18 Bay Window Ideas That Make It Easy to Enjoy the View
The secret to an open and airy space often starts with a surplus of natural light. Whether in a bedroom, kitchen, or entry hall, bay windows play double duty, adding extra illumination, as well as an interesting architectural element, to any room. The cozy area can be used for a myriad of purposes, from a reading or breakfast nook to window seating, or even as a lovely spot to showcase a piano. From Boston to London, these homes from the Architectural Digest archives take advantage of the many benefits a bay window provides.
Photo: Scott Frances1/18Augusta and Gill Holland turned to architect Joel Barkley and designer Todd Klein to update Ashbourne, the historic Louisville, Kentucky, estate that’s been in her family for generations. Throughout the home, classic architecture is juxtaposed with modern furnishings. The blue striations on the living room’s handmade silk wall covering by Gracie inspired the rest of the space’s palette. Arranged near the fireplace are a sofa in a custom-colored TylerGraphic linen, a Regency armchair in a Pierre Frey solid, and a club chair in a TylerGraphic floral linen; at far right is a pair of green 1960s resin lamps by Silvano Pantani from Swank Lighting. Designer Todd Klein coated the ceiling in reflective white lacquer, a room-brightening trick he learned from his mentor Albert Hadley; the rug is by Beauvais Carpets.
Photo: Scott Frances2/18In the same home, a green-beaded chandelier hangs above an antique English table on the enclosed porch; the antique chairs are cushioned in a Clarence House velour.
3/18In the breakfast area of a Southampton, New York, home by interior designer David Netto and architect David Hottenroth, a set of mahogany-and-rattan chairs purchased at Christie’s joins a yacht table by Soane Britain.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn4/18In Holly Hunt’s Chicago apartment, a massive Helen Frankenthaler canvas faces a Louise Nevelson sculptural work across the living room. At center, a Holly Hunt Studio cocktail table topped with a John Chamberlain sculpture joins a Holly Hunt leather sofa cushioned in a Great Plains velvet and a pair of Paul Mathieu chairs upholstered in an Edelman leather; the floor lamps are by Christian Liaigre, the Tristan Auer ottomans are in a Kyle Bunting leather, and the rug is by Christian Astuguevieille. A custom-made Vladimir Kagan sectional sofa in a Great Plains wool nestles in the bay window.
Photo: William Waldron5/18At a New York apartment designed by architect Lee Mindel, a Timo Sarpaneva mobile hangs above the master bath's Waterworks tub.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn6/18Anchoring the dining room of the Millbrook, New York, weekend home of architect Peter Pennoyer and designer Katie Ridder is a Regency-style pedestal table acquired at Doyle New York, while the Regency-style chairs and 19th-century French console are from Stair Galleries; the curtains are of a John Stefanidis print, the blinds are by Levolor, and the wall color is by Fine Paints of Europe.
Photo: Joshua McHugh7/18A Martin Eder photograph presides over the study of a Boston townhouse decorated by Wells & Fox; the 1930s Venini chandelier is from Doris Leslie Blau, the vintage chaise longue is a Milo Baughman design for Thayer Coggin, and the leather-bound sisal is by Stark.
Photo: Joshua McHugh8/18Jonathan Browning Studios pendant lights are suspended over the kitchen island, adjacent to a Christopher Wool painting in the same home; the custom-made armchairs in the bay window are clad in a Claremont fabric.
Photo: Oberto Gili9/18A bay window is furnished with a French Empire table and Engadinese chairs in the master bedroom of a home by Studio Peregalli in Saint Moritz, Switzerland.
Photo: Gordon Beall10/18Designer Thomas Pheasant added a bay to brighten a Virginia home’s entrance hall, where Luis Montoya and Leslie Ortiz's Two Plums is displayed with a pair of armillary spheres; Pheasant designed the chairs for Baker.
Photo: Roger Davies11/18In the master bedroom of a Los Angeles home by Commune, the seat cushions on the walnut daybeds are of Milano wool by Kravet. The vintage cocktail table is from Nickey Kehoe, and the walls are covered in grass cloth by Astek.
Photo: Jeff Herr12/18The neutral tones of a Southeastern U.S. residence's master bedroom decorated by Ann Holden, with its wide bay window, give way to the bold color of the foliage beyond.
Photo: Roger Davies13/18A stone tub is tucked into a windowed alcove in music executive Jimmy Iovine’s master bath. Of the top-to-bottom renovation of his Los Angeles home, Iovine says, "When I moved back in, I had the whole Sandy Gallin experience—everything. All I needed was my toothbrush."
Photo: David Marlow14/18Businessman Herbert Black commissioned interior designer David Easton to create a residence in Montreal. A bay window in the dining room brightens mornings at the breakfast table.
Photo: Simon Upton15/18In a Greenwich, Connecticut, home by Fox-Nahem Associates, the window seat and Joaquim Tenreiro chairs are covered in a Sahco velvet; the low table is by Diego Giacometti, and the custom-made carpet is by ALT for Living.
Photo: Matthew Millman16/18Interior designer Paul Vincent Wiseman, of The Wiseman Group, updated a 2,000-square-foot retreat in Mill Valley, California, that he shares with attorney Richard N. Snyder. He installed window seats in the living room, which has its original beams. On one wall is a circa-1660 portrait of Charles II by Pieter Nason.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn17/18Peter Pennoyer Architects and decorator Matthew Patrick Smyth crafted this classic Long Island, New York, retreat. Lucca Studio armchairs create a conversation space in the living room; the window shades are by Hartmann & Forbes.
Photo: Miguel Flores-Vianna18/18In this Miles Redd–decorated Connecticut home, a custom-made table designed by Redd defines the breakfast area, which is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Ballroom Blue; the chairs are antique, and the window seat’s cushion fabric is by Bennison.
