The Best Bed Placement In A Room With Windows

Last Updated on September 18, 2021 by April

These tips will help you discover the best bed placement in a room with windows! Learn whether you should or shouldn’t put a bed in front of a window and what to do if that is your only option.

Rearranging a bedroom can seem like a really stressful experience. What should be something that makes you feel excited, ends up leaving you exhausted and confused. The biggest problem with bedrooms is also one of the best things about them too – the windows!

Where do you put a bed in a room with windows? Should you put it against the window, facing it, or as far away as possible?

Where you place the bed can really affect how well you sleep and the peacefulness that your room exudes. There are so many reasons that you should avoid placing your bed against the window, but what do you do if that is your only option?

This guide will help you find the answers to those questions and so much more. Whether you are moving into a new place or just trying to rearrange your current bedroom, don’t miss these tips.

Benefits Of Thoughtful Bed Placement

Sure, you can place your bed anywhere in your bedroom and just make the best of it, but did you know that there are real benefits to placing your furniture in the room thoughtfully? There are lots of things you should keep in mind when you start putting your furniture in your bedroom.

Better Sleep

When your bed is placed in the best position in the room, you will actually sleep better. There really is a best position for sleep: you want to sleep as far away from the window as possible. This way, you won’t have drafts waking you up.

When you place it in the best position in the room, you can choose a place that is dark with an even temperature. According to the Sleep Foundation, the ideal temperature for the best sleep is 65 degrees F. If you sleep too close to a window, it will fluctuate the temperature around you which could interrupt your sleeping patterns.

Another thing that affects your sleeping patterns is the sunlight. If your bed is directly under the window or even facing it, the harsh morning sunlight will wake you up, even if you didn’t quite get all your sleep in.

If this is the only place for your bed, invest in some blackout curtains. They will keep your room dark so that you get as much rest as you need.

Less Stress

There really is an ideal way to arrange furniture so that it creates a sense of peace and calm, and decreases feelings of stress. This is the entire idea behind Feng Shui.

The words Feng and Shui are Chinese words for “wind” and “water.” When people follow the practice of Feng Shui, they are arranging furniture in a way that creates balance and harmony with the natural world. It’s all about energies and how to create peace between a person and their environment.

Following Feng Shui in your bedroom is a very involved and detailed process, but the benefits are very real. When people feel more connected to the environment, there is naturally going to be less agitation and more harmony. This is especially beneficial if you enjoy doing yoga in your bedroom too.

Even if you don’t quite follow Feng Shui, just putting your bed in the best place is another way to reduce clutter and create an open walkway between all of your furniture. When you don’t have to dodge dressers and piles of clothes, you feel happier and less stressed.

Better Furniture Placement

Another benefit to intentionally placing your bed in your room is that it gives you the ability to arrange your room so that you are able to fit more furniture in it. When you start with the bed first, you know exactly how much stuff can fit in your room.

This is a much more effective strategy than trying to cram too much stuff in a room that won’t hold it all.

Interior designers suggest always starting with the main focal point in the room and designing around it. For a bedroom, this is the bed, since you will spend the most time in it.

Emergency Access

Finally, placing furniture thoughtfully around your bedroom leaves plenty of room for emergency personnel to access your room and help you (if you ever need it). Think about the entrance to the room and the exits. What if there is a fire? How will you escape out the window if it is blocked by furniture?

There are ways that you can arrange your bed in front of a window and still leave it accessible as an emergency exit. You can use a lightweight bed frame or no bed frame at all. As long as you can maneuver around the bed to get out of the window, you are good!

Where To Put A Bed In A Room With Windows

Now that we understand exactly why it’s so important to think clearly about where to place your bed, what do you do if you have a room with windows? Is it ok to place a bed in front of a window?

If at all possible, do not block a window with your bed. There are so many reasons for this. Windows have drafts, and when you put your bed next to the window, you are exposing yourself to those drafts. This makes it more difficult for you to get a healthy night’s rest.

Another reason for putting your bed on a different wall from the window is that you get to enjoy the views better if your back isn’t to the window. It also allows more light to shine into the room when there isn’t a bed with a large headboard blocking it.

Here are a few of the best places to put your bed when there is a window (or multiple windows) in the room.

On A Blank Wall

When you have a completely empty room, the best place for the bed is on the blank wall. This gives you the ability to design and decorate your bedroom around your bed. Every room needs a focal point, and a bed is the easiest focal point for bedrooms.

What is a focal point? It is the one thing someone’s eyes land on first when they enter the room.

If there are windows on just one wall, then the wall that is opposite of the main door is the focal point. Unfortunately, there aren’t very many bedrooms where the wall opposite of the door is blank.

So if you have to switch to another wall, use wallpaper or a stunning headboard to create a new focal point on a different wall. You can also choose your favorite combination to paint that wall to match your bed!

Perpendicular To The Window

One thing you definitely want to try and avoid is facing the bed towards the window. This rule isn’t steadfast, however. If you have large panoramic windows with breathtaking views, perhaps you should face the windows.

Normally you will want to avoid facing the window directly, especially if your window faces east. This way the sun won’t wake you up first thing in the morning. That first morning light can be very harsh so it’s best to try and avoid facing it directly.

If this isn’t an option with your room setup, you can always invest in some blackout curtains! They work wonders to keep the room completely dark until you’re ready to face the light.

The best place for your bed is perpendicular to the window so that you can still see the views while you lay in bed, but not directly facing it.

How To Position A Bed Under A Window

In smaller homes or rentals, sometimes the arrangement of putting a bed in front of the window is the only choice you have. If that’s the case, then I have a few vital tips for you!

1. One idea is to use a really short headboard and dramatic drapes. This allows the window to be the focal point. If you use dark drapes, it also does double-duty and blocks out the unwanted harsh morning sunlight.
2. Another option is to use a lightweight metal frame. These have a rustic charm and lots of character – but another thing they do is allow light to pass through the rungs. This way, the bed doesn’t look like it is completely blocking the window.
3. To create a balanced look, try to extend the curtains wider than the window and the bed’s headboard. This symmetry will make the bed the best focal point because it will look even and beautiful.
4. Finally, use color to your advantage! When you position a bed under the window, you still want to find a way to make it a focal point without the use of a heavy headboard and paintings above the bed. The way to do this is with contrasting or complementary colors. For example, if you have a teal fabric headboard, hang up some salmon curtains. If you have a black and white bedspread, use black and white curtains to tie it all together. Check out this whole guide I put together about combination colors!

When you use common interior design tricks with your bed placement, you can still have a very stunning bedroom even if your bed is in front of the window.

Leave Windows And Doors Accessible

No matter where you decide to put your bed, you should always leave the windows and doors accessible to emergency personnel. This means that even if you have to put your bed in front of the window, don’t use such a heavy and oversized bed frame that it is impossible to move if there is an emergency.

You should always be able to use your doors and windows as emergency escapes. There is a way to place your bed in front of or next to the window and still leave it accessible. Basically, if you can open the window and climb in and out, it’s safe.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bed Placement

There is so much to know about the best way to place a bed in a room. Here are some questions people often ask about it – browse them and see if your question is included.

Which is the best direction for your bed to face?

When people talk about the best direction for a bed to face, they are probably referring to either Feng Shui or Vastu Shastra.

According to Vastu Shastra, you should sleep with your head pointing south. They believe that the worst position to sleep in is with the body pointing north to south. This belief comes from the idea that the head has a polar-like attraction, so it must face south in order to attract opposite poles while you rest.

According to Feng Shui, there are a lot of different things to consider. Since Feng Shui is primarily focused on the flow of energy around your living space, these are a few of the suggestions that you can follow:

• Electronics should stay out of the bedroom.
• Your bed should be against a wall – not a window – and it should not be freestanding in the middle of the bedroom.
• Bookshelves and mirrors should be out of the direct line of your bed.
• Avoid clutter.
• The bed should be on the opposite side of the doorway.

Why shouldn’t you sleep with your feet facing the door?

There are some cultures that believe you should not sleep with your feet facing the door. This is because it is considered bad for your health because dead bodies used to be removed from the bedroom feet first. Other people believe that spirits might drag you out the door against your will.

These are all superstitions, but they sure are fascinating at the same time.

Which is the best headboard to use for a bed that is against the window?

The best headboard to use against a window is one that you can use and still exit out the window in case of an emergency. Here are my favorite headboards that you can use:

• Wrought Iron Headboard – These tend to be light enough to move easily.
• Short Headboard – One that is short enough to crawl over to open the window.
• No Headboard – You could forgo a headboard and just place a bed on a frame in front of the window.
• Fabric Headboard – If you use a fabric headboard, make sure it is short enough for you to climb over or light enough to move.

Headboards I recommend for Beds Under Windows

When placing a bed under a window is unavoidable, or if you strongly prefer this type of placement, some headboards work much better than others. Here are headboard options low enough to still gain window access and allow light to pass through into your bedroom.

Phases of the Moon Headboard from Urban Outfitters

Evie Bed from Urban Outfitters

Rustic Wood and Metal Bed from Amazon

Final Thoughts On Bed Placement

When you are trying to arrange a room with windows, the best place for the bed is on the opposite wall. Use paint, wallpaper, or wall art to make this a stunning focal point!

If that isn’t an option with the way your room is set up, you can always use bed frames and curtains to create a beautiful room that draws attention and creates a balanced room. Always consider which direction your bed faces too – just in case you need to invest in some blackout curtains to give yourself a better night’s sleep.