Ahead of the curve

Soft shapes are appearing in homes everywhere, including The Block. We share how you can incorporate curves into your interiors to create a modern, luxurious look.

After decades of sharp edges and square-set ceilings, modern homes have returned to softer shapes and curved forms.

Curves are on trend in all areas of the house at the moment, but particularly in kitchens and bathrooms, where the soft edges can convey a sense of luxury and calm.

This is why it has been interesting to see all the curves in the renovations of The Block in 2023. Two of the houses have created curved ceilings and arches throughout their houses. These are high-end properties, and the curves are adding a sense of luxury to the interiora.

In your own build, consider adding curved shapes through the structure of the home, in ceilings, walls, joinery, or even in the selection of furniture and artwork for a modern look.

Curved ceilings

Contestants Leah and Ash have embraced curves from the start of their Block journey, with their vision incorporating curves with the first big challenge of the 2023 season.

This first challenge involved designing the bathroom of the self-contained studios. Two of the teams chose an interior design with a curved ceiling – Kyle and Leslie and Leah and Ash.

Leslie called their shapely ceiling “curvelicious”, while contestant Ash simply said that “curves are hot”.

And their decisions paid off. The curves were a big hit with the judges that week, with all three calling out the couples for their bravery and astuteness with their design choices, noting that the curved ceilings created a point of difference in the market.

Arches

However, the trend towards including curves doesn’t have to be as dramatic as a ceiling. Arches are a great way to connect rooms in a softer way and create a cohesive internal ‘language’ throughout a house. Consider using them for windows, bathroom mirrors or even just an inset in a bathroom or kitchen for a subtler look.

In The Block, Kristy and Brett added curved forms in their bathroom by including a feature arch in the shower recess for extra interest. The end result was impressive, but each tile had to be hand-mitred and laid individually to cope with the curve.

Kyle and Leslie embraced arches in their main bedroom design with a curved inset in the wall between their bedroom and walk-in robe. The curved form doubled as a luxurious bedhead, highlighted by LED strip lighting to emphasise the shape.

Curves in the kitchen

Curved island benches are popular in many new builds, and this year Kyle and Leslie opted for an arch in their kitchen island, mirroring the arches throughout their home and softening the surrounding hard surfaces.

Many materials (such as marble and tiles) chosen for wet areas such as kitchens and laundries are hard, so the addition of curved shapes can soften the surfaces and make them seem more approachable. They are also more family-friendly, especially if you have small children running about.

A curved island bench, topped with marble, is a popular choice, sometimes mirrored in a matching curved wall. Many of these curves are created using Gyprock Flexible, which is then cladded with timber and painted or stained.

Curved staircases

A curvaceous staircase, formed using Gyprock Flexible, was definitely the highlight of the 2021 Block season, and this idea has been copied in new builds throughout the country.

This style of staircase can work as a showstopper in an entryway or foyer and turn a functional connection into a spectacular piece of interior design. Spiral staircases are also very space-efficient, which can help maximise the space found in smaller urban developments.

Making a comeback

Expert plasterer (and Block favourite) Sam Badenhop of Getting You Plastered heralded the return to curves in The Block in 2022, saying he’s seeing curves making a comeback – and giving his team a lot of work.

“I spent probably the first 20 years of my work life, smashing out curves and squaring them up and now we’re putting them back in a big way,” he says.

About Gyprock Flexible

Gyprock Flexible is ideal for curved shapes. It is a 6.5mm thick plasterboard sheet with an enhanced gypsum core, designed to bend for small radius curves. From concept to creation, designers and installers can create convex curves with a 250mm radius and concave curves with a 450mm radius.