Arch Design: Choosing Shapes and Materials
In modern living quarters, arches are often built. A similar solution in the interior is both stylish and functional. In most cases, arches are installed at the entrance to small rooms or when installing doors does not make sense.
Content
Drywall for arches
Arches are made of drywall. This material has a number of advantages:
- Appearance - the ability to create any original forms in the interior, a combination of various elements in one style. In this case, the arch looks neat.
- Ease of making arches. The main advantage is a simple bending of the material in the right direction.
- Large selection of finishes. The made arch has a perfectly flat surface, which gives a lot of room for imagination when designing.
- Lightweight drywall. The material does not exert additional load on the walls.
- Continued use of the structure. The arch is long and resistant to many external factors.
Types of arches
Deciding on the design of the drywall arch for a start, you need to identify the tasks that it will perform. There may be several:
- dividing the space in the apartment into several parts;
- interior decor;
- correction of the layout of the apartment;
- functional solution (shelf, stand, small cabinet).
Specialists distinguish several types of drywall arches depending on the shape of the arch.
Roman
In another way, this type of arches is called classic. This is due to the fact that the first architectural solutions in the form of arches appeared even among the Romans. The decor is great for rooms with high ceilings. At the same time, they fit well into narrow openings due to the peculiarities of the structure and are distinguished by an ideal arch circumference. For example, it could be the entrance to the kitchen. The architectural element will be even more original in the interior, if it is decorated with lighting.
British
British arches resemble the Art Nouveau style. They are slightly similar to the classic version of the design, but have a more elongated arch shape. If the passage has a large width, then the radius of the arch is truncated.
This option is ideal for low ceilings, as a somewhat asymmetric shape visually increases the space in the interior.
The British arch looks stylish between the kitchen and the attached loggia. It can be decorated with lighting, additional recesses in the plane, stained glass and other architectural elements.
Creating the arched opening in this style, the main thing is not to overload the composition.
Ellipse
Arched ellipse is one of the simplest designs. The form is rightfully considered universal, fits well into the interior of apartments with any ceiling height, suitable for bedrooms, kitchens, hallways, loggias.
The arch has a small bend radius, which is performed from drywall in a matter of minutes. It can fit in any opening without reducing the width of the arch. The ellipse blends perfectly with the columns. They are also made of drywall.
Trapeze
An arch does not have to have streamlined semicircular shapes. The trapezoid is very simple to manufacture, and looks no less original in the interior of the apartment. To decorate the opening in this way, it is enough to sew the corners with plasterboard and think about the design of the structure.
Best of all, the arched trapezoid is combined with wooden trim, adding tranquility and comfort to the interior.
Dressing
To build and put in place an arch in the opening is not enough. It must be designed so that the element fits into the overall interior of the room. There are some of the most common design decor options that allow you to come up with a drywall arch design.
Cork Wallpaper
Cork wallpaper for the arch is one of the easiest options. To implement it, you will need:
- wallpaper;
- scissors;
- the pencils;
- ruler;
- brush or roller for glue.
The dimensions are accurately transferred to the wallpaper, cut out and glued to the butt construction. The walls of the arch must first be covered with glue.
Molding
This method goes well with wallpaper, plaster. Construction stores offer customers a wide range of moldings and corners for every taste. They fasten very quickly and easily, using liquid nails.
After fixing the molding, you can trim the surface of the arch with corners, thereby protecting against damage.
Mosaic
Mosaic is an equally common material for decorating arches, which gives a lot of scope to creativity. Elements of the composition can be made from a variety of materials. It all depends on the desires and opportunities.
Material |
Advantages |
disadvantages |
Glass |
Durability, water resistance, resistance to temperature changes, large color gamut |
Cost |
Ceramics |
Significantly stronger than glass |
The complexity of laying mosaics on the arch |
A rock |
Natural material |
Sophisticated styling technology |
Metal |
Modern design, original combination of shades |
Sophisticated care, the ability to spoil household chemicals, high cost |
Mirror |
Durability, combinable with other wall finishes |
Not suitable for wet rooms |
Glass
This is one of the oldest decoration materials. This mosaic is well suited for the kitchen, bathroom and other rooms of the apartment, exposed to changes in temperature or humidity. Designers often use glass to decorate designs, as it allows you to play with light and has a large selection of shades. You can simply purchase chaotic elements or assemble an entire composition in the interior.
A variety of glass is a smalt mosaic. It is distinguished by production technology, the features of which provide the material with increased resistance to stress. Smalt is not transparent, like glass, which makes it look unique. Both types of material do not carry a particular load on the design of the drywall arch.
Ceramics
Ceramic mosaic has a variety of shapes. And it can be circles, ovals. The surface does not always look corny. Manufacturers offer elements with painting, embossing, craquelure.
Mosaic can be used for facing arched drywall openings in any room of the apartment.The material is very durable and resistant to external factors.
A rock
For the manufacture of decor stones of the most diverse breeds are used. The tile can be polished or, on the contrary, have a natural rough surface, the shape can be rectangular or with natural peaks. Stone is rarely used for arch design. This is due to the complexity of the laying technology and the sufficiently high weight of the material, which does not have the best effect on drywall.
Metal
The metal mosaic in the interior is unusual and it is suitable for all forms of arches. There is a tendency to decorate arches in the metal style relatively recently and has already gained popularity. The surface can be of several types:
- glossy;
- matte;
- with notches;
- with stamps.
Tiles are stainless steel metal plates that are glued onto drywall arches using mortar. They are mounted on a special rubberized substrate, and then on the structure. Metal goes well with glass.
Mirror
Mirror is a beautiful and durable material. Mosaic allows you to visually increase the space in the interior, expand the walls, it is perfectly combined with all types of decoration of the arched opening.
Such a mosaic will quickly become cloudy in rooms of high humidity, will become less attractive.
Video: Drywall Arch Design
Hello! I liked the arch, but I do not know where to order. Please tell me where can I order this arch in St. Petersburg? Brown arch with glass (stained glass)? There is no name, so I can not write for sure.