Design Spotlight on Circular Arches

When the new millennium began, the underlying shape for interior design was the Oval. Around a decade later the Oval began to change into the Circle. The determining factors behind these changes are clothed in mystery but their power to govern design is a reality. The Circle’s imprint has just expanded beyond furniture frames, lighting and accessories into the phenomenon of the Circular-Topped Arch. I noted this trend in recent posts but it has grown markedly since. It’s time to direct attention to the appearance of Circular Arches in interior design.

This summer Koket released a striking ‘KK by Koket’ product image to feature the London Dining Chair. The arch shares the warm pink tones of Tristan Auer’s circular archway for Hotel du Louvre from the post “Care for Some Colour”. A circular carpet emphasizes the shape. You can bet money on circular carpets showing up next.

Paris couturier Christian Lacroix was among the first to cross over into the interior design arena. Here is an image from his recent wallpaper and fabric campaign. While the round upholstered chair is trend-prominent, it was the look and juxtaposition of the arches that caught my interest. They resemble a particular Rene Magritte painting. I remember it well because ten years ago I was granted permission to edit the image for content and colour and print it on a 6 by 8-foot canvas.

When the giglee printed canvas arrived, the colours had to be painted over by hand. Its purpose was to complement original furniture in the Yorkville store and the colours were important. “Re-interference” the term originated by Peter Greenaway, filmmaker and artist, applied quite well to the piece after four alterations.

Here is another Christian Lacroix product image, featuring the important colour Azure Blue. A little design aside – note how Lacroix’s bold bohemian/neo-classical designs for the Hotel Le Bellechasse have stood the test of time.

The lobby of the new Paris showroom for Lelievre, maker of fabric and wallpaper for the design trade, has our arch topped door. I have relied on Lelievre’s gorgeously fresh take on luxury fabrics for decades. Available through Theo Decor.

To demonstrate how this influence is being applied in professional design projects, here are three images from La Maison Pierre Frey on Instagram. The first is from Atelier Louise Pace and has garnered almost 2,500 likes.

Roman Phylus uses the arch topped window as the setting for his round furniture. Whites predominate his designs as do classic architectural treatments. His work appears in the lead image where warm white and cascading gold create an ultra contemporary glamour.

A soft new-looking room with arch topped windows is a backdrop for circular furniture of the blob sort. Roundly shaped seating is another very strong trend. No doubt, domestic divas have already taken note of the glamorous curves! This setting for furniture by Pierre Augustin Rose, is from the same Instagram stream.

I leave you with these rose-coloured or blue-tinted glasses through which to look out at the world and see the circular arches cropping up everywhere.