Ever since people came up with the idea that they didn’t have to be content with the apartment layout from the developer, active demolition of old partitions and the construction of new ones began. But what to do if the partition is demolished, but the need to delimit zones remains? Such a simple, but at the same time beautiful decorative element as an arch comes to the rescue. The arch delimits the space, makes it visually wider, and becomes the highlight of the room. Constructing an arch is not a troublesome task, so you don’t need to spend a lot of money or hire a construction team to build it. The design of the arch between the kitchen and living room is easy to create on your own.
What are arches for?
Arches will never go out of fashion, so their use in repairs for a long time is desirable. Functions of arches in the room:
- Space zoning
- Increase and visual expansion of space
- Additional space decor
- Adding individuality to standard apartment layouts
Arch design between kitchen and living room
Partition in the interior of the kitchen-living room
On the reverse side you can place a chest of drawers or a low shelving unit, not exceeding the height of the sofa. This is convenient because it allows you to use shelves to store various kitchen items that will always be at hand. The most important function that partitions play is the correct zoning of the kitchen and living room.
The location of the structure is important to consider when dividing a room into parts - the proportions of the room must be harmonious. A very interesting article about partitions on the website couo.ru. A large sofa, placed at the very border of the zones with the back towards the kitchen, can also be used as a partition. This is one of the simplest and most convenient options for zoning space, which does not require extra expenses and fuss with installation. If necessary, the sofa can always be moved to any part of the room.
This is a good option for small rooms where it is not possible to allocate space for a full-fledged dining set. The counter can be connected to part of the wall, be a continuation of the kitchen unit, or play the role of an independent element of the interior. Either way, it is a convenient place for eating or cooking.
It is also convenient to place snacks on the tabletop during receptions or family celebrations.
- you can attach the plasterboard sheet to the studs at a distance of only 1.5-2 cm from the edge;
- the distance between the screws should be no more than 15 cm;
- It is recommended to use fasteners of the same color, for example, black.
Before installing one of the pieces of furniture between the cooking area and the living room to zone the space, you should carefully consider the interior of such a room. The sofa, like other furniture, should not interfere with free movement in the kitchen-living room. This design, which separates the living room and kitchen, simultaneously performs several different functions.
The exact purpose of the partition will depend on what material it is made of.
Additional information on the topic:
- How to remove tiles from drywall without damaging them video
- How to bend a drywall profile at a right angle
- How to remove yellow stains on the ceiling after flooding on drywall
- How to install a suspended plasterboard ceiling on a loggia
- What to use for walls: plasterboard or gypsum fiber
How to treat the surface → Room decoration → How to choose the right paint → Surface treatment technologies → Leveling and finishing the walls → Selecting and applying a primer → Removal from the surface → Stretch ceilings and technologies → Reviews and testimonials
Types of openings decorated with an arch
The arch is considered an ancient architectural structure: it was relevant during the construction of massive buildings of antiquity, and is now used as a partition between zones. The modern interior offers several types of arched opening. Let's look at them:
Classic
The arches have a smooth arch and are framed with platbands. There are no unnecessary elements that attract attention.
Classic arch in the interior
Curly
Arches have different shapes, the lines are not always smooth. The emphasis is on decorative elements. Figured arches are divided into many subtypes, which will be discussed below.
Variant of a figured arch in the interior
The classic type is usually used in the design of the arch between the kitchen and living room. She also shares a hallway and a kitchen. The difference between an arch is that it has a radius equal to the distance between the side walls of the opening.
A traditional arch can be made from various materials. This can be budget drywall or metal, tiles and other building materials.
An arch is also considered a classic if it has a different shape, but its decorative elements are close to the classical antique style. In this case, the perimeter of the opening has a platband made of stucco or its imitation. In the center of the vault there is a decorative element that symbolizes the keystone.
Drywall arch: classic version
Arches are available in many options. Let's look at the main ones:
British In another way, such arches are called “modern”. The arc of the vault has a more straight outline, the radius of the arc is truncated. The corners are smooth. Suitable for rooms with low ceilings.
Slavic Rectangular arches with rounded edges.
Thai The shape of the arch has a right angle on one side, and a rounding of any radius on the other. Such arches are now relevant, their photos are found everywhere.
Portal A rectangular arch with various decorative elements: stained glass, wooden carvings.
Niche A projecting arch attached to a wall. Conceals open niches of various sizes. Photos of the arch can be found by searching on the Internet.
Ellipse The arc of an arched opening is presented in the shape of an oval. Can carry a functional load in the form of shelves.
The trapezoid arch is made in the form of a rectangle with beveled corners. This arch will look great if trimmed with wood.
Circle Vaults in the form of a circle, turning towards the bottom into smooth side lines, have proven themselves in rooms with low ceilings. A round arch smooths out sharp corners and makes the transition from the kitchen area to the living room soft.
Design of a kitchen combined with a living room through an arch
The interior of a kitchen combined with a living room can be different, the main thing is that it matches the design of the arch. For example, gray stonework will go well with metallic kitchen appliances.
The kitchen must be kept clean: unwashed plates and crumbs can ruin even the best kitchen design. Also, a combined kitchen causes a lot of noise, which can interfere with the rest of the household in the living room. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange furniture and kitchen appliances in such a way as to reduce noise as much as possible.
If a wide arch is made between the hall and the kitchen, then the interior of the rooms should have some elements in common, for example, the color of the upholstered furniture in the living room should match the color of the cabinets in the kitchen.
It is much easier if the arched structure is narrow, then most of the furniture is hidden; you can simply make the rooms in similar colors.
For a living room designed in a modern style, arches with large bells and whistles are not suitable; it is better to use the simplest design. The arch should fit into the interior, and not become its main element.
Materials that are suitable for installing an arch between the kitchen and the living room
Arches can be created from anything. You can make them yourself, or buy ready-made ones, stylized for a certain type of interior. Independent decoration of purchased arched openings is not prohibited. The materials for making arches are as follows:
Plasterboard sheets
Cheap type of building material. Durable and flexible when wet. This allows you to make any shapes of bends from gypsum boards. Easy to install. Drywall can be easily finished with finishing putty and given a finished look. The material is environmentally friendly and can be used to make decorative arches in a house where children live.
Stone, concrete, brick
This type of material is used mainly in large areas, for example, in a private house. It is possible to install such a structure in an apartment, but this will require large expenses and qualifications. The weight of the material is quite large, so you need to take into account that not all old panel houses will be able to withstand the additional load on the supporting structures.
Wood, chipboard, MDF, metal
You can make arches from these materials yourself, but purchasing them assembled is more profitable. The price of the structures is high, however, the purchase will add an additional style element to the combined space. Arches from such materials are made to order in workshops for the individual interior of an apartment or private house.
Pros and cons of an arched opening in the kitchen
When starting renovations in an apartment, we think about how to make the design of the room original and at the same time avoid fatal mistakes, the correction of which will lead to large material costs. After all, as you know, rebuilding is always more expensive than building.
If you have chosen an arch for the design of your kitchen opening, you need to carefully study all the pros and cons that you may encounter during operation.
One of the main advantages of an arched opening is the increase in the working area of the kitchen. After all, the kitchen is a common room where the whole family gathers, and, as a rule, there is always not enough space.
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Also in favor of the arch is the fact that the kitchen does not require privacy and the absence of a door will not bring discomfort to your personal life.
ATTENTION! The absence of a door in the kitchen will make the adjacent room brighter and visually create the impression of a single space.
The original design of the arched doorway will make your apartment modern and memorable.
The presence of an arch in the kitchen does not allow air to stagnate and promotes rapid ventilation of the room.
Arched openings help visually divide the room into zones. This is very important if you live in a studio apartment.
Another argument in favor of the arch is cost savings. After all, its design will cost several times less than purchasing and installing an interior door.
The disadvantages of an arched opening between the kitchen and the living area of the apartment include, first of all, the lack of sound insulation. If you refuse a door in the kitchen, you risk constantly hearing everything that happens there from anywhere in the apartment.
Cooking smells can also follow you throughout your living space. But this disadvantage of the lack of a door is easily solved by purchasing a powerful hood.
When installing an arch, you should think about the unified design of the kitchen and the adjacent room, which is very important for maintaining the aesthetic side of combining two rooms into one. And the mess that sometimes happens in the kitchen can no longer be hidden behind a closed door.
What to make the structure from
A plasterboard arch is mounted in the same way as all other structures consisting of a frame.
Attention! Install arches only in openings whose height exceeds two meters. The design takes 0.1-0.15 m from the height of the opening.
Before you start installing the arch in the apartment, stock up on tools and materials for construction. To make an arch you will need:
- Metal profiles: guides (28*27) and rack (60*27)
- Screws for working with metal and dowel screws
- Plasterboard sheets for arc and side walls
- Arched corner to strengthen the arced edge
- Self-tapping screws
To perform the zone delimitation action, you will need the following tools:
- Tape measure
- Screwdriver manual or electric
- Metal cutting scissors
- Drill
- Stationery and regular knives
- Marking pencil
- Nail
- Nylon thread
The listed tools and materials are inexpensive. A drill and screwdriver for one-time work can be rented at a tool rental.
Plaster structures in the kitchen
Drywall today is a universal material for forming an arched structure instead of a doorway. It is quite durable and resistant to most factors (moisture, temperature changes).
It is easy to cut out decorative grilles from plaster for romantic arches in a unique design. For installation, you must first level the surface of the opening, and then weld the metal profile.
Sheets of cardboard are attached with self-tapping screws to the profile at several points. The last, but no less important stage is to decorate the surface: opening with varnish, paint, original stencil painting.
First stage of work
Begin work on installing the arched opening by preparing the surface. To do this, dismantle the ceiling between the living room and the kitchen, if this has not been done previously. If there is a door between rooms, remove it from its hinges and remove the frame from the opening. If necessary, expand it to the required size. Clean the surface from any remaining decorative coatings and remove the plaster. Be sure to degrease the surface and make it as smooth as possible.
Measure the width of the opening - X, the distance from the top floor beam to the highest point of the new arch - Y. The measurement results will be used to make some parts of the structure.
Making the side parts
- Cut a strip from the gypsum board sheet equal to the obtained x value (opening width). x/2 – the middle of the central axis. Measure the value on a strip of drywall and use a pencil to mark it with a vertical line.
- Add the y value to the mid-axis value. Measure the result obtained from the top edge of the workpiece in the center of the axis. The resulting point will be the center of the arc circle.
- Use a nail, pencil and nylon thread as a compass. Place the nail in the center of the future circle. Calculate the radius of the circle using the formula 1/2x and draw its boundaries. You will receive a diagram of the side part with an arched cutout.
Finishing an arched kitchen doorway
If you have chosen an arched opening to the kitchen, then you should think about how best to decorate it.
Plaster
The most budget option for finishing an arched opening. This finishing method is very simple and absolutely anyone can handle it. Using plaster, you can imitate any type of finish, which is especially important if the budget for repairs has been allocated small. In addition, you can install lighting.
Stone
An excellent finishing option. With the help of stone, the transition from the kitchen to another room will look presentable and quite original. Working with stone will require skill and it is better to hire a specialist for this task. Stone is quite an expensive material, but durable and reliable in use. The stone arch in its appearance will be referred to the Middle Ages.
Brick
A finishing option that will help diversify the classic interior of the room will make it somewhat brutal and contrasting against the background of everything else.
Mosaic
An excellent decoration option. If you already have experience in laying tiles, then dealing with mosaics will not be difficult. The only thing you need to remember is that to install it you will need a perfectly flat surface of the arched opening.
Tree
Wooden trim looks very elegant and impressive. This is the most practical material of all, which is perfect for the kitchen. The only difficulty lies in the actual bending of wooden products, with which you need to be extremely careful. Therefore, to decorate an arch with wooden elements, it is better to hire a specialist who will carry out the work at the highest level.
Preparing drywall
To make a classic opening, you will have to bend drywall for an arc. This is done in two ways:
- Dry. This method is complex and is not always possible for a beginner in repair matters. It consists in making cuts on one side of the sheet, with the help of which further bending occurs.
- Wet. As the name suggests, drywall needs to be wetted. Cut off an element of the future design from the sheet and apply multiple punctures with an awl. Wet the part with water and place it on a template previously made from any materials. As soon as the gypsum board gets into the improvised form, it will take the same shape. The part can be used for further work after drying.
Leveling surfaces with putty
It doesn’t matter that, at first glance, the vault seems stepped. All this can be corrected with putty. First of all, the surfaces of the arch are treated with a primer. Serpyanka is glued to the seams and joints, then putty is applied. It also seals holes in places where screws are screwed in and possible dents. After the first layer has hardened, the entire arch is puttied. After sanding, it is ready for finishing.
After finishing your work, feel free to invite your friends to the updated living room.
Installation plan for a classic arch between the kitchen and the living room
After you have completed all the preparatory activities, proceed directly to the installation. It is not difficult, but requires care and patience. Let's look at the steps:
- Install the profile frame. Strengthen the guide profile with dowels. Make reinforcements on both sides of the top floor. On the side walls of the opening, install similar parts from the top of the structure to the end of the rounding of the arch arch. Fasten the frame parts using self-tapping screws. Next, strengthen the arc elements onto the U-shaped profile. This design needs strengthening. Rack profile strips will help with this.
- Manufacturing of cladding. Take the strip of drywall on which you previously made marks with dimensions. Try it on the opening and if it fits perfectly into the structure, make another similar part. After this, secure both parts with self-tapping screws to the frame of the arched opening on both sides. Place the screws at a distance of 10 centimeters from each other, press the caps deep into the sheet. Cover the inner part of the arc of the arch with a plasterboard strip curved in the shape of the arc. Attach the screws to the profile in increments of 5-7 centimeters.
Important! Mount the frame with a retreat of 0.15 centimeters into the opening depth. This is the distance that the sheet of drywall along with the finishing will subsequently occupy.
At this point, making an arch with your own hands can be considered complete. Now the entire structure requires finishing. Remember that by using an arch as a separation of spatial zones, you oblige yourself to adhere to a certain style in the design of the common space of the living room and kitchen. An arch is a durable element that will never go out of style. Depending on changing tastes, it can be decorated in a new way each time: this can be done together with the existing interior or separately, adjusting it to it. If you get tired of the arch, its dismantling will not be expensive either in time or in finance.
How to build a plasterboard arch
Frame installation
This process is quite simple, so you can do it yourself without any problems.
If suddenly someone does not quite understand the entire production technology, then for them the video is like instructions for use.
- First of all, the width of the opening is determined (it is measured with a tape measure). Then we decide on the height of the arch. It's completely up to you.
- Preparing the frame. To do this, three sizes are marked on the profile for drywall: two for the height of the arch, one for the width of the opening. The height is marked from the edges of the profile, cuts are made according to the resulting markings, and the profile itself is bent in the shape of the letter “P”. There should be two such structures; they are attached to the edges of the opening.
- On the plasterboard sheet it is necessary to draw an opening for the future arch, which is cut out. There should also be two of them.
- The parts obtained in this way are applied to the frame and fastened to it with self-tapping screws, the distance between which is determined by the range of 10-15 millimeters.
- Now you need to measure the length of the arch. And this indicator is transferred to the profile, which is cut and trimmed into small shelves 12-15 centimeters long. After which the profile is bent into an arc, which defines the arch of the vault.
- The profiles are installed to the plasterboard meadows and attached to them with self-tapping screws from the sheet side, the distance between them is 15 centimeters. This is a very important point, so you will have to ensure the accuracy of the installation - the metal arc must lie exactly along the edge of the plasterboard arc.
- It is necessary to prepare and attach the lower element. To do this, a rectangular piece with dimensions equal to the length of the metal profile arc and the width of the opening is cut out of a plasterboard sheet.
- Now, every 10 centimeters, transverse cuts are made on this piece of drywall (only the layer of cardboard that will look inside the structure is cut off). The sheet bends.
- We apply the prepared sheet to the arcs and from the middle we begin to form the lower part (photo below). Fastening is also done with self-tapping screws from the center to the edges every 15 centimeters.
Installing the Bottom
Types of partitions
Various materials are used to fill kitchen structures. The most common are tempered glass, triplex, plastic, monolithic polycarbonate. The choice, of course, is up to the owner, since the aesthetic side depends on personal preference. You can choose an array texture that matches the stained glass windows. A harmonious option is an ensemble of patterned glass and anodized aluminum.
Partition with patterned glass
No less attractive are all-glass panels made of triplex or a mirror placed on tempered glass.
When installing a sliding partition in the kitchen, take into account the weight of the panel. This indicator should not be high in order for the roller mechanisms to withstand. Saving free space also plays a big role when choosing a product and opening method.
The partition between the rooms serves as a bright decorative structure separating the kitchen. It prevents foreign odors from frying from entering the living room, as happens in an open plan. Sound insulation in such rooms is not so important, but this indicator is closely related to airtightness.
How to decorate an arch in the kitchen
However, the correct form is not everything. Much depends on how you design the arched opening. What to make an arch from, how and what to decorate it with - these issues are best resolved at the design project stage. Let's look at the most popular materials for decorating kitchen arches.
Most often, modern designers use drywall. An inexpensive material that can take on any shape and color - an ideal solution for decorating interior arches. It is quite easy to install and lasts up to fifteen years.
One of the disadvantages of drywall is its low strength. However, visual properties and low price compensate for this disadvantage.
Less commonly, arches made of stone or wood are installed. Such designs are much more expensive and require special knowledge and experience. They look impressive, but they are not suitable for every apartment - it is unlikely that masonry or an arch to the kitchen with bricks will look good in a small Khrushchev-era building.
Another fashionable material is plastic. It will cost more than drywall, but is much stronger and easier to maintain. Plastic arches are now used even in classic designs - the correct coloring allows them to be disguised as any material.
Decor options for arched structures
Modern arches not only allow you to significantly expand the kitchen space, but can also be used as storage areas. On the side racks you can always arrange small shelves, racks, hooks on which small items, keys, and souvenirs will be stored.
The second interesting option for decorating interior arches is the installation of additional lamps. Most often, spot modular lamps or LED strips play this role. This type of lighting is often used to advantageously accentuate the kitchen area, dining table, and small bar counter.
The arch itself can be used as an additional decor if you install an original metal wicker lattice inside. These can also be ready-made plastic inserts or ornaments carved from wood.
Forms
The most popular form is a semicircle at the top, turning into smooth vertical edges to the floor, often equipped with columns. Such projects are suitable for narrow openings and almost any interior. A rectangular arch is also a universal option; most often it is combined with a high-tech style. Its construction is the simplest. A figured opening in the form of an ellipse will add romance and originality to the interior image. The top of the arch in the shape of a trapezoid is usually used for interiors in an old style.
There are a large number of ideas for asymmetrical arches. They are successfully combined with wide openings when the width is greater than the height. You can, for example, install a structure that has a curved top on one side, and a horizontal ceiling on the other, smoothly turning into the ceiling. They create asymmetrical models in the shape of a drop, petal or trapezoid with unequal sides.
