Arch in the interior of the apartment is not just a decorative element. Of course, thanks to this design technique, the room looks more elegant, with a slight touch of aristocracy. But first of all, arches are built for more mundane tasks. They act as a separating barrier, visually uniting the premises, but at the same time dividing it into functional zones.
So today, when renovating, people increasingly prefer to make arches in rooms instead of doors. This saves space, and the room as a whole looks more spacious. It is interesting that citizens with any living space gravitate towards such a design of doorways. In small standard apartments and studios, the arch will help to zone the room, and in spacious houses - to create the effect of open space due to the suite of viewed rooms.
Where in the interior of the apartment you can use arches
You can make an arch in a room anywhere. In order to reduce all interior details to a single style, it is necessary to use this architectural technique more than once. For example, at the construction stage, not only dooropenings, but also windows - this way the room looks more organic and complete.
In ordinary apartments, the windows are of a standard form, but you can make an imitation of an arch on the window opening. Also often arches are often decorated with niches, dividing false walls made of drywall. All this is complemented by furniture and decor elements curved in a semicircle.
So you can play around with this design element - come up with something original, exclusive, layered, or go the beaten track and choose classic proven options for using arches in interior design.
Shapes of arches
There are many types of arches in the room, different in shape, style and performance. It is difficult to bring them into one general classification, but you can try to give at least a general idea. So, they can be divided according to several criteria. In form, they are simple and complex.
Simple:
- Classic, with a regular semicircle.
- In Art Nouveau style - a semi-ellipse with a noticeable transition from right angles to rounded shapes.
- Portal - rectangular.
- Romantic style - only corners are rounded.
- Trapezoid-shaped.
- Arabian (Moorish) - arch like a horseshoe.
- East - in the form of a minaret.
The list is incomplete, but these are the most common options.
Complex (curly) arches can be of any shape - often these are bizarre curved lines connected in the most unexpected way, but sometimes a combination of simple shapes.
Also arches in the room (photooptions are presented in the review) can be voluminous and flat. It is easy to distinguish them - the flat ones merge with the surface of the wall, the voluminous ones protrude above it due to the decorative finish.
If we talk about which form is most preferable, then there is no clear answer. Almost all types of rooms are well suited for a classic arch with a regular semicircle and an opening in the Art Nouveau style. But still, the choice depends on the type of room, its size and the overall desired style of the interior.
Materials
Arches are made from a variety of materials. They use plastic, brick, MDF, metal (forged gratings), glass (colored stained-glass windows), etc. But most often the arches in the room are made either from drywall or solid wood. Each of the two common options has its pros and cons.
Natural wood has the following introductory characteristics:
- Durability.
- Structural strength.
- Easy care.
- Attractive appearance - wood looks presentable and noble.
- You can make any design - in shape and style.
- Variability of the external coating - varnishes, paints, impregnations, etc.
- Price is well above average.
- Wood tends to "walk", or to put it more simply, deform from changes in temperature and humidity.
Drywall has the following data:
- High wear resistance.
- Ease of installation - you can assemble the structure with your own hands.
- Variability of formopening.
- Long service life.
- The price of the project depends on the finish. It can be either significantly lower than that of a wooden arch, or noticeably higher.
In terms of the combination of characteristics, both options are equivalent, and you need to choose the material based on personal preferences, work plan, and financial capabilities.
Arch in studio
The arch should be proportional to the entire room. And if you do not remember the huge lofts, then most often studio apartments are 25-30 m², in some cases - up to 40 m² of total area, which includes a bathroom with a toilet, and a cooking area, and a living room, and sometimes a children's room. corner.
And in this case, the issue of competent zoning of the premises is more acute than ever. This task can be coped with if the arch is correctly placed. What are the options?
You can separate the cooking area - the space will be one, but the kitchen will be less visible. A sleeping place or a corner for a child can be separated by an arched false wall, blocking the room on one side. In this case, the arch should be, if possible, with gaps, and not one monolithic canvas.
The shapes of arches for a studio apartment are chosen as simple as possible, not cluttering up the space and not complicating the interior. Young couples often choose high-tech style for decorating studios and, consequently, rectangular, “portal” arches. The complexity of the form is permissible only when erecting a figured false wall, when a large number of bends give more light and visibility.
Decoration of the opening between the kitchen and the corridor
The arch in the kitchen opening is a kind of limiter that separates one room from another. Why not use the door? In standard Khrushchev apartments, the corridor in front of the entrance to the kitchen is narrow, blocking it with a door is a strategic mistake. It is enough just to decorate the doorway beautifully - you can make a rectangular portal, flush with the wall - this will be the most affordable option in terms of finances. And you can make a little more effort and decorate the opening in the form of a classic arch.
With this design move, apartment owners often worry: “Will the smell spread throughout the apartment?” Modern hoods cope well with this problem, so when replacing a full-fledged door with an arched opening, care should be taken to purchase and install this miracle of engineering.
Owners of larger dwellings often arch the cooking area from the dining area.
Arches in the living room
The design of a room with an arch looks more sophisticated, expensive and interesting. And the living room is a field where you can turn around without limiting yourself in the choice of shapes and decor. The openings here are often wide, for double doors, so the arch can be made more whimsical, voluminous, with different winding lines, with interesting finishes, or you can embody all these ideas at once.
In the living room, even a very artsy and complex arch will look harmonious, just remember to support it with other elements in the interior. For example, do moreone arch niche on the wall, imitate the same style on the windows, or the same design and color schemes in the furniture.
Decoration of the balcony opening
The arch between the room and the balcony appears if the owner decides to expand the living space by connecting these rooms. Such a step is often justified - the room looks more spacious, there are several additional squares on which you can place a computer corner or a mini-workshop. The balcony is insulated and the radiator is moved.
The wall is not removed at the same time - a wide arched opening of a rectangular shape appears, and a countertop is mounted in place of the window sill. Sometimes the opening lines are adjusted to make it more rounded or complex, symmetrical or asymmetrical.
Designer tips for incorporating arches into interiors
- The arch to the room instead of the door is a classic of modern interiors. Just don't make the doorway too narrow.
- When choosing a material, you should always take into account environmental factors - whether light will fall, high humidity, heating, etc. Depending on them, an arch should be erected in a room with the appropriate characteristics.
- Designers often allow you to combine the incongruous, but lovers should remember that simple arches unite space, and complex ones with a curved edge zone them.
- In a room with a low ceiling, either classic arches or openings with a semicircular elongated vault look better.
- Arches with columns look good only in veryspacious rooms. This element of the interior significantly changes the proportions of the room, in addition, there are a very limited number of design options in which antique columns would look organic.
DIY drywall arch: instructions
When erecting a drywall arch in a room, the following steps must be followed in sequence:
- Dismantling the door frame. If necessary, expand the doorway. It is better not to touch the load-bearing walls.
- Making and trying on a cardboard template. This stage should not be neglected, as this will make it clear which shape will be better, and whether a narrow “rat hole” will turn out instead of a door.
- Installation of a guide frame from a metal profile. In order for the metal to take the desired shape, it is cut along the contour. Attach it to the wall with dowels or self-tapping screws.
- Preparation of drywall - draw an arch according to the template on two sheets of material and cut it out.
- Bending drywall - two semicircles need to be connected with a sheet that needs to be bent along the contour. To do this, it is slightly moistened and pricked with a needle roller. To give a small but constant bending load - for this, loads are placed. Attach the sheet to two semicircles while still wet, and only then let it dry.
- The final stage. Mounting on metal rails and finishing.
- Decorative trim.
Decorative trim
Building an arch in a drywall room is not enough. She needs to be trimmedin accordance with the general style of the interior. Often, wallpaper is used for this - the same as on the walls, or complex - in tone with the rest, but contrasting. Also, as one of the options, the doorway is decorated with border tapes. You can decorate the arch in a more original way:
- decorative plaster;
- finishing bricks;
- glass or mirror mosaic;
- paint.
Lamps are also installed in the arches - this is how a simple structural element turns into an art object.
