Five more great ways to use your bay window alcove

Following on from our last article on how to make the most of your bay window, here are five more ideas.

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Use it to display your Christmas tree

Depending on when you put up – and take down – your Christmas tree, the chances are that it will take up a valuable chunk of your living room for at least one month every year. Bay windows make the perfect place to display your Christmas tree. This space is often wasted, and just think how pretty those twinkling lights will look from the street outside. Home and Garden magazine has some great tips on how to decorate your Christmas tree to make it a real showstopper, including choosing warmer lights for a cosy feel.

Fill it with plants

If you are green-fingered, you might like to use your bay windows to display some of your favourite houseplants. You will have to make sure you only place plants here that are suited to the conditions. The exact conditions will depend upon whether your room is north- or south-facing, how warm it is, and whether the window is shaded. Plants that love a lot of sunlight will do well near a window.

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Add an armchair

If you don’t have space for a sofa in your bay, make it into a cosy reading spot with a single armchair. You don’t even need to choose a chair that matches the rest of your living room furniture, with a standalone chair looking great on its own in a bay alcove.

Install slatted blinds

If your property is right on the street, as is the case with many older houses, slatted blinds enable you to maintain your privacy while still letting light in. Adjust the slats to filter the light but stop people seeing into your home. Adding tilt and turn windows from a specialist such as firmfix.co.uk/windows/tilt-n-turn-windows/ can help to minimise disruption to your blinds when opening and closing windows.

Leave it empty

If you enjoy the feeling of light and space, there are no rules to say you shouldn’t simply leave your alcove empty. Add a tall lamp if you want to light up a dark alcove in the evenings; otherwise, leave it alone and just enjoy the extra floor space.