Erker in the living room - what is it and what for?
In German, "bay window" means "lantern" or "protrusion in the wall".And, in fact, the outer bay window is a semicircular or polyhedral protruding part of the facade of the building. From the inside it is an architectural element, designed to ensure the availability of additional space in a residential building and its effective lighting. That is why such a projection in the vast majority of cases is glazed. Usually the bay windows decorate themselves with the living rooms, where it is customary to gather with the whole family or in the company of friends.
Today, the presence of such an architectural design allows you to make the living room as comfortable, cozy and functional as possible. A large number of windows contribute to the visual expansion of the room, which is important for small rooms. With a small area of housing bay window in the living room becomes a real find, because it can accommodate a whole room. Of course, its size and shape play a significant role in this. Eckers can be different, but most often there are protrusions of a square, semicircular, triangular, trapezoidal, polygonal shape.
Living room with bay window - determined with its functional purpose
Before talking about interior design of the living room in which there is a bay window, it is necessary to determine its functional purpose. For today, there are lots of options, it is necessary to choose the most optimal for yourself. Firstly, in such a projection, you can easily arrange a recreation area. This is a very good solution for those who like to relax after a hard day with a book in hand or watching a TV.The question of furniture is solved simply - a sofa or a pair of armchairs and a small coffee table. Secondly, in some cases, the bay window is perfect for arranging the dining area. Actually, this solution, if the kitchen area is far from ideal or the living room is integrated with it. Of course, you will have to take care of purchasing a dining table, chairs and lockers for the necessary dishes and utensils.
Hercer can do a good job if you like houseplants. Where not to place flowers near the windows? Special support for flower pots, shelves and pots will be superfluous.
Thirdly, the hall with a bay window gives an excellent opportunity to equip the office in it. Especially valuable is this, if there is no possibility of allocating a separate room for it. An excellent solution is to place in the protruding part of the room an electric fireplace. It is safe and fully meets the structural features of the bay window. It is quite possible to frame the portal in this or that style, and in this case the living room with a bay window and a fireplace will look even more fascinating. A little effort and imagination, and the original architectural element can turn into a playing area for children, a sports corner or a place for decor: small sculpture, decorative outdoor vases, etc.
Design of a living room with a bay window - properly "dress" windows
Decoration of windows in the bay window - an extremely important and responsible occupation. The slightest mistake in choosing their frame can lead to the fact that the entire living room will not look the best way. To avoid this, one should heed the advice of designers. First of all, they recommend determining whether the protruding part of the room will be framed in unison with its main part or it will be somewhat out of the picture, creating an accent. Based on the decision on this issue will be selected curtains for the living room with a bay window. In the whole room, they can be of the same kind and color scale, but can differ dramatically.
In consideration should be taken and the functional purpose of the bay window, its shape, the number of windows, the degree of illumination of the living room.
Then it is recommended to proceed with the selection of curtains. It can be curtains-pleated, roll or fabric curtains, blinds. In this case, it is worth remembering one of the main purposes of the bay window - providing high-quality lighting of the room. That's why it is not recommended to choose overly heavy curtains, which will close the windows almost tightly. Thus, in case of insufficient illumination, one can confine oneself to a transparent or translucent tulle. Against the background of monochrome walls, cloth curtains with a pattern or rolls with patterned drawing are extremely advantageous.
Regarding the choice of decor for the windows, depending on the functional purpose of the bay window, for the cabinet the perfect blinds or the roller blinds closely fitting to the window are ideal. They are also relevant for the arrangement of the winter garden - during their operation, the risk to touch and break down delicate twigs and leaves of plants is significantly reduced. Fabric curtains can be framed by a bay window, which is given under the recreation area, dining area. An interesting solution will be the use of stained glass. Light, penetrating through the colored glass, will create amazing visual effects in the room, and the curtains in this case may be superfluous.
Special attention should be paid to the selection of cornices for curtains. The curtain rods are products that bend at the required angle on special equipment and fully correspond to the dimensions of the window. The main types of cornices include:
- Round. Made of metal or wooden rod and fastened with brackets to the wall. Can be single- or double-row, ideal for interior decoration in a classic style. However, it is worth considering that you can move the curtains freely only within one straight section.
- Profile. Almost ideal for the windows of the bay window. It is assembled from separate elements, for each of which the slope is calculated for the free movement of the curtains. Mounting can be either ceiling or wall mount. The profile cornices provide for the possibility of designing multi-tiered curtains.
- Stringed. The used string is divided into several sections and fastened to the wall using brackets. Perfect for light fabric curtains and modern minimalist interiors.
Interior of the living room with a bay window - what to look for?
It is impossible to say unequivocally what the interior design of the living room with the bay window should be like, because there are lots of options, as well as nuances, which should be taken into account. However, there are a number of completely universal rules that should not be dismissed. So, the bay window can become an organic part of the living room( in this case, the style of decoration is one), and can be a detached room, which will somewhat complicate the task. However, designers advise not to be lost and it is beneficial to emphasize this distinction. This can be done with the help of color, the device of the podium in the space of the bay window or the installation of an internal partition( possibly a door).At the same time, there should be no apparent dissonance between the functional zones: one should smoothly transfer to another.
Selecting furniture for the living room with a bay window is recommended taking into account the lighting features of the room. In the protruding part, the soft furniture of light shades with smooth lines looks great. Together with properly selected curtains, it makes the bay window light and airy. Lovers of the eternal "classics" should not depart from its traditions - massive furniture made of dark woods. However, it is advisable to take into account the nuance that such a decision will be appropriate only if the entire living room will be sustained in this style. Thus, the presence of a bay window in the living room is a great opportunity to once again demonstrate your imagination and good taste.