Have you ever walked into a round room and really paid attention to how the design makes you feel? Many people note feelings of peace, calm, and serenity. According to this 2007 Harvard study, straight lines and corners activate the amygdala - the part of the brain that indicates danger. It has been posited this is because corners remind us of feeling trapped, igniting that feeling of fear and anxiety. Because of this, round rooms and curved walls will often give the feeling of calmness.
In a design sense, rounding corners allows us to shape the space in a way that rectilinear design discourages. Imagine a flowing river - the wide eddies gives space for the water to move comfortably, while narrows compresses the space, speeding up the flow. As you can imagine, this type of thinking can offer a lot of potential for space design.
Rounded rooms and curved walls are nothing new in architecture. They will automatically add a sense of whimsy and playfulness to a home. But because rounded rooms are not designed to accommodate your average couch, table and hanging art, most people write them off. The question then is – how does one enjoy the beauty and calmness of a round room in their home, while keeping it functional for every day use?
- Keep it simple. Because round rooms are so special on their own, you don’t want to over decorate. Sometimes, keeping the wall blank to focus on the interesting architecture of curved lines is enough decoration on it's own.
- Find the right furniture. Finding the right furniture to complement the curved walls while keeping the room functional is important. The ideal scenario would be custom furniture. Having furniture built to the specific curvature of the room will feel like a fitting a piece into a puzzle. It will create the cleanest, most comfortable look in the room.
- Hang art and photographs. Hanging frames is definitely possible in rounded rooms, and could enhance the design of the space. However, the size of the framed pieces that can work will depend on the curve of the room. A small, short curved room will not be able to hold a large frame, so generally speaking smaller frames work better. Either way, it is possible to hang art on a curved wall if you want!
Adding any type of curved wall to your home - whether it throughout the space, or singled out into it's own round room - will create a sense of dynamic flow that will make your home stand out.