How to Arrange a Bedroom With a Lot of Windows

When choosing a home, the idea of having a lot of windows seems fantastic. But when you go to place your furniture, that same feature complicates the plan for your room's layout. Arranging furniture in a bedroom with a lot of windows takes patience and careful planning. Work with the height and size of your windows when deciding on specific pieces for the overall layout. Focus on maintaining or defining paths in the room, especially between the door, bed and closet.

Create a Master Plan

Exact measurements during the planning process make arranging your furniture relatively simple, at least physically. Start by measuring the walls of the room as well as the exact location and width of each window. Translate this information to a large piece of graph paper, drawing the room to scale. Measure each piece of furniture, and using a second piece of graph paper, create scaled drawings of each item you need or want in the room. Cut these out and use the room drawing to move the pieces around, finding out where they fit and function best.

The Bed

When you place the bed in front of a window or between two windows, it has a dramatic effect on the room. A bedroom with a lot of windows often necessitates a bed placed in front of them – as wall space is limited. Remove the headboard from your bed and place it in front of the largest, most prominent window in the room, essentially using the window as the headboard. Ideally, the bed hits just at or below the windowsill. You can also place the bed centered between two windows, slightly overlapping the windows or nestled between them. The windows flanking the bed help to frame it. You can also install a wall-mounted headboard to complete the border, leave it as is, or opt for a traditional headboard that is about a third of the height of the windows. In larger rooms, float the bed with a low, long table or chest positioned against the back of the headboard. Leave at least two feet open all the way around the bed.

Bedside Tables

When the bed is in front of or flanked by windows, the side tables are likely going to end up against a window as well. Focus on the height of the tables, choosing pieces that hit at or below the windowsill. If this is not possible, opt for wall-mounted side tables, and customize them to the windows. When you float the bed in the room, choose side tables that are finished all the way around, or use a chest or table behind the bed and side tables that are long enough to cover the backs of all three pieces.

Dressers and Wardrobes

If possible, use the corners of the room to angle your dressers or chest of drawers. If you have a larger bedroom, pair a loveseat and a long dresser back-to-back and float these facing the loveseat towards the windows, and the dresser towards the opposite wall. In smaller spaces, choose a low-profile dresser and position it underneath a window. Avoid tall chests of drawers if there is not a blank wall or corner in which it fits. A six-drawer chest directly in front of the window rarely looks good. You can also place taller chests in your closet -- if there is room -- to free up space.