In a tiny one-room apartment you need to place all the necessary furniture. In addition to wardrobes, a bed, and a dining table, you need a comfortable workplace with a computer. The kitchen should be convenient for cooking. We need to find a place for a refrigerator, oven, and dishwasher. It is not at all clear where to place a washing machine with an ironing board.
The cramped conditions of 1-room apartments with an area of up to 40 m2 require great ingenuity from the owner. There are many conflicting problems to be solved. I would like to choose a design that will at least visually expand the size of the rooms and give a feeling of home comfort. Let's look at how to choose the optimal plan for a one-room apartment, arrange furniture, and decide on a color palette and style.
Features of the layout of a one-room apartment
The choice of a suitable design initially depends on the geometry of the housing. Furniture that is suitable for a narrow long room is completely unacceptable for a square room.
The presence of a high ceiling makes it possible to arrange additional beds. The improvised second floor will house rarely used items. You can place a refrigerator or additional cabinets under the stairs. Drawers are built under each step.
Of great importance is the size of the windows, their number, the presence of a balcony or loggia, which can be converted into a heated room and combined with a room. The window sill quite logically transforms into a well-lit workplace.
A common feature of the layout of one-room apartments up to 40 square meters in size. meters is a combined bathroom. The desire for comfort makes many owners share it. Experience shows that it is more profitable to remove the bathtub. The vacant space will be filled with a shower stall, a washing machine and cabinets above it.
Apartment layout options and approach to interior design
There is a standard living space, like a “Khrushchev” or “Brezhnevka”, non-standard, studio. The area can be rectangular, square, and the location of the apartment can be angular or straight. In each case, you need your own approach to remodeling your home “to suit you.”
Typical one-room apartment
A typical layout can be angular, with two or three windows surrounded by end walls, square or rectangular.
The advantage of the corner layout is its better illumination due to the additional window, and the disadvantages are a higher noise level and exposure to wind. These problems can and should be solved by making housing comfortable.
The corner kitchen should be combined with the living room, and the room or part of it should be left as a bedroom PHOTO: dekoriko.ru
The geometry of the space is important: an incorrectly positioned partition ruins the entire impression.
Several functional areas are created from one room through the use of partitions of different plans PHOTO: newdom.mirtesen.ru
Rectangular housing provides more opportunities for rational division into zones. This layout also has disadvantages, such as low sound insulation and the likely absence of a loggia.
The elongated shape of the home makes it necessary to solve the problem with lighting, since there is not too much light from one or two windows PHOTO: newdom.mirtesen.ru
A living room in a rectangular area should be located near the window area; other functional parts of the apartment can be separated by a glass partition, shelving, and a bar counter.
The square type of housing is small in size, rarely exceeding 30 m².
Surprisingly, even in such small rooms several zones fit in. PHOTO: designmyhome.ru
If the furniture is built-in, this is an excellent space saver, which is used strictly for its intended purpose.
Non-standard one-room apartment
Non-standard layouts from developers have become popular. The first impression is always surprising, which arouses great interest in the ways of decorating the interior of such a home.
Furnishing such an area is always interesting PHOTO: kvadrat.ru
You will have to order furniture, since choosing a ready-made option is not the easiest thing PHOTO: design-homes.ru
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Repair of a one-room apartment: photo , layout , space zoning, remodeling options, materials for ceiling and floor coverings, wallpaper and other finishing materials; interior ideas, furniture arrangement - read the publication.
Studio apartment
This is the most popular form of one-room apartments, especially in the eyes of young people. Typically, such living space is divided into a sleeping area, a living room, a kitchen and a work area.
The studio is zoned by color shades, lighting arrangement, partitions, elevation of the bed, and different floor coverings.
The elongated shape is convenient for dividing into zones PHOTO: stroy-podskazka.ru
Partitions can also be functional PHOTO: tipdoma.com
The kitchen is separated by a bar counter, a bookcase, and a sofa.
Related article:
Interior layout and photos of studio apartments in styles: loft, hi-tech, classic, pop art, Provence, modern style, as well as the pros and cons of studio apartments, basic zoning techniques - read in the publication.
Types of layouts of one-room apartments
The limited size of small-sized apartments does not allow architects to realize the full potential of their imagination, so such a dwelling does not differ in the variety of forms. There are three most common types of apartments.
Typical
Mass panel housing construction has identified several standard layout options. Five-story houses of the Soviet era are characterized by a compact square with a tiny hallway, a small living room, a combined bathroom, and a miniature kitchen, where even two people are cramped.
Later, nine-story houses with an improved layout appeared with a larger usable area and loggia.
Non-standard
The original layout is typical for brick houses of various heights. For example, there is often a room with a bay window, which may be adjacent to a loggia with a door in the kitchen.
Studio apartment
This type of arrangement became widespread at the beginning of the last century. The rapid growth of the urban population has created an acute shortage of spacious housing. The absence of partitions made it possible to obtain enough space for one person or a small family to live in a small area. To this day, studios are still popular due to the ever-increasing cost of construction.
Studio apartments have a number of additional advantages:
- In a small area, not limited by partitions, there are more opportunities to organize various options for comfortable housing to suit every taste.
- The entire space can be easily decorated in the same style, highlighting areas for work, relaxation, and receiving guests.
- Excellent acoustics will delight music lovers.
- A good option for a creative person is a workshop combined with housing.
- For low-income youth, a studio apartment is perhaps the only opportunity to acquire their own housing.
Layout of a one-room apartment for a family with a child
The main task when remodeling a one-room apartment for a family with a child is to organize a cozy and functional children's corner. It will become both a place for study and a student’s personal space.
The learning area should not contain flashy colors or bright images.
To make the conditions comfortable for the child, it is worth connecting the corridor to the living room. A bunk bed will allow you to save space in the nursery. Below you can create a compact work area with a table and drawers.
Important! The upper sleeping area of a bunk bed is suitable for children from 5-6 years old.
In a children's room, you should avoid bright color accents and flashy decorative elements. They can overexcite a child’s psyche, which is why he may not calm down for a long time.
For wall decoration, it is better to choose green or light blue paint. This color scheme creates an atmosphere of calm.
Ways to optimize space
To achieve maximum comfort, it is necessary to take into account the architectural features of the existing living space. The ratio of the length to the width of the room, the height of the ceilings, the number of windows, the presence of a balcony, loggia, as well as load-bearing walls as interior partitions initially set the direction for the search for the optimal design.
Nuances of redevelopment
To get maximum free space, almost all partitions are usually demolished. This cannot be done only with load-bearing walls. If absolutely necessary, a doorway can be installed in them, but only after agreement with the supervisory authorities.
Before starting design, it is advisable to consult with a specialist so that later there will be no problems when approving the documentation in the architectural department. It should be taken into account that redevelopment is prohibited in buildings of historical value.
In addition, dismantling the walls will increase the cost of repair work. It will be necessary to re-install electrical wiring, heating, plumbing, and sewerage. It is imperative to provide additional exhaust ventilation above the food preparation area, otherwise the persistent kitchen smell will soon permeate the apartment.
Open plan
Modern houses are often built with apartments without interior partitions. The newly acquired living space can be planned according to the owner's preferences.
An open layout makes it possible to combine zones with different functional purposes. The dining room is harmoniously combined with the kitchen. The bedroom can easily turn into a living room if the bed can be raised and closed in the closet.
Residents of small apartments are forced to combine almost all living areas in a single space. The only exception is the bathroom.
This layout has several unpleasant characteristics:
- If at least two people with different daily rhythms live together, then most likely none of them will be able to get enough sleep. “Larks” and “owls” are not fiction.
- Noise in the kitchen reduces the performance of a person who, for example, urgently needs to concentrate on searching for information on the Internet.
- The smell of cutlets is pleasant while eating, but hardly anyone will like it if all the upholstered furniture smells of food.
- If one family member needs silence, then the other will have to enjoy his favorite music with headphones. Expensive audio equipment will sit idle as useless furniture.
- Every person sometimes wants to be alone, alone with his thoughts. In a one-room apartment this is only possible if a person lives alone.
- As the number of walls decreases, the problem of placing things becomes more acute: there is nowhere to put a sufficient number of cabinets, shelves, and other storage systems.
Despite all the shortcomings, the popularity of apartments with a minimum number of partitions does not decrease at all. On the contrary, more and more designers are creating new examples of interiors that are worthy of being brought to life.
The reason is the significant benefits of owning a studio apartment:
- Instead of several tiny rooms, overwhelmingly cramped, you get one spacious room. There is an opportunity to use your imagination to design a functional interior.
- For standard Soviet-era plans, it is quite difficult to choose an original design. The open layout allows you to invent many non-standard solutions.
- The absence of partitions allows more natural light from the windows, which makes the room even more spacious.
- When there are guests in the house, communication is not interrupted for a minute, even if the owners are at the kitchen stove and the rest are watching TV.
Zoning, installation of partitions and shelving
Dividing a single interior space into separate living areas is a designer’s tool that allows you to obtain maximum functionality of places for relaxation, work, cooking, and receiving guests.
The location and size of window openings determine the feasibility of placing zones. It is better to place the bed at the back of the room. The work desk and kitchen countertop will be illuminated as much as possible next to the windows. Zones can be divided by through shelves and a sofa. To visually separate the bedroom from the rest of the studio area, interior curtains or sliding shelving are used. The hallway can be fenced off with bamboo curtains.
If you have a balcony, you can significantly increase the habitable space of the apartment. You will have to go to significant expense to dismantle the balcony door with a window, install triple glazing on the outside, insulate the loggia, and install “warm floor” heating. But the result will be justified by obtaining a few additional square meters of living space. Now here you can put a sports equipment, a work desk, bookshelves or set up a play corner for children. An interesting solution would be to convert the balcony window sill into a bar counter.
If a family lives in a small apartment, then each person needs to be provided with a small personal space. For example, a child needs a desk to do homework. It is advisable to place it next to a window for maximum daylight. There should be shelves nearby for books, textbooks, and school supplies.
The flooring also serves as a tool for highlighting, for example, a kitchen area. Here it is advisable to use large-sized tiles. For the rest of the territory, a natural board or its imitation is suitable. A small parquet floor pattern will visually reduce the size of the room.
The living area is most often located in the center of the room, separated from the kitchen by a sofa or bar counter. There is also a coffee table that can be transformed into a large dining table. Armchairs, TV, and audio equipment are placed nearby.
An additional advantage is obtained with high ceilings. Then it is possible to equip the sleeping place on the upper level. You can also place additional shelves and cabinets there to store rarely used items.
Transformable furniture
The main task when arranging small-sized apartments is the economical use of literally every centimeter of space, which is why over the past few decades a large number of examples of transformable furniture have been invented.
Most of the ideas concern sleeping areas. This is logical, since beds are not needed during the day, while they occupy perhaps the largest area compared to other furniture. In addition to the usual sofa bed, there is also a bed-table and a bed-wardrobe. Sometimes three items are combined at once - a sofa-bed-wardrobe.
For a family with two school-age children, a bunk bed with bookshelves and a workspace for doing homework will be extremely useful. Moreover, the lower bed, which can be pulled out on wheels, can serve as a sofa for receiving guests. It is difficult to imagine a more multifunctional and at the same time very compact piece of furniture for a one-room apartment.
For an adult, a bed-wardrobe is more suitable. When folded, the set looks like a standard cabinet. When the bed is lowered to the floor and supported by folding legs, it is no different from a regular bed with an orthopedic mattress.
The bed can be rolled out from under the podium at night. On top you can equip a playground for a child, fencing it with high railings and nylon mesh.
The standard version of the sofa, which can be folded out to the size of a bed, is not very comfortable for sleeping, but can be useful for guests staying overnight after a long party.
There are also quite a lot of models of transforming tables. An ordinary coffee table with one movement of the hand turns into a solid dining table, at which you are not ashamed to receive guests.
Even a mirror or a picture can become a table: part of the frame rotates on hinges, turning into support legs.
For the kitchen, the so-called book-table is traditionally used. When folded, it stands against the wall, taking up little space. Recently, a retractable “circular” version of the kitchen table, which looks more like a bar counter, has become more popular.
It is difficult to transform anything in bathrooms due to the specific nature of the room. Here, ingenuity is aimed at maximizing the filling of free space with all kinds of cabinets and drawers. But even here the mirror can surprise you by turning into an ironing board.
A characteristic feature of transformable furniture is individual production to order, which is significantly more expensive than conventional serial samples. But the resulting comfort justifies all the material costs.
Visual increase in space
The well-known design term “airing a room” actually means using light colors to decorate a room. White color visually expands the boundaries of the surrounding space. And when there is a lot of space around, a person can breathe, in the literal sense of the word, much easier.
For a small apartment this technique is most relevant. It is recommended to use light colors on ceilings and walls. For the floor, a wide board coated with valuable wood veneer is suitable. It is better to take the plinth in the same color as the walls, so as not to reduce their height. Tiles in the kitchen and bathroom should be glossy, preferably large in size.
Properly organized lighting will help to visually expand the space. Great opportunities for this are provided by the combination of spotlights and strip LED lights located above the suspended ceiling. The film plays the role of a huge lampshade, evenly distributing light throughout the entire volume of the room.
There are several more rules that will be useful for visually expanding the boundaries of small rooms. Mirrors are the undisputed leader here. Two mirrors on opposite walls create an endless space in which it is easy to get lost. And if only one wall is made completely mirrored, then the length of the room visually doubles.
Glossy walls have a less direct effect on the imagination than mirrors, but they also expand the geometry of the room.
A low ceiling can be visually raised with vertical stripes on the walls. A very effective method is the use of photo wallpaper. In addition to “extra space,” a well-chosen image will create a unique flavor.
A large number of things clutter up the space, so in the middle of the room there should be only the necessary minimum. It is preferable to use built-in furniture from floor to ceiling along the walls, painted in light colors. At the same time, it is useful to make a bright accent through colorful upholstery of the guest sofa in the center of the room.
Which color palette to choose
The best option for optically increasing the size of a small room would be to paint the walls and ceilings the same. Light pastel colors of green, blue or gray with a glossy surface are suitable.
It is undesirable to use completely white color. Sterile whiteness is typical only for hospital and operating rooms. Make the color of the floors contrast with the walls. Against such a background, it is now convenient to highlight functional areas with bright spots. To create a cozy decor, curtains, vases, paintings, and floor lamps are suitable.
Zoning examples
Still undecided on how to plan your room? Next, we have collected 30+ photos of stylish interiors that can become your inspiration.
For bedroom and living room
If you have no problems falling asleep with the TV on during daylight hours, choose light, light-transmitting shelves or screens. Those who are sensitive to external factors should pay attention to thick curtains and sliding partitions.
For children's and living rooms
No matter how much we love our children, sometimes we want to take a break from them. It may seem that this is unrealistic in a one-room apartment. We hasten to please you: your little fidget will be delighted with his own “mini-universe”. In order to separate the nursery, curtains and screens are suitable.
Style selection
The design of the home must correspond to the character and habits of the owner. Provence is suitable for a romantic nature. Furniture made of natural wood, interior in subdued colors, and airy curtains create the comfort of simple rural life.
The ascetic Scandinavian style allows for the use of soft white decor. This option is relevant if the apartment has small windows.
Classic design involves decorative columns and luxurious curtains.
The loft style is traditionally emphasized by artificially aged brickwork, ceiling ventilation ducts, and steel-colored heating radiators.
A creative environment for the home of an artist or sculptor can be created with an appropriate wallpaper pattern and bronze wall candelabra. The art decor style is characterized by ceiling moldings, paintings on the walls, as well as original sculptures.
Minimalism with high-tech elements dictates strict lines of the interior, limiting the furniture to only the most necessary things.
Decoration of auxiliary rooms
A combined bathroom in a small apartment is an objective necessity. The area of this room can also be increased. It is enough to replace an old-fashioned bathtub with a shower stall. Immediately, enough space is freed up for design ingenuity. A corner washbasin is easy to place and can accommodate a laundry basket underneath. A win-win trick is a full-wall mirror.
Large format glossy tiles in pastel colors are ideal for the floor. It is beneficial to use the free space for the maximum number of cabinets and shelves. A suitable place for a wardrobe is at the end of a long corridor. This part can be safely separated by a partition. It is logical to place a mirror on the door. If the ceiling height allows you to arrange the second floor, then part of the wardrobe can be placed there.
How to turn a one-room apartment into a two-room apartment
To make 2 rooms in a one-room apartment, you will have to install a stationary partition. A walk-through area with access to the kitchen can be designated as a children's area. In the work area it is worth placing shelves for textbooks and a comfortable table. It is better to make it corner to save space.
It is better to place the workplace away from the bed
Two-room apartment with an artificial window
A one-room apartment with an open plan can be easily divided into 2 living areas. You can allocate 9 square meters for a bedroom. m., and the kitchen and living room will occupy 13-14 sq. m. Between the nursery and the bedroom a partition with a window made of opaque glass should be erected. Thanks to this solution, a lot of natural light enters the passage room.
A narrow closet behind the bed is a smart way to save space
Euro-room apartment from a 1-room apartment
This layout can be made from a one-room apartment of 44 square meters. m. A bedroom is set up in the kitchen, and the cooking area is moved to the living room. The supporting structure between the rooms can be left intact. To make a narrow space visually wider, they resort to several techniques
- place built-in wardrobes;
- install a wide mirror in the kitchen, which will increase natural light;
- choose a plain finish;
- Install sliding doors to separate rooms.
Layout of a 1-room apartment with a table and a bed
Two-room apartment from Khrushchev
The area of a standard one-room Khrushchev house is only 33 square meters. m. If the apartment is corner, you can place a bedroom, wardrobe and living room in the living area. Light will enter the living area from 3 windows.
For the redevelopment to be legal, the gasified kitchen should be separated by a partition. To make it convenient to watch the TV from any part of the living room, it is better to install it on a movable bracket. In the bedroom you need to choose a place for a spacious but compact closet. Furniture with a mirror on the facade is suitable for this room.
Look at the design option for an apartment of 37 sq. m - the article contains practical and original solutions.
Useful tips
Owners of a one-room apartment always strive to obtain space for a comfortable life in conditions of limited space. To optimally use every centimeter, there are a lot of recommendations from designers and architects.
Here are some tips to help create a functional and cozy interior:
- Zones are highlighted with additional lighting. For this purpose, it is beneficial to use economical LED spotlights and linear lamps.
- You can separate the kitchen from the rest of the space with a bar counter, above which a row of LED lights is suspended. In the general twilight they will create a “wall of light”.
- It is better to use the pantry as a dressing room, and if the size allows, it can even turn out to be a small bedroom.
- After combining the insulated loggia with the room, the window sill can be conveniently used as a base for a dining table.
- To save space, a plasma TV is beneficial, which can be placed on any wall.
Tricks for expanding space
To prevent the interior design of a one-room apartment from being overloaded with details or, conversely, too boring, you need to follow a few tricks. The basic rule is to decorate the walls and ceiling correctly. For finishing you need to choose light materials.
Workplace in the living room
Important! A large mirror will expand the space of even the smallest room. It can decorate a cabinet door or be placed on a wall in a well-lit area.
Vertical stripes and diamonds in the wallpaper can visually raise the ceiling. And if you choose low furniture for the room, you can create the illusion of free space.
For a narrow room, painting one wall a dark color is suitable. This technique allows you to visually move the opposite wall away. This trick works both in living rooms and in the kitchen.
See alsoColor combinations in interior design
