Bring room to the view, if necessary

Lots of people buy houses mainly on the basis of the views they offer. And lots of them end up disappointed for a variety of reasons.

Poorly planned landscaping, for example, can detract greatly from whatever else might be seen from a living room window. It may also turn out that the view from that window isn’t nearly as dramatic as what was seen from the yard on the day the contract was signed.

My point is simple: If a view is an important factor in the enjoyment of a home, make sure it’s enjoyable from as many places as possible.

Q: We recently purchased a vacation house with a beautiful view of a harbor — at least from the living room. In the master bedroom, all we see is sky when sitting in chairs or lying in bed. That’s because the windows, while average in size, were placed higher than usual on the wall so that a dresser could fit under them.

A friend advised us to build a platform for the bed and seating area. But wouldn’t that make the room look smaller and disjointed? Do you have other suggestions?

A: Yes, installing a platform could have the negative effects you foresee. An accident could be another bad consequence. It’s all too easy to stumble and fall in a two-level room — especially in a bedroom, because of nighttime trips to the bathroom or kitchen.

Rather than focusing on the height of the bed and the chairs, however, it might make more sense to find out what it would cost to lower the windows. That could prove to be your simplest and least expensive solution.

You might also consider building a platform only for the bed. Since I don’t know how much it needs to be elevated in order for you to see the harbor, that option may or may not require use of a stepping stool. Hopefully it wouldn’t — because of the accident factor. Then again, our ancestors routinely used stepping stools in just these situations, and I presume most of them didn’t break their ankles while getting out of bed.

Another possibility, regardless of whether you adjust the bed height, would be to add a window seat. Depending on the configurations of a given space, a window seat can be long enough for lying down. That’s the case in this photo from “Style to Go: Decorating,” a Taunton Press book by Josh Garskof.

Please also note that storage compartments can be included beneath a window seat, which may help compensate for the inconvenience of moving your dresser away from the windows.

This model is particularly impressive because the setting’s various elements are so smoothly integrated. The window frame and baseboard complement one another in detailing as well as in color, helping make the window area look like a cozy alcove.

And the designer paid attention to function, not just styling. The simple addition of two pairs of wall sconces allows for reading as well as stargazing.

Rita St. Clair is a syndicated columnist with Tribune Media Services Inc. E-mail general interior design questions to her at rsca@ritastclair.com.