Khrushchevkas are 5-story Soviet buildings with small apartments and cramped rooms. The kitchen in such housing has extremely modest dimensions - only 6 square meters. meters.
It is extremely difficult to arrange such a room in such a way that it is not only comfortable, but also attractive in appearance. However, there are some designer secrets that will help you cope with this task.
Choosing the optimal layout for a kitchen in Khrushchev
Corner layout - this option for arranging a kitchen in a Khrushchev-era building is the most correct and convenient. It allows you to make the most of space, making it more functional and comfortable.
The set, installed in the letter L, is ideal for creating the correct working triangle, which consists of a refrigerator, sink and stove. All furniture in a corner layout is arranged in such a way that there is still free space for movement in the kitchen.
There are rules that allow you to make an L-shaped kitchen in a Khrushchev even more convenient:
- Gaps of about 5 cm should be left between household appliances.
- The set should be tall, capacious, and at the same time compact.
- Built-in household appliances will help save even more space. It is recommended to choose so-called “mini” devices.
- Instead of a large, bulky stove, you should use a small hob. If the family is small, a 2-burner device will be enough.
- The sink should be moved to the window opening, then it will be possible to place the corner set more harmoniously, using all the niches in the room.
Linear layout is a good solution for arranging the interior of a kitchen in Khrushchev. With this layout, the set is installed along one of the walls in a continuous line. Thus, there is still enough space in the room for arranging other furniture.
With a linear layout, you can equip a dining table using a wide window sill - to do this, you need to attach a folding tabletop to it. All cabinets in the set, both wall-mounted and floor-mounted, should be as spacious as possible. The higher the set itself, the more usable space it has.
Advice! To ensure uniform lighting in such a kitchen, it is recommended to use ceiling lighting, or install the required number of spotlights. A large chandelier can be placed above the dining table.
Which interior style is best?
In this case, the simpler the chosen style, the more appropriate it is for a small space. Minimalism will do the job perfectly. There is no large amount of decor, a minimum of color is used, clear geometry has no blurred boundaries.
By decorating a kitchen in a high-tech style, you can get a stylish, fashionable interior in a compact room. The abundance of glass and metal, combined with straight lines and strict symmetry, will make every detail significant and eliminate bulkiness.
Classic will be appropriate only if light colors are used in the design, for example, light-colored natural wood. You should avoid unnecessary decorations, especially stucco on the ceiling and walls.
The Provence style, characterized by a huge number of decorations, decor, and patterns on wallpaper, will make the kitchen visually even smaller, so it is better to abandon it.
Modern style kitchen
Contemporary, modern - this is conciseness, clear lines and maximum functionality. Instead of a bulky “antediluvian” stove there is an electric hob and a built-in oven; a neat tabletop combined with a window sill or simultaneously serving as a bar counter; closed shelves and drawers from floor to ceiling; spot lighting; restrained colors of furniture, harmoniously combined with metal surfaces of equipment; comfortable blinds.
High tech
To embody the high-tech style, kitchen renovations in a Khrushchev-era building include strictly symmetrical cabinets with metal parts and opaque glass inserts, and an abundance of rails. No wood or eco-materials.
Lighting – LED lamps. The table is better made of glass, and the chairs are made of transparent plastic. Floor – tiles or linoleum.
Scandinavian style kitchen
Scandinavian minimalism is a reflection of the purity of the Icelandic fjords among the snow-capped mountain ranges. On a crystal-white background of walls, ceilings, and furniture, minimal inclusions of almost transparent bluish-gray elements or bleached wood are allowed. The design of a Khrushchev kitchen in this style will visually enlarge the room and give relaxing peace to all inhabitants.
Correct arrangement of furniture in the kitchen in Khrushchev
When choosing furniture for such a kitchen, preference should be given to folding and sliding doors rather than hinged doors. A folding dining table and chairs will help free up space even more.
It is also worth buying furniture that can be easily transformed - for example, with pull-out sections suitable for storage and suitable for the role of tabletops.
Oddly enough, large rather than small decorative elements will help to visually increase the space in a small kitchen. It is also worth using all kinds of glossy and mirror surfaces. It is recommended to avoid open shelves and give preference to closed cabinets.
There should be as few horizontal parts in a Khrushchev-era kitchen as possible. Vertical lines visually expand the space - for example, narrow and tall floor cabinets.
A bar counter is a great way to save space in a small kitchen. It can be used instead of a dining table, placing several high bar stools nearby.
If the countertop is wide enough, its base can be used for storage: for example, install a bread bin or microwave oven there.
Kitchen table - designers recommend using a rectangular glass table that can be leaned against the wall. It visually increases the space, and also does not take up much space. A round table for a small kitchen is far from the best option.
You can also choose transparent chairs made of special durable plastic. Corner sofas take up too much space, so it is also better to avoid them. A wide window sill, complemented by a folding tabletop, can also serve as a dining table.
Refrigerator - it’s hard to imagine a kitchen without this household appliance. The housewife actively uses it during cooking, constantly opening and closing the door.
However, it is quite difficult to correctly place the refrigerator in the kitchen in the Khrushchev so that it does not interfere and does not take up much space. The best option is a small refrigerator built into the furniture, but this idea is not suitable for a large family.
There are other options for placing the refrigerator:
- install it in a niche that is suitable in size;
- built into the base of the countertop if the refrigerator is single-chamber;
- move the refrigerator outside the kitchen - for example, to a covered balcony or into the corridor;
- Install the refrigerator in the corner near the window, next to the hob.
Geyser - most often this device in Khrushchev-era buildings is carefully camouflaged, hiding it behind the facades of a wall cabinet located above the work area.
Do not place a gas water heater next to a gas stove, refrigerator or hood. As for the cabinet behind which it is hidden, it is made of special fire-resistant materials.
However, you can completely do without such a cabinet. It is enough to install a column between two wall cabinets, and then attach a false facade that closes with a magnet.
It is important to remember that in a kitchen with a gas water heater there must be an entrance door; under no circumstances should it be replaced with an arch (this requirement is dictated by safety instructions).
Household appliances - the ideal option would be built-in household appliances integrated into the set. It is better if it is compact in size.
Some household appliances that are used extremely rarely should be completely abandoned. It is recommended to replace the bulky stove with a small hob.
A compact oven can be built into one of the niches of the set. It is worth placing a hood above the work surface (its design should also be small). Right next to the sink, in a special niche, you can install a washing machine.
Zoning the kitchen space
The layout of a small kitchen in a house, as a rule, does not provide for the possibility of any transformations. Consequently, the process of its redevelopment is very complex and must follow the preparation of a design project, a thorough analysis of the free space and the creation of zoning. First of all, it is necessary to decide what tasks the future kitchen will face.
An example of zoning and remodeling a kitchen space
If it is planned that the kitchen will be a place not only for preparing food, but also a place for receiving it, then it is imperative to provide several functional areas. If the apartment has a separate refectory that is not part of the kitchen, then arranging a eating area in the kitchen is not necessary.
Thus, with the help of kitchen redevelopment, you can solve the most important problem - creating more free space, allowing you to increase the comfort of residents when they are in the kitchen.
Zoning, on the other hand, allows you to separate several functional zones, without introducing disturbances or stylistic inconsistencies into the design of the room.
How to combine a living room and kitchen in Khrushchev
Before combining the kitchen in a Khrushchev-era building with the living room, you should remember important technical points. Current legislation states that apartment owners cannot independently remove the sink, stove and other kitchen appliances outside the apartment. When combining such a space, the kitchen, along with all communications, must remain in its place.
It is prohibited to equip the kitchen in a new way directly above the living room of the neighbors below. It is also not allowed to arbitrarily demolish the load-bearing wall between the living room and the kitchen - this can only be done with special permission.
We must not forget about a powerful hood or air conditioning system. Foreign odors should not freely penetrate into the living room from the kitchen. The lighting system for the kitchen-living room in Khrushchev is no less important.
To ensure that there is enough light in both the working and living areas, you should install many spotlights, complementing them with the main chandelier above the dining table. If necessary, you can also use wall sconces in the living room area.
You need to take the zoning of a combined kitchen-living room very seriously.
You can do this in several ways:
- Peninsula - its role can be a table installed in the middle, or a tabletop attached to the wall. It is important that these elements are in harmony with both the kitchen area and the dining area.
- Upholstered furniture - for example, a small sofa installed approximately in the center of the room, as well as several comfortable armchairs with a compact coffee table.
- A two-level ceiling is a stylish and laconic way to divide a single room into separate zones so that they still look like a single whole.
- A two-level floor - with its help you can slightly raise the kitchen area, in addition, such a floor will reliably hide all kitchen communications from prying eyes.
- Sliding doors are a stylish and simple solution that allows you to clearly define the boundaries of both zones. The main feature of this method of zoning a kitchen-living room is its ability to quickly isolate yourself from the kitchen at any time - to do this you just need to close the doors.
- Installing different lighting in the kitchen-living room areas is one of the simplest and most popular ways to zone rooms.
- Screens or curtains are a simple, cheap and effective way to separate the living room and kitchen areas.
- Live plants are a great way to beautifully divide a room and also add a lot of life to it.
- Bar counter - its role can be played by part of the partition from the wall that previously separated the kitchen and living room. To finish the counter, you can use natural wood, ceramic tiles, mosaic or facing stone.
- Arch - this method of zoning is often used by owners of small apartments. You can decorate the arch with miniature lamps located directly on its structure.
- Walls of different colors are another very affordable way to zone a kitchen-living room. Colors can be in the same color scheme or contrasting.
- Wooden partition - this method of zoning can be used in conjunction with a slight difference in ceiling height.
Years of Khrushchev's brick buildings
Houses are a type of building with one-, two- and three-room dwellings, the height of which was 2-5 floors. Such buildings were erected at a time when N.S. Khrushchev was at the head of the country. In the period from 1957 to 1985, their construction was carried out in different regions of the country.
Various types of such houses were erected. They could be demolished - the lifespan of five-story Khrushchev-era buildings was planned for them to be 25 years. They also designed unbearable Khrushchev buildings. They were supposed to last 50 years, but after a series of experiments it was decided that with regular repair work, their service life could be tripled.
In some cities, houses are insulated from the outside during restoration work.
How to combine a kitchen in Khrushchev with a balcony
Combining a kitchen with a balcony will help solve the problem of arranging a small room. To organize an ideal kitchen area with maximum functionality, you should not completely demolish the entire wall - designers advise leaving its lower part along with the window sill. This design can become an original part of the interior, turning into a bar counter, or even a full-fledged dining table.
In addition, you can place a refrigerator on the balcony combined with the kitchen. Thus, the room will immediately be freed up and become more spacious. To make this part of the kitchen look more attractive, you can build an arch in place of the former wall, giving it an interesting shape.
It is also necessary to take care of good lighting of the newly acquired kitchen area by placing the required number of spotlights in it. In order for the room to truly look like a single whole, the same materials should be used to decorate it. Of course, both zones must be made in the same style.
Window sill table
Unlike the previous ones, this method will not add extra meters, but will allow you to use the existing ones more efficiently. Its essence is that the window sill is extended and it turns into a counter-table and an additional work surface.
- There is no need to allocate space for the dining table.
- An additional work surface with good natural light appears.
- This window sill table requires additional support.
- You cannot use curtains - only fabric roller blinds, blinds or short tulle.
Kitchen in Khrushchev - successful layout (real photos)
Table with standard, minimum and maximum dimensions
Most window structures in “Khrushchev-era apartment buildings, regardless of the area where the object is being built,” have standard dimensions. All sizes of window blocks used by builders of buildings in this category are described in detail below.
For brick
Brick “Khrushchev” buildings represented a separate class of premium housing with thick walls up to 510 mm, as well as several windows in the corner rooms. The dimensions of such window structures are given in the table:
Window marking | Number of sashes | Window height | Window width | Balcony door size | Height of the inner part of the opening | Height of the outer part of the opening | Width of the inner part of the opening | Width of the outer part of the opening |
OR.15.13 | 2 | 1550 | 1350 | — | 1570 | 1510 | 1410 | 1310 |
OR.15.15 | 2 | 1550 | 1550 | — | 1570 | 1510 | 1610 | 1510 |
OR.15.19 | 3 | 1550 | 1850 | — | 1570 | 1510 | 1910 | 1810 |
OR.15.20 | 3 | 1550 | 1950 | 680 x 2220 | 1570 | 1510 | 2010 | 1910 |
When replacing a window in a brick Khrushchev-era building, you should definitely take into account the quarter - the dimensions of the outer part of the opening from the facade side, as a rule, turn out to be less by ¼ of the length of the brick than the internal landing size for the window.
For panel
Panel houses from the era of the 60s and 70s of the last century were erected everywhere, from the Arctic to the south of our country. Several types of external panels were supplied to the construction site, which were installed with ready-made translucent elements. Below is a table with typical dimensions of window units for such mass-produced houses:
Window marking | Number of sashes | Window height | Window width | Balcony door size | Opening height | Opening width |
OR.15.6 | 1 | 1470 | 570 | — | 1510 | 610 |
OR.15.9 | 2 | 1470 | 870 | — | 1510 | 910 |
OR.15.13 | 2 | 1470 | 1270 | — | 1510 | 1310 |
OR.15.15 | 2 | 1470 | 1470 | — | 1510 | 1510 |
OR.15.19 | 3 | 1470 | 1870 | — | 1510 | 1910 |
OR.15.20 | 3 | 1470 | 1970 | 680 x 2220 | 1510 | 2010 |
When ordering new translucent elements for such buildings, it is necessary to pay increased attention to the thickness of the outer wall panel , since profiles with a width of 90 mm may not allow the installation of a full-fledged window sill board, or decorative framing of slopes.
For brick houses, the homeowner can order an energy-efficient profile consisting of 6 chambers with a thickness of 90 mm. In the case of panel “Khrushchev” buildings, you should carefully calculate the landing dimensions. As a rule, the window installation depth does not exceed 150 - 180 mm, which is why manufacturers recommend using a profile with a maximum thickness of 70 mm.
How many square meters per person are required by law?
Square footage Article 38 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation determines the standard for comfortable living space per person - 12 square meters. The minimum sanitary standard for living space (with the ability to simply survive) is 6 square meters.
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Why is it important to know?
The standard sizes of window structures in Khrushchev buildings are fixed indicators that both manufacturers of new window structures and property owners need to know in order to achieve the following results:
- Possibility of placing an order for new windows without dismantling old structures and taking measurements of openings.
- Considering that architectural standards have changed significantly since the construction of the Khrushchev buildings, each owner of a property can independently determine a violation of space insolation standards.
- The window manufacturer gets the opportunity to produce standard products for subsequent storage of the batch in a warehouse and sale through retail outlets.
Most often, most manufacturers of window blocks offer consumers complete structures for glazing 1, 2 or 3-room “Khrushchev” apartments at special prices. This is due to the fact that such enterprises operate a robotic conveyor line, which produces standard sizes of window blocks, without the need to re-equip the machines.