If you follow design trends in interiors, chances are you've seen arches popping up everywhere. From arched mirrors and accessories to windows, doorways and fireplaces, the arch design trend is in full swing.
The use of curves always lends an organic feeling to a space and a connection with nature, because in nature, you will never find perfectly straight lines. That means arches can help to deliver a sense of relief and peace to the dwellers of the space, making them ideal for a place you go to relax such as a bedroom. Most interior living spaces are rectilinear with clear lines and well-defined edges, so when we add curves or arches through our décor, it creates contrast with the linear elements and makes the space more interesting and dynamic.
A painted arch design is a great solution for dipping your toes into trend without the need to make expensive changes to alter the physical architecture of your space. It’s also an interesting effect to do on return walls that protrude into a room or odd walls that are the result of removing walls when converting an older building to an open plan layout. Your painted arch design can bring focus to and visually frame a piece furniture, such as a bench, dresser or shelving, giving it a dramatic presence.
To bring even more attention to our painted arch, we painted the background of the wall in Resene Half Rice Cake to contrast with the rest of the walls in Resene Grey Olive. And rather than painting it a solid colour, we opted to measure and mask off stripes and painted these in Resene Half Bison Hide – with one half of the arch boasting vertical stripes and the other half horizontal stripes. An easy way to achieve this effect and to reduce the amount of taping to create it is to use 48mm wide washi-style masking tape – available at Resene ColorShops and online – and to leave 48mm gaps in between each strip of tape. Not only does this striped effect bring more structure to the arch design, it also directly echoes the colour palette and design of the bedlinen.
The rattan pendant lamp we chose to hang over the bed has a definitively ‘arched’ bell shape, and by painting this in Resene Half Rice Cake to match our statement wall, it creates a positive/negative effect as it hangs in front of its Resene Grey Olive backdrop. Much like the bedlinen, the pattern that the weave creates also mimics the painted stripes – though in a more subtle way. Resene Double Rice Cake was also used to paint the rattan headboard and bench seat, tying these important furniture items into the colour palette.
Fresh plants, dried flowers and earthy hues like Resene Lemon Grass, Resene Half Titania and Resene Greige – which have been used on the bedside table, vases and small accessories throughout the space – build interest and play up the arch’s aforementioned connection to nature. Floorboards in Resene Colorwood Mid Greywash provide a soft base to the space and lend a casual, weathered appeal to this bedroom that further enhances the natural vibe. Lastly, a few small touches of Resene Apple Blossom, a rosy terracotta, appear on plant pots and reflect the accent colour seen on the pillowcases and throw cushion and act as a point of difference to make the look pop.
The result is a soothing, calming, cohesive, pretty and feminine place to relax and recover in casual yet stylish comfort at the end of a long day. Simply light some candles, make yourself a cup of tea and grab a favourite book or magazine and you’ll be ready to fully soak in all the zen vibes you’ve created in your brand-new bedroom.
Styling by Annick Larkin. Photography by Bryce Carleton. 2022
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