Kitchen design with bay windows: key features, layout and zoning ideas

Design Features

Let’s consider the advantages of a kitchen with such an architectural feature:

• The bay window provides a lot of light, which makes the kitchen visually more spacious.
• The original shape of the room brings variety to the geometry of the room, which is a plus for creative people. But such a layout can be a minus for owners, for whom the unusual shape of the kitchen will only complicate the renovation.
• The bay window niche makes it possible to design a convenient corner, saving the main area of the kitchen.
• The disadvantage of the bay window is that glazing a large section of the wall threatens heat loss. The solution in this case is to install thermal insulation and additional radiators.

Layouts and zoning

Bay windows can decorate the facade of a private house in the country or a modern city apartment. Especially popular are the protrusions in typical multi-story buildings of the P44T series. Kitchens in such houses are quite spacious: 10-13 sq. m. Also, a bay window niche in the kitchen can be formed by adding a balcony.

The photo shows a trapezoidal bay window in a cottage, playing the role of dining room with multiple seating areas.

The most common form of bay window is 5-sided. Square, rectangular and triangular designs are classified as half bay windows.

Arrangement of the dining area

From a financial point of view, the most practical way to arrange a bay window is to place a dining group in it: a table and chairs. The cozy space will allow you to comfortably arrange a small dining room here, where the whole family will gather.

To soften the angles of the structure, it is recommended to place a round or oval table in the bay window niche. In addition to traditional chairs, you can use a sofa or order a special bench with a soft seat and storage drawers.

The photo shows the dining area, Situated in the bay window, it is equipped with a semicircular sofa with soft cushions.

In spacious kitchens, especially in private houses, when the bay window is used as a dining room, there is enough space to put an island, a large refrigerator or even a fireplace.

The photo shows a stylish kitchen with a bay window decorated with a soft corner.

But not all modern apartments can boast large dimensions. The bay window ledge will help save space if its window sill is turned into a bar counter.

In the photo, the bar counter is located in the bay window and serves as an additional surface for cooking. To complete the image, decor is placed on it: candlesticks and a vase with flowers.

Work area

It is much more difficult to arrange a full-fledged place for cooking in the bay window ledge. It is not enough to install a built-in kitchen set of a polygonal shape – it is necessary to agree on a plan for the remodeling of the room and move all communications, which is fraught with large financial costs. It is worth considering that the batteries cannot be moved, and if they are covered with cabinets, air circulation will be disrupted.

Another way to arrange a work area in the bay window is to make window sill-countertop, and leave the sink and stove in their original places.

The advantages of a work area in a bay window niche: good lighting and a pleasant view from the window, and this arrangement also resembles a kitchen in a country house.

Design of a place to relax

If there is enough space for cooking and a dining area, you can arrange a comfortable place to relax in the bay window. A sofa with soft pillows will be a great addition to the kitchen environment: you can sit on it with a cup of tea and a book, hide a blanket or rarely used dishes inside. The design will also serve as an additional seat if guests come.

The photo shows a recreation area with a window overlooking the garden.

By placing house plants in the bay window niche, you can create a small winter garden or just a secluded corner in the kitchen.

Bay window design

Sometimes the bay window becomes an extension of the kitchen, but some owners prefer to separate it with a bar counter, French windows or curtains to make this area more private.

What textiles should you use to decorate the window niche so that it remains functional? Roman or roller blinds are ideal, as they will not get in the way if there is furniture in the bay window. This can be a thick material that blocks sunlight or transparent tulle.

The photo shows a bay window, half-curtained with Roman blinds in blue shades that echo the bright textiles of the kitchen-living room.

To hang curtains on a bay window, it is worth purchasing a special curved cornice. But a bay window with panoramic glazing looks truly impressive, especially if it offers a good view.

Examples of a kitchen-living room

A kitchen combined with a living room should be divided into several functional zones so that guests and household members feel comfortable. The bay window provides the kitchen with a cozy corner where you can sit on a soft sofa and thus fence yourself off from the cooking area.

The photo shows a kitchen-living room in a modern style, which is divided into two parts: a cooking area on the podium and a dining area in the bay window.

A bay window expands the space and adds lightness to the interior. This issue is especially relevant in studio kitchens, as well as two-room or three-room apartments, where there is no partition between the room and the kitchen. It is desirable that such a room be equipped with a modern hood.

The photo shows a one-room apartment with a kitchen-living room and a panoramic corner bay window.

Photos in different styles

There are several directions in which the interior of a kitchen with a bay window looks especially colorful. A kitchen in a modern style is distinguished not only by its practicality, but also by the use of non-standard ideas in design. Here, the bay window niche emphasizes the originality of the interior and serves as a decoration of the modern environment.

A bay window in a classic style is played out even more effectively. Its unusual shape is associated with luxurious old estates, which means that carved furniture, light gilding, paintings and expensive textiles will come in handy here.

Modern classics are distinguished by more restrained decor and tolerance for high-tech household appliances, but the kitchen in this style is just as refined and elegant, and the bay window emphasizes the architectural style of the room.

The photo shows a modern kitchen, where the bay window, separated by a bar counter, has become an attached loggia.

Lovers of cozy minimalism will love the Scandinavian style. Everything here plays on expanding the space: the interior is decorated in light colors, and white stretch ceilings do not attract attention. A bay window in the kitchen will become an additional tool for adding “air” and increasing the amount of light.

Art Deco is characterized by graphics, complex decoration and emphasized luxury. Metal, shiny and glass elements coexist with functional furniture and household appliances. In such a kitchen, the bay window niche is used as a spacious dining area.

A bay window in the Provence style will help to turn the kitchen into a cozy “country” corner, even if it is located in a city apartment.

The photo shows a non-standard kitchen in the Scandinavian style, where the bay window with a radius bar counter is used as a dining area.

The industrial loft style is distinguished by rough textures and wooden furniture with metal elements. But in such an interior it is necessary to maintain a balance between “brutality” and lightness, which means that a large bay window will help add space and light to the kitchen.