This Design Trend Will Give Your Home Instant Street Cred

Arches are taking over the design world.

Gabrielle Savoie

Published Sep 9, 2019 6:28 PM

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.

I can’t say I remember the exact moment I realized arches were more than just a lovely hazardous moment that appeared in many of my favorite interiors, but here we are. It’s 2019, and arches are absolutely everywhere. They’re in the doorways of our favorite apartment remodels, in restaurants and hotels around the globe, and even in the design world’s best showrooms.

The thing is that unless you’re lucky enough to inherit these prized architectural details in your own home—via sweeping windows and vast doorways—there’s seemingly little you can do to hop on the trend, but is that really so? Brands and interior designers have been so eager to be a part of this growing movement that a slew of creative arched solutions have surfaced in recent spaces and products.

Maybe you can fake arched windows with a little sheetrock or create the illusion of one by using a bucket of paint. You can build in furniture that uses the popular shape or even simply introduce it into your space via a few small accessories. Whatever your decorating project is, we’re pretty convinced that you can find a way to decorate with arches using these clever solutions.

Work With the Arches You Have

Not many people are lucky enough to have arches be a part of their home’s original architecture, but if you are part of the lucky few, use this architectural detail to your advantage. Leave them as open doorways or even create custom-made doors to modernize and separate the space, like the design firm Studio DB did in this Tribeca loft.

Photo by Christian Torres; Design by Tali Roth and Tina Rich

Create Arches Where They Don’t Exist

If you don’t already have arches in your home, don’t fret. Clever designers like Tali Roth and The White Arrow have taken to creating arches out of regular rectangular windows by building them with wood framing or sheetrock. The final effect is stunning.

Give the Illusion of an Arch With Paint

An even lazier approach to arches (but nonetheless ingenious and striking) is to simply paint one around a window or doorway to create an optical illusion and focus point. This is what Emil Dervish did with the front door of this Kiev apartment—he drew the eye in by painting the front door into a beautiful Klein blue arch.

Photo by Beppe Brancato; Styling by Greta Cevenini

Use Arches in Your Furnishings

Arches may be most frequent in architectural detailing like doorways and windows, but we’ve also seen them proliferate in smaller furnishings like mirrors and even rugs. Here, an Art Deco–inspired vanity console features a stunning arched coral mirror that draws the eye in, with no renovation required.

Photo by Seth Caplan for Tali Roth and Tina Rich

Build Arches in Your Furniture

For those who like a project, built-in furniture is a great way to incorporate arches in your décor. Providing a more eye-catching solution to bookcases than your average rectangular counterpart, arched bookcases can serve as a beautiful frame for memorabilia and prized objects. In this showroom, designer Tali Roth repeated the curved motif in the circular cutouts that double as door handles for the lower cabinets, providing both form and function.

Use Arches in Repetition to Create Continuity

In more commercial spaces, arches are a great way to frame smaller nooks like dining booths, phone booths, or individual workspaces. In this Dim Sum restaurant in Hong Kong, arches are repeated throughout the space on the ceiling and in the dining space to frame tables. A similar effect can be achieved in residential spaces with multiple arched doorways, bookcases, and windows.

Create the Perfect Arched Headboard

No one ever said that an arch had to be a doorway or opening of any sort. In this Tribeca loft, Studio DB used this brick archway as the backdrop for the perfect headboard instead and created a beautiful wallpapered frame for a children’s bed. By combining a variety of prints and patterns in rusty brick hues, the team achieved a beautifully layered effect that felt cozy and intentional.

Add arches to your home without renovating: