my previous room prior to moving. My husband’s side is directly under the window, so it can’t accommodate the matching sconce.
Let me show you some pictures so you can get a sense of what I’m talking about:
Obviously, it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever seen but it’s also not the best. It feels very wonky, lopsided, and not intentional. To me, design should always feel intentional and this ain’t that.
So, I couldn’t help but wonder play around with some ideas for how to fix this knowing that others reading are likely dealing with something similar, whether in their bedroom, living rooms or just any space where your furniture doesn’t intentionally line up with a window. I cooked up five ideas, three of which I mocked up as a solution in my own room. After seeing them all, I’m very excited about two of them for myself. Shall we take a look? Let’s!
Option 1: Fake Your Window Width
Okay, so this is by far the easiest solution, even if it presents me with a few gut-wrenching problems. Because our window is very large (71″x74″), we have a lot of wiggle room to place curtains to make it LOOK like the window is in the center-ish of the bed. Basically, I’d add a longer curtain rod or ceiling track and mount that the same distance to the left as it is to the right of my bed (not the window). From there, add a few drapery panels that would cover the wall behind the headboard and just a sliver of the actual window. The key is to have the same weight of curtains on both sides and just a part of the window showing in the center.
The only problem that arises for me and me alone is I would no longer be able to have my beloved sconce above my nightstand. I LOVE these sconces and use mine often. Sure, I could replace it with a table lamp, but I really prefer to have surface area on my bedside table not eaten up by a lamp. Remember when I said this was a lesson in “good enough”? I guess some sacrifices have to be made for the greater good, huh?
The result is a stately window and drapery moment that would really help make our large bed and bedroom feel balanced and centered.
Option 2: Cover The Whole Wall In Draperies
This next option is for drama lovers only…and people with few allergies. A full wall of draperies = a full wall of dust BUT if you like the look, perhaps you can deal with the maintenance.
The below room is in the home of Sarah Sherman Samuel and wow what a look. The curtains not only cover the windows but also act as the texture and “paint”. Making sure you have enough pleating in your drapes is paramount to this looking more 5-star boutique hotel, less Motel 8. A ceiling track or pinch pleating will keep your drapes visually tidy, as well some curtain weights at the bottom.
The below image is a great example of how this can work in a much narrower, less grand room than Sarah Sherman Samuel’s. In fact, off-center window or not, the full wall of curtain panels is *the* moment in the small bedroom. Food for thought.
And look! You can see place art within the draperies! I’m actually not 100% sure how to do this…anyone have any ideas?
And here it is mocked up (poorly) in my bedroom. It’s a very large wall, so a neutral panel (probably white or ivory) would be best to not suffocate me mentally. I like the concept, but I’m not sure it’s totally right for me (achooo!).
Option 3: Balance The Window With Art And/Or A Mirror
Okay, maybe THIS is actually the easiest option on the list. No extra panels, no extra-long rod, no Zyrtec loaded up in our bloodstream. Just. hang. art. Wait…should I just do this and move on? Since moving to California from Florida, I have avoided hanging anything directly above my head in bed. You know…earthquakes and such. I could potentially secure the art a bit better with earthquake-specific putty but then I worry it’ll rip the drywall off when I go to remove it eventually. That’s fashion, baby.
A few more similar examples from the world of Pinterest:
Annnnd…I’m really into this mocked-up in my own bedroom. Or is it just that I’m responding better to the clean, sharp Roman shade instead of the flowy drapes? Probably. But I do think in general it feels—you guessed it—intentional. The arrangement as a whole is weighted equally on both sides, between the mirror and the art on the left and the tree on the right. I’d have to relocate my peacock mirror to lighten the load on that side, but I’d be okay with that.
Annnnnd annnnnnd….my sconce can stay. (For anyone who is like “poor Charles, where is his sconce?”…he cares nothing about having a sconce, never turned it on at the old apartment, and is normally found in his natural habitat hunched under the covers trying to block the light of his phone from me in the dark while I’m trying to sleep.)
Option 4: Balance The Window With Shelving Or A Bookcase
I’m clutching my skull just looking at these (again, earthquakes) but if you don’t live on shakey grounds, I love the idea of adding a wall shelf or two and displaying some of your pretty beloved things like in the image below from A Beautiful Mess.
Here’s a similar concept from an Apartment Therapy House Tour. Just make sure the shelf is high enough that you don’t bonk your head on it when sitting up.
Option 5: Embrace The Asymmetry
I’ve mentioned intentional design a few times in this post, which leads me to option 5. The below image from Dabito of Old Brand New has been in my saved folder for a while mostly because I applaud his brazen design choice to *purposefully* hang his art off center to the bed underneath it. If you click the arrow on the image and scroll to the right, you’ll also notice he brought in a large branch clipping to fill the visual void.
While no, this isn’t a window, it is a reminder that symmetry is not the only way. And that off-centering things can actually be a design move to keep things interesting.
Anyone out there have any other ideas they’ve employed in their own home to visually balance an off-center window? I’d love to hear it (and see it!). I hope this was helpful, and if not, at the very least, you enjoy a peek into my bedroom and my own personal design issues.
And as always, if there’s a small design conundrum you need help solving, let me know in the comments! Keep me employed with blog posts to write so my toddler can keep living in this home long enough for her mom (me) to solve all the decorating dilemmas that are present.
Your friend in design, Arlyn
THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED HERE.
