8 Beautiful Ways to Add Curves to Your Interior
Discover how to embrace soft lines and organic shapes with your decor and interior design
Victoria Harrison
10 April 2022
Editor, Houzz UK and Ireland
In recent years, gentle curves have increasingly found their way into our homes, and this trend looks set to continue in 2022. Bringing organic shapes into your home can instantly connect you to the natural world and help to create a welcoming space. Try softening any sharp lines with one of these ideas.
1. Add a fluid curve to your kitchen
Kitchen units are usually boxy and sharp-edged, but bringing in a curved end unit can totally transform the look and feel of your cooking space. This kitchen in Surrey, UK by NJK Interiors, is a great example of how to do this well; the run of units feels soft and sinuous and the small kitchen space has a lovely flow to it.
If this isn’t practical in your home – if your kitchen units run wall to wall, for example – a similar look could be achieved with a curved-edge island or oval dining table.
Kitchen units are usually boxy and sharp-edged, but bringing in a curved end unit can totally transform the look and feel of your cooking space. This kitchen in Surrey, UK by NJK Interiors, is a great example of how to do this well; the run of units feels soft and sinuous and the small kitchen space has a lovely flow to it.
If this isn’t practical in your home – if your kitchen units run wall to wall, for example – a similar look could be achieved with a curved-edge island or oval dining table.
2. Opt for a rounded sofa
If your living room feels too boxy, bringing in a rounded sofa or gently curved chaise longue – like this beautiful example in a scheme by Interior Marketing Group in New York, USA – will help smooth away any sharp edges.
While the sofa is clearly the focal point in this room, the round rug and circular coffee table both play a supporting role by subtly echoing and reinforcing the form.
If you don’t have space for a large statement sofa or chaise, look for a regular sofa with a smaller curve to the back or sides, which could still provide an organic feel but with a smaller footprint.
Take your interior up a level with the help of an interior designer near you. Browse local professionals, see their work here and read reviews from previous clients
If your living room feels too boxy, bringing in a rounded sofa or gently curved chaise longue – like this beautiful example in a scheme by Interior Marketing Group in New York, USA – will help smooth away any sharp edges.
While the sofa is clearly the focal point in this room, the round rug and circular coffee table both play a supporting role by subtly echoing and reinforcing the form.
If you don’t have space for a large statement sofa or chaise, look for a regular sofa with a smaller curve to the back or sides, which could still provide an organic feel but with a smaller footprint.
Take your interior up a level with the help of an interior designer near you. Browse local professionals, see their work here and read reviews from previous clients
3. Bring back arched doorways
Arched doorways are another way to work organic forms into your interior, and if you’re extending or renovating a space, they could be a consideration. As well as bringing in a natural curve, they also neatly frame the entrance to each room, creating more of a sense of stepping from one space to another as you pass through.
As you can see in this scheme by Burnham Design in Los Angeles, USA, curved archways can also create beautiful shapes and shadows as light flows through them.
Arched doorways are another way to work organic forms into your interior, and if you’re extending or renovating a space, they could be a consideration. As well as bringing in a natural curve, they also neatly frame the entrance to each room, creating more of a sense of stepping from one space to another as you pass through.
As you can see in this scheme by Burnham Design in Los Angeles, USA, curved archways can also create beautiful shapes and shadows as light flows through them.
4. Update your headboard
Aiming to update your bedroom on a budget? A simple headboard refresh can give your room a new look, and a half-moon shape, like this one in a scheme by Jessi Eve in Wollongong, NSW, creates a soothing and cocooning feel.
Choose a natural material such as rattan or cane, as seen here, for an organic look, or plump for an upholstered fabric headboard in a semi-circular shape for a softer feel.
Aiming to update your bedroom on a budget? A simple headboard refresh can give your room a new look, and a half-moon shape, like this one in a scheme by Jessi Eve in Wollongong, NSW, creates a soothing and cocooning feel.
Choose a natural material such as rattan or cane, as seen here, for an organic look, or plump for an upholstered fabric headboard in a semi-circular shape for a softer feel.
5. Install a curved kitchen cabinet
When teamed with a run of regular kitchen units, a cabinet with a curved top can provide character and neatly soften the hard edges of any other items in the room. The freestanding round-top cabinet in this London, UK design by MH Costa Construction is a real stand-out piece, and it neatly echoes the tall arched windows on the adjacent wall.
If you’d like to recreate this look in your own kitchen, you could search for second-hand or vintage cabinets or, if budget allows, ask your designer to source something bespoke.
Browse more stunning kitchens here
When teamed with a run of regular kitchen units, a cabinet with a curved top can provide character and neatly soften the hard edges of any other items in the room. The freestanding round-top cabinet in this London, UK design by MH Costa Construction is a real stand-out piece, and it neatly echoes the tall arched windows on the adjacent wall.
If you’d like to recreate this look in your own kitchen, you could search for second-hand or vintage cabinets or, if budget allows, ask your designer to source something bespoke.
Browse more stunning kitchens here
6. Work in soft-lined glazing
The doors and windows in this kitchen are unique, and they set the tone for the entire space, with the curved island unit picking up the shape. “The curves are really softening and playful; they make the sharp box more gentle,” says architect Abul Mahdi of Studio Jayga Architects, who worked on this project in Essex, UK.
If you’re interested in finding out more about arched windows or doors for your own home project, ask your designer or architect for advice.
The doors and windows in this kitchen are unique, and they set the tone for the entire space, with the curved island unit picking up the shape. “The curves are really softening and playful; they make the sharp box more gentle,” says architect Abul Mahdi of Studio Jayga Architects, who worked on this project in Essex, UK.
If you’re interested in finding out more about arched windows or doors for your own home project, ask your designer or architect for advice.
7. Choose arched glazing panels in a regular door
If arched doors or windows aren’t a practical option for you, you can still bring a softer, more organic shape to a regular door by choosing one with a curved glazing panel.
As this London project by PEEK Architecture + Design demonstrates, a gentle curve at the top of the glazing panel is enough to bring in a little visual interest and soften some of the straight lines.
If arched doors or windows aren’t a practical option for you, you can still bring a softer, more organic shape to a regular door by choosing one with a curved glazing panel.
As this London project by PEEK Architecture + Design demonstrates, a gentle curve at the top of the glazing panel is enough to bring in a little visual interest and soften some of the straight lines.
8. Work an indented curve into your cabinetry
A wall of floor-to-ceiling storage is really practical in a bedroom, but, as this beautiful example by All & Nxthing in London shows, it doesn’t have to be entirely linear.
By carving out space for the fireplace in the middle of this wall of storage, the designers have taken the opportunity to introduce a beautiful sweeping curve above it, creating a lovely, unexpected feature.
Your turn
Do you have a crush on curves in interiors too? Share your thoughts in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the renovation conversation.
More
Ready for your next dose of design inspo? Look no further than 10 Pretty Pantries to Inspire Your Next Kitchen
A wall of floor-to-ceiling storage is really practical in a bedroom, but, as this beautiful example by All & Nxthing in London shows, it doesn’t have to be entirely linear.
By carving out space for the fireplace in the middle of this wall of storage, the designers have taken the opportunity to introduce a beautiful sweeping curve above it, creating a lovely, unexpected feature.
Your turn
Do you have a crush on curves in interiors too? Share your thoughts in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the renovation conversation.
More
Ready for your next dose of design inspo? Look no further than 10 Pretty Pantries to Inspire Your Next Kitchen
Related Stories
Interior Design
The Golden Rules of Proportion: Decor Laws You Need to Know
An interior designer reveals the essential rules for achieving a perfectly balanced interior
Full Story
Interior Design
Design Masterclass: A Budget-Friendly Refresh of a Small Home
See how a designer's smart use of colour and considered storage solutions transformed a drab home for AUD$50,000
Full Story
Renovating Advice
Renovation Insight: How to Choose an Interior Designer
A skilled interior designer can help bring your decor dreams to life – three experts reveal how to choose the right one
Full Story
Interior Design
10 Decorating Rules Interior Designers Swear By
By Laura Downie
Want to give your home professional polish? An expert reveals the top 10 decorating rules you need to know
Full Story
Interior Design
8 Ways to Create Flow and Cohesion With Your Interior Design
These eight tips can help you select products, finishes and styles that work together from room to room
Full Story
Picture Perfect
22 Curtains That Dare to Be Different
Our coffee-break escape offers you five minutes' worth of images to inspire and delight. Jump right in...
Full Story
Project Of The Week
Before & After: A Cheap & Cheerful Makeover of a 1980s Caravan
Armed with an AU$1500 budget, a Melbourne couple rolled up their sleeves and transformed a caravan in just three months
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Melbourne Houzz: A Terrace Near Ruin Gets a Second Chance
See how a derelict Victorian terrace in Melbourne was transformed into a luxurious and serene family home
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Melbourne Houzz: A Family's Dream Home, 20 Years in the Making
Timeless, sophisticated and a little bit industrial – this heritage-home renovation is nothing short of spectacular
Full Story
Most Popular
Ask the Experts: What Goes With Tan Leather?
Embrace this versatile material, colour and texture with inspirational ideas from designers in the know
Full Story
Curves are sensuous. Few straight lines in nature. Don't be a square, man. Gaudi - my hero.
We have a curved edges to the top of our island- still love it 9 years later…
This looks appealing!