Want to bring notes of elevation, spirituality, aristocracy to the interior? Complete the interior with columns. The result will surprise and delight you. Having applied columns at home once, you will never want to part with them again. What functions does this interior element perform? What styles is applied? What is it made of? Is it possible to use columns in small apartments? How can I “hide” a support column? An ambiguous design element raises many questions. The attitude to columns in the interior as elements of only a palace style is a thing of the past. Their use in the premises of home, office, public is becoming more widespread. And, not in vain. The columns in the interior deserve to beautify our life every day.
Ancient architects were unusually skilled in the use of columns. They created magnificent grandiose colonnades of temples, public buildings, noble houses, royal apartments. Perhaps that is why for several millennia the history of architecture considered columns as interior and exterior elements of luxury and power.
Here, not only the status rank is laid, but also the meaning of self-awareness, self-esteem of the owner of the house. Try to stand next to some grandiose column, for example, the Winter Palace, or walk along the colonnade of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
What are the sensations? The feelings are contradictory. On the one hand, greatness and massiveness are suppressed. But on the other hand, if you merge with this element, get used to it, on the contrary, give confidence, allow you to rise above the bustle.
Returning to the art of the ancients, it is amazing how they were able to combine the functionality of the columns with decorativeness. The most powerful pillars held the stone floors, while they themselves were real works of art. Columns are an exclusive gift from ancient architects to current designers.
A column in a modern interior performs the following functions:
bearing support;
decorative element;
zoning of space;
concealment of communications (cables, pipes);
storage systems (niches, lockers).
The classical column consists of three main parts - the base, body and capitals. The base is the base of the column, when used as a support, the base carries a significant load. The body is a pillar connecting the top and bottom. The capital is the upper part, in the classic version, richly decorated.
Features of modern construction are the use of columns as supports. These are, as a rule, powerful reinforced concrete or metal structures supporting huge floor spaces.As a decorative element, the columns are in demand by the owners of suburban mansions, luxury apartments.
Ornate columns look best in rooms with a large ceiling height - from 290 cm and above.
With the advent of lightweight polyurethane foam products, the use of columns as decorative design details has become possible in high-rise buildings and small-sized apartments. Any column, even lonely, "crushes" the surrounding space. Compositions of two or three columns conveniently delimit the room, highlighting the individual parts, while maintaining a sense of integrity.
Colonnades with a large number of elements by modern architects are almost never used, if this is not required by the design of the entire building. Comfortability, a high level of quality of life requires laying a large number of communications going through all floors of buildings. Concealment of cables and pipes inside the column is an original, sometimes the only acceptable design solution.
Equipping columns with niches, storage systems is another interesting trick. Often it is caused by the need to hide the pillar, but with a good design it is used as a decorative, zoning, functionally justified element. According to the shape of the body, the following types of columns can be distinguished:
round;
oval;
square;
rectangular;
polygonal.
Considering the columns as a decorative detail, it is worth attributing here and half-columns. Half columns do not bear the supporting load. They are attached to the wall, performing decorating and zoning functions, while retaining all the aesthetic decorativeness inherent in whole columns. Low columns from 80 cm and above originally complement the interior. They are used as tables, stands for vases, sculptures, bowls.
Era? Style? Direction?
Noble classic
The basis of the classic interior with antique columns, lay the Greek samples - Doric, Ionic, Corinthian styles.The decoration of the base, body, capitals has not only not changed, moreover, good taste requires exact adherence to Greek ideals.
Antique Greek columns, half-columns harmoniously combine with modern multi-level ceilings, lighting, polyurethane stucco molding. The decoration of the columns with Venetian stucco, "marbled", "natural stone" painting is widely used by artists - decorators. The columns are made of inexpensive materials - polyurethane foam, gypsum, concrete, then richly painted. This significantly reduces their cost, simplifies installation.
The combination of two or more columns connected by an arched bend was especially liked by modern designers. Arches, in order to reduce the cost, facilitate the construction, are made of drywall. The same style can be attributed to rectangular wooden columns trimmed with expensive varieties of wood in the style of an English office or a Russian mansion together with wooden panels on the walls.
Mysterious east
Impressive colonnades connected by arches are an integral element of oriental architecture. In contrast to classical restraint, the body of the eastern column is richly decorated with mosaics, ornaments, and bright colors.
Arched bends are emphasized by additional lines, also richly and brightly revetted. Architectural ensembles with columns in oriental interiors are complemented by draperies made of fabrics, carpets, stained-glass windows.
Modern interior directions
Minimalist style, hi-tech, loft - did not pass around the columns. These styles suggest a large free space, significant height. Columns here act as supports of floors. Most often, these are simple poles, finished in accordance with the style of the room - metal (silver, nickel, chrome, copper), “aged brick” clinker, concrete with traces of formwork. The latest trend is the use of backlighting in glass columns with bubbles.
Rustic styles
In the good old Provence, Russian rustic style, other ethnic styles for the decoration of the columns, wood and rough natural stone are preferable. The columns can be completely wooden, and the “stone” finish on various substrates (concrete, polyurethane foam, drywall, false columns) is made of materials imitating stone.
Using half columns, columns, decorate them based on the style of the entire room, and any, even the simplest stand, will become a "highlight".
Suitable ... materials for the manufacture of columns
Traditionally, the elements of the column were cut out of stone - marble, granite, travertine. Local stone was used from nearby deposits, because heavy blocks of stone are difficult to transport over long distances. The body of the column was assembled from several parts, the seams between them were densely rubbed, the column pillar looked monolithic.
Now decorative columns made of natural stone are almost not made because of the high cost and laboriousness of the manufacturing process. For solid structures that can withstand heavy weight, concrete is used. The prepared formwork is poured with sand-cement mortar, maintained until solidification, then the formwork is removed. Monolithic columns are made directly on the spot at the same time as the building is being erected.
For wooden buildings, elements from solid logs are convenient and natural, although here you can also apply a concrete structure with subsequent wood trim.
Another "solid" material - gypsum, gypsum columns, heavy and quite expensive, they can be ordered to masters who make gypsum stucco molding. Metal - suitable for minimalist interiors, heavy enough, and the "noble" metal (chrome, nickel) - not cheap.
The most democratic option - columns of polyurethane foam. This is a light plastic material, easily cut with a simple hacksaw, glues well with special compounds or glue such as "liquid nails".
Manufacturers of polyurethane foam decorative products offer a huge selection of finished columns, separate bases, capitals. You can select all parts of the column individually, then arrange to your liking.
Columns from this material must be painted, otherwise the element will "fall out" of the interior stylistics.
Economy option materials for the column - polystyrene and drywall. Foam products have the same characteristics as polyurethane foam, but less density and strength. They can be purchased ready-made.
Plasterboard columns are made on site. It is very simple to make round, square, rectangular elements, complement them with arches, niches, shelves. Drywall - a universal material that allows you to perform the most unexpected designs. The drywall surface is puttied, any finishing material is applied to the putty - paint, liquid wallpaper, Venetian plaster.
Columns and half-columns made of polyurethane foam, polystyrene, drywall are relevant for the interiors of high-rise apartment buildings and small apartments. They allow you to preserve the decorativeness of these architectural elements, eliminating the weight and massiveness of natural, concrete, gypsum analogues.
How to hide a column that is not needed
The design features of some buildings suggest a large floor area with a small number of partitions and load-bearing walls. It is difficult to do without a support like a massive column in the middle of a room under such conditions. If the column does not correspond to the general style of the room, it makes sense to decorate it.
Mirrors on the surface of the column “dissolve” the uncomfortable pillar in space, and give the whole room volume. The original solution is to turn the column into an interior item - a cabinet with shelves or a niche, a support for the back of a sofa or bench, a curbstone for decorative products. The omnipresent drywall will help to hide an objectionable element under any intricate shape.
The interior of the room with columns will always be more advantageous in relation to the interior without them. If the area does not allow to place full-fledged columns, use half-columns, they will not take up much space, but will fulfill their decorative function.
Unusually winning compositions from half columns combined with photo wallpaper. Having picked up a drawing of a suitable style, you can transform any, even the smallest room, for example, an entrance hall. A small street, a piece of the garden or the canals of Venice will harmoniously enlarge and refresh the space thanks to the half-column framing.
Having comprehended the ideas of ancient architects, having selected the appropriate modern technological materials, it is possible to really turn a gray concrete-glass building into a magnificent palace, an eastern harem, a brutal loft or ... a beautiful garden.
So what is the secret of using columns in the interior? They add volume, turn a flat image into 3D, create a stereo effect, set the rhythm for space, which means they make the interior alive, real.
Want to bring notes of elevation, spirituality, aristocracy to the interior? Complete the interior with columns. The result will surprise and delight you. Having applied columns at home once, you will never want to part with them again.
What functions does this interior element perform? What styles is applied? What is it made of? Is it possible to use columns in small apartments? How can I “hide” a support column? An ambiguous design element raises many questions.
The attitude to columns in the interior as elements of only a palace style is a thing of the past. Their use in the premises of home, office, public is becoming more widespread. And, not in vain. The columns in the interior deserve to beautify our life every day.
Content
Prop or decorative element
Ancient architects were unusually skilled in the use of columns. They created magnificent grandiose colonnades of temples, public buildings, noble houses, royal apartments.
Perhaps that is why for several millennia the history of architecture considered columns as interior and exterior elements of luxury and power.
Here, not only the status rank is laid, but also the meaning of self-awareness, self-esteem of the owner of the house. Try to stand next to some grandiose column, for example, the Winter Palace, or walk along the colonnade of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
What are the sensations? The feelings are contradictory. On the one hand, greatness and massiveness are suppressed. But on the other hand, if you merge with this element, get used to it, on the contrary, give confidence, allow you to rise above the bustle.
Returning to the art of the ancients, it is amazing how they were able to combine the functionality of the columns with decorativeness. The most powerful pillars held the stone floors, while they themselves were real works of art. Columns are an exclusive gift from ancient architects to current designers.
A column in a modern interior performs the following functions:
The classical column consists of three main parts - the base, body and capitals. The base is the base of the column, when used as a support, the base carries a significant load. The body is a pillar connecting the top and bottom. The capital is the upper part, in the classic version, richly decorated.
With the advent of lightweight polyurethane foam products, the use of columns as decorative design details has become possible in high-rise buildings and small-sized apartments. Any column, even lonely, "crushes" the surrounding space. Compositions of two or three columns conveniently delimit the room, highlighting the individual parts, while maintaining a sense of integrity.
Colonnades with a large number of elements by modern architects are almost never used, if this is not required by the design of the entire building. Comfortability, a high level of quality of life requires laying a large number of communications going through all floors of buildings. Concealment of cables and pipes inside the column is an original, sometimes the only acceptable design solution.
Equipping columns with niches, storage systems is another interesting trick. Often it is caused by the need to hide the pillar, but with a good design it is used as a decorative, zoning, functionally justified element.
According to the shape of the body, the following types of columns can be distinguished:
Considering the columns as a decorative detail, it is worth attributing here and half-columns. Half columns do not bear the supporting load. They are attached to the wall, performing decorating and zoning functions, while retaining all the aesthetic decorativeness inherent in whole columns.
Low columns from 80 cm and above originally complement the interior. They are used as tables, stands for vases, sculptures, bowls.
Era? Style? Direction?
Noble classic
The basis of the classic interior with antique columns, lay the Greek samples - Doric, Ionic, Corinthian styles.The decoration of the base, body, capitals has not only not changed, moreover, good taste requires exact adherence to Greek ideals.
Antique Greek columns, half-columns harmoniously combine with modern multi-level ceilings, lighting, polyurethane stucco molding. The decoration of the columns with Venetian stucco, "marbled", "natural stone" painting is widely used by artists - decorators. The columns are made of inexpensive materials - polyurethane foam, gypsum, concrete, then richly painted. This significantly reduces their cost, simplifies installation.
The combination of two or more columns connected by an arched bend was especially liked by modern designers. Arches, in order to reduce the cost, facilitate the construction, are made of drywall.
The same style can be attributed to rectangular wooden columns trimmed with expensive varieties of wood in the style of an English office or a Russian mansion together with wooden panels on the walls.
Mysterious east
Impressive colonnades connected by arches are an integral element of oriental architecture. In contrast to classical restraint, the body of the eastern column is richly decorated with mosaics, ornaments, and bright colors.
Arched bends are emphasized by additional lines, also richly and brightly revetted.
Architectural ensembles with columns in oriental interiors are complemented by draperies made of fabrics, carpets, stained-glass windows.
Modern interior directions
Minimalist style, hi-tech, loft - did not pass around the columns. These styles suggest a large free space, significant height. Columns here act as supports of floors. Most often, these are simple poles, finished in accordance with the style of the room - metal (silver, nickel, chrome, copper), “aged brick” clinker, concrete with traces of formwork.
The latest trend is the use of backlighting in glass columns with bubbles.
Rustic styles
In the good old Provence, Russian rustic style, other ethnic styles for the decoration of the columns, wood and rough natural stone are preferable.
The columns can be completely wooden, and the “stone” finish on various substrates (concrete, polyurethane foam, drywall, false columns) is made of materials imitating stone.
Suitable ... materials for the manufacture of columns
Traditionally, the elements of the column were cut out of stone - marble, granite, travertine. Local stone was used from nearby deposits, because heavy blocks of stone are difficult to transport over long distances. The body of the column was assembled from several parts, the seams between them were densely rubbed, the column pillar looked monolithic.
Now decorative columns made of natural stone are almost not made because of the high cost and laboriousness of the manufacturing process.
For solid structures that can withstand heavy weight, concrete is used. The prepared formwork is poured with sand-cement mortar, maintained until solidification, then the formwork is removed. Monolithic columns are made directly on the spot at the same time as the building is being erected.
For wooden buildings, elements from solid logs are convenient and natural, although here you can also apply a concrete structure with subsequent wood trim.
Another "solid" material - gypsum, gypsum columns, heavy and quite expensive, they can be ordered to masters who make gypsum stucco molding.
Metal - suitable for minimalist interiors, heavy enough, and the "noble" metal (chrome, nickel) - not cheap.
The most democratic option - columns of polyurethane foam. This is a light plastic material, easily cut with a simple hacksaw, glues well with special compounds or glue such as "liquid nails".
Manufacturers of polyurethane foam decorative products offer a huge selection of finished columns, separate bases, capitals. You can select all parts of the column individually, then arrange to your liking.
Columns from this material must be painted, otherwise the element will "fall out" of the interior stylistics.
Economy option materials for the column - polystyrene and drywall.
Foam products have the same characteristics as polyurethane foam, but less density and strength. They can be purchased ready-made.
Plasterboard columns are made on site. It is very simple to make round, square, rectangular elements, complement them with arches, niches, shelves. Drywall - a universal material that allows you to perform the most unexpected designs.
The drywall surface is puttied, any finishing material is applied to the putty - paint, liquid wallpaper, Venetian plaster.
Columns and half-columns made of polyurethane foam, polystyrene, drywall are relevant for the interiors of high-rise apartment buildings and small apartments. They allow you to preserve the decorativeness of these architectural elements, eliminating the weight and massiveness of natural, concrete, gypsum analogues.
How to hide a column that is not needed
The design features of some buildings suggest a large floor area with a small number of partitions and load-bearing walls. It is difficult to do without a support like a massive column in the middle of a room under such conditions. If the column does not correspond to the general style of the room, it makes sense to decorate it.
Mirrors on the surface of the column “dissolve” the uncomfortable pillar in space, and give the whole room volume. The original solution is to turn the column into an interior item - a cabinet with shelves or a niche, a support for the back of a sofa or bench, a curbstone for decorative products. The omnipresent drywall will help to hide an objectionable element under any intricate shape.
The interior of the room with columns will always be more advantageous in relation to the interior without them. If the area does not allow to place full-fledged columns, use half-columns, they will not take up much space, but will fulfill their decorative function.
Having comprehended the ideas of ancient architects, having selected the appropriate modern technological materials, it is possible to really turn a gray concrete-glass building into a magnificent palace, an eastern harem, a brutal loft or ... a beautiful garden.
So what is the secret of using columns in the interior? They add volume, turn a flat image into 3D, create a stereo effect, set the rhythm for space, which means they make the interior alive, real.