An arch is an architectural element used as a ceiling for an opening in a wall or between two supports. They have been used in architecture since the 3rd century BC. Even the ancient Romans in the construction of viaducts, aqueducts, bridges and other structures created structural elements in arched form. Later they began to be used in the construction of castles and palaces. The peak of popularity falls on the Middle Ages. At this time, the Gothic style came into fashion, which is hard to imagine without lancet arches. Modern apartments are also decorated with their use, although they remain the hallmark of the classic style. Subject to certain rules and careful consideration of the design project, arches can be equipped as an element of an apartment decorated in a modern style.
Features of the layout of the kitchen with an arch
The kitchen is a special room in any apartment. Often, all family members gather there after a hard day or friends come to talk over a cup of tea. Not surprisingly, the design of modern kitchens is given special attention. As a rule, adjoining kitchen rooms are a corridor, an entrance hall or a living room. Combine these two rooms using the arch.
It is very important to consult with professional builders before starting construction work, since not every room has the technical ability to erect arches. If the doorway to the kitchen expands, then in most cases there is no need to strengthen it or obtain building permits.
However, if the arch is arranged in the load-bearing wall, then the structural strength must be calculated and a redevelopment project created, which must be coordinated with the relevant state bodies.
Advantages and disadvantages of arches
The use of arches as an element of kitchen design has many advantages, but above all, it allows you to visually increase the room and make it more spacious. This result cannot be achieved when installing classic doors that separate the kitchen room. In addition, such a solution is often cost-effective, because high-quality interior doors with imported fittings are much more expensive. The arrangement of the arched passage allows you to make the apartment lighter, because sunlight, like heat, is distributed evenly between rooms.
The use of an archway in the interior also has its drawbacks:
this design does not provide sound insulation, and therefore the noise from the operation of kitchen appliances will be distributed in adjacent rooms;
like sound, unpleasant odors can spread throughout the apartment;
Creating an open space, you need to pay more attention to cleanliness, as the slightest mess will be in front of guests.
Types and forms
Modern designers create a variety of forms in the design of the arched passage, and modern materials allow you to implement almost any project. The main types of arches depending on the form of their implementation are presented below in the table.
The form
Description
Semicircular
It is a classic arc, which can be decorated with moldings, cornices, etc. The simplest and most economical arch.
Ellipsoidal
It resembles a semicircular shape, but the circumference is slightly flattened from above. Ideal for rooms with low ceilings.
Portal
They have a rectangular shape, sometimes with rounded corners.
Horseshoe
They are characteristic of the oriental style. The upper part is usually wider than the lower.
Three-bladed
Also characteristic of oriental culture, often decorated with ornaments or sculptures.
Arrowhead
Typical form for the Gothic style. This is a pointed-topped arch.
Asymmetric
A popular form for creating modern interiors. Such arches can be decorated with niches, mosaics or shelves.
Arches style
As mentioned above, arched openings can be an element not only of the interior, decorated in a classic style, but also in a modern one. When using an arched opening in the interior of the kitchen, you need to make sure that the adjacent rooms are made in the same style. The larger the opening area, the more relevant this rule. The style of the arch can be emphasized with the help of its form, as well as using certain finishing materials and decorations.
For example, when decorating a kitchen in a classical, romantic or Provencal style, arches of a semicircular or ellipsoid shape are used, their decoration with cornices or molding is allowed.The colors for the walls are chosen pastel for both the kitchen and the adjacent room. Making a kitchen in the loft style, you can decorate the arch with a brick or tile imitating it. The eclectic style involves a mixture of different styles, so you can use any form. The color of the walls can be very different: from sky blue to deep red.
The size
The size of the arched opening is determined by the features of the layout of the kitchen and the adjacent room. So, if the kitchen borders a corridor, then the opening will be narrow and high. More options may be in the case of the transition of the kitchen to the dining room or hallway. If these two rooms are separated by a non-bearing wall, then the arch can be made almost the size of the wall. Height is always limited by the height of the ceilings in the apartment. With a standard height of 2500 mm, it is recommended that the arch be built no more than 2200 mm.
When developing a design project, it is always necessary to indicate the following dimensions of the arched structure: height, width and depth in millimeters. If the depth of the arch is less than the thickness of the walls, then it is allowed to use laminated hardboard in the color of the walls or decorative cornices.
Materials for making arches
The most common material is drywall. Thanks to its use, it is possible to carry out the construction of any shape, while the price of the material is affordable for most customers. When using drywall, it is possible to mount spotlights and arrange niches and shelves. An additional advantage is the ability to finish with any material. Natural wood arches are especially popular. Wooden elements are strong, durable and can complement various styles. The “highlight” of the interior may be a wooden structure with handmade carvings, but the price will also be appropriate.
Brick is widely used for building arches.Given the complexity of the work and the features of the material, it is difficult to get an unusual shape with it. Brick can be decorated with various finishing materials, or can be left without decoration, provided that the loft style is used.
Less common, but acceptable for arches are plastic, polystyrene, forging and other materials.
Arch as an element of zoning space
Using the arch, you can achieve a visual separation of the kitchen into zones. First of all, you can separate the kitchen from the dining area. This effect can be achieved by expanding the door connector and replacing it with an arched structure. Separating the kitchen area, designers use brighter lighting in the kitchen, as well as different types of decoration material for the floor and walls in the kitchen and living room. It is possible to place the kitchen on the podium by lifting the floor one step. But this is not the only possible solution.
Using the arch, it’s easy to separate the work area. If this area is located near the wall, then the arch will be attached to the wall and ceiling. If the working area is located on the kitchen island, then the structure is mounted to the ceiling and contains spot lighting. Such designs are used if the area of the kitchen allows.
Arch in the kitchen Khrushchev
The owners of the so-called Khrushchev often face the problem of a really small kitchen, the area of which is 5-6 square meters. The ceilings in these apartments are low and the windows are small. The smaller the area of the kitchen, the more efforts must be made to make it functional and visually increase its area. In this case, replacing the doorway between the kitchen and the balcony with an arched structure may come to the rescue. In such a kitchen, much more sunlight will immediately appear, which will already visually increase its size. In addition, the area of the balcony can be used to accommodate large household appliances such as a refrigerator, dishwasher or stove.Replacing the windows on the balcony with panoramic ones and placing a dining table next to them, you can create a bright and spacious dining area overlooking the street. Such a decision will turn the dark and small room of Khrushchev's cuisine into a modern studio.
Arch in studio apartment
As a rule, kitchens in modern new buildings are combined with the hall. Apartments with this layout are called studio apartments. Studios allow you to widely use all the advantages of arched structures. In a spacious room, the use of arches of almost any shape and size is allowed. As a rule, the design of a kitchen with an arch is done in a modern style. Often use asymmetric arches, separating with their help the working area of the kitchen. It is also allowed to equip shelves for storing kitchen equipment in the openings, which makes it possible to rationally use the space of the room.
Particular attention in kitchen studios must be given to a high-quality range hood. Smells during cooking quickly spread in the adjacent living room, which can interfere with guests or family members. Fortunately, modern powerful hoods completely solve this problem.
Design of arches in a large kitchen
A huge field for unusual design solutions are large kitchens in private homes. In almost every such room, arches are used as a way of zoning the room. A large kitchen allows you to combine the arched opening with a bar counter. This solution appeared quite recently, but quickly gained popularity. To equip the bar, a deep arch is used, often asymmetric. In its upper part, holders for glasses and bar equipment are attached. In this case, spot lighting is necessarily installed in the arch. Shelves and niches for storing bottles can also be arranged. Particular attention should be paid to the selection of finishing material, because the bar counter not only allows you to increase the functionality of the room, but is also often an effective element of decor.
Thus, the use of arches is possible both in small kitchens and in spacious rooms.This element is able to transform the interior of the kitchen and emphasize the style in which it is made. This is an inexpensive design solution, simple to implement, but at the same time very effective and functional.
An arch is an architectural element used as a ceiling for an opening in a wall or between two supports. They have been used in architecture since the 3rd century BC. Even the ancient Romans in the construction of viaducts, aqueducts, bridges and other structures created structural elements in arched form. Later they began to be used in the construction of castles and palaces. The peak of popularity falls on the Middle Ages. At this time, the Gothic style came into fashion, which is hard to imagine without lancet arches. Modern apartments are also decorated with their use, although they remain the hallmark of the classic style. Subject to certain rules and careful consideration of the design project, arches can be equipped as an element of an apartment decorated in a modern style.
Content
Features of the layout of the kitchen with an arch
The kitchen is a special room in any apartment. Often, all family members gather there after a hard day or friends come to talk over a cup of tea. Not surprisingly, the design of modern kitchens is given special attention. As a rule, adjoining kitchen rooms are a corridor, an entrance hall or a living room. Combine these two rooms using the arch.
However, if the arch is arranged in the load-bearing wall, then the structural strength must be calculated and a redevelopment project created, which must be coordinated with the relevant state bodies.
Advantages and disadvantages of arches
The use of arches as an element of kitchen design has many advantages, but above all, it allows you to visually increase the room and make it more spacious. This result cannot be achieved when installing classic doors that separate the kitchen room. In addition, such a solution is often cost-effective, because high-quality interior doors with imported fittings are much more expensive. The arrangement of the arched passage allows you to make the apartment lighter, because sunlight, like heat, is distributed evenly between rooms.
The use of an archway in the interior also has its drawbacks:
Types and forms
Modern designers create a variety of forms in the design of the arched passage, and modern materials allow you to implement almost any project. The main types of arches depending on the form of their implementation are presented below in the table.
Arches style
As mentioned above, arched openings can be an element not only of the interior, decorated in a classic style, but also in a modern one. When using an arched opening in the interior of the kitchen, you need to make sure that the adjacent rooms are made in the same style. The larger the opening area, the more relevant this rule. The style of the arch can be emphasized with the help of its form, as well as using certain finishing materials and decorations.
For example, when decorating a kitchen in a classical, romantic or Provencal style, arches of a semicircular or ellipsoid shape are used, their decoration with cornices or molding is allowed.The colors for the walls are chosen pastel for both the kitchen and the adjacent room. Making a kitchen in the loft style, you can decorate the arch with a brick or tile imitating it. The eclectic style involves a mixture of different styles, so you can use any form. The color of the walls can be very different: from sky blue to deep red.
The size
The size of the arched opening is determined by the features of the layout of the kitchen and the adjacent room. So, if the kitchen borders a corridor, then the opening will be narrow and high. More options may be in the case of the transition of the kitchen to the dining room or hallway. If these two rooms are separated by a non-bearing wall, then the arch can be made almost the size of the wall. Height is always limited by the height of the ceilings in the apartment. With a standard height of 2500 mm, it is recommended that the arch be built no more than 2200 mm.
Materials for making arches
The most common material is drywall. Thanks to its use, it is possible to carry out the construction of any shape, while the price of the material is affordable for most customers. When using drywall, it is possible to mount spotlights and arrange niches and shelves. An additional advantage is the ability to finish with any material.
Natural wood arches are especially popular. Wooden elements are strong, durable and can complement various styles. The “highlight” of the interior may be a wooden structure with handmade carvings, but the price will also be appropriate.
Brick is widely used for building arches.Given the complexity of the work and the features of the material, it is difficult to get an unusual shape with it. Brick can be decorated with various finishing materials, or can be left without decoration, provided that the loft style is used.
Arch as an element of zoning space
Using the arch, you can achieve a visual separation of the kitchen into zones. First of all, you can separate the kitchen from the dining area. This effect can be achieved by expanding the door connector and replacing it with an arched structure. Separating the kitchen area, designers use brighter lighting in the kitchen, as well as different types of decoration material for the floor and walls in the kitchen and living room. It is possible to place the kitchen on the podium by lifting the floor one step. But this is not the only possible solution.
Using the arch, it’s easy to separate the work area. If this area is located near the wall, then the arch will be attached to the wall and ceiling. If the working area is located on the kitchen island, then the structure is mounted to the ceiling and contains spot lighting. Such designs are used if the area of the kitchen allows.
Arch in the kitchen Khrushchev
The owners of the so-called Khrushchev often face the problem of a really small kitchen, the area of which is 5-6 square meters. The ceilings in these apartments are low and the windows are small. The smaller the area of the kitchen, the more efforts must be made to make it functional and visually increase its area. In this case, replacing the doorway between the kitchen and the balcony with an arched structure may come to the rescue. In such a kitchen, much more sunlight will immediately appear, which will already visually increase its size. In addition, the area of the balcony can be used to accommodate large household appliances such as a refrigerator, dishwasher or stove.Replacing the windows on the balcony with panoramic ones and placing a dining table next to them, you can create a bright and spacious dining area overlooking the street. Such a decision will turn the dark and small room of Khrushchev's cuisine into a modern studio.
Arch in studio apartment
As a rule, kitchens in modern new buildings are combined with the hall. Apartments with this layout are called studio apartments. Studios allow you to widely use all the advantages of arched structures. In a spacious room, the use of arches of almost any shape and size is allowed. As a rule, the design of a kitchen with an arch is done in a modern style. Often use asymmetric arches, separating with their help the working area of the kitchen. It is also allowed to equip shelves for storing kitchen equipment in the openings, which makes it possible to rationally use the space of the room.
Design of arches in a large kitchen
A huge field for unusual design solutions are large kitchens in private homes. In almost every such room, arches are used as a way of zoning the room. A large kitchen allows you to combine the arched opening with a bar counter. This solution appeared quite recently, but quickly gained popularity. To equip the bar, a deep arch is used, often asymmetric. In its upper part, holders for glasses and bar equipment are attached. In this case, spot lighting is necessarily installed in the arch. Shelves and niches for storing bottles can also be arranged. Particular attention should be paid to the selection of finishing material, because the bar counter not only allows you to increase the functionality of the room, but is also often an effective element of decor.
Thus, the use of arches is possible both in small kitchens and in spacious rooms.This element is able to transform the interior of the kitchen and emphasize the style in which it is made. This is an inexpensive design solution, simple to implement, but at the same time very effective and functional.