Layout features
The design of the living room in an apartment primarily depends on several factors:
- Room area. In a small living room you should not use a lot of furniture or massive decorative elements. For design, it is best to use LED lighting, wall decor and windows.
- Number of rooms in the apartment. If the apartment has few rooms, then most likely the living room will also have other functions: the bedroom of one of the family members or an office. This will require more strict zoning of the room.
- Number of doors in the hall. If the room is a walk-through room and has several entrances, then the main semantic load will fall on the center. Here it makes sense to place a group with armchairs, a sofa and a coffee table.
- Proximity to the kitchen. If this is a room adjacent to the kitchen, then they can be combined. Zones can be separated visually: using an arch, shelving, a bar counter or a couple of trees in tubs.
Advice. When developing a design, it is important to plan all the elements so that they can be captured at once at a glance. This will create comfort and tranquility in the room.
The brightest elements that attract attention should be placed further from the entrance so that the eye is directed into the depths of the room. It is better to place light elements further from the window - this will make the room more spacious.
Conclusion
But if the difficulties of re-equipment do not frighten you, and you are ready to pay due attention to cleaning, then you can begin moving the kitchen. In any case, you already know how to move the kitchen into the living room correctly!
Design of a kitchen-dining room in a private house - see here.
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Zoning the hall in the apartment
Whatever the size of the living room, it must be zoned. If the living room is used only for relaxing and meeting guests, then you can select several areas for relaxation and communication. In this case, the selection of zones can be soft:
- The color of the walls and furniture. Dark and warm colors create a more intimate and cozy atmosphere. Light and cool shades add space and atmosphere.
- Furniture style. For a more relaxed communication area, you can use upholstered furniture, fur throws or a long-pile carpet. For the glory area and welcome area of the living room, you can use smoother surfaces and cooler tones.
- Use of lighting. For the dining area, you should use brighter lighting or place a hanging chandelier here. For the recreation area, it is better to use several light sources with different tones: a floor lamp, floor salt lamps, hidden, colored lighting in the ceiling, a table lamp, a decorative lamp.
If the hall is combined with other rooms, then for zoning you need to use more strict techniques:
- Partitions in the form of through racks. This technique does not visually reduce the room, but allows you to fence off a separate, chamber space.
- Use of large flowers and trees. They not only create separate zones, but also help make the room feel more alive.
- Using different furniture styles, ceiling colors and lighting at the same time. For the office, you can choose simple, smooth furniture, a dark ceiling and laminate flooring, and decorate the rest of the area with upholstered furniture, a long-pile carpet and
- Application of different designs. The sleeping area can be fenced off with screens or a canopy with a ceiling with steps. The office, on the contrary, should be placed on the podium.
Important! Small rooms should be zoned only using color, texture solutions or using different lighting. Heavy structures in the form of trees and shelving will clutter the room.
Lighting
Spot lighting is the most suitable option for such a room. Wall sconces should also be compact and discreet so as not to distract attention from the overall picture.
Illumination of ceilings, shelves and TV in a small room is welcome. When choosing lamps, you can give preference to glass spheres, shades in the form of tulips and roses, and lamps with a mirror base.
Chandeliers with many hanging parts are not suitable for a small room. Even in small lamps, conciseness and simplicity are encouraged.
Color solutions for the hall
The main color of the decoration of the room in the apartment depends on its area and the orientation of the room to the cardinal points.
- For southern rooms it is better to choose cool, light colors. It could be: pastel pistachio, turquoise or blue.
- For the north side, warm shades are suitable, but not dark ones. For example, light yellow, beige or pink. Bright accents of red or orange would be appropriate here, replacing the sun.
- For rooms with windows facing west, you should choose cool and cozy colors: pink, beige or a combination of gray with colored elements.
- For the eastern side, it is better to choose bright but light colors: turquoise, lemon, cream, pink. Dark colors in the afternoon will make the room too gloomy.
The tone is also chosen depending on the area of the room. Light colors and glossy surfaces are suitable for small rooms; they visually expand the room. Combinations of different tones of the same color also increase space. For example, neutral beige color goes well with any shades of the yellow-orange spectrum.
A large space needs to be zoned and made more comfortable. To do this, several colors and textures are used simultaneously. In a large room, contrasting combinations that will create dynamics, for example, white with red or purple with gray, will look advantageous.
How to choose a wall for the living room
When choosing a wall for the living room, you need to be guided by several rules at once that will help you make the best choice.
- First of all, you need to pay attention to the size of the room; if it is small, then the wall should be small.
- The capacity of the wall should be checked immediately, preferably before purchasing it in a store. To do this, a series of measurements are taken, after which they are compared with the approximate required volume for storing things.
- Model matches style.
Wall, ceiling and floor design
The ceiling, walls and floor create a complete image in the room and determine its style. With these basic elements you can add light to a room and make it appear larger.
- In the living room, a multi-level ceiling or stretch models with prints look most solemn.
- A good solution would be to use hidden LED lighting around the perimeter of the ceiling, which will create a floating effect.
This is especially important for small rooms. For the ceiling in the hall, it is better to choose a lighter tone than that of the walls and floor. This will add additional volume to the space.
Various textured wallpapers and decoration elements are suitable for wall decor. It is in the living room that the glory zone is placed: it can be a wall with photographs or a separate rack with awards.
The walls can be decorated with paintings that will emphasize the status of the owner and the wealth of the room.
- It is better to highlight the floor in a darker color. When choosing a flooring material, it is worth considering that in the living room it is subject to the greatest loads.
- This is also where dust and dirt most often accumulate, which family members and guests bring in their slippers.
- Therefore, it is better to finish the floor with regular laminate and decorate it with carpets.
- With the help of carpets you can emphasize the status of the owners and zone the room.
Technical aspects of moving a kitchen
Legal approval
The first thing you need to think about when planning to “move” the kitchen into the hall or living room is whether it is possible to move the kitchen into the hall at all?
The main snag is that regulations in some situations directly prohibit moving the kitchen, and in a number of other cases they contain very significant restrictions:
- SNiP 31-03-2003 and SanPiN 2.1.2.2645-10 do not allow the relocation of the kitchen, in which the kitchen is located under the bathroom or toilet of an apartment located on the floor above - this is considered a deterioration in living conditions, since the kitchen ends up in the so-called “wet zone”.
Note! Previously, such a transfer was possible provided that the owner of the apartment signed a statement about the deliberate deterioration of living conditions. Today, even such a statement will not be a sufficient basis for permission.
- Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 47 of January 26, 2006 (clause 22) prohibits moving the kitchen in such a way that it will be located above the living space. Taking this into account, the kitchen will have to be moved so that it is located above the pantry or other non-residential area - or the neighbors’ room will be considered non-residential.
Kitchen-hall plan
- Combining a kitchen with a living space is only possible if an electric stove is installed in the kitchen. Installation of any gas appliances in residential premises is not permitted.
- The ventilation duct of a kitchen connected to the hall or moved to the hall must be connected to the same ventilation exhaust vent to which it was previously connected. SNiP 31-03-2003 (clause 9.7) prohibits connecting kitchen ventilation ducts to other ventilation openings, since in this case polluted air may enter the living quarters of other apartments.
As you can see, quite a lot of difficulties arise even at the first stage. That is why moving a kitchen with your own hands is very difficult - after all, only a professional architect can take into account all the nuances.
But if, nevertheless, you are not afraid of the difficulties associated with moving the kitchen, and you have an approved plan with permission to move it, you can move on to laying communications.
Read also the article “Design of a living room-kitchen in a private house: ideas for your interior.”
Communications for a new kitchen
Relocating a kitchen into a living space - even if it is legal - is quite a massive undertaking. Therefore, it can only be implemented together with a major overhaul - after all, to place the kitchen in a new location, new communications will need to be laid.
Below are step-by-step instructions, following which you can plan all the work on laying communications when moving the kitchen to the living room:
Laying wiring in grooves
- The first thing that needs to be done is to extend the electrical network to the place where the kitchen set will be placed. Since all kitchen appliances consume a large amount of electricity even in the background, the wiring must be designed with power reserves. The old wiring that provided power to the hall will most likely not be enough.
- We lay the wiring for the kitchen in grooves made in the wall. Additionally, you can protect the wires with plastic casings made from corrugated pipes.
Advice! The wiring branch that supplies power to the new kitchen must be connected to the distribution panel through an RCD - an automatic residual current device.
- The next stage is organizing water supply. The easiest way to route hot and cold water pipes is from the riser, hiding them in the floor screed. The optimal choice of material is metal-plastic: these pipes have sufficient flexibility and strength, and therefore provide a high level of reliability.
Laying water supply pipes
- The most difficult task is to lay the sewer from the riser to the new drainage point. If you use a free-flow sewer system, it will not be possible to hide sewer pipes in a screed, since to effectively remove wastewater, the pipes must be laid with a slope, and the height difference will be about 200 mm.
- To optimally solve this problem, experts suggest installing sewage pumps that remove wastewater under pressure. In this case, the sewer pipe can be laid horizontally and masked with a floor screed.
Sewerage laying
- The exhaust duct must be laid through the entire old kitchen. If you want to hide it, the easiest way to do this is by installing a suspended or suspended ceiling. However, this option can only be implemented in a sufficiently high room.
- An alternative to an exhaust duct can be to vent the ventilation directly to the street - in this case, it is necessary to place the exhaust pipe in such a way that it does not create inconvenience for neighbors above.
As you can see, the amount of work ahead is quite serious. But with the right approach, as well as the use of modern tools and building materials (for example, self-leveling floor screeds), preparations for moving a kitchen can be completed fairly quickly.
Advice! If you do not plan to hire craftsmen, but will do all this work yourself, we advise you to study the video instructions that clearly demonstrate the nuances of each stage.
When communications are connected and the finishing of the room is completed, you can begin to create the interior of the new room.
Design of a kitchen combined with a living room - see here.
Room style
For the living room, it is better to choose the most versatile room styles:
- The classic style will suit everyone's taste. It is suitable for any apartment - both small and large. You can emphasize style decisions using stucco molding, furniture or window decor.
- Modern. This option has the least details and decorative elements. It is best suited for small spaces. The even color of the walls, geometric lines of furniture and smooth textures will visually increase the space.
- The Scandinavian style will create variability in lighting and bring warmth and comfort to the room. It is characterized by the use of several light sources and the use of warm, terry textures: wool, wood, long pile.
It is possible to use more complex styles in the living room. These options are primarily suitable for spacious rooms.
- The Arabic style will allow you to more clearly zone the room with the help of arches, screens, carpets and pillows. However, you need to be very careful with it, as it can overload the room.
- Loft is a very hard style. Natural brick, untreated concrete and beams deprive the room of comfort and create difficulties in cleaning.
- Minimalism makes the room a little cold and uninviting. But light colors and bright accents add severity, spaciousness and dynamics.
The decision on which style and materials to decorate the room is up to each owner. The main thing here is that the design of the living room pleases the family and creates comfort for guests.
Choosing furniture
Furniture in a panel house is most often standard. Rustic style in a one-room apartment is nonsense. But for a home with small rooms, wooden furniture is perfect.
When choosing furniture for your apartment, you can pay attention to the following tips:
| Fits | Doesn't fit |
| Glass coffee table | Table for magazines with massive legs and plenty of decor |
| Laconic sofa in natural shades | Huge leather sofa with large elements |
| Built-in bookshelves | Full wall bookcase |
| Sliding wardrobe with mirrored doors | Cabinet made of one type of material |
Thus, when furnishing a small room, it is necessary to abandon bulky things. Such furniture can be replaced with small analogues of a pleasant color. The use of furniture called “transformer” is encouraged. Height-changing tables, chair-beds and similar things save a lot of space.
Photo of the design of the living room in the apartment
Tips for saving your renovation budget
Remember that by choosing cheap solutions, you save primarily on quality, and this leads to premature repairs in the near future.
In fact, there are better design tips that will help you save:
- First, think about the color and layout of the room, study the assortment of stores , and only then start shopping to maintain the color palette. This will help not only to select suitable items and materials, but also to eliminate the emotional component of purchases.
- Compare price levels in advance . It’s worth subscribing to online stores’ newsletters to stay updated on discounts and promotions. With a little patience, your chosen coatings will be more affordable than usual.
- You should not buy the cheapest materials : a high-quality alternative with an attractive design will be in the middle price range, but will allow you to make a good and durable repair. Study the range of domestic companies: the absence of a world-famous company name significantly reduces the cost of the same coatings.
- Do you want a stylish design with finishing accents ? Please note that often in stores the product is immediately placed so that you can choose a background and a bright detail of the same quality. For example, you can always choose plain wallpaper in the same color, but with a pattern, decorative for an accent wall. Just remember that the presence of a rosette or plot pattern increases the consumption of coatings due to the need to compose the pattern into a single whole.
When choosing ways to save money, do not refuse delivery - some materials should be carefully packaged, and some cannot be pressed, which often happens in the trunk of a regular car. Reducing costs in this way can lead to deterioration in the quality of materials.
General recommendations
- Before preparing, you should familiarize yourself with the dimensions of the room.
- All decorative items must be selected in the same style.
- You should not put off purchasing accessories until the last minute; it is recommended to purchase everything in advance.
- All items should be taken with a reserve, which is especially important for balloons that can burst and for fragile items.
- It is important to check the electricity for serviceability and become familiar with the location of the outlets.
Flowers
For the spring holiday on March 8, flower decoration will be relevant. The most favorite flower of most women is the rose, so choosing it for decoration will be the best decision.
The festive table will be complemented by beautiful bouquets. And the petals look beautiful on a tablecloth or floor; they can be sewn or glued to the fabric. Flowers smell pleasant and fill the room with a pleasant aroma.
It is not necessary to use fresh flowers; there are many original crafts for creating three-dimensional flowers from paper; corrugated paper has proven itself well.
Textile design
By choosing the same fabric, you can decorate tables and chairs in the same color. This approach creates the integrity of the picture, and the furniture looks like it came from a single collection. The set will be complemented by wide satin ribbons tied in a bow on the chairs.
Shiny fabrics with iridescence, gathered in folds, are perfect for walls. To prevent the room from looking overloaded, it is recommended to select light, light materials to create airiness.
