26 
House & Carden 
FURNISHING the BAY WINDOW 
How it Can Be Made a Distinctive Feature in a Room With Well 
Chosen Curtains and Furniture 
C. C. HOWE 
U NLIKE the days of the late 18th and 
early 19th Century, architecture consists 
now in developing the inside as well as the 
outside of the house. This method has brought 
about most successful results. Today we are 
not bound hand and foot to follow a certain 
set type of decoration, but are able to express 
individuality in the development of our homes. 
William Morris has well said that archi¬ 
tecture is the study of the requirements of the 
home. Definite constructive ideas are worked 
out that produce harmonious and impressive 
results. The bay window is an outcome of one 
of these ideas. It has become an almost neces¬ 
sary adjunct to the 20th Century home. Wide 
or shallow, it is a pleasing feature, and where 
conservatory effects are used, it enables us to 
transform an otherwise dreary room. 
The Misssion of the Bay 
Massive archways produce light and shade, 
both of which are important features in in¬ 
terior decoration. Into this scheme, nothing 
fits so successfully as the bay window. It is 
an addition that demands careful consideration 
in designing or home plan¬ 
ning. It must lend itself suc¬ 
cessfully to the architecture 
of the house, harmonizing 
with the panel, the door, and 
other special features in or¬ 
der to make an attractive 
whole. So the bay window 
has a mission of its own, 
bringing as it does not only 
sunshine and health, but 
adding a decorative, distinc¬ 
tive feature to our interiors. 
It is usually placed at one 
end of the room, or at the 
side, where it breaks the ex¬ 
panse of wall space. 
It should be designed either 
horizontally or perpendicu¬ 
larly, according to the height 
and size of the room. The 
horizontal ones are hardest 
to plan, as they do not take 
up as much space as the per¬ 
pendicular, which are gen¬ 
erally wide and shallow. It 
is essential to consider the 
molding and paneling, which 
should be in harmony with 
the rest of the decoration. 
Proportionate Windows 
The size of the window 
must be according to the 
room, and it should be placed 
always in the center; a few 
inches digression either way 
will spoil the desired effect. 
Generally double sash win¬ 
dows! are utilized for this 
purpose, as they are better 
for lighting, but occasionally 
casement windows are intro¬ 
duced, especially where the 
architecture is Gothic. 
Formerly the dining room 
the lighting effects found in the old cathedrals 
of Europe, and are best when used with the 
Gothic style of architecture. They require a 
formal type of room, one that is well lighted 
and not dependent entirely on the bay for light. 
While the bay is generally a part of the 
architectural scheme of the house, a very at¬ 
tractive effect can be gained by introducing 
one into a plain, square room. Take away 
the small window and replace it with a semi¬ 
circular formation used generally with a 
shingled or tiled roof. Great care should be 
taken, however, to fix the curved line into the 
setting, and the windows should be uniform 
in treatment. This does not necessarily mean 
a similarity of sizes, but a repetition of the 
same detail will often produce a pleasing ap¬ 
pearance. Horizontal bays should always have 
an uneven number of windows to make them 
effective and well balanced. They should show 
ornamental molding and consistent details, 
both of which do much to enhance the general 
composition, taking into consideration, of 
course, the grouping of the windows and their 
distance from the floor. 
If your dining room is 
small, the effect of space can 
be gained by introducing a 
bay window. The expanse 
of glass gives it an outdoor 
appearance and has the ad¬ 
ditional advantage of caus¬ 
ing a breeze. This should be 
draped in order to bring out 
the best line and to shade the 
room from too much sun¬ 
shine. If the hangings are 
used as side panels, they 
should hang straight, with 
very little gathering, and for 
decorative purposes, a val¬ 
ance should be hung across 
the top, using double goose 
neck rods. These when fin¬ 
ished, not only modify the 
expanse of glass but add 
greatly to the charm of the 
room. 
The Window Hangings 
For hangings, white ruffled 
net curtains are always at¬ 
tractive, giving a note of sim¬ 
plicity to any room in which 
they are placed. They also 
serve as a good background 
for chintz over-curtains and 
harmonize with any color 
scheme evolved. 
For the bedroom, striped 
blue taffeta hangings lend a 
note of distinction to yellow 
walls, and gray furniture, 
with blue cane inserts. They 
are made more interesting by 
finishing with quaint frills 
and tie-backs of taffeta. 
Plain strips of the over-cur- 
tains are fashioned over wire, 
to give the effect of a flower. 
Casement cloth forms an ex- 
was the principal place for the bay window. 
Today, however, the architect, realizing its 
value, is introducing it in every room in the 
house. 
Built-in Furniture 
In the living room, with its built-in, cush¬ 
ioned seat, it has become a popular part of the 
decorative scheme, and even the austere hall¬ 
way is brightened by the adding of a pro¬ 
truding bay. 
A charming idea has been worked out in a 
summer home, where the entrance hall has 
been widened just as one enters the living 
room, with a semi-circular bay window, orna¬ 
mented with grille work. Here also is a built- 
in desk and window seat. This is used as a 
morning room and writing room combined. 
Plain glass is generally used for lighting 
purposes, although occasionally we come across 
one of rich ornamental or stained glass. Most 
of the art glass used for this purpose is leaded. 
The lead forms a pattern and holds together 
the plain panes which occasionally show a 
slight color. These windows seek to imitate 
In this bay gray walls form a foil for the Louis Sieze and old Venetian pieces. 
Under-curtains are filet and over-curtains of green taffeta with a green and 
gold valance. Lee Porter, decorator 
