I have a window centered on the backside of my bedroom and a king bed centered. It leaves enough room on each side for a narrow nightstand. I love the look. I currently only have crisp looking white one ince wooden blinds, but in the past I actually had drapes. I pulled the bed out a few inches so that drapes would fall loosely behind the headboard. I am lucky now that my sleigh headboard just comes even with the bottom window trim. If and when I hang some drapes, I will again pull the bed out so the drapes hand behind the headboard.

In my spare bedroom (very small) the side of the bed has to be against the left wall with the right side overlapping the window about 1/3. I have simple cotton panels hanging, which of course means that one panel is slightly behind the headboard and the other isn't. I try to "balance" the look by having the night stand under the other side of the window. The key is pulling the furniture out enough that your are not squishing the drape.

Regarding you #2 question, if you center the bed under the window, does it give you enough room to place something on the "uneven" side - perhaps a night stand with a lamp or a piece of art above it?

I love the look of a spindly metal headboard in front of a window, with soft billowy, flowing curtains behind it.

Tuesday

Here is a link that might be useful: Bed/window placement like mine

I would probably hang a simple drapery treatment up near the ceiling and across the entire wall, then center my bed on the wall. The drapery would hide the fact that there is an off-center window and block drafts.

Here is a good example of what I think you are talking about. My spare room is like the second picture, only the bed is against the wall (not a good set-up at all, but the best I can do to maximize floor space.

Hopefully your room is bigger than mine :).

Here is a link that might be useful: Not centered under window

I would consider completely covering it like Fun2 suggested, or put plantation shutters on it and try to completely deemphasize it, maybe going as far as painting the plantation shutter the same color as the wall.

I would probably keep the bed in the position away from the window, but if it is really dysfunctional one of solutions above is probably what I would do.

As much as I hate to essentially lose a window, I second Fun2's suggestion. That's what I was going to suggest also - make it look like there are windows all the way across if it bothers you the way it is.

I think sometimes it's your best option, and sometimes it's your only option.

I prefer it to walking into the bed...

Well, I went and did some measuring. One window wall is completely out, because in order for the closet door to open, the bed would have to be squished into the corner. I really don't like it when a bed has one long side against the wall, so that's out.

The other wall has 49" of wall, then 41" of window (including the molding around the window), then another 58" of wall. The bed is a full-size bed, so it's 54 inches wide.

The trouble is that I need to be able to use the window. There's no air conditioning in the house, so the cross ventilation at night is needed in the summer to cool things down.

As for hanging drapes all across the wall, I'm having a hard time picturing that look in this room--that has always seemed to me to be a more modern treatment and this is an older house and I have a fairly traditional style. Also, there are concerns about hanging drapery hardware on slightly crumbly 100+ year old plaster walls. I hung a 20 pound mirror with special plaster wall hangers rated to 50 pounds and the hangers pulled out of the wall.

I like the link Tuesday 2008 posted. They balanced the window on one side with the tall mirror on the other. I think I'm going to have to play around with things to see if I can create a look that is visually balanced, even if it is off center. Or as we say around here, half a bubble off plumb.

I need to put my thinking cap on and consider all aspects of this. If anyone else has any ideas, please feel free to chime in.

What about hanging a bamboo shade that's wider than the window giving the impression that the window is centered. Then you could center your bed on the wall and under the "window."

Or you could center the bed under the window, leave off a nightstand on the skinny side and put a larger nightstand on the bigger side. The bed, of course, is off center on the wall but the larger piece makes it look intentional.

54"-41" = 13", or roughly 7" of bed on each side of window if you center it. That leaves you 42" on the narrower side and 51" on the wider side. I would probably center it, because that gives you more than adequate room on each side and it's actually not that unbalanced. The issue will be reaching over the bed to open and close the window. This may or may not be a problem depending upon the window.

How high is the mattress? You could get a very thin box spring to effectively lower the bed a bit. Beds are getting obscenely high, like dining table height.