Columns in the interior - from the eternal classics to the underground

What associations arise when we talk about columns in the interior? Ancient colonnade, majestic and somewhat pompous?

Yes, the columns are perceived mainly as an element of ancient architecture. In ancient Greece and Rome, they were a necessary structural element of monumental structures - they supported heavy stone vaults. Since then, the perfection of ancient forms has inspired architects who use columns in luxurious interiors in the style of classicism, baroque, rococo, empire.

It is generally accepted that columns in the interior are used only in expensive classic interiors. When decorating apartments in a historical style, they help to achieve the height that designers aspire to. Designers still pay tribute to antiquity, creating stylizations of the classics, while the columns may not support the vault, but perform an exclusively decorative function in the interior.

However, in modern high-rise buildings, columns often play the role of a supporting structure, which poses a difficult but interesting task for us - adapting this structural element to a certain style of interior, and not only classic: there are a number of fashion trends in which they look very organic.

Modern trends - loft, underground, high-tech - only benefit from the presence of columns in expressiveness, but the attitude towards them in this case is different - functionality and technogenicity are emphasized, and they look different - like roughly finished concrete supports or metal structures. Nevertheless, they allow you to move away from dull standard solutions, create a completely original, unique atmosphere, and emphasize the characteristic features of the style.

And what about such artistic, fantasy, bold design trends as art deco, boho? Even if columns are not provided for in the design of the house, their stylization will become that juicy accent that will emphasize the style, organize and streamline the space.

About the columns and how to fit them into the interior, you have to remember those who have at their disposal a room in which - whether the owners like it or not - there are load-bearing columns. It is impossible to get rid of them. What to do? Should we make them a key decorative element or “hide”, disguise them so that no one will pay attention to the awkward pillars in the middle of the hall?

Columns are not a sign of past eras, but a very relevant design element. If you want to get away from the routine, create a special, stylish living environment, think about the columns - maybe this is exactly what your interior lacks.?

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Decorative element of historical interior

The palace style in the design of luxury apartments never loses its relevance. Centuries have passed, but the traditions of the past have been preserved in the design directions:

• classicism,
• baroque,
• rococo,
• empire

They remain the epitome of beauty, rich decoration and majesty. Along with gilding, stucco, cascades of mirrors, columns are a distinctive feature of the historical interior. They may be in the form:

• colonnades;
• arched colonnade;
• paired columns;
• paired columns united by an arch;
• half-column

Colonnade

The colonnade, as a rule, performs the function of space zoning, providing a light, airy, and at the same time clear division into zones. A unique feature of this zoning is that when viewed from the inside from any zone, it does not seem to be limited by columns, visually stretching from wall to wall.

If, when using piers, two small zones are formed, then when constructing a colonnade, you can achieve the feeling that it has become a room twice as spacious - especially if you skillfully use mirrors.

If the colonnade is arched, then the zoning becomes more local, chamber.

In addition to its functional purpose, the colonnade is an element that determines the aesthetics of the interior. The bewitching rhythm of the columns going into the distance makes you forget about time, gives peace from the contemplation of exquisite beauty.

If the colonnade is designed at the construction stage, it can carry a strength load. If, however, a spacious hall is designed in the Baroque or Empire style, which does not involve additional load-bearing structures, imitation is used - decorative columns.

Antique style is always insanely expensive; columns made of cheap materials are rarely used in such interiors. The luxury of palace splendor is emphasized by colonnades made of marble, malachite, jade, but in fairness it should be noted that, as a rule, we are not talking about monolithic structures, but about facing with noble stone or imitation of it.

More often, interior designers solve the problem of stylization in the style of baroque, rococo or empire, and then a reasonable solution is to use budget options for decorative columns. Prefabricated structures made of gypsum, polyurethane and artificial stone are offered by specialized workshops, while plasterboard columns are made on site.

Paired columns

The columns in the room are traditionally placed in pairs.

It is customary to install paired columns on both sides of the window, fireplace, stairs. With their help, you can effectively zone the room - in this case, they are often located near opposite walls, where they separate one zone from another, for example, they mark the border between the living room and the dining room.

If there are massive ledges of the walls in the room, which are not characteristic of the antique style, it is enough to install a column next to the ledge - and the stylistic unity of the interior will be restored.

Sometimes the columns are combined with an arch, this emphasizes the isolation of the zone that they limit.

Paired columns, as a rule, are a purely decorative element of the interior. The materials for them are chosen on the basis of the same considerations as in the colonnade - when styling under the antique style, inexpensive materials and imitation of stucco molding with appropriate high-quality finishes are used.

With the help of paired columns, at minimal cost, you can place expressive accents, give the interior some elevation.

half-columns

A half-column imitates a column protruding from a wall. The functional purpose of the semi-columns is the same as that of the columns: to highlight important design elements - a window, a fireplace, a niche - or to zone an open space.Semi-columns are easier to erect, since they are not subject to such strict requirements for fastening: it is enough to fix them against the wall. However, they are no less expressive. The market offers a wide range of prefabricated polyurethane half-columns, which need only be installed “in place”.

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Columns in a vintage interior

Some modern design trends are revealed especially brightly if there are columns in the interior. These include:

• art deco,
• boho,
• East style, using motifs of the Arab East and Byzantium.

In the Art Deco style, combining elements of antiquity, baroque and bold modernity, columns are an element that gives the interior a touch of refined sophistication and nobility. Strict clean lines of columns or semi-columns remind of the aesthetics of Ancient Hellas.

The outrageous boho style is unthinkably adjacent to the simplicity of the "poor" decoration and defiantly rich textiles, gilded decor. Columns are almost an integral attribute, designed to enhance the pompous component of the design of this ironic, but cozy style. The design of the columns themselves is practically not regulated.

If it is decided to decorate the interior in the spirit of the fairy tale "A Thousand and One Nights", then the columns can be made of stone (as well as its imitation of plaster and polyurethane) or wood. Mosaic decoration is welcome.

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No romance - industrial and rustic styles

Modern "rustic" and industrial design styles emphasize the pragmatic attitude to the columns, emphasize the aesthetics of functionality. The most typical directions in this respect are:

• loft;
• underground;
• high tech;
• country.

Loft, as a style that came out of factory floors, initially implies the presence of supporting structures, which are played out in a very peculiar way in such an interior.

There can be no question of any antiquity - only simple rectangular shapes and rough finishes. Traces of concrete formwork, old brickwork, careless plaster - such harsh textures of walls and columns are typical for a loft, and it is against their background that any stylish piece of furniture is perceived as a luxury - which is what is required.

The underground in the interior is close to the loft style, but if in the loft the source of inspiration is abandoned factory premises, then in the underground - basements. Following the concept of "nothing ordinary", the underground does not accept absolutely no repetition of what has become the norm. Therefore, columns in the underground, as a structural element that is not too hackneyed, are a good find. The finish is the most restrained - stone, concrete, aged brickwork.

In a high-tech style interior, columns are, strictly speaking, optional. But shiny chrome-plated metal surfaces give it a special gloss, so if the columns are to be, then metal, moreover, from shiny metal. Confused about metal? In high-tech, this range of futuristic delights, the most unexpected solutions are possible. For example, a column, which is an illuminated glass cylinder filled with liquid and rising air bubbles.

Rustic style is emphatically practical. The supporting structures are simple, made either from wood (safari, American country), or from masonry or imitation for it (Provence).

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Columns as a supporting element

We must not forget that the original purpose of the column is not decorative, but functional - to support the floor beams, and it has not become obsolete.

What if the columns, which are the supporting structure, exist in the room a priori, despite the fact that they do not fit into the original interior design in any way?

Recently, designers have been faced with such a problem more and more often, and, paradoxically, the reason for this is the fashion for a free layout of apartments. Designers are resolutely getting rid of partitions, but due to the lack of supporting structures, they have to distribute the load on columns and semi-columns.

These load-bearing elements not only cannot be demolished, they cannot even be ditched. And what should the owner do with this massive column in the middle of the hall?

Here we can distinguish at least four ways:

1. Decorate the room in one of the styles discussed above. If the columns are massive, you can consider loft, underground, country. If they are small in cross section, the choice is huge, they can be given antique outlines, imitating a metal or wooden surface.
2. If none of these styles inspire you, give your columns some unexpected functionality. For example, you can arrange a sofa around the column or use it to display paintings.
3. Use columns for zoning. A low partition going from the column to the wall will help in this; a cabinet, a rack, a bar counter will successfully cope with its role.
4. Make her invisible. Hide it under the shelves, combine it with the cabinet so that the column will pass inside it, hidden from view. Paint in a neutral color that prevails in the interior. Cover with a mirror mosaic on all four sides - the column will literally dissolve in the air.
5. Make it the centerpiece of your interior.

The last option is worth considering in more detail. So, what gives the selection of the column as a special expressive element? This is a departure from the template, generally accepted standards, and any unexpected decision is a holiday for the artistic nature.

You can leave the column (or columns) "as is", thereby emphasizing the traditional structural element of open space. In the extreme case, the column can not be plastered - a harsh concrete surface will contrastly emphasize the sophistication and comfort of the interior.

You can turn the column into a supporting structure for greenery by placing on it a lot of climbing and ampelous plants, wrapped in ivy.

A strong option for an interior in a minimalist or modern style is to highlight the column with color, give it an unusual futuristic shape.

Column lighting will create an upbeat, festive atmosphere in the living room or a mysterious, intimate one in the bedroom.

We dare to say that the load-bearing column is a godsend for a talented designer who will always find a dozen or two ways to beat it so that the interior acquires originality and expressiveness.

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The Unity of the Pragmatic and the Sublime

Columns are an amazingly expressive element of interior design.

They appeared and continue to exist in architecture as a supporting element that supports the vaults of fairly spacious rooms. And the reverent attitude to the columns, as an element of sublime, solemn, monumental, is associated not only with the ancient tradition. By itself, the size of the premises, which require additional load-bearing structures, causes a certain respect.

Adapting existing columns to the interior, making them a “highlight” of modern stylish design or recreating the spirit of antiquity in individual apartments with the help of exquisite imitation of colonnades is an interesting task that has many solutions. We hope that our short guide will help you choose the right direction, use the columns in the interior in an original way, and let your sense of style serve as a compass.

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