Suzi Petroff, REALTOR®

Suzi Petroff, REALTOR® 

It is through my projects that I learn the most. My next personal project is giving my personal bedroom a much needed makeover. This is the room I share with my husband, and it is the main bedroom in our home, once called a “master” but now more appropriately called a “primary.” It is a large ensuite and has a dedicated “foyer” space, a boxed ceiling, which I don’t love, and a large bay window. But it has nothing in the way of style. We don’t even currently own bedroom furniture and haven’t in years. So our room is very vanilla!

When I work in a space, I identify features that “center” a room so that I can work around those centers. The box ceiling is obvious one of those as is overwhelmingly sets a center of the room. The bay window is another.

And then I work with the traffic flow of the room. The door and its large sixteen square foot dedicated entry area is unmovable and commanding. With its large mirrored wall, it’s a handy place to check my outfit before I leave the room. I’ve grown to like it – even though I thought the giant mirror was a bit outdated when we first move in. Now it is appreciated and is staying.

The windows are really the one thing I wish I could change but am at a sticking point. I have never been a fan of bay windows – not in today’s homes. I think they are lovely on certain styles of homes. In old gothic structures, bay windows were an opportunity to dramatize the look. But in my youth, bay windows were overused, and because of their shape, they created a unique challenge for decorating and window covering.

The bay shape is simply a reference to the concave shape – or convex, depending on which side of the window you stand. A bay in a body of water is a rounded area where the water pushes in on the land; in a window, it’s the same shape, thus the name. It is comprised of three  sides either squared or angled, and the windows are generally close together. 

This is the curtain conundrum. With three windows so close, fixing rods and curtains often requires solutions that most store-bought curtains lack – because the space is so limited. And often the angles mean that rods and curtains bump into the next set over the next window. So my solution has always been to use blinds or hire a custom window decorator – who has pricey solutions to these tight squeezes. Dressing and covering three windows at the local retail space might be $200 to $600. Dressing the same windows in a bay configuration could easily be $2000 or more using a custom window decorator. 

A bay is part of the footprint of the home. It goes all  the way down to the ground. A Boxed Bay is a squared bay window; the angles are 90 degrees so that it resembles a box. These are often also window seats. An Oriel Bay appears to be suspended from the structure and often has a decorative top and bottom piece. It looks a bit like a birdcage. But the word Oriel is actually a reference to its usage as a porch. All of these sub-styles can be either bay or oriel

A Bow Window (pronounced bō) also refers to the bowed shape (think rainbow). It is less angular and more rounded and will have more than three windows to achieve this shape. 

Why do architects use bay windows? The original idea was that the use of the bay shape let in more light. Since bay windows were popularized before electricity, this makes sense. Light was essential to living, so it was a central consideration to the structure’s design. 

Then they become popular. But all that extra sun and light exposure came at a cost – not just financial but also in regards to privacy and security. People had to get creative. As a matter of fact, bay window solutions has become its own industry. There are books dedicated to the solution of covering them, and there are now rounded curtain rods, too. Still, the most popular and cost-effective solution is blinds or shades for each individual window in the bay.

Now that we have electric lights and no longer need the sunlight to light our homes, there are many modern uses for bay windows. They are a great place to nurture inside plants. They make excellent catios. They are a favorite place to have a breakfast nook or a work station. My personal favorite idea is to build in a custom (and super comfy) window seat. I love cuddling up with a good book or magazine in the light of a bay window with the option to read myself right to sleep!

My current bay window overlooks our pool and our 5 acres. We are two doors down from a busy road, so I get some traffic sound from the other windows in the room, but not the bay windows. They are fixed picture windows, so they do not open. Therefore there is practically no sound penetration. Having a set of fixed bay windows is common. Because they are overly exposed, fixing them prevents sound and water penetration. But the point of the windows has always been light and view, so having them fixed allows for a more picturesque view and fewer obstructions.

When I first began considering the future of my primary bedroom, I thought about raising the bay windows and putting my bed under them to take full advantage of the country view. But it was an expensive undertaking. And I can’t really put my bed under the windows as they are now because the bed is higher than the window sills; it just didn’t feel safe. 

Another thought was to take the bay shape out and turn that wall into a large set of glass doors. However, the septic system begins right under those windows, and the septic company said it wasn’t possible to work in that area.

This was a bay window in an unusual configuration at our vacation home. It was set into the corner of the house, so it had a 180 degree or larger view of the mountains. I added a custom window seat with storage and a 4 inch padding. This became a favorite nap spot for humans and dogs alike! And the center piece converted to a game table! and extra seating, so it wasn’t unusual to find our family playing Monopoly in this space.

Bay windows and window in the bay family will likely be around for a long time. What are some problems you have faced with them and solutions you have employed? What is your favorite use of a bay window? Have you ever removed one, opting for a more modern look? Or have you ever taken the idea to an extreme and accentuated the shape? I’d love to hear more!

And check back here for more progress on the primary bedroom makeover!