Not only the ceiling, but also the floor can be multi-level. This technique is often used by designers to solve decorative and practical problems in a variety of rooms. For those who want to build a similar structure in their own kitchen with their own hands, we have selected the most interesting options.
High podium with step
The podium is not always made for beauty; it can also carry a functional load: divide the space into zones, hide communications underneath - that is, everything is the same as with suspended ceilings, only on a different level.
Construction of a kitchen podium
You can make a podium for the kitchen in two ways: monolithic (filled) and frame.
Monolithic design
The instructions for making such a structure are not much different from the instructions for leveling floors with a screed. Except that the solution is poured into a pre-built formwork of the required shape and height.
- Using a laser or water level, mark the upper boundary of the future structure along the walls. Remember to take into account the thickness of the flooring and lower the grout line.
- Build a formwork into which the solution will be poured. If the podium is rounded, it must be made of flexible material, for example sheet metal.
- Prepare the solution. Since the price of a self-leveling mixture is quite high, part of the podium can be filled with ordinary cement mortar, allowed to dry, and then “finished off” the height with self-leveling floors.
Filling podium
Advice. For high podium heights, use bricks, cinder blocks, and other similar building materials. Place them on the bottom of the formwork and fill with mortar.
- After complete drying, remove the formwork and cover the resulting elevation with tiles or other floor covering.
This is a rather expensive method, both in cost and time. But if you want to have heated tile floors in your kitchen, then this is the only one for you.
Frame construction
The basis of the structure is a durable wooden beam with a cross-section of at least 50x50 mm, on which plywood or chipboard sheets are laid.
- Before you make a podium for the kitchen, just like in the first case, you need to create a level.
- To prevent the timber from rotting, it must be treated with an antiseptic before starting work, and waterproofing material must be laid on the floor underneath it.
- Depending on the height of the podium, the timber is laid either directly on the subfloor or on supports of the required height. The structure is assembled into a groove or on metal corners and screwed together with self-tapping screws.
Frame assembly
- Plywood, other sheet material, or boards are laid on top of the frame.
Advice. If you want to tile the platform, use cement-bonded particle boards as the flooring.
Since the frame method of making podiums creates free space underneath them, it can be used not only for laying pipes or electrical cables, but also for storing items of suitable dimensions.
Additional storage spaces
Design
Monolithic podiums
Monolithic structures are planned at the apartment renovation stage and represent a strong, heavy concrete base. The structure exerts a large load, so it is worth considering the possibilities of floors. However, this type is much stronger than frame and moisture resistant, which is good for the bathroom.
In the photo on the left is a monolithic podium, on the right is a frame structure.
Frame
The frame type is easier to assemble, more functional due to the resulting free space, and is also cheaper than the first option. However, this design does not have increased strength and additional reinforcement will be required to place heavy objects on it. The structure is made of bars and plywood, or rough boards.
Types and purpose of podiums
Functionally, any podium, including kitchen ones, can be divided into two types: technical and decorative. Although nothing prevents the technical podium from becoming an expressive decorative element of the interior. The design of a kitchen combined with a living room has not surprised anyone for a long time.
Decorative podium
Helps solve various interior problems related to zoning, visual perception of the kitchen, and giving it expressiveness.
- Zoning of space. It is used in a kitchen of a fairly large area or combined with another living space. In the first case, one of the main functional areas - a working or dining room - may be located on a raised platform. If you have a combined kitchen-living room, then in this way you can visually delimit the room. For example, the entire kitchen is on a podium, and the living room is a couple of steps lower. Thanks to this, the living room and kitchen are visually together.
A slight elevation clearly marks the boundaries of the kitchen and living room
- Visual correction of the shape of the room. If the kitchen is elongated, the podium will help visually give it more correct proportions. To do this, it needs to be done at the end of the room along a short wall.
Attaching a loggia to a kitchen often creates disproportion in its shape. By raising the floor level and arranging a dining area on the podium, you will correct the situation
- Giving comfort. Often, too spacious rooms with high ceilings look cold and uncomfortable. This could be the case with a kitchen in a studio apartment. By raising the floor level in it, you can achieve a more intimate atmosphere.
You can use this technique in your kitchen just like that, without any reason or justification - simply because you like it. The main thing is that it does not complicate the work of the housewife and does not make the room squat by reducing the height of the ceilings.
Advice. The lighting built into its end part will give the podium even more expressiveness and decorativeness. It can also serve as a night light source.
Technical podium
It often happens that when renovating a kitchen, you have to solve complex problems with moving pipes, laying wires, hidden installation of equipment, etc. For example, when remodeling and moving a kitchen to another room, the biggest problem becomes the laying of sewer pipes, which must have a certain slope. This is where a platform will help, under which they can be raised to the required height.
The same need may arise when installing a kitchen island with a sink or stove, to which you need to connect power.
Gross floor defects that are difficult to eliminate using conventional methods are also not uncommon. These can be large level differences. Instead of leveling the floor at the highest level, losing height, you can build a podium in this part of the kitchen.
It will also help solve the problem of a small kitchen that does not have enough space to store utensils. In one of the previous photos you already saw the option of placing drawers under its surface.
Platform placement rules
Functional purpose and type of construction are not all that need to be taken into account when planning an indoor area. If a person wants to place a platform in the kitchen, he needs to correctly determine the place for it and take into account several more factors:
- It is not recommended to make elevations in rooms whose height is below 2.75 meters, since otherwise such an elevation will look extremely awkward and narrow the space even more;
- platforms cannot be built in the middle of the room, as this will also look inappropriate and ugly;
- it is also strongly not recommended to build platforms in the passage area;
- in narrow and rectangular rooms it is recommended to make platforms across the entire width of the room;
- The shape of the site must be chosen based on further furnishings, since round structures are much more difficult to play with.
In order to understand what the interior should look like, you can view a photo of the podium in the kitchen. But in addition to all of the above, you also need to understand that functional boxes should be easy to use. If things will be stored in the building, then you need to make it easy to get to them.
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Tips for arranging kitchen podiums
- You should not make a podium along the long wall of a narrow kitchen - this will make it seem even more elongated.
- If the kitchen has low ceilings, the technical podium should be made as low as possible so as not to visually bring the ceiling closer to the floor.
- If the podium is small, you should not place large furniture on it.
- All items on a raised platform are the first to attract attention, and therefore it is best to place beautiful and expressive furniture here.
- A high podium should have railings and handrails at the exit points, especially if there are children and elderly people in the house.
- Electrical wiring under the podium should only be laid in a corrugated hose, and distribution boxes should be routed outside.
Wooden frame: how to design?
In an apartment, you should give preference to a podium based on wood, the lightness of which is an ideal condition for such purposes. If necessary, the frame is easy to disassemble.
The geometrically correct shape is ensured by precise marking using a laser level. The height is marked on the walls.
Dinner Zone
There should be a dining table in the place where your family eats. It will make the atmosphere cozy and homely. This space needs to be distinguished from the general one, so that this part of the room does not merge with the general environment.
- If the table and chairs are placed next to the window, then the opportunity to admire nature and the external environment will give additional comfort and even appetite.
- A light partition or screen is a good option for creating the effect of isolation from the general space.
- When the table is located near the wall, this part is highlighted with photo wallpaper, bricks, and decorative stone.
- Above the table you can make an additional tier of stretch ceiling of an original shape, decorative beams or a panel of stained glass or glass. Hang a chandelier in the middle or install spotlights around the perimeter of the table.
- Nearby you can place a buffet with dishes, napkins and serving tools.
Island layout
Kitchen islands have become very popular lately. You can fully place an island in a kitchen of 20 sq.m. In this case, a straight kitchen set is placed along the wall, and at some distance from it an island is placed - 1-2 cabinets with a work surface.
You can both cook and dine on the island if you place high bar stools on the back side. There may be a storage system inside the island.
Bedroom behind the curtains
An option that does not require large-scale construction work. The main thing is to choose high-quality and thick curtains.
1. Bright studio with a bed behind a glass partition
A glass partition allows light from the window to penetrate into the sleeping area.
This studio layout is one of the most successful: two windows, a separate nook for the kitchen area, which made it possible to allocate space for a full bedroom.
Results
Whatever you choose, be guided, first of all, by the size of the kitchen, what kind of interior you plan to create and your personal wishes.
A podium can become a practical and original interior detail in the kitchen. This is a fairly common technique for designers in apartments - studios with a spacious area and high ceilings. It is not necessary to resort to the help of professionals when arranging your own kitchen; if you are closely familiar with the technological process, you can decorate the interior with an extraordinary design yourself.
Furniture
The most popular and practical way to visually divide a room into functional zones is the correct arrangement of furniture items.
An “island”, “peninsula”, or a dining set with a table and chairs will help to separate the cooking area from eating or relaxing.
At the same time, the functionality of the “peninsula” or “island” can be addressed to both areas - from the kitchen side they can be equipped with drawers for storing dishes, food and utensils, from the living room - decorated with display cases with transparent, multi-colored glass doors, spectacular LED lighting .
The living room is also separated from the kitchen using a corner or straight sofa. In the first case, it is possible to create a comfortable recreation area, isolated from the rest of the room by rear walls.
Advantages and disadvantages of sleeping space in the kitchen
Combining two seemingly completely different zones in one room requires attention to detail. With the right approach, the kitchen-bedroom will be cozy and compact. In a small apartment, such a layout will save valuable square meters and use the space more efficiently.
Placing a sleeping place in the kitchen is another reason to invite loved ones to visit and offer to spend the night. But not everyone will be comfortable living in a shared bedroom. Therefore, this layout is often chosen by single people or young families without children.
Among the disadvantages of the solution are kitchen odors, which require a powerful hood to eliminate, and an extensive package of documentation for permitting redevelopment. The renovation may require demolition or partial dismantling of load-bearing walls. Such changes in the original housing plan must be legalized by contacting the BTI for help.
What is important to know during installation
When designing, it is necessary to calculate what load will fall on the structure.
For a children's corner, a place for flowers or a dressing table, a frame platform made of bars and thick sheets of plywood will be enough. For the podium on which the furniture will stand, it is necessary to assemble a strong frame. To do this, the distance between the slats should be no more than forty centimeters. Under heavy furniture, such as a kitchen set or a bathroom, you will need a monolithic platform that will protect from moisture and be as durable as possible
In addition, it is important to understand whether the floor covering of the apartment can withstand the monolithic structure of the podium.
Ideas for a small or narrow room
In a small room, using an elevation, you can divide the room into zones, without hiding excess space, but, on the contrary, adding it due to the resulting lower tier, in which you can store items.
The main advantage of installing a podium in a narrow, long room is the resulting free space. In addition to the usual drawers, you can hide a full-fledged roll-out bed in a niche. Thus, from an ordinary narrow room you will get a living room or workplace located on a platform, an open area in which you can move freely and a full-fledged sleeping place.
What to consider
The layout begins with a schematic drawing, onto which the dimensions of the room are transferred. This will make it easier to think about the placement of furniture in the dining and kitchen areas. The number of people living in the apartment, their age and needs are taken into account. A kitchen studio is a room where food is prepared and consumed. The rest of the time it serves as a living space. The latter accommodates an office, a sleeping place or a nursery. The key to success in planning is the ability to harmoniously combine styles in a small kitchen-studio area, which is expressed in zoning.
Take into account the parameters of the room. At 12 and 14 kV
meters it is rectangular or square. Adjustments are made by the number of windows and their location. They can only be in the living area or in a smaller wall in the kitchen area. The height of the ceiling affects the choice of finishes and the number of levels. The illumination of the room and the method of light dispersion depend on it.
