The return of the arch

Straight lines are efficient. Arches are generous. That's really the whole story of why they keep coming back — a curve in a room full of right angles reads as softness, and softness is what most modern homes are starving for.

You don't need a renovation to get the effect. An arched floor mirror does a surprising amount of work, especially opposite a window. Arched joinery niches, curved headboards, even a simple painted arch behind a bedside table all borrow the same language.

The mistake I see most often is repetition — arches on the mirror, the shelf, the rug, the artwork, all in one room. One confident curve beats five nervous ones. Let it be the sentence, not the whole paragraph.