Recent years have been full of designer inventions and tricks in creating unusual interior design. There are ideas that are very popular in the construction world. One of the highlights of the corridor design is the arch in the corridor, which radically changes the interior of the room. Guests will be pleasantly surprised by the unusual design of the hallway.
An arch in a doorway instead of a door.
Types of arches in the interior of the hallway
Arches can be based on any variety of geometric shapes.
Square (rectangular)
These designs are similar to a regular doorway, which fits perfectly into any interior. This design of the passage will be a good option for a style solution that does not imply smooth transitions and lines.
The photo shows two rectangular arches in the interior of the hallway.
Round
The standard, regular rounded shape of the arch with clean and smooth lines is the true embodiment of strict elegance and elegance.
The photo shows the interior of a small corridor with a round arch.
Elliptical (oval)
The ellipse taken as a basis gives the arch a more elongated shape, which will be most appropriate in a hallway with low ceilings.
Half-arch
Such an asymmetrical passage provides a lot of wide decorative possibilities, with the help of which you can create a fairly individual design that matches almost any stylization.
Trapezoidal
It is a rather bright and unusual solution, giving the interior of the corridor some dynamism.
Curly
Fantasy arches in the shape of a wave and other unusual solutions will become a completely unique decor for the room. Curly designs favorably emphasize the originality and aesthetic subtlety of the hallway design, adding a certain zest to it.
Nuances you need to know about
Since after the arch is designed, the space between the kitchen and the adjacent room is united, following the laws of physics, cooking smells may well spread throughout the apartment. This is why it is very important to install a hood in the kitchen before installation: it must purify the air before it moves to other rooms.
There are also other nuances:
- the arch is not recommended to be installed in apartments equipped with gas stoves;
- due to the open space, there is a problem of constant noise, which is especially important if there are small children at home;
- the transition between rooms requires decent lighting so that all decorative details are emphasized and the overall impression is enhanced;
- if you have low ceilings (less than 2.5 meters), you should think about installing a regular door, since the arch in this case risks turning from a potentially beautiful interior decor into an overly intrusive accent;
- The smaller the apartment, the less noticeable the opening should be designed so as not to get the effect of narrowing the space, as often happens with Khrushchev-era buildings.
The location of the arch in the interior of the apartment
Popular options for arch placement.
Between the kitchen and the hallway
For a kitchen and a corridor, made in the same style, an arched opening will be a particularly excellent option, which will allow you to combine two rooms, not only visually, but also physically. This decorative technique will completely change the interior perception and create a more harmonious atmosphere.
The photo shows a rectangular arch between the kitchen and hallway with a staircase.
To the living room from the hallway
The arch allows you to visually smooth out the transition from the corridor to the hall and make the spatial composition much more holistic.
Corridor division
Arched structures are considered an excellent solution for zoning space. They allow you to create a visual partition of various arched, rectilinear or semicircular shapes, which will be in harmony with the overall style of the hallway.
In the wall
With the help of a decorative arch in the wall, it turns out that you can not only give the room character and expressiveness, but also create a truly picturesque decoration of the corridor, which can be used to frame mirrors, paintings, photographs, or use a niche to place other things or pieces of furniture, such as a dressing room .
The photo shows a corridor in light colors and an arch in the wall equipped for a wardrobe.
Features of an open passage
A standard swing door can require up to one square meter of living space to operate. For a large apartment these are small things. But if the canvas opens into the inside of a small room, then this is already a problem. Sometimes it is necessary to install a chest of drawers or a closet there.
The struggle for free space is often the main reason why passages are left without doors. After all, sometimes it is impossible to install even a sliding door structure. Either the canvas has nowhere to open, or the entire aesthetics is completely violated. If the roller guides cannot be hidden in the wall, they can ruin the appearance. Therefore, a decision is made to leave the interior opening without a door.
Examples when this design is used:
- The balcony window block is dismantled and the loggia is added to the living room. In this way, an increase in the size of the room is realized;
- An open portal allows you to blur the lines between two rooms that are completely different in purpose: the living room and the kitchen, making the first much more spacious. But at the same time it manages to maintain a conventional division;
- When creating a dressing room in a bedroom, enclosing it with solid doors would be a mistake. In this case, the same open portal looks more profitable.
But you need to remember some limitations and possible errors. No matter how beautiful the arched passage between the living room and kitchen looks, it will not protect the apartment from odors when cooking is in progress. Therefore, this design is not suitable for everyone, but only for those who are accustomed to eating ready-made products. And the kitchen room is used for storing and heating food as much as possible.
There are rooms whose purpose is to preserve personal space. The nursery, bedroom and study must be locked. It would be extremely unwise to use open doorways in these rooms. Decoration without doors is suitable only where two rooms need to be made into one common room. Examples of such areas are clearly visible in the photo in our article.
True, the exception is small apartments for single people. When there is no one to hide in the house, you can afford to expand the living space in this way.
What material can be used for corridor arches?
The choice of material determines the appearance of the entire structure, as well as its functionality and durability.
- Drywall.
- Tree.
- Plastic.
- Metal.
The photo shows white plasterboard arches in the hallway interior.
How to bend drywall
One important detail: standard wall plasterboard does not bend well. For curved surfaces, they specially came up with thin ones - 6 and 6 mm thick. This bent part is easier to make from it. With a slight curvature, such a thin sheet can bend easily and without tricks. If you don’t want to buy thin GVL, there are two ways to bend the standard one.
The first is to take a needle roller and roll the cut section well on one side. You need to roll with force so that the plaster breaks. Then the leaf is soaked in water and left for two to three hours. After such procedures, it should bend quite well. You take it, fix it on one side, and gradually press it against the arch frame, bend it, gradually screwing it along the edges with self-tapping screws. The method is not bad, but if there is a lack of experience and insufficient processing of the gypsum, the sheet may burst. You will either have to mask the gap later, or start over.
Roll the strip with a roller with needles
The second way to bend drywall: on one side, make notches with a knife approximately every 4-5 cm. The notches should cut the paper. This strip is also gradually fixed, breaking the plaster as necessary. It bursts along the cut lines with light pressure.
Notches on one side make it easy to break the plaster
Shapes and sizes of the corridor and hallway
Design options for corridors of different shapes and sizes:
- Narrow. An arched opening in a narrow room will visually divide the space into functional zones, give it proportionality and make the most efficient use of the entire usable area.
- Long. For a long corridor, an effective solution would be round arches with an enfilade arrangement, with the help of which it is possible to advantageously emphasize the length of the room and turn this planning disadvantage into an advantage.
- Small hallway. Arches in a small room instead of a door allow you to visually expand the space without weighing it down or cluttering it.
The photo shows the interior of a small hallway with a white rectangular arch.
Brickwork
This arch looks original and brutal. As with masonry, it's best to trust a professional and not try to install it yourself.
Arch design
Design ideas for decorating arched passages.
From stucco
This arched structure has an impressive, graceful and luxurious appearance and, thanks to the molded relief and carved details, does not require additional decor.
Decorative rock
With the help of stone masonry, you can unusually decorate and emphasize the arched element, giving it a certain antiquity and medievalism. A rather interesting solution is the artificial creation of decorative chips, due to which the finish takes on an even more natural look.
Backlit
Original arches with lighting in the form of spotlights, light bulbs or LED strips look lighter, airier and more technologically advanced and perfectly serve as a full-fledged lighting element.
Tile
It is a very interesting and at the same time universal and easy-to-use material, simulating various stone, brick, marble or other surfaces. The tiles make the arch more expressive, which adds visual variety to the corridor.
Wood finish
Refined, luxurious and natural wood finishes, thanks to a variety of textures and shades, guarantee the creation of a harmonious and truly environmentally friendly design. However, solid wood is a fairly expensive material, so veneer is often used for finishing.
The photo shows a modern hallway and arch decorated with wooden trim.
Non-standard design
There are a huge variety of decoration options, for example, you can decorate an arched opening with textiles and give the interior more coziness, decorate it with relief elements, molding or baguette, simulate through windows next to the passage, decorate with materials in the color of the walls and make it almost invisible, or vice versa, use contrasting a highlight that will become a real highlight of the hallway.
The photo shows a spacious hallway and a wooden figured arch with columns.
Mosaic
With the help of bright and aesthetic mosaics, you can decorate the entire arched structure or apply partial decoration. This geometric pattern will give the room design a completely new look.
Mirror
Openings decorated with reflective elements create a beautiful play of light in the room and add special sophistication to the interior. The mirror design undoubtedly attracts attention and adds additional spaciousness and lightness to the space.
The photo shows elliptical arches with a mirror design in the interior of the corridor.
Brick
It looks quite unusual and has a simple and very stylish look at the same time. Various brickwork gives the vaulted passage massiveness and solidity.
With shelves
A wide arched opening with shelves, small side or corner shelves, provides convenient placement of decorative elements or storage of various small items.
Preparing the opening
The process of preparing the work surface varies due to the materials chosen as finishing.
- If it is decided to decorate the opening with a decorative mixture, it is necessary to carry out a rough finishing using ordinary plaster. After this, all surfaces must be thoroughly cleaned using fine sandpaper. This will avoid peeling of the plaster layer. Using a building level or plumb line will save on finishing material. Leveling the opening with plaster using a rule and metal corners
- In the case of using overlay elements (stone tiles or PVC panels), leveling the opening is not required; it is enough to hide obvious defects - tubercles and pits.
- If a sheathing is being erected, there is no need for rough finishing: everything will be hidden under a durable wooden or metal frame.
Drywall on frame - Drywall is another option for covering a doorway, which results in a perfectly flat surface. Does not require additional processing; you can paint or glue wallpaper immediately after installation and grouting of joints.
Leveling with plasterboard without frame using glue
Recommendation for everyone who carries out repair work with their own hands: be sure to use a primer to create the best adhesion to the wall surface and decorative mixtures.
Corridor design in various styles
A universal arch can be a great addition to any style direction, for example:
- Modern.
- Classical.
- Provence.
- High tech.
The photo shows a rectangular arch in the interior of a hallway made in a modern style.
With the help of modern materials and various finishes, it is possible to construct a truly unique and unusual arched opening that will successfully fit into any stylistic solutions.
