How to Arrange Furniture in Small Living Room

How to Arrange Furniture in Small Living Room With Bay Windows

Last Updated on February 24, 2023

If you have ever wondered how to arrange furniture in a small living room with bay windows, look no further, you have come to the right place. Bay windows are a common feature of period properties and are a great way to bring more natural light into your house. Bay windows can often add more interior space to a small living room because they protrude out further than the rest of the walls.

However, bay windows in a small living room can make furniture placement less intuitive. We compiled this article to help you visualise several options for designing living rooms with bay windows. Hopefully, one of our design ideas and style tips will help you put the finishing touches on your small living room with a bay window.

5 Bay Window Furniture Ideas

What furniture should you use if you have a bay window? The answer is mostly dependent on the design of the room and the bay window, but the following suggestions for bay window furniture can help you better understand your alternatives.

Layout 1: Chairs in Bay Window

Seating is often the most crucial element in a bay window living room furniture layout. The additional alcove of space provided by a bay window is a great place to add a seating area.

Placing one oversized chair, a massage chair, or two smaller chairs in a bay window creates a separate space that you can offer for guests and a whole lot more.

If you have enough space, two chairs with a coffee table further separate the area and make your living room more of a multi-purpose room. Of course, this does require a bit more floor space than some of the other options included in our bay window ideas.

Layout 2: Sofa in Bay Window

A bay window makes a great primary seating area for your sofa in many smaller living rooms.

Depending on the size of your bay window, a two-seater sofa or larger may be able to fit snugly into the alcove. You could also try placing two sofas opposite each other, one looking into the room and one looking out the bay window. This facilitates conversation nicely and adds significant extra seating to your living room. It also gives one of the sofas a view of the outdoors.

Layout 3: Dining Table in Bay Window

If you are trying to squeeze a small dining table into your living room area, the bay window is an excellent place for this. Many smaller homes do not have separate rooms for the dining area and kitchen or living room, which results in the need to combine them.

Placing a small dining table or a craft table in your bay window gives it a degree of separation and facilitates a nice outdoor view. Many bay windows already feature a built-in seating ledge which can serve as seating for one side of the table.

Layout 4: Chaise Lounge in Bay Window

A chaise lounge is another fantastic window seat option for a bay window. Lounge chairs are perfectly sized for bay windows and create a less formal, more comfortable seating area than a set of chairs for rest. A chaise lounge can also add a touch of class and style to your living room that a traditional sofa does not achieve.

The only issue with this option is that many small living rooms will not have enough room for this additional piece of furniture, regardless of how stylish it looks.

Layout 5: Sideboard or Shelf in Bay Window

If you do not need additional seating in your small living room, you can use the bay window as a display area or additional storage by placing a sideboard, shelf, or storage unit.

A sideboard gives you the best of both worlds, a place to display items and a place for extra storage. If you decide to follow this route, choose a shorter piece of furniture so it doesn’t detract from the bay windows themselves.

Additional Considerations and Pro Tips

In addition to potential furniture arrangements, you will want to consider several room features other than bay windows when designing your small living room. Consider the following design tips to make the most of your living space and give it a more finished style.

Create a Focal Point

Creating a focal point in your living room helps you design the rest of the layout. The focus point in your living room will naturally draw your attention to this space. In many living rooms, the focal point will be the TV. A fireplace is another common point of focus.

Once your focal point is established, make sure your sofa and other chairs face the focal point or are adjacent to it to be seen from each seat.

Consider Window Treatment Styles

a home area with a white and orange colour theme

Bay windows are great for letting more natural light in a living room, but privacy is still a concern for most homes unless you don’t have any neighbours. Adding window treatments eliminates this concern while also adding a stylish accent to the prominent feature of the bay window.

When decorating your bay window, choosing floor-to-ceiling curtains that fill the entire wall can make the window appear even more prominent and give the room a more luxurious feel.

With curtains, you will also want to consider the density of the material. Due to their expansive nature and heat transfers through windows, they can add a significant amount of heat in the summer and cold in the winter. Choose heavy curtains to add a layer of insulation.

Aside from curtains, you could also consider using frosted film, shutters, or roller blinds, whichever you like best.

Utilise the Extra Space

If you have a small living room with a bay window in your house, arranging furniture can often be easier if you utilise the extra space provided by the window.

Many bay windows protrude past the walls giving you more space for added furniture or extra seating. Some of them even have a built-in window seat in the form of a wide ledge.

As far as the rest of your small living room is concerned, try to utilise wall space for shelving and other more decorative or tall furniture pieces.

Take Advantage of the Extra Natural Light

Living room with bay windows

Bay windows can significantly brighten a living room space by allowing much more natural light than one single window can. Exposure to more natural light has been credited with improving moods and also makes a room feel more open. We recommend taking advantage of the extra natural light provided by your bay window.

To allow as much light as possible, keep the space open in front of the windows, at least above the window frames. This means placing tall furniture along the walls to ensure you won’t block the extra light provided.

If you have a TV, you also want to consider how the added natural light will affect your viewing experience. Ideally, you should avoid placing the TV in front of your bay windows because lighting it from the back will make it harder to view the screen.

Add Some Finishing Touches

Once your furniture is all in place, the best way to complete your design is to accent your style with a few finishing touches. These include hanging art, adding additional lighting for the atmosphere, and possibly an area rug or two. Keep the focal point of your living room in mind while you add the final touches to complete your highly stylised look.

Creating Your Perfect Layout

Arranging your furniture in the living room has never been this easy!

Keep in mind that there are various designs available when creating the ideal living room layout for your place. Now, all you have to do is employ them in your house.

You can create a focal point and take advantage of the natural light, whether you decide to use your bay window space for a couch, chairs, storage units, dining table, side table, or lounge chair. Once all of your furniture is in place, you can try to apply some finishing touches like curtains, rugs, art, and alternative lighting, and you may be surprised at how well everything comes together.

Do you have any other ideas or tips on how to arrange furniture in a small living room with bay windows? We would like to hear your thoughts. Share it below by typing in your comments and suggestions.

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