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Expert Ideas for Styling Your Bed in Front of a Window

Bed in front of window
When choosing bed placement, most people will avoid putting their bed in front of a window. The idea behind this is that the window is the view, and it'd be amazing to have a view from the bed.

In some situations, it might be impossible to avoid this arrangement. In a small bedroom, you might have to put the bed in front of the window if you don't have enough space. This doesn't have to be a negative, however.

Interior designer Becc Burgmann exlains, "A beautiful bed with a window behind can look stunning. Given the window size is also usually taller than a standard bed, this can also then give the illusion of a grander bedroom."

Bed in Front of a Window: Pros and Cons

There are pros and cons associated with a bedroom layout where the bed is in front of a window:

Pros

  • A large window can frame your bed in a way that is very striking and makes the room look better.
  • Choosing bed placement against the window wall can create more space in your room. This frees up room for you to add other things to your room.
  • If you're not a fan of the view that you have from the window, the bed can partly block it off.
  • You can wake up bathed in warm, natural sunlight from the window. This can be a pleasant wake-up or great on a cold winter day.

Cons

  • The most obvious con is that the bed can block the view if placed in front of the window. Or it can make it difficult to enjoy the view while in bed.
  • If the bedroom window is on the ground floor, the bedroom might feel less private due to passersby. It might also be noisier if it's situated near a busy road or street.
  • This might create an uncomfortable feeling of vulnerability while you sleep because glass isn't as secure as a wall.
  • When the Sun rises in the morning, the sunlight can interrupt your restful sleep as it filters into the room.
  • The temperature varies when in front of a window.
  • Feng shui bed placement advices against it because it can impact energy flow in the room.

Bedroom Layout Tips: How to Place a Bed In Front of a Window

Sometimes placing the bed in front of the window is the only choice you have — especially in small rooms. But this doesn’t mean it can’t look great and provide you with a perfect place to sleep.

We spoke to a ranger of interior design experts who shared their bedroom ideas and pro tips on how to arrange a bed in front of a window.

Here’s the advice:

1. Opt for a Low Headboard

"Pretend the window isn't there by placing the bed in front, using a lower headboard so the light can still come in," advises Emily Burton.

A lower headboard won’t block so much of the window allowing light to enter the room.

2. Or Choose a Lower Profile Bed

"I typically recommend lower profile beds if you had wanted to place it in front of a window," says Chris Walsh.

Low-profile beds are designed to be thin and compact. This makes them the ideal choice for small spaces. They also have the added effect of making your room appear bigger. Low-profile beds also provide more space for the window and for light to come into the room.

3. Use Side Lamps

Decorating your bed's side tables or nightstands with side lamps will frame the bed and make the room visually interesting, especially with the different heights of the lamps, headboard, and curtains. These details will make the room feel cozier and warmer.

Having bedside tables either side of the bed will also help to keep attention away from the window.

4. Choose Wide Curtains

Choosing wide curtains or draperies will help frame the bed and make it look like it's in the right place.

If you have a smaller window, curtains can also trick the eye into thinking the window is bigger. They visually extend the window to look wider than the bed itself.

"The extension of the fabric to the walls creates a beautiful illusion of a larger window, which in turn makes the space feel more open," Kristin Patrician.

5. Make Your Curtains a Focal Point

Window coverings don’t just have to be functional, they can also be a great point of focus for your room.

Creating a wall of curtains can also frame the bed and window in a stylish manner. Having a wall of curtains and letting "your drapes flow freely will add a unique and striking focal point to your bedroom," advises Kristin Patrician.

6. Decorate the Windowsill

Decorating the windowsill gives the room a more casual and relaxed look. You can decorate the sill the same way you would a shelf. You can place photos, knick-knacks, and books on the sill. Or you can add pot plants and a lamp as accent pieces.

Becc Burgmann advises that "A window frame and beautiful architraves can still house soft furnishings like roman blinds and add even more to the aesthetic of the wall. As well as this, providing both privacy and comfortable sleeping conditions."

7. Choose a Metal Headboard

You can consider getting a metal or brought iron headboard as opposed to a solid headboard. For example, an iron bed will typically have wide gaps between its bars and allow more natural light to enter the room.

Bed in front of window
Bed with a metal headboard in front of a window (credit: Megan Pisano Design)

While a metal headboard is a great choice if you want to allow more light into the room, it may take up more window space than a low profile headboard. Decide on the design and theme you want for your room, and that can help you decide if this headboard will work.

Don't forget to buy curtains to give you some privacy if you choose to have a metal headboard. You can buy blackout curtains to ensure no light is getting in when you don't want it to.

8. Let the Light In

"If natural light is your main focus, we suggest forgoing a headboard altogether." Kristin Patrician.

Having a headboard in front of the window will block out some of the light coming in. If natural light is a priority in your room, you should consider not having a headboard on your bed frame at all.

This will leave the window completely unobstructed and allow the sunlight to frame the bed. Having more light in the room can give it an airy feel and make it appear bigger than it is.

9. Keep One Window Clear

If you have two windows to choose from, you can cover one window up and place your bed in front of it, using the other as the main focus of the room.

You can cover one of your windows up with interesting fabric, a piece of art like a tapestry, or even curtains. This will "let your other windows act as the primary window focal point and natural lighting aspect area of the room," Emily Burton.

10. Opt for Shades

Your choice of window treatments will also affect how your bed looks in front of the window. Shades can add more texture and layers to your bedroom design, making the room look more interesting. Shades are also more practical than curtains in some cases.

Megan Pisano recommends that you "Go with roman shades instead of drapes, so they don't get in the way."

11. Float the Bed

You can also float the bed to allow more natural light into the room. Floating the bed means placing it away from a solid wall or the window.

The bed will still be positioned in the center of the room, in front of the window but with some space between the two. This can actually help make the room feel bigger than it is. If you float the bed, you can also opt for a larger or upholstered headboard to focus attention away from the window.

12. Choose an Airy Frame

Your bed frame doesn't have to be so solid. You can pick an airy bed frame that has enough gaps to allow the light to filter into the room from behind. Open bed frames come in various designs and materials.

Airy frames typically have open headboards, so make sure that you buy curtains to provide privacy when you're in bed.

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How to Style a Bed in Front of a Window: Frequently Asked Questions

Should you put a bed in front of a window?

That's entirely up to you. This bed placement can be very stylish, as the experts have broken down. Still, it does go against good feng shui practices.

You can try a few of the styles and see if they work. The best part is you can always just move the bed back to its original position if you're unhappy.

How to style a bed in front of a window?

Becc Burgmann advises that you style your bed the same way that you would if it were in any other position. This means the typical duvet, throw pillows, and maybe a throw blanket.

Where to put the bed in a room with windows?

The ideal place to put your bed is against a solid wall furthest from the door. According to good feng shui practices, having the bed face the door is a commanding position.

How to hide an off-center window behind the bed?

You can use art or some other accent piece to balance it out and make it look artfully off-center.

Meet the experts

At Living Cozy, we produce our content alongside interior design and home decor experts. In this guide, you’ll advice from:

Written by
Ash Read
Ash is the founder of Living Cozy. He's been featured by publishers like MyDomaine, Realtor, Real Homes, Architectural Digest, The Spruce, Homes and Gardens, and more. As a writer his work has appeared in publications like FastCompany, TNW, and Entrepreneur.
Ash Read
Written by
Ash Read
Ash is the founder of Living Cozy. He's been featured by publishers like MyDomaine, Realtor, Real Homes, Architectural Digest, The Spruce, Homes and Gardens, and more. As a writer his work has appeared in publications like FastCompany, TNW, and Entrepreneur.
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