At one time, there was a housing crisis in the USSR, which it was decided to correct with the help of the so-called “Khrushchevka”.
It is worth noting that this problem was solved, however, such small-sized apartments have not lost their relevance today. Of course, any owner of a Khrushchev apartment wants to give his home a more modern and progressive look.
That's why it makes sense to use special secrets and tricks.
Studio with a “cube”
The area of this apartment is 30 sq. m. m. Architect Albert Bagdasaryan designed a new interior for its owners, creating an unusual structure in the center of the living space. The “cube” made from the walls is lined with wood and goes perfectly with the bright decor.
Inside the “cube” there is a bathroom and a wardrobe for outerwear. Thanks to invisible doors, decorated with the same material, the design looks seamless and harmonious. The custom-made white kitchen set has laconic shapes and looks unobtrusive against the background of the walls.
The “cube” also includes a TV zone, and opposite it there is a niche of cabinets and shelves. Inside there is a folding sofa, and on the left there is a workplace. The entire interior is designed in light shades, and furniture and bright book covers act as accents. The amount of natural light is regulated by Roman blinds, and artificial light by ceiling lamps of different sizes.
View the entire project “Modern design of a one-room Khrushchev apartment of 30 sq. m. m."
About redevelopment of a small apartment
The main task when arranging a “one-room apartment” of the Khrushchev type is to expand the space. The walls, of course, cannot be moved apart, but it is quite possible to increase the area at least visually. An apartment designer usually uses several techniques to help achieve this goal:
- combination and zoning of rooms;
- light finish;
- multifunctional compact furniture;
- proper lighting;
- minimum number of attributes of furniture and accessories.
The reason for redevelopment may be the drawn up design project of the apartment.
Many owners decide on a radical redevelopment with the demolition of walls. But to implement such a project, it will be necessary to collect many documents, approvals and permits to carry out these actions. Therefore, today we will focus on the design of a one-room “Khrushchev” without demolishing load-bearing walls. The only thing that can be done without the approval of the authorities is to combine the bathroom and toilet. As a result, we will get a more spacious room that can be decorated with taste.
"Blueberry pie"
Another small-sized car, transformed thanks to the work of designer Elzbieta Chegarova. After remodeling the apartment, its owner acquired a spacious kitchen-living room and a combined bathroom. Because of the gas stove, it was necessary to construct a sliding partition between the rooms.
In the blue and white hallway, thick fabric is used instead of cabinet fronts. The kitchen is presented with a set of milky shades, the accent apron is lined with patchwork tiles. Roller blinds and glass facades help not to overload the space.
The living room combines not only a place for receiving guests and watching TV, but also a bedroom with an office. The designer did not forget about the storage system, constructing a niche from two wardrobes and two wall cabinets. The apartment turned out to be cozy and welcoming.
View the entire project “Impressive refurbishment of a one-room Khrushchev house of 28 sq m”
Lighting
Properly installed lighting will help make your apartment cozy. Use main and additional light sources to zonally divide rooms. You will also need built-in lighting, for example, near a mirror in the hallway. Forget about the central chandelier: it is no longer in trend, especially if you delimit the space.
Spot lighting, wall and ceiling light sources - this is what will help organize the stylish space of a one-room Khrushchev house.
Studio with niche
Alena Gunko works as a designer, so she designed this 30-meter one-room apartment on her own. There was some redevelopment involved: the bathroom and toilet were combined, the kitchen and living room were combined, and a partition with a built-in wardrobe was erected between the “bedroom” and the hallway.
To build in a refrigerator, the kitchen was enlarged at the expense of the hallway. It flows into the living room, remaining spacious, but visually separated by different floor coverings: porcelain stoneware and laminate. The relaxation area is decorated with a bright sofa, which can be folded out if necessary.
The niche, created specifically to place a bed, is decorated with homemade wallpaper: Alena drew it in vector and printed it out. Every free centimeter of the apartment is thought out to the smallest detail and used as efficiently as possible, while the furnishings look light and uncluttered.
View the entire project “Elaborate studio from a one-room Khrushchev building 30.5 sq m”
Furniture
You need to understand well what places in the apartment need to be filled with things, for example: In those places where there is a soft corner you can place all kinds of shelves;
It is very important to place some kind of furniture, sideboard, cabinet, etc. in the corners
Shelves are very good helpers in terms of arrangement, since it is on them that you can arrange things that take up the space you need!
If you decide to purchase furniture but leave the previous renovation, you should be prepared for the fact that even new furniture will not look good in an apartment without fresh renovation; this furniture will only highlight all the shortcomings.
Therefore, if you are determined to buy new furniture, you should do at least a light cosmetic repair, while the new furniture will look much more harmonious against the backdrop of a fresh renovation.
From a one-room apartment to a two-room apartment
Specialists from Buro Brainstorm worked on the project of this Khrushchev apartment, turning it into a modern apartment with a separate bedroom and a kitchen-living room. Area – 34 sq. m.
The main feature of the interior is a sliding partition made of frosted glass. She made it possible to combine the premises by agreeing on the redevelopment. When opened, the mobile structure hides in the wall. The kitchen-living room is decorated in light colors with the addition of light wood, and the bright spot is an abstract painting on the wall.
The TV on the bracket rotates in both directions. The sink is installed opposite the window, and the refrigerator is built into the unit. The bedroom contains not only a bed with bedside tables, but also a spacious wardrobe 90 cm deep. The former one-room apartment looks noble and is suitable for a young family.
View the entire project “One-room apartment in Khrushchev with sliding partitions”
Basic Rules
Before you start renovating a one-room Khrushchev house, you should decide what design you plan to get. The main thing is that it should be functional, but you shouldn’t forget about style. When planning the total area of a Khrushchev building, it is worth first drawing up a plan, a design project. You can simply sketch it out on paper in the form of a diagram, mark the layout of all the objects in the room. Since the apartment is small, it is better to remove from it all unnecessary items that will interfere.
When choosing a zoning method, it is important to remember that the layout of the space should ensure its division into parts or zones. In these cases, redevelopment using zoning with furniture or expanding the room by demolishing walls is used.
Particular attention should be paid to the choice of materials for the ceiling, walls and floor. This rule is mandatory. You should choose light shades that can expand the area, even visually. The main thing is that it is not cluttered and gloomy. Lighting should be around the perimeter of the room. You should not use bright lighting devices with intense light; instead of expanding, they will, on the contrary, make the space smaller.
As for the arrangement of furniture, it should be harmonious. You should not choose bulky furniture. Preference should be given to modified and multifunctional items. Let it be small, but it will be convenient, practical, comfortable. Below are many photos with furniture options for small spaces. Decoration is the key to a beautiful and stylish design. In order for it to be practical and stylish, do not forget to use various decorative elements for decoration, but not too many.
Bedroom behind glass
The area of this Moscow apartment is 30 sq.m. After Huge Studio designers worked on the project, the one-room Khrushchev-era apartment building became unrecognizable. Instead of a small separate kitchen, there was a space with a bar counter and a workplace, and the bedroom was hidden behind a glass partition.
The interior is built in a minimalist style, but simple forms are balanced with rich shades and wooden textures. The parquet is original - it was restored and covered with wax. Thanks to the combined tabletop, which goes from the window sill to the bar counter, the specialists managed to triple the work space.
Thanks to transparent partitions, light penetrates into the bedroom unhindered. To create privacy, you can close the existing curtains. Inside the sleeping area there is a wardrobe with glass fronts and a tall mirror: thanks to these techniques, a small space seems larger.
View the entire project “Comfortable one-room apartment in Khrushchev, 30 sq m”
Tips for increasing space
It is worth listening to the proposals of new technologies.
The designs of the past are completely unsuitable for small apartments. Since current trends offer comfort and compactness, which is very important for a small apartment.
With current technologies, you can easily select furniture for a small apartment.
In order to make your apartment cozier and more comfortable with renovations, you can look for ideas and pictures on the Internet, and you can also combine different designs, and of course, your imagination can work wonders!
From all of the above, we can draw the following conclusion: even in a small apartment measuring 30 square meters, it is definitely worth remodeling.
After all, it is redevelopment that makes the apartment original, convenient, and as comfortable as possible. This allows you to relax after a hard day at work or invite friends to visit.
Bright studio with three windows
As a result of the implementation of the project from the architect Maxim Tikhonov, a cramped apartment with a tiny kitchen became comfortable and spacious.
The countertop in the kitchen is on the same level as the window sill, has smooth facades and built-in appliances, so it looks very laconic. The refrigerator is hidden behind a partition, and the dining group is made up of an elegant table accompanied by Soviet and designer chairs.
The center of the composition is an accent dark gray wall with a TV - three windows made it possible to use this technique without fear. The sofa acts as a sleeping place at night. To the right of it is a retro writing desk, and the storage system is represented by a wardrobe with white doors that merge with the walls.
View the entire project “Renovation of a studio in Khrushchev 30 sq m”
Interior ideas
Designers always create modern interiors in the same style. The best style solution for arranging a Khrushchev-era apartment is minimalism, which frees a small area from all unnecessary things, leaving only the most necessary and functional.
A good option for a Khrushchev apartment is the embodiment of a classic interior with elements of modern styles. You can create a very cozy nest in a rustic style by filling the interior with natural materials (wood, clay, linen). The interior of a room for a young man can be made in the style of ultra-modern high-tech using chrome surfaces. If you organically mix several styles, you can get a unique interior, but in this case it is better to consult with designers.
To make a typical apartment beautiful, you need to approach its arrangement not only from the point of view of a designer, but also use some psychological techniques. Imagine yourself in the guest's place. The first thing you'll notice is the vibrant details. Therefore, the best move is a light finish and a few bright spots. Therefore, the design of the hallway in Khrushchev is important, because the hallway is the “face” of the entire apartment. A great idea for small Khrushchev apartments is to use shiny and reflective surfaces in the interior. This can be wallpaper with silk-screen printing, glossy stretch ceilings, parquet with a varnished surface or self-leveling floors.
If there is a balcony in Khrushchev, then it must be used correctly. It’s better not just to glaze the balcony, but to create a thermal chamber there in which vegetables and fruits will be stored.
It is better to combine the bathroom with a bathtub, and instead of the bathtub itself, it is more advisable to install a shower cabin. As a result, there will be free space where you can place a washing machine. Plumbing fixtures should be compact, ideally wall-mounted. Using these simple techniques, you will get a more spacious room in which you can at least somehow move around.
Everywhere: in the hallway, kitchen, bathroom - you can actively use mezzanines; they will serve as good storage systems. It is better to disguise them to match the color of the ceiling or walls. Then you won’t need a lot of furniture in the main room, and the space will expand due to this.
The kitchen in the Khrushchev building is very cramped. If you do not want to combine it with other rooms, then you will have to place a minimum of attributes in it, and in a compact format.
In a small “Khrushchev” hallway, use only light colors for decoration. For furniture, it is better to choose a small wardrobe, ordered to individual sizes, or even limit yourself to shelves. A mirror, ottoman and spotlights will create additional comfort in the hallway.
Khrushchev in the style of minimalism
This apartment has become an example of laconic design. It’s hard to imagine that this place was once renovated in the 60s and housed old furniture. Authors: Dmitry and Daria Koloskov.
It is a rare design project in a Khrushchev-era building that can be completed without redevelopment. In this apartment it turned out a little differently: they only made an opening in the wall, combining the kitchen and the room. The living room has a sofa, TV and work table, repeating the design of the dining room. If necessary, they can be moved.
The finishing combines lightness and brutality: exposed concrete on the floor, brickwork, painted plaster and wood make up a harmonious ensemble. Light furniture, as well as a niche for a wooden bed, give the apartment a natural feel, and dark parquet gives it nobility.
View the entire project “Realized project of a one-room Khrushchev house in Nakhodka”
Color spectrum
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The most popular color used to create interiors is white. It can be used instead of a background and to visually expand the space. Using white in combination with different colors, you can achieve variety in the interior.
With the help of white color, you can change the interior by adding a variety of accessories that add style and modernity to the interior. These are sofas, complemented by many pillows, tables of various shapes, posters on the wall also look perfect in the interior.
Remember! The accents in the apartment will look beautiful. For example, if you have a light-colored sofa, let it be complemented with bright, colored pillows.
In order to give the interior a beautiful appearance and a complete look after renovation in a one-room Khrushchev-era apartment, do everything to your taste.
You shouldn’t decorate your apartment in bright colors if your favorite color, for example, is green. You can choose furniture and decorate the room in light green tones, so as not to narrow the already far from spacious room.
Do you like studio options for modern apartments? See photos of the layout of a studio apartment of 30 sq. m - many examples of refurbishment of living space.
Find out here which photo wallpaper to choose that will increase space for a small room.
You can see photos and read reviews about suspended ceilings in the bathroom in the article at: https://prostilno.ru/komnaty/vannaya/foto-natyazhnyh-potolkov.html
Studio with bedroom-living room
The authors of the interior are designers from Buro Brainstorm. Here are several ideas that are ideal for a small apartment.
To make the decor seem lighter and larger, the walls are painted light gray, and white brick was chosen as relief accents. The bedroom is separated by a glass wall and curtains, so the owners can visually unite the room or, conversely, retire. The sink in the kitchen is located by the window: this helped gain a few useful centimeters for storage.
Another technique that the architects used was lowering the window sill. This allowed us to get one more seat and make the atmosphere more comfortable by increasing the amount of natural light.
View the entire project “Design of a small Khrushchev building 30 sq m”
Any, even the most compact, Khrushchev building can be turned into an attractive and comfortable space. Most of these apartments require remodeling and expanding the kitchen, but the end result is worth it.
Decoration
A moderate amount of decorative elements is one of the conditions for the design of small apartments.
Designers strongly recommend not purchasing souvenir figurines. It’s better to create interior decoration with your own hands. Then the eyes of the guests will immediately turn to these details, and the lack of space may go unnoticed.
Light, light curtains on the windows, a minimum of accessories, a picture or photo in frames on one of the walls, a mirror in the hallway, two or three flowerpots - that’s probably all that will not clutter up the space of the apartment.
Laminate Pergo.
You will learn how to glue seamless ceiling tiles in this material.Laying laminate yourself: https://trendsdesign.ru/materialy/napolnye-pokrytiya/laminat/kak-pravilno-ulozhit-laminat.html
Dismantling and surface preparation
You definitely need to do the dismantling yourself throughout the entire room. Walls, floors, ceilings must be perfectly clean. But the first thing you need to do is free everything from furniture. If the furniture takes up a lot of space and does not fit into the interior, it is better to remove it completely, for example, sell it or take it to the country house or garage. Then we clean the surfaces of finishing materials.
When cleaning the room with your own hands, follow all the recommendations:
- We clean the wall surface from the coating. If there are coverings on it as wallpaper, then it is better to moisten them with water first with a sponge or spray bottle. After they swell, carefully remove everything using a spatula. Of course, this can all be done by hand, however, it will be too difficult;
- After the walls are cleared of wallpaper, you need to wash off all the whitewash. This is best done with water and a sponge; too much water will be required;
- if the wall surface has tile cladding, this applies to the bathroom and kitchen, then this should also be removed. To dismantle the tiles, a special attachment for the hammer drill is used; with its help, you can quickly clean the surface of the old tile covering. After this, everything can be treated with a primer;
- the ceiling also needs to be thoroughly cleaned of old plaster;
- If the flooring is old, it must be completely removed.
"Repair minimum":
Clearing junk and dismantling
All the furniture has already been taken out, and everything down to the concrete has already been removed from the walls and ceiling.
Now it is important to prepare the apartment in advance for changing the wiring and make holes for cables, sockets and switches
If there is a musty odor problem, you will have to remove the floors to get rid of it.
Electrics
Copper wiring can be left behind, unlike aluminum, which likely won't survive wet work like putty.
To carry out this work, for safety reasons, it is better to call a specialist.
Insulation
This is another issue worth discussing with a professional. The fact is that many Khrushchev buildings have damp walls, the insulation of which will not only not be effective, but will also lead to the formation of fungal mold inside the walls.
Therefore, it is quite possible to contact the management company and apply for a major overhaul.
Plumbing
Most likely, all pipes will have to be replaced, including the so-called “lounger”. It is worth making a choice in favor of modern materials, replacing cast iron with PVC and plastic.
An alternative to replacing an old bathtub is an acrylic liner.
Floors
The most economical option for a subfloor is a screed made of wooden blocks with a plywood flooring. In areas with high humidity, it is worth investing in waterproofing.
Floor leveling deserves special attention, since different floor heights are another problem of Khrushchev-era apartment buildings.
Walls
You should not spend money trying to perfectly align the walls - for Khrushchev buildings this mission is almost impossible.
It is enough to limit yourself to leveling the corners and sections of walls next to the doors and near the baseboards.
So, a major overhaul of the Khrushchev building is difficult, but possible. Even without redevelopment, you can significantly transform your home and make it as comfortable as possible.
Necessary materials for work
After all the ups and downs of transforming the space, the moment comes for dividing it into functional zones. At this very important stage, mistakes in the selection of finishing materials, furniture and lighting fixtures, on which the interior design of Khrushchev apartments entirely depends, are unacceptable.
Zoning is carried out not only on the lower tier, using combinations of laminate and ceramic tiles, carpet and natural wood to create separate floor zones and delimit them.
The ceiling must also be divided into appropriate zones. The boundaries of the transition are indicated by different intensities of lighting in the room and are emphasized by lamps.
The interior in Khrushchev does not allow the use of massive furniture and grotesque accessories. The design must correspond not only to the dimensions of the room, but also to the functional areas.
Ceiling finishing options
There are three most popular finishing options. All of them are suitable for low ceilings in bedrooms.
- Leveling the surface with putty with further painting or wallpapering. Despite its apparent simplicity, this option is perhaps the most costly in terms of materials and time. Here it is unlikely that you will be able to simply grease certain areas in order to achieve the most even surface possible. In some places the layers can reach 2 or more centimeters. In addition to the material side, there is another important nuance. Even a well-putty, painted surface of prefabricated ceilings can crack after a while.
- The ceiling is made of plasterboard, flat or figured.
Plasterboard sheets are often used to quickly level the ceiling. It is not recommended to glue it; they use modern profiles of low height. The design will take only 5-7 cm. The issue of figured ceilings is decided individually. There is a possibility that understated multi-level forms will make the atmosphere oppressive and visually reduce the space. Kitchen combined with living room - Stretch ceilings are an excellent option for low Khrushchev buildings. Designers are pleased with the wide palette of colors and the ability to choose a glossy or matte surface. A ceiling installed using wedge or glazing bead technology will literally take 3-5 cm, 5-7 cm will go away with the harpoon installation method.
Light
There are a large variety of chandeliers, sconces, and floor lamps in specialized stores and online sources. They can be complementary to each other and made in the same style, from the same materials, and sold as a set. You can choose light sources that are dissimilar, but will highlight the design. You can purchase LED strips to illuminate the perimeter of the ceiling with them. Cabinets with shelves illuminated by the same LED strips are also in fashion now. In any case, the light in the apartment should be multi-level, so that you can turn off the main light and leave a more intimate one.
How zoning can help
The main advantage of this method is the ability to do all the work yourself. This will require cosmetic repairs, then it will be time to replace the furniture with more practical modern modules. No authorities have the right to influence such local changes.
Minus - with an inept approach, there is a high risk of cluttering the living room, creating the effect of clutter.
Often, budget becomes a significant argument when choosing between the two described methods: in the second case, all changes can be completed faster and at lower costs.
