Among the decorative elements of a modern interior, arches occupy a special place. Vaulted structures give the room space, sophistication and comfort. For any style of decorating an apartment or house, you can choose an arch design that will not only organically fit into the image of the room, but will also become its focal point, the highlight of the space.

Translated from Latin, the word "cancer" means a bend, and this is how we present the classic version of this structure. But in a modern interior there is a place for arches of various modifications made of wood, stone, brick and drywall. There are many ways to decorate your home without sacrificing comfort and a sense of spaciousness and freedom. In this publication, we will try to provide the maximum possible ideas in the design of interior arches.

The interior arch is a stylish and elegant solution for a modern interior. It is great for creating an open type design. The arch delimits the functional segments of the dwelling, but at the same time does not allow the feeling of a common space to leave the room. In any apartment or house there are rooms that can do without interior doors and only benefit from their absence. For example, combining the kitchen and dining room or living room and hallway. For some dwellings, arches are relevant as doorways for utilitarian premises. By installing arches and removing interior partitions, you expand the space, increase each functional area, but at the same time leave it in its place.

Choosing the material for the arch

The choice of material for the arch is directly affected by the composition of the structures of the walls themselves, their thickness, dimensions and shape of the arched vault. For many materials, there are limitations not only in terms of the weight of the structure, but also the complexity of creating the shape of the arch. When building an interior arch, the following materials may participate:

The easiest, fastest and cheapest way to make an arched structure from drywall. After sewing up the arched vault with this material, the final finish can be varied. It can be sheathed with wood, covered with mosaics or decorative plaster. Even use light artificial stone or wall panels that mimic brick, marble or wood.

The stone arch looks impressive, giving the whole image of the room some solidity and massiveness. Depending on the color and texture of the stone covering, the arch can be relevant in various interior styles.

The first associations of the arch with stone cladding are associated with country style, rural motifs and closeness to nature. But such a structure can be successfully integrated not only into a country dwelling. Interior classics, Provas, some varieties of country style and even modern interior design look organically with a stone arch.

The brick arch looks great in a modern interior, and it doesn’t matter if you decide to leave the masonry in its original form, treating it only with protective sprays and varnishes or painting the surface.

One of the most traditional ways to design an arch is wood trim. Such a structure will be relevant in any interior - from classic to contemporary. Elegance and comfort are brought by a wooden arch to the design of the room and it does not matter the functional background of the room itself - is it a corridor or a living room.

Arch design - a kaleidoscope of ideas for modern housing

From the point of view of the external appearance of the arch arch, the following types of such structures are distinguished:

1. classical or Roman arch. The Romans borrowed a lot from Greek culture and architecture, but this element can rightfully be considered their invention. The arch closest to us all in shape and design is a vault with the correct radius and a semicircular shape. This design does not contain protruding joints and is famous for the simplicity and conciseness of the external image. Classic arches look great in rooms with high ceilings. If you are planning to install an arch in an ordinary apartment with a standard ceiling height, then this option is most likely not suitable for you.

One use of the classic arch is to integrate columns and piers into a circular vault design. As a rule, such structures are made of wood or stone, but for a more democratic interior, plasterboard structures can be used.

1. British arches or structures in the style modern. Such designs differ from the classical ones in a more elongated part of the arch, the arc is straightened and has a truncated radius of the arch. For rooms with low ceilings, British arches are ideal.

1. Arches using element ellipse do not have roundings in the corners and are a fairly popular option for decorating rooms. The spread of such structures is primarily due to the versatility of the design. It can be used both with and without columns, in rooms with low ceilings and in spacious rooms, in combination with arches of another modification.

A great way to isolate the kitchen space without reducing the usable space of the room is to use an elliptical arch with columns.

A similar design can be used to partially separate the space of a boudoir, study or dressing room located within the sleeping area.

One of the variations on the use of an ellipse in the construction of an arch is the almost round shape of the opening. Such structures are often used in spaces where, in addition to the decorative background, cancer also plays a functional role - it limits the recreation area from the workplace, for example.

1. Slavic arch (or "romance") is, in fact, a rectangular opening with only rounded corners. This is another of the universal ways of space zoning, which will look organic both in a standard city apartment and as part of a country dwelling.

1. Turkish the arch is reminiscent of the constructions that decorated palaces, harems and simply houses of wealthy residents during the Ottoman Empire. Of course, for such an execution of the arch, the support of the entire interior is necessary - the features of the Mediterranean execution of decoration and furniture will create a more harmonious image of the room.

1. gothic the arch has a sharp vault. Such structures bring originality to the interior, but are only suitable for rooms with high ceilings. Decorated with mosaics, stone or ceramics, Gothic arches look luxurious and become the focal points of the interior.

1. looks like a continuation of a rectangular or rounded door. Usually, transparent or frosted glass inserts are used in the upper part, stained-glass windows, translucent plastic with relief can be used.

1. Thai an arch (or semi-arch) is a structure in which one of the sides ends at a right angle, and the second is rounded. In this case, the radius of the circle can be any.

The cancer itself can be decorated in various ways. Lamps or LED lighting are often built into the drywall construction, thereby providing not only zoning of the room, but also highlighting the functional segment with the help of light.

The interior arch, decorated with moldings, cornices and stucco molding, is perfect for both the classic interior and its variations.

The combination of arched openings with other interior elements

The interior arch will organically fit into the interior, where rounded vaults are already used for other interior elements. For example, in a kitchen or dining room, arched niches can be used as decor or storage systems, rounded shapes of glass inserts in the facades of kitchen cabinets and sideboards also contribute to creating a balanced image of the space.

An excellent addition to arched openings and interior vaulted structures are doors with semicircular tops. Of course, doors with round arches are more expensive than conventional models, but the cost of individual design will justify itself in the form of an original and sophisticated interior of the room.

The same can be said about rooms in which, in addition to interior arches, rounded vaults are used in the construction of windows. The elegance and elegant appearance of such a room is guaranteed.

The arch at the entrance to the living room will be in perfect harmony with the semicircular vaults in the open bookcases. The same technique can be used for cabinets closed with facades in the form of carvings or glass inserts in the doors.

Interior arch - an elegant element of the interior

Making repairs in his apartment, each of us probably solved the issue of masking communications. All kinds of pipes during construction, as if on purpose, are arranged so that they can be seen directly from the threshold of the room, and they do not paint its appearance at all. Residents of monolithic-frame houses are even worse: the supporting pillars in them are often located in the most inconvenient place for the owners. Yes, and during redevelopment, if you obtained permission to remove part of the load-bearing wall, you were obliged to replace it with equivalent supports, which, to put it mildly, do not look very cool. The issue of masking such "decorations" is most successfully solved by plasterboard columns. And this option is resorted to by the majority of owners who have annoyed their eyes about the ridiculously protruding pipes and supports.

Why use GKL?

Of course, the column can be made of other materials. However, not everyone can afford marble, wood, malachite or granite. And in most interiors, they will look out of place - unless you finished other elements of the decor with this material. At the same time, building materials so popular today provide a lot of advantages.

1. Drywall is inexpensive and available to everyone.
2. The material is light and practically does not change the load on the floor slab, which is especially important for high-rise buildings.
3. A column of drywall sheets can be made by hand, quite easily and without any special specialized knowledge.
4. Any decor and shape of such columns are acceptable, due to which they easily fit into any interior.

And when you consider how quickly and cleanly a gypsum column is erected in comparison with other materials, it becomes clear that this is the ideal solution.

Due to the "compliance" of the material, it is possible to make a sheathing of communications of any appearance from it. However, for the most part, saving usable space in the apartment, people resort to two options for how to make a column with their own hands:

1. rectangular (special case - square) section. Such structures often have built-in niches and shelves in order to diversify the interior and increase the usefulness of the constructed column;
2. radius structures, most often having a circle or its segment in the section. Such columns look softer, and in the corner version they take up less space.

In this article, we will look at how to make a rounded drywall column, since a rectangular one is no different from building a niche, a box, or any other similar structure.

Stages of column installation

"Skeleton" from the profile

The key to a successful, even and reliable drywall column, installed by hand, is a correctly calculated and constructed frame. In the case of its curvilinear section, fans of the wooden crate will have to abandon it: it is much easier to make the base from a metal profile, and the result will be more geometrically correct.

That's all wisdom! The crate is ready, now it remains to decide how you will veneer it with your own hands. There are 2 ways to suggest here. Each of them has its own advantages, but also its own difficulties in execution, so decide which one you like best.

dry skin

In order for the gypsum column to acquire the planned rounded shapes, the cuts are carefully puttied with the starting composition, and then the entire surface is smoothed out in several layers with a finishing putty and polished.

The disadvantage of this method is that with an awkward movement you can either make a through cut or break the sheet completely along it.

Wet Bending Drywall

The principle is based on the permeability of drywall.

1. The outer surface of the sheet cut to size is rolled with a needle roller - this will contribute to the penetration of moisture.
2. They pass along the pattern with a wet sponge or cover it with a well-moistened rag for about half an hour.
3. A drywall sheet is wrapped around the frame and, as it dries, is attached to the racks with self-tapping screws.

The result is an ideal surface that does not require multi-layer puttying. The disadvantages of the method:

1. With an excess of water, the sheet may simply fall apart.
2. During fastening, due to the moisture content of the gypsum board, the screws are often too deeply recessed into the material. Therefore, experienced drywall workers advise to temporarily fix the sheathing with wide tapes around the base and wait until it dries out a little.

Well, how and with what to finish a decorative column of plasterboard sheets with your own hands depends on the general design of the room and its purpose. Everything is suitable - from painting and wallpaper to tiles and Venetian plaster.

Since time immemorial, columns have been an integral element of classical interiors, made with elements of antiquity. It is thanks to the use of columns that designers achieve the sublimity inherent in interiors that are made in a classic style. Creating projects of modern interiors, designers still pay tribute to antiquity, thanks to which they saw the light of many unique stylistic concepts with elements of antiquity, in which the columns gradually lose their functional load, performing only a decorative function. Despite this, modern high-rise buildings are characterized by a special design, in the structure of which the columns play the role of load-bearing elements, which necessitates the solution of a difficult but very interesting task, the essence of which is to adapt the columns as one of the main structural elements to a certain stylistic concept. interiors. At the same time, most of them are far from the classical direction, which does not prevent them from being a very organic detail of many interiors.

Columns in the interior: how to emphasize the originality of design solutions?

Loft, hi-tech, underground... the columns present in all these modern styles not only emphasize their technogenicity and functionality, but also give them a special expressiveness peculiar only to these areas. And the appearance of the columns present in such interiors is very specific - here they appear in the form of metal supports or columns finished with rough concrete. No less relevant, fantasy art deco style often also cannot do without columns.

But even if the design of the house does not provide for the presence of load-bearing supports, stylized columns in the art deco interior will become that juicy accent that not only emphasizes the uniqueness of the style, but also streamlines the space. Often, columns and possible options for decorating them are remembered only when they acquire housing, the design features of which imply the presence of load-bearing columns, which are not possible to get rid of. In this case, the owners are faced with a choice: competently decorate the columns and turn them into a “highlight” of the interior, or disguise, as many believe, awkward pillars located in the middle of the room. Which solution will be the most beneficial? You can make your choice by reading the materials of this article.

Historical sketch or tribute to antiquity

Translated from the Latin column (“columna”) means a pillar, which is mainly characterized by a cylindrical shape, but it is not uncommon for a column to be round, square and polyhedral. From ancient times, columns were considered a symbol of ancient and classical architecture and were supporting structures, which later began to perform a decorative function. The column as an architectural element consists of three main parts:

• The base, also called the base, is the lower part of the column, which bears the main load. Often, horizontal grooves are used to decorate the base;
• The central part or shaft of a column, which is characterized by smoothness or decorative design, implying the decoration of the shaft with flutes, which are vertical grooves;

• The capital is the upper part of the column, which, like the base, may be missing. According to the architects, this is the most expressive part of the column, which is achieved through multiple decorative elements that decorate the capital. This is a volute, which is a spiral curl, and a palmette - a symmetrical ornament in the form of palm leaves, and royal bas-reliefs.

The first columns became an attribute of ancient Greek temples, where they, made mainly of snow-white marble, gave the building additional airiness, while being a reliable support for the roof of the temple. The period of classicism was marked by a new round of popularity of columns, when they began to perform not only a decorative, but also a practical function.

Representing powerful cylindrical supports, they propped up high ceilings, decorated with numerous stucco moldings, which significantly increased the overall weight of the structure and, as a result, needed support. Decorated with bas-reliefs, such columns were made of marble and other expensive types of stone. To date, designers are actively using columns as an element of interior decoration, and also offer to implement the most daring solutions not only for large-sized apartments, but also for housing of a small area.

Columns in the apartment photo

Materials for the manufacture of columns

Architectural columns in an apartment have long been made of decorative stone, marble, granite, basalt and metal, and modern designers offer to pay tribute to traditions if columns play the role of supporting structures in the design of your building. However, due to the high cost of these materials and the predominantly decorative function of the columns, experts recommend using non-natural materials for their manufacture, such as polyurethane and gypsum, which we will discuss separately.

Polyurethane

It is considered one of the most popular materials for the manufacture of columns that perform a decorative function. Polyurethane is very popular among both famous designers and beginners, due to the fact that this material is easy to work with. The main advantages of the material are as follows:

• In view of the lightness of the material and ease of handling, even a beginner can work with polyurethane;
• Columns, for the manufacture of which polyurethane was used, can be painted in a wide variety of colors and at the same time do not think about choosing specialized paints and varnishes, but purchase the most affordable acrylic paints;
• Polyurethane is an ideal choice for those who plan to install a column in the apartment, decorated with many decorative elements, since polyurethane can easily be used to make the smallest details of a bizarre shape;
• Polyurethane columns, which can be bought from retail stores at low prices, can also be custom-made according to your sketch;
• Like all materials, polyurethane is also characterized by disadvantages, the main of which is a change in color a few years after the initial installation of the columns.

Gypsum

It is considered a classic material for the manufacture of columns, which means that it remains popular among designers who already have experience in the manufacture of supporting structures in the interior. Columns made of gypsum are easy to restore, which allows you to easily restore the original appearance of the structure and editing, thanks to which the architect can make a column decorated with fancy decorative elements. It is possible to eliminate the shortcomings that form during the work thanks to grinding, which can also be carried out by a specialist who previously worked in this field.

columns video

The functional purpose of the columns in the interior of the apartment

• Decorative function - the most common role of columns in modern interiors, which can be beaten in a variety of ways, described below;

• Masking of load-bearing structures or unsightly communications located in places accessible to prying eyes;
• Space zoning. The most common examples of the implementation of this function of columns are the following: with the help of columns, they decorate the entrance to the room or visually separate the dining area, surrounding it with columns;

• Visual expansion of the space of the room, which is achieved through vertical stripes that create the effect of a high ceiling;
• The function of supporting structures is also one of the most common uses for columns. It is implemented if the interior is made in a classic or antique style, which is characterized by high ceilings, decorated with stucco and other elements that make the overall weight of the structure heavier;

• A practical function involving the use of columns as cabinets and shelves. Despite the fact that this role of the columns is partly functional, they can be made of polyurethane or drywall, which are less durable than marble or granite;

Columns: design variations

Columns in the interior may be present in the form of:

• Colonnades, a variation of which are arched colonnades;
• Paired columns and columns united by an arch;
• Semicolumn.

The functional role of the colonnades in the interior is, as a rule, in the zoning of space. Creating an airy and light, but at the same time distinct division of space into zones, colonnades contribute to the unobtrusive delimitation of space, visually stretching from one wall to another. Arched colonnades contribute to a clearer, local zoning. The colonnade as a functional element carries a certain aesthetic load of the interior, which is created due to the original, bewitching rhythm of the columns, contemplating which, one can forget about time and all worldly problems. In the case when the colonnade is designed at the construction stage, they can also carry a functional load, acting as a supporting structure.

Paired columns are the traditional way of organizing columns in a room. For example, columns are installed on both sides of a fireplace, window or flight of stairs. In the event that paired columns are located near opposite walls, they will also effectively cope with the role of space zoning, highlighting zones with different functional purposes in space. By combining the columns with an arch, you will even more clearly indicate the division of space into zones. In the event that there are sharp protrusions of the walls in the room, which somehow need to be masked, a column is installed next to the protrusion, which will restore the stylistic unity of the interior and at the same time hide the unsightly protrusion. In most cases, paired columns do not carry a functional load, performing only a decorative function, which necessitates the design of columns that creates unity with the overall stylistic concept. The choice of materials is also determined by the same considerations. For example, stylization under the antique style is carried out using inexpensive materials that imitate stucco molding, characterized by high-quality decorative finishes.

Half columns are an imitation of columns protruding from a wall. Despite the existing external differences, the functional roles of columns and semi-columns are similar: the latter also visually delimit the space, highlighting the most important stylistic accents, for example, the space near the fireplace or window. Unlike columns, semi-columns are not subject to such strict requirements for fastening, due to the absence of a functional load on them. It is enough just to fix them against the wall, and they will become no less expressive interior detail.

Columns are often an essential element of open-plan spaces. However, in order for the column to become an organic detail of the interior, made in one style or another, and create the impression of a coherent picture, it must be beaten, since a well-designed column will carry not only a functional load, but also bring aesthetic pleasure.

Tip #1: Make the Center of the Main Column Feel Good

It will be nice if the column, located next to the familiar route through the house, is pleasant to the touch, and you want to touch it. For example, wrap a wooden column with rough rope from below and up to the level of your hands. This will not only make the column tactilely pleasant, but will also become a decorative scratching post - an indispensable item in a house where representatives of the cat family live.

Tip #2: Cover the center column with decorative stone

If there is an impressive column in your room, bet on its lining with decorative stone. This will not only remind you of the original purpose of the column, but also add originality to the interior due to the contrasting combination of rough stone and softer material used to decorate the room. In addition, this will become an actual design technique, which implies a combination of interior and exterior decoration of the room due to a small interspersing of materials for finishing the facade into the interior of the room.

Tip #3: Convert two adjacent columns into a shelving unit, wine cabinet, or media center

In a modern interior, it is popular to use two adjacent columns in the form of a rack designed for decorative figurines or commemorative photographs. And if a home-made rack is sheathed with the material with which the rest of the built-in furniture in the room is finished, it will organically fit into the interior of the room.

And if the column is located near a cozy corner for family or friends gatherings, surround it with a cabinet body, turning it into an ideal place to store wine, books or CDs, depending on the location of the column.

And for those who do not know where to place the TV in an open-plan apartment, we advise you to turn a column with a practical purpose into a media center, which will become a good place to place a TV and a music center. In the event that you do not plan to do this right away, install a block of electrical outlets near the column.

Tip #4: Turn a Column into a Room Divider and Delimit Your Intimate Space

If several columns are located between two spaces characterized by different functional purposes, install a cabinet or shelving between them, which will not only visually delimit the space into zones, but also become an excellent storage place for personal items. And if the front part of the column is decorated with built-in shelves, it will effectively delimit a more private area from the main space of the room.

Tip #5: Creating Contrast Between Styles and Materials

If the column is finished with materials that contrast in color and texture with the main finish, it will become a bright accent detail of the interior, characterized by minimalist decor. In addition, the column can be decorated in a classic style, which will create a contrasting style in a modern setting.

Columns equipped with a niche need electric lighting, which will allow you to use a decorative niche to display your favorite artwork or sculpture. And a fashionable technique borrowed from shoe stores is the design of columns with a seat in the form of a soft back surrounding the column. Another way to design paired columns is to install a bench between them, which will become a convenient place to change shoes.

And finally, tip number 7: Follow your preferences and decorate the columns to your liking

For example, durable wooden poles can be used as load-bearing columns that can be decorated with items dear to your heart or expensive from a historical point of view: posters, artwork, antique dishes and other decorative gizmos. And these are not all ways of decorating columns.

Follow your imagination and choose the design method that is closest to you and your loved ones.

Arches with columns - characteristic of ancient architecture.

Arches with columns are architectural elements that were used in construction long before our era. The peoples of antiquity used these elements in the construction of temples, palaces, bridges, viaducts. Arches, which are a curvilinear ceiling between supports or a wall opening, were found in the architecture of Ancient Rome and the Ancient East. This element was designed to redistribute the ceiling load (thrust), reducing the vertical reaction of the supports, which exerts pressure on the foundation. The higher the rise of the arch, the smaller its thrust. Consider the use of this element in the architecture of different historical periods. If the architects of Ancient Egypt and Greece created horizontal lintels, then the ancient Romans, who borrowed the arch system from the Etruscans, began to combine arches with columns, creating semicircular lintels. Arched structures combined with columns were a characteristic element of ancient Roman architecture. Arcades became popular: rows of arches that rest on columns. Thus, open galleries, multi-tiered bridges, amphitheaters were built.

Roman arcade.

An example is the Colosseum - a three-tiered arched structure Arched ceiling became the main element of the triumphal Roman arches. Reducing the horizontal thrust was achieved by relying on walls or buttresses. Arched bridges, aqueducts relied on fortified banks. The Romans used mainly semi-circular structures, later architects, creating places of worship and palaces, used new forms of arches: lancet, keeled, multi-layered, horseshoe-shaped and others. Semicircular arches In the semicircular arches used in ancient Rome, the arc is described by a semicircle. The decor of the arch in the photo shows a semicircular design.

Semicircular arches in Roman architecture.

horseshoe arches

Horseshoe arches were depicted in the manuscripts of the "Beatus of Lebana" by Magins, who worked on the construction of the monastery of San Miguel de Escalada, near Leonas. The monastery had elements of the Moorish style and was built by monks who arrived from Córdoba in 913 AD.

Horseshoe-shaped arches symbolized holiness in Islamic culture, such arches were used in the mosque of Cordoba (756-796), from here, according to some researchers, it spread to Spain by architects from Andalusia. This type of arch has an elevated center of construction. The horseshoe arch was used in the railway station in Liverpool and Manchester (designed by John Foster. 1830) This type of arch is present on the front gate of the Cheetham Hill synagogue in Manchester (1870) Elliptical arches The elliptical arch has the shape of an ellipse enclosed between two extreme points this figure. Elliptical ceiling and arch decor in the photo below.

Elliptical arch with decor.

pointed arches

In lancet arches, the pressure is concentrated in a narrow vertical area supported by a buttress. Decreased pressure on the foundation. This feature made it possible to lighten the walls and use arches on different floors. The lancet arch became the main element of the Gothic style. An example of the use of lancet arches is the abbey of Montecassino (1071), the Church of Cluny in 1088, Bolton Abbey (Britain. 12th century). Lancet arches were also used in the architecture of Egypt (Ibn-Tulun Mosque in Cairo). Lancet masonry and arch decor in the photo below.

Pointed arch.

Multi-bladed arches

The multi-bladed arch appeared on the windows of the al-Mutawakkil mosque (848 - 849 in Samarra), which were connected by five-bladed decorative forms of arches. Such an arch became popular in North Africa and Andalusia. Multi-blade arch from the 10th century. began to be used in Europe. Especially popular was the arch in the form of a shamrock - a symbol of the Trinity in Christianity.

The arch in the form of a trefoil is typical of the Gothic era.

Keeled arches

Late Gothic in the 16th century in the architecture of Venice, England, France, a keeled arch was used - a kind of lancet arch. The keeled arch was often used in the architecture of ancient India. Parabolic arches Parabolic arches have the greatest strength. Parabolic arches transfer the force of thrust to the supporting walls almost completely, and this ensures their strength. An example of a parabolic structure and a Gothic decor of the arch in the photo.

Parabolic arch in a gothic cathedral.

There are "blind" arches, they reinforce the walls.

The blind arch reinforces the wall above the actual arched ceilings.

In modern construction, arches are often not load-bearing elements and play only a decorative role, supporting the style of the facade or interior. Decorative arched structures are created from modern materials that are durable, resistant to moisture, easy to install, such as polyurethane. You can choose decorative arches from the photo in the booklet.

An arch with columns in the interior or in the design of the facade will help to give the building a certain historical look.

Arches in the interior
Much has been said about the fact that arches perfectly separate the space of two rooms, but at the same time look much more elegant than doors. The interior benefits from this for sure.

Arched openings in the interior of different rooms:

Arches in the hall and corridor:

In walk-through rooms, arches are a great way to defuse monotony and add grace. In addition, the arches in the halls enhance the visual perspective if they offer a view of the neighboring rooms, such as the living room. A through arched opening above the rectangular door turns it into a sample of high classics.

Arches on the border of the living room and kitchen, kitchen and dining room:

Gone is the general trend of open planning and attempts to turn the apartment into a giant studio. But the rational grain of this idea - the feeling of spaciousness - is still in price. Arches smoothly transfer the view from the living room to the dining room or kitchen, or from the kitchen to the dining area. At the same time, the wider the arched opening, the more attention should be paid to harmony in the color scheme and style of neighboring rooms.

Arches to the loggia:

Attaching a loggia to a room has become almost a matter of course. But a massive beam on the border (which can not be dismantled in any case) sometimes causes irritation. Try to turn it into the basis for a spectacular arch. Here are examples for the bedroom, but it works just as well for other rooms.

Alcove arches:

Exquisite alcoves are a technique that came to us from French boudoirs, as well as from the Arab East. In the latter case, cozy corners are separated in this way in almost any area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe house. And the French ladies found it chic to place a bed or a bath in an alcove.

Elements that complement the arches:

beam masking:

If after dismantling the walls there is a wide opening that you would like to keep, you can create an arched structure only in the upper part, almost under the ceiling. In this case, the beam becomes the basis of a spectacular element of the interior. The logical support of the arch is columns or pilasters.

Lightweight version of the arch:

The option looks more elegant when, in the upper part of the arches, similar to the previous ones, the beams (or part of the opening) are framed by small curved elements in the form of an arch. The interior space can be through or decorated with stained glass inserts.

Arch with bar counter:

An original move that allows you to combine the living room with the kitchen. At the same time, the composition of the furnishings of the rooms does not change, and the bar counter fits compactly on the border.

Drywall arches with through niches:

In the case when it is necessary to zone a certain room, the arch can not only mark the visual boundary, but also become a spectacular decoration. Through niches are sometimes used as shelves, but for greater practicality, it is advisable to attach fiberboard, MDF or wooden elements to a horizontal surface. Also, with a similar design, you can separate a small entrance hall (corridor, hall) from the living room.

Arches in different styles:

High classic:

Classical arches come from palace interiors. Regardless of the height of the location (a full-fledged arch, an arch element or a portal supported by columns), they look more solid than any others, and often more massive. The design uses order elements of ancient architecture, as well as techniques that came from the Baroque era, such as keystones. Finishing is just as respectable: gypsum stucco, marble, Venetian plaster. This type of arches is usually symmetrical.

The defining element of country-style arches is the finish: stone and wood. In this case, the form can be borrowed from the classics, with the exception of overly pretentious details. In this way, both open arches and the outer part of the openings, including interior doors, are formed.

Bizarre lines, reminiscent of the bends of plants - the characteristic forms of Art Nouveau (Art Nouveau) ornaments. Accordingly, they are asymmetrical. True, choosing this type of arch, do not forget. that it refers to “active”, i.e. it has dynamics. Therefore, if this particular type of arch attracts you, evaluate the volume of the room, whether it will become an excess. The curved lining of the Art Nouveau arches is made of plaster moldings or wood, while the structural elements are made of drywall.

Non-standard forms of arches:

semi-arch:

A beveled rounded opening that replaces the door is an elementary semi-arch, with a lack of space, sometimes this is the only right decision. But semi-arches can be much larger, the main difference from the correct arch is the asymmetry of the structure.

Arch in the form of a circle:

The most active, dynamic type of arch, an absolutely modern solution for original natures. It looks especially impressive when supplemented with spotlights, flutes or even curtains.