Buildings related to functionalist architecture, erected as temporary housing for the working class in the USSR, began to be called “Khrushchev buildings” from the time of their construction. Most apartments in such buildings are one- or two-room. Their key features are the absence of architectural frills and the small area of ​​the rooms. In Soviet times, the owners of such apartments practically did not experiment with design or possible alterations. But today, thanks to the improvement of construction and design technologies, it is possible to turn a standard, small-sized two-room Khrushchev apartment into a work of interior art.

Most owners of small old apartments put off home renovations for fear of destroying already fragile surfaces (side surfaces, ceilings). Fear can also suppress the desire for possible changes in the interior: what can be made cozy and attractive from this? But, using the advice of specialists - architects, designers, you can transform the “Khrushchev” premises beyond recognition.

The first thing you need to do is create a plan for future work, from dismantling old coatings and structures to decoration. You can do this yourself or with the help of a designer. The designer's help will also be needed when choosing the style of the rooms. Then you need to calculate the amount of construction and finishing materials, buy them and begin remodeling.

Think ahead

Make a plan first

The main disadvantage of apartments built in the “Khrushchev era” is cramped space and disproportion of geometric shapes. But, all imperfections are corrected. This can be done through drastic changes or visual effects. To free up space, you can use one or more design solutions.

Combining the kitchen with the living room; you can separate the kitchen area with a bar counter.

Combining the bathroom (if it is separate).

Replacing swing interior doors with sliding structures.

Dismantling pantries, upper shelves under the ceiling.

Replacing standard cabinets with one large sliding wardrobe.

The trick with household appliances is that in the kitchen it is better to use built-in appliances, and replace large TVs and computer monitors with flat screens.

Visual techniques are also used to free up the room. The room is expanded by light wallpaper on the side surfaces, a fully glass balcony door and proper zoning. During the renovation process, the owners of Khrushchev-era apartment buildings should refrain from complex structures on the ceilings and large cabinet furniture. Expanding doorways in height and width will help add space. At the same time, there is no need to use textiles made from dense, massive materials, especially for window curtains: instead of heavy curtains and lambrequins, you can decorate the windows with fabric blinds or thin tulle curtains.

White color can visually expand the boundaries of the room

To increase the space you can use visual techniques

Kitchen and dining room design

Owners of Khrushchev-era apartments face a difficult task during a major renovation of their housing - 5-6 sq.m. place a functional, cozy and spacious kitchen with a dining area. If a major remodel is not planned, then you can simply optimize the kitchen. To do this you will need:

Effectively use all horizontal surfaces; if there is a shortage of space, the dining table can be moved to the living room or a folding structure can be placed (the table leans against the wall and, if necessary, unfolds).

Use built-in household appliances.

Avoid sharp color contrasts on the walls or use wallpaper with small patterns.

Another trick is to use furniture made of transparent glass. When finishing and decorating a kitchen, you can use various color combinations. The most relevant and acceptable combinations are described in the table.

You can use transparent furniture, this will be a plus

Use free space effectively

Table 1. Color scheme for decorating a kitchen in Khrushchev.

Modern living room interior

The corner in the house, which is intended for receiving guests, family gatherings and friendly relaxation, should be spacious. In standard Khrushchev buildings this feature is missed, so during repairs you need to think about how to expand the site. To do this, you can use the following design techniques.

Fabric partitions instead of side surfaces.

Arches instead of interior doors and geometric structures (podium, steps).

Play of light using natural light and lighting fixtures.

Multifunctional cabinet furniture (for example, a sofa that transforms into a bed).

Visually they will add several square meters of mirrors in the cabinets. You should not use a lot of small decor in the living room - this will “split” the apartment. As an option, you can use blue color for surface finishing and decoration. The table shows shades that are harmonized with blue tones.

Blue color can make a room visually larger

Use multifunctional furniture, such as a sleeper sofa

Table 2. Living room in blue tones. Color combination options.

Design ideas for the bedroom

Rest, sleep, relaxation - most people associate the word “bedroom” with these words. Many people draw a parallel between cozy apartments and wide space, but in Khrushchev it is difficult to get a lot of free space. To arrange your bedroom comfortably and functionally, you can resort to different techniques.

White stretch ceiling with a glossy surface, which increases its height and diffuses light onto other surfaces.

The bed is located along the side surfaces - this will make it easier to move around the bedroom.

Textiles in light, solid colors or with small patterns.

Lighting fixtures should be limited to a small chandelier or a lampshade near the ceiling and wall sconces.

A bed on a podium - thanks to this solution, there will be a place to store bed linen and pillows (storage compartments can be built into a stand).

It is better to replace the standard wardrobe in the Khrushchev bedroom with a sliding wardrobe, tables and chests of drawers should be replaced with wall shelves. The table shows the best color combinations for a small bedroom where shades of pink are the key color.

White colors can visually expand the boundaries of the room

If the bed is high, you can store linen under it

Table 3. Pink base for bedroom decoration.

Three technologies that will help arrange the design of a two-room Khrushchev house

With the help of simple, low-budget techniques, you can transform a post-Soviet (in terms of room planning, furnishings) apartment into the most modern masterpiece of interior art. To do this, three technologies are used: radical redevelopment, increasing the functionality of the site and interior styles.

The living room and bedroom can be combined into one room

Kitchen and living room can be combined

Technology 1. About possible redevelopment. Rules that must not be broken

The desire to radically change the type of housing cannot be a key factor during renovation. Legislative prohibitions are what can stop the flight of fancy. According to the legislation of all countries of the former Soviet Union where Khrushchev buildings were built, it is prohibited in apartments:

Combine balconies, loggias with the living space, and move central heating radiators outside of it.

Remove load-bearing walls.

Expand non-residential premises (bathroom, storage room) at the expense of residential ones.

Make openings in the interfloor ceilings to combine apartments on subsequent floors.

Dismantle the outdated floor covering down to the interfloor slab, and compensate for its thickness using soundproofing materials.

Eliminate or block ventilation ducts.

The bedroom is separated from the living room by a curtain

The design of the living room is made in loft style

For such types of work you need to obtain a special permit. An exception is the removal of central heating radiators to a balcony or loggia. This cannot be done categorically, that is, it is impossible to obtain permission for such a modification. But there are some repair work that can be done without official permission. This list includes:

Increasing the size of the living room by reducing the area of ​​the bathroom.

Making openings in non-permanent partitions.

Clearing out the pantry.

Combination of toilet and bath.

Moving the door and dismantling window sills in cases where the wall is not load-bearing.

Therefore, we can conclude that almost all types of listed work are impossible in Khrushchev. For example, combining a bathroom is not suitable as an option for the reason that this has already been done in this type of building. It is also impossible to add living space by reducing the size of the dining room or bathroom. If you do this, you will have to cook food and perform water procedures outside the house. But, despite the impossibility of a radical restructuring, you can increase the functionality of the rooms.

White color can visually make a room larger

Ceiling lighting can make the room visually larger

Technology 2. Ways to increase the functionality of space. What can you come up with without redevelopment?

The first thing you can do to improve the environment is to expand the rooms. The sizes of the hallway and living room, kitchen area and living room, bath and toilet are often changed. In general, without focusing on one room, you can use universal techniques for residential and non-residential apartments:

Removing interior doors and replacing them with arched openings.

Installation of a closet for clothes and other personal items in the former storage room.

Painting the walls with matte paint and the ceilings with glossy paint.

The correct arrangement of furniture and household appliances will help make the kitchen more spacious. The work area should be located in the shape of a triangle: the sink is in one of the corners, the table (working surface) is between the stove and the sink, the refrigerator is in a corner far from the stove. A wide window sill can be replaced with a tabletop and used as a work area.

Design of a combined bedroom and kitchen

Some rooms can be combined into one

When remodeling a bathroom, the most commonly used option is combining a bathtub with a toilet. If they are connected to each other, but the bathroom is still cramped, you can move the washing machine to the kitchen area and install a corner shower instead of a bathtub. Alternatively, you can install the sink higher than normal, and place a laundry basket under it. In this case, detergents and cosmetics can be stored in a narrow cabinet hanging on the wall.

Technology 3. Which interior style to choose? Some design tricks

Thinking through the design of a two-room apartment in Khrushchev is difficult only for amateurs in the field of design. Experienced craftsmen can transform an apartment, visually expand the area, based on the chosen style. The following interior styles will fit most harmoniously into a small space: minimalism, avant-garde and constructivism.

A space in a minimalist style is clear, concise and discreet. This subtype of design is compiled based on the following factors.

Zoning of rooms, rich multi-level lighting.

Simple shapes, geometric lines and a minimum of decor.

Freedom of space - only the most necessary furniture and accessories.

Light color scheme on the ceiling and walls, highlighted by classic black or gray.

There is a lot of light, including daylight, which is provided in large quantities due to wide window openings and the absence of massive window textiles.

The use of natural raw materials, several brutal elements - wood, stone, brick or rough rough plaster.

In minimalist housing there are only strict geometric shapes - rectangle, square, circle. The following materials are best suited for decorating the ceiling and walls: plaster without a pattern, liquid wallpaper, plastic panels. Textured wallpaper with a pattern or plaster can be used as a bright accent. Flooring in standard designs is represented by self-leveling flooring or parquet boards.

There should be a lot of light in the room

Only the most necessary furniture should be placed in the room

It is appropriate to use a plain carpet if we are talking about a living space (bedroom, living room, kitchen). Furniture in a minimalist room should have a clear geometric shape. Due to the shortage of decorative elements, upholstered furniture becomes an accent; the upholstery for it should be bright, made of plain fabric or leather.

Avant-garde is the complete opposite of classic. It is often chosen by creative people with an unconventional vision of the world to decorate their homes. The main feature of the style is the combination of incompatible materials, colors and objects. It is based on certain principles.

Color maximalism – pure primary tones (blue, red, black, white, yellow and green) are used.

Playing with volume and space - the walls are replaced by zoning (visual partitions), the interior is full of multi-level structures (arches, podiums, steps).

Light is a key element of style. This means that the rooms are full of daylight, artificial lighting. Moreover, not standard lamps with white or yellow rays are used, but ones glowing with bright colors.

The latest materials are used for finishing surfaces in avant-garde housing. it can be metallized, liquid or bamboo wallpaper, decorative textured plaster. As for furniture, it cannot be standard. In avant-garde bedrooms, living rooms, wardrobes, beds and even chairs must be original. A prerequisite is the absence of decorative excesses (carvings on wooden elements, ruffles on textiles). Windows in a modern non-standard room are covered with plain, bright textiles without a pattern. In such an environment, outdated household appliances, gloom and monotony are inappropriate.

You can make an accent wall in the room

Light is a key element of style, there should be enough of it

Constructivism is another current style subtype for transforming Khrushchev into modern living space. More constructive design of the site is based on imparting practical properties to each detail. It is based on several principles.

Freedom of movement - unnecessary partitions are dismantled and mobile modules are installed in their place, which quickly and easily change their location.

Wall niches instead of cabinets - they also provide seating areas.

Lack of decor and ornaments.

Clear lines, geometrically proportional details and straight planes are present in decoration, furniture and even household appliances.

Lighting in constructivism is used strictly for practical purposes. The color scheme is based on monochrome colors. Basic tones – white, gray, black. They are complemented by shades of a beige palette (vanilla, caramel, cinnamon). There may be inclusions of diluted (pastel) colors - blue, red, yellow or green. In general, everything in constructive housing - from walls to textiles on windows - should not be conspicuous, but should benefit the homeowners.

Advantages and disadvantages of redevelopment

The main negative factor that pushes people away from buying apartments in old buildings built during the Khrushchev era is cramped space and poorly thought out details. Once you become the owner of a tiny living space, you can “redraw” it from scratch, and this process has several advantages.

The interior becomes more cozy, residential, comfortable and homely warm.

The space is expanding.

By dismantling non-load-bearing walls, you can change the size of all rooms, for example, turning a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment by reducing the kitchen or bathroom.

If you carefully think through the details, select construction and finishing materials in accordance with the chosen style, you can create a modern, practical, cozy interior.

Living room design in a modern style

Bright colors in the kitchen can make it look bigger

If you approach the issue of dismantling correctly, you can make a modern and beautiful apartment

Possible redevelopment options, photo ideas

A radical change in the situation in a two-room Khrushchev house can be played out in several ways. The first option is to combine the living room with the kitchen. Photo 1 shows what is planned to be in the apartment.

In a room with a smaller area, you can remove the wall by 30-50 cm, leaving space only for the bed. You also need to remove the partition between the bathtub and toilet and install a shower stall. A similar design for a small two-room apartment in Khrushchev will help save space in the bathroom and install an automatic washing machine.

After dismantling the old coatings in the bathroom and toilet, you need to properly plan and move the engineering structures. Do not forget about high-quality waterproofing. A glossy ceiling can further expand the space in the bathroom.

When starting a renovation in a Khrushchev house consisting of two rooms, you first need to plan how the space will look after the renovation. When moving or expanding engineering structures (for example, for additional lighting), it is worth contacting specialists.

Video: Design of a two-room Khrushchev house

Even in the old Soviet times, the Khrushchev-built buildings were used to solve the acute housing problem, but today they are simply perceived as cheap housing that requires transformation. Small rooms and low ceilings look depressing. But this does not scare many, since modern technologies make it possible to create a high-quality design of a Khrushchev house (2 rooms), both with the help of a layout and without it, thanks to design tricks.

Before you improve your home, you need to start with the most basic question: how many people will live in the apartment, and who?

1. Family without children.
2. One man.
3. Family with one child.
4. Family with 2 or more children.

The complete reconstruction and design of a 2-room apartment in Khrushchev-era building depends on the choice of the desired model:

• If you have a child, then you can definitely create a children’s bedroom-living room layout.
• For a family without a child, you can use only two functional areas: a living room and a sleeping area.

What kind of old-style apartments are there?

Before we begin to design the design of a Khrushchev-era 2-room apartment, we will consider in detail all the existing layouts and what exactly will have to be improved.

	This is the most common project since 1958. People call the layout a book; the apartment has an area of ​​41 m2.
	This is the very first project from a series of old plans, planned on the basis of French five-story houses. Popularly, such layouts are called “trams”. The rooms are adjacent, the total area of ​​2-room apartments is 48 m2.
	This layout is somewhat similar to 9-story projects. The kitchen area is small and the rooms are isolated. The total area is 44.6 m2 and the external walls are 350 mm thick.
	The area of ​​the apartment is 46 sq.m and is popularly called a butterfly. The rooms are isolated and have a decent area.

How to make a design without redevelopment and maintain its original appearance?

Before making a design project for a 2-room Khrushchev house, let’s consider how outdated projects can be characterized in detail.

Features of the old layout:

1. The rooms are adjacent to each other, which is very inconvenient.
2. Small kitchen area, around 6m2.
3. Small corridor.
4. A small area of ​​the toilet and bathroom, combined with each other.
5. You can’t boast about the area of ​​the room, no more than 46 square meters.
6. The ceiling is low, no more than 2.60 meters.
7. Most of the layouts have a small balcony.
8. The thickness of the partitions is 70-90 mm.
9. Internal walls, 320 mm thick.

Taking into account new technologies, the owners have a great desire to design projects for a 2-room Khrushchev house. Such options are possible in several interpretations of changing the apartment to expand and improve the space.

Radical restructuring

This option involves demolishing all the walls and creating a single space. At the finish line we get a studio apartment by demolishing all the internal partitions.

This is a complex path that involves the need to coordinate planning with the relevant authorities.

Partial redevelopment

In this case, only partitions or closets are removed. Here you can simply combine several rooms, for example, a kitchen-living room or a corridor-room.

Note. Design projects of a 2-room Khrushchev house can be reproduced without reconstruction, based on modern styles and clever zoning options.

How to find the optimal solution without demolishing partitions?

If demolition of walls is impossible for some reason, then you can use a visual expansion of the space. Here are some tips on this matter.

Organize useful space using additional decorative elements:

1. Shelves.
2. Shelving.
3. Niches.

If you enlarge the door and window panels with the help of arches, you can “visually” expand the space by almost a quarter of the area.

When forming a design, a 2-room Khrushchev apartment provides for the use of sliding doors between the passage rooms.

Attracting mirror decoration to the interior will also allow you to refine and increase the volume of a small area and create a beautiful interior.

In some cases, the design of a 2-room Khrushchev house can be completed with a simple renovation and the idea of ​​redevelopment can be discarded. Let's consider some points:

Using a color palette for walls and furniture. It's no secret that dark colors absorb space, while light colors visually enlarge it.

A simple tip: do a thorough cleaning during the renovation and get rid of all unnecessary things.

Use of built-in niches and storage cells. Built-in storage rooms are quite suitable for conversion and the ability to store seasonal items.

The design of a 2-room Khrushchev house can be designed based on interesting projects of Asian designers and you can choose some interesting ideas, for example, beds and furniture built into the walls.

Tricky Design Tricks

A huge, one might say, major role in creating a light interior of a small apartment is played by harmonious combinations:

• color palette;
• drawings;
• materials.

The design of a Khrushchev 2-room apartment is generally based on the tricks that designers use to create an interior.

	They create a high-quality visual effect, while bright, intense, saturated colors give a compressed feel to the room.
	The design of a Khrushchev room (2 rooms) involves the use of a small floral pattern or ornament.
	The height of the ceilings in a light palette increases the volume. If possible, it is recommended to use light glossy stretch ceiling structures.
	The effect of heights of different levels and properly selected lighting fixtures enhance the effect of magnification and give the room a special atmosphere.
	The floor should be light or colored; it is important that they coincide with the overall concept of the interior of the room.
	A minimum set of furniture is provided. It is advisable to select folding, but multifunctional models.
	They are back in fashion and give the room an airy and warm atmosphere.
	They should be light and airy and complete the composition.

Redevelopment option, breaking down walls

Before choosing the design of a 2-room Khrushchev apartment, the apartment can be redesigned based on several interesting ideas.

The first and most common method is to demolish the partition separating the room and the kitchen. Here we get two full-fledged large areas in the form of a kitchen-living-dining room and a sleeping area.

Photo examples with a similar layout:

The second, no less common idea is to remove the wall between rooms.

In this case, you can zone the space by separating the bedroom with a screen.

A technique for increasing usable space using a balcony.

The redevelopment also affected the plumbing unit. The bathroom is connected (there are layouts where it is separate) or we increase the area due to the corridor.

You can demolish all the partitions and get a huge studio apartment and a magnificent design of a 2-room Khrushchev apartment for one person or a family without children.

An example of the “apartment-office” model

This layout involves combining the room with the hallway and kitchen. The small room increases in width and will include a sleeping area and a dressing room.

The main highlight is the small office. Transparent sliding doors will help isolate you from working.

Features of such planning:

• At the finish line, you get an apartment of 3 rooms, which includes a bedroom, an office, a dressing room, a dining room, a bathroom and an entrance hall.
• This project is suitable for a young couple or one person, for those who work a lot from home and perceive the apartment as a workplace to some extent.
• The most important advantage is the common space with a living room and 3 functional rooms, there is even space for a dressing room.

A few tips regarding this layout:

• It is best to place a sofa or sofa group in the center of the room. Then the living room will become a great place to relax.
• For the sleeping area, it is best to forget about horizontal surfaces intended for storing things, and use them as a shelf-box behind the bed.

Layout for three

In this case, the design of a 2-room Khrushchev apartment immediately solves the problem of the adjacent room. One becomes a guest area.

We divide the small room into a bedroom and a nursery, the wardrobe remains where it was, we make another wardrobe in the corridor. The bathroom is combined, it includes a small bathtub, toilet, washing machine and washbasin.

The main thing in the layout is to increase the kitchen area.

You can make some changes to the design of a 2-room Khrushchev apartment and separate the kitchen from the living room with a transparent sliding partition. If desired, the kitchen and living room will become a combined space.

In the living room you need to place a sofa, armchairs and it is advisable to leave a place for playing with a small child.

A few additions to this layout:

1. Bottlenecks can be visually expanded by playing with the color palette of the walls.
2. You can use more glass and mirrors. For example, transparent sliding doors, a glass coffee table and other additions.

Apartments design. Khrushchev 2 room for a large family

This layout provides separate rooms. The corridor becomes long and narrow and takes away the footage of the rooms.

You can place one entrance at an angle of 45 degrees, for example, to a children's room, so that the interior seems a little more fun.

Design of a 2-room Khrushchev apartment with sleeping places for children

The kitchen area is small in size with a work area and a dining table. The bathroom is combined with all accessories and a large shower.

If possible and there is a small storage room or free nook, it is best to use it for a small built-in wardrobe or a small dressing room.

How can you transform the design of an apartment in a 2-room Khrushchev building to correct the inconveniences:

1. A long corridor can be refined with a mirror and installed along a long wall.
2. The nursery can be divided into 2 zones by selecting individual furniture for each child. Even if the pieces of furniture are different, it will look very stylish.

Each bed can be decorated in an interesting way, creating your own personal space.

Redevelopment of a 2-room Khrushchev house 40.4 m2 for father and son

A young father and son intended to create an interior with a strong personality in their apartment. The redevelopment greatly changed the space, getting rid of unnecessary partitions.

Thanks to the dismantling, the bathroom turned out to be larger; it accommodated all the plumbing, a washing machine and a water heater.

Sand-colored tiles imitating torn stone and illuminated niches make a simple bathroom more elegant and at the same time modern.

A huge built-in wardrobe with mirrored doors is now located in the hallway, of which only one name remains, since the hallway now offers a view of almost the entire space of the apartment.

A snow-white sofa, and at night a sleeping place for the father, and a bar counter are visible from the entrance. The snow-white kitchen set is emphasized by a red apron, which echoes the bar stools and pillows on the sofa of the same color.

Photo wallpaper with an airplane in black and white adds even more dynamism to the interior. And the lamps on the ceiling resemble spotlights on a runway. The topic has developed quite well.

The teenage boy's room was designed very simply. A spacious bed, a workspace, a nightstand and a couple of shelves are all that is needed at this age. There was no need to be tricky with the color either.

Light, like shabby wallpaper, light wood on the wall above the head of the bed and white furniture are a simple masculine option that won’t get boring for a long time.

A high-quality and well-thought-out design of a 2-room Khrushchev house can ennoble any, even the most drab, home and transform the room beyond recognition. The listed examples are proof that you can adapt even to very complex options. The video in this article will help you choose the best option for yourself.

1. Continue reading about technologies and demolition of walls: “Design of Khrushchev 2 rooms: special technologies with redevelopment (part 2)”
2. Read about design and style trends in the next part: “

Most apartments on the secondary market are a legacy of the Soviet era, while Khrushchev buildings are the crown of a bygone era. Having decided to update the interior of a 2-room Khrushchev apartment, it will most likely turn out that a complete renovation is necessary. Leveling the walls, insulating the floor, installing partitions, possibly new doorways. No less important is the modernization of engineering systems. Replacement may require electrical wiring and pipes, which are important to properly integrate into the interior.

As a rule, one of the rooms is decorated as a nursery or living room. If a married couple lives in an apartment with a child over 6 years old, it is worth arranging a separate space for him. In this case, the larger room will serve as a bedroom and living room. This is also where most of the clothes and other things will be stored.

If you have the opportunity to place a wardrobe in the hallway, be sure to take advantage of it. To make the living room space seem more spacious, massive cabinets should be hidden. How to do it? Firstly, you can order models with mirror surfaces. Secondly, the color of the furniture can be matched to the color of the wall decoration. Thirdly, storage niches can be built from full-height ceiling-height MDF panels, use sliding doors, and then paint the entire structure the same color as the walls. The joints can be hidden using molding.

On our website you will find a lot of ideas and ready-made projects that will tell you how best to decorate the interior of a two-room apartment. Ready to experiment? Then, let's go!

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Every corner of this interior is filled with lightness and charm. The design of a 2-room apartment (57 sq. m.) was carried out by a professional team. Pink hydrangea set the mood for them. Several shades of this color are found in every room. The good thing about the Scandinavian style is that by introducing details of any color into the design, it is difficult to disrupt harmony and order. This bright interior is harmoniously combined with colorful details. Pillows, carpet, curtains, pictures in frames can be easily replaced, thus [...]

• 16.10.2018
• 2092 views

This design of a 2-room apartment (45 m2) seems much more spacious. In fact, this is a very small apartment, cleverly transformed by designer Victoria Muher. There was even room here for a separate dressing room, which the owner Albina so wanted. Next to it, behind black doors, there is a washing machine, and opposite there is a wall-length mirror. Everything is practical and at the same time stylish. There are so many bright details in the interior (pillows, curtains, posters, decorative elements) that are in perfect harmony [...]

• 13.10.2018
• 5129 views

The design of a two-room apartment (60 m2) seems so spacious that it’s hard to believe these numbers. The secret lies in an open space full of daylight. The interior of this apartment will definitely not leave indifferent people who love Scandinavian minimalism. The largest area is occupied by the living room and kitchen, forming the so-called studio. Between them there is a small partition, which, as conceived by the designers, separates two functionally different zones. The apartment was decorated by studio INT2 [...]

• 06.10.2018
• 4316 views

Creating the interior of a 2-room apartment without a design project is quite difficult. There is so much to take into account that without systematizing the information you can’t get anywhere. It is not necessary to use the services of a designer; you can create the project yourself. The most important thing is to prepare several photo ideas of finished projects that suit the style and layout. For clarity, it would be great to have a 3D visualization of the apartment. What it is? This is an image of the future interior respecting scale, color and proportions. Soz [...]

The problem of limited space in Khrushchev buildings is quite understandable. The houses were built at a time when the population of cities was rapidly increasing, but how to organize the life of a modern person who lives in an apartment with a small area and an inconvenient layout? An independent redevelopment of a 2-room Khrushchev apartment will help solve the problem. Photos, features, advantages and disadvantages of which are further described in the material.

The features of the layout of a not very comfortable two-room apartment in Khrushchev are quite noticeable, and examples of them are collected in a small selection of photos. Often these are negative aspects such as discomfort from the inconvenient arrangement of rooms, limited space due to the small area of ​​the rooms. That is why the owners of such apartments seek to carry out redevelopment by hiring a hired team of builders. To save money, you can do the repairs yourself.

Repairing a Khrushchev building with redevelopment has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of this solution are the following:

• the rooms become more spacious and comfortable, and their interior becomes more residential;
• Many walls in such houses are not load-bearing, so with some diligence you can dismantle them quite quickly. Load-bearing walls are not used, and the new design will please you to the fullest;
• the new layout opens up unlimited possibilities for apartment owners. The design of the premises can be different, which allows you to show your imagination, create a unique surface finish, thereby decorating the interior.

The redevelopment process has the following disadvantages:

• the complexity of repairs and design, because it involves the dismantling and erection of walls and partitions in the apartment;
• takes up the space of one of the adjacent rooms due to separation;
• requires additional investment in wall dismantling and room design. However, when doing the work with your own hands, the significance of this drawback can be somewhat downplayed;
• longer repairs, increased contamination with construction waste and dust after work.

Coordination of work

Ideas for various types of redevelopment, their designs are truly unique. But when carrying out work, problems often arise: how to coordinate repairs with the relevant city authorities? It is necessary to ensure that the repair plan does not relate to refurbishment. This concept provides for the installation, replacement, transfer of utilities, sanitary and electrical units, and so on. All these changes must be made to the registration certificate of the residential apartment. If such events are not planned, there will be no need to legalize the redevelopment. If the repair work includes such operations, they will need to be agreed upon and included in the registration certificate.

It will not be possible to order or produce the necessary papers quickly; the whole process can take up to 8 months. This time can be reduced by contacting the housing authority directly. But cooperation with a real estate or construction company will cost certain amounts of money.

It is important to remember that not all types of redevelopment require approval. Among those changes that do not require approval:

• erection or removal from lightweight material, such as plasterboard;
• moving interior partitions;
• decorating a balcony or loggia with plastic panels.

But there are a number of processes that cannot be carried out without approval. Such work includes:

• expansion of the apartment area due to a flight of stairs;
• removal of supporting structures and relocation of utilities;
• combining several rooms into one.

Redevelopment options

Apartments in five-story buildings, called Khrushchev-era buildings, have negative features, so many people want to consider options for remodeling them with their own hands. To choose one of them, you need to thoroughly understand which redevelopment of the Khrushchev building is most relevant in this case, which projects and ideas are the most successful and do not involve load-bearing walls.

Whatever type of redevelopment is planned, the apartment must have three functional zones:

• kitchen;
• for relax;
• bedroom

Separation of adjacent rooms

As practice shows, adjacent rooms in such houses cause a lot of inconvenience for the people living here. But there is a way out of this situation. You can divide two rooms, slightly reducing the usable area in one of them. The following options are possible.

Nature of the layout	What can be changed
If the rooms are located one after another	In many cases, owners of uncomfortable apartments try to expand the area of ​​the passage room by moving the partition deeper into the smaller room. Then in this reduced space they organize a bedroom, which ultimately houses a bed, a bedside table and a wardrobe, as in the photo below. But if you show your design talents, such a small space can be made very cozy. But when the renovation is finished, you can gather a huge family in the living room
If the rooms are located one next to the other	Many people simply tear down the partition between rooms, replacing it with columns or a screen. It is difficult to say that such a modification is intended for a family with children. Most likely, newlyweds would prefer such a layout. But the head of a large family, when carrying out repairs, would rather leave a partition between these rooms, laying a doorway between them. Then you will need to reduce the area of ​​​​both rooms by moving the smaller wall deeper. And on the resulting wall you can install one door per room. Thus, the corridor in the apartment will lengthen, but the rooms will become separate, as in the photo below.

Combining the living room with the kitchen

A hall in a Khrushchev-era building is most often connected to a kitchen, the meager square meters of which do not allow one to fit into such a space all the relevant equipment, furniture, and so on. By removing part of the interior wall, more space appears in the apartment. And with proper zoning of the resulting space and the use of methods to visually expand the space, you can create a truly functional, comfortable and attractive interior. Take ideas from experienced decorators.

Repair has the following advantages:

• Combining the living room with the kitchen allows you to allocate a separate area for cooking, dining and relaxation, unencumbered by unnecessary walls. The described zones can be demarcated by finishing the walls, floors and ceilings, by constructing movable shelves, as well as by using light thread curtains, and so on;
• This technique allows you to give the apartment maximum functionality;
• Aesthetically, the combination of the living room and kitchen looks very original. Today this design is very fashionable.

Such a space in a Khrushchev-era building looks original, where the living room and kitchen areas are separated by a bar counter. Such an interior is both functional and interesting to look at, as evidenced by the photo below.

If a balcony is adjacent to the kitchen, its space can be used to increase the kitchen area. The partition between the balcony is removed, the kitchen is expanded, and a dining area is placed on additional useful meters of space, as in the photo below. Only in this case it will be necessary to carry out work on insulating the balcony so that in the winter season it will be comfortable to be in the kitchen, and there will be no inconvenience due to the low air temperature.

Combining a bathroom with a toilet

Everyone decides for himself which redevelopment of a two-room Khrushchev house will be most comfortable and cozy for him, but it is also better to listen to the opinion of experts. The bathroom space can also be increased by connecting it to the toilet, as in the photo below. It is convenient, practical, and also looks very original.

Thanks to this design step, you can save several square meters of space where a washing machine or laundry basket will fit. At the same time, load-bearing walls will be preserved, and this is such an advantage of the redevelopment, the importance of which is difficult to overestimate for the owners of an uncomfortable apartment in the Khrushchev-era building.

However, you should not think that such ideas allow you to place a huge bathtub in the bathroom in Khrushchev. It is better to replace the bath with a shower stall, then the space will be functional and attractive at the same time. In addition, such a solution also has other disadvantages. Like any redevelopment of a residential premises, the combination of two rooms entails higher material costs for repairs and redevelopment.

Space zoning

What else will help save space in a Khrushchev-era apartment building and make it more comfortable? Ideas from experienced designers, successful design. After remodeling and moving the wall, you can apply design methods to create a functional interior in such living spaces. One of the ways to achieve comfort is the correct zoning of space using furniture, decoration, and decor.

First of all, you need to carefully select furniture for the Khrushchev house that would fit into the overall design. It is better to prefer built-in models of cabinets, wardrobes, sofa beds. Such items are at the same time highly functional, do not take up much space, are attractive in their aesthetics and decorate the interior.

Rules that must not be broken

When thinking about remodeling an apartment, it is important to remember that there are certain rules that should not be violated:

• the bathroom and toilet are expanded only due to the storage room or corridor, but not due to the kitchen or living space;
• load-bearing walls must not be touched; the only thing that is permissible is the installation of a doorway in such walls;
• you cannot move the kitchen into the bath, toilet or living room;
• when combining a room with a gasified kitchen, at least a light partition or other type of division of the two-room space should be provided.

The times when apartments were given away for free are irrevocably gone. And not so long ago, when the country began to recover after the war, in the era of large-panel housing construction, starting in 1955, they tried to provide housing, if not for everyone, then for many. Of course, these apartments, which the common people casually call “Khrushchev”, are far from perfect: the walls are too thin and uneven, low ceilings, inconvenient layout, sound and heat insulation are not at the proper level. But they built quickly, and the Khrushchevs completed their task in full.

In just 9 years, a quarter of the country's population was provided with housing. And to this day, Khrushchev buildings make up a significant part of the housing stock. They give way to new houses only in the central districts of the capital and other large cities, while in the provinces Khrushchev buildings will remain for a long time. Their service life, previously 50 years, was revised and increased to 150 years, subject to major repairs. So, of course, there is a point in thinking through the design of the Khrushchev-era building and making major repairs to it.

Yes, in Soviet times they were happy with such apartments: even if it was housing with only 1 room, and it was small, but it was their own. Living space standards were calculated not for reasons of comfort, but taking into account only the necessary minimum for human physiology. Now, when the needs have changed, the owners of Khrushchev-era apartment buildings want to somehow transform their housing in order to achieve comfort and functionality.

There are actually quite a few design options for a Khrushchev-era apartment, especially if they involve redevelopment, for example, dividing one uncomfortable room into 2 rooms that perform different tasks, or expanding narrow and small rooms due to passage areas. Some options are more successful, some less so, but one thing is true for sure, even an apartment of such a small area with low ceilings can become a modern home.

Redevelopment

Perhaps, an interesting design in a Khrushchev building can only be created if competent redevelopment is carried out. The apartments do not have a large area, but their significant drawback is that the rooms are often narrow, uncomfortable, with a walk-through area and non-functional corridors. This problem can only be eradicated by resorting to redevelopment.

Khrushchev buildings were built according to designs of several standard series. They differ quite slightly from each other, but they have one thing in common - a small area:

• One-room apartments – 29–33 m2,
• Two-room apartments – 30–46 m2,
• Three-room apartments – 55–58 m2.

When drawing up a redevelopment project, you will need to solve a number of problems. One of the problems will be related to the legalization of redevelopment, since not every design “flight of fancy” can be implemented legally. First you need to get permission for redevelopment.

The first difficulty may arise with the determination of load-bearing walls. Fortunately, in almost all Khrushchev-era apartment partitions, interior partitions do not perform a load-bearing function, but only divide the apartment space into rooms, so they can be easily demolished when making major repairs. However, there are exceptions; in panel Khrushchev buildings you can also find load-bearing walls inside the apartment. Just in case, we need to talk about how to determine the load-bearing wall in an apartment:

• According to the apartment plan. You can obtain this kind of document from the BTI. You will be provided with a standard apartment plan with the designation of load-bearing walls and partitions.
• Visually:
  • The load-bearing wall will be thicker than the partition. In Khrushchev-era buildings, the thickness of the load-bearing wall will be at least 12 cm without finishing.
  • Interfloor ceilings will always rest on load-bearing walls.

If the wall is still load-bearing, then the opening will need to be strengthened with metal or wooden supports. Redevelopment, which involves partial dismantling of the load-bearing wall, can only be carried out with the permission of the housing inspectorate, strictly observing the approved project.

Even if load-bearing walls are not involved in the redevelopment, a number of other problems may arise. For example, if the redevelopment is associated with the expansion of the “wet zone”. According to the law, the bathroom and toilet can only be expanded at the expense of non-residential premises, i.e. hallway, kitchen or pantry. The only exception is for residents of the first floors, where these restrictions do not apply.

Khrushchev-era apartment buildings often have a small, ineffective corridor connecting the hallway and the kitchen, which would be convenient to expand the bathroom. Here it is in the diagram:

In fact, this is a corridor, but on the plans this area is designated as a residential zone, so you can either put up with this or act in two stages: first, separate this area with a partition and formalize the redevelopment of the living space into a corridor, then obtain permission for another redevelopment - expansion bathroom and fill out all the documents again according to all the rules. Those. You will first have to arrange a redevelopment of this type:

By the way, enlarging the bathroom due to the passage will require additional waterproofing.

If you plan to combine the kitchen and living room to create a spacious living-dining area, then you may encounter another limitation: combining the living space with the kitchen in the presence of a gas stove is not allowed. There are two options: change the stove to an electric one, or install a light movable partition (after the commission arrives, it can be dismantled).

It is worth thinking about solving a number of other issues, which are discussed below.

Insulation. Since the insulation in Khrushchev-era apartment buildings is insufficient - it is hot in summer, cold in winter, the walls in corner apartments often freeze - the thermal insulation of the walls should be strengthened. Moreover, internal insulation in Khrushchev-era buildings is not applicable, since the implementation of this method leads to a shift in the dew point inside the walls. As a result, the walls begin to collapse, especially brick ones. Insulation is available by cladding the external walls with polystyrene slabs or by using sheathing and mineral wool on the first floors of the building.

Glazing replacement. It is advisable to replace old wooden windows with new plastic ones. Here you will have to face some difficulties. Firstly, some Khrushchev (panel) buildings do not have window sills, and secondly, the window opening is most likely to be uneven. If you contact an experienced company, there will be no problems with window installation, since they have accumulated experience in replacing windows in Khrushchev-era buildings. Some things to think about carefully:

• how wide will the window sill be,
• how to insulate a window.

Usually they try to make the window sill wider so that there is room for indoor plants. In Khrushchev-era buildings, where there were initially no window sills, this should be avoided. On the one hand, the support area for a wide window sill is insufficient, which means that the structure will be very unstable, on the other hand, a wide window sill will cause a disruption in heat transfer. By the way, the plaster slopes must be completely dismantled.

Redevelopment ideas

So, the main problems of redevelopment and repair in Khrushchev are identified. Now about specific redevelopment ideas.

One-room Khrushchev apartments

It would seem, what can you come up with, having as initial data a one-room Khrushchev house? It turns out that you can enlarge the bathroom and make a separate bedroom; at least, making the redevelopment more convenient is quite possible.

The typical layout of a one-room apartment in Khrushchev is a corridor leading to the kitchen and an “arch” to the living room. In some episodes, the “arch” was built up, and the passage to the room was located directly opposite the front door. Sometimes the project included a storage room. In the corner apartments there was another window on the long wall of the living room.

Redevelopment option	Description of the redevelopment
	This is a redevelopment option where the “arch” is built up and turns into an ordinary doorway; the functionality of the living room in this case increases, since, for example, a sofa can be placed along the wall that has increased in length. The door to the toilet has also been moved; due to the rounding of the space, the hallway becomes more spacious. Now a corner cabinet can fit comfortably here. The kitchen remains unchanged.
	Here you can see that all interior partitions, including bathroom partitions, have been completely demolished. The space is being completely rebuilt. The bathroom is expanding due to the hallway; now there is enough space to install a washing machine. The sink, by the way, is moved to the opposite wall, which will require a sewer line. The partition between the living room and the kitchen is dismantled, the wall between the bathroom and the kitchen is lengthened by building up the old doorway: a full-fledged kitchen unit can be placed. The disadvantage of the redevelopment is that the area of ​​the hallway is reduced, but it is now convenient to place a wardrobe in the living room, especially since there is space for a hanger and a shelf for shoes in the hallway.
	Another option for transforming space through a passage. In this case, the orientation of the bathroom changes - it increases slightly in area, but the main emphasis is on increasing the kitchen area. It is partially combined with the living room due to a wide opening in which sliding partitions can be installed.
	Here, a lot of attention is paid to storage space, and there is also room for a double bed; it is in no way separated from the living room area, but is located in a cozy nook. The kitchen is combined with the living room, and there is a separate niche for the refrigerator. You can beat the kitchen, living and sleeping areas with the help of design. Pay attention to the bathroom. The entrance to it is moved from the hallway to the passage, due to which the door is removed from the narrow hallway. Replacing a bathtub with a shower cabin allows you to free up space and install a washing machine.
	In this option, by moving the doorway into the kitchen, the bathroom, or rather the bathtub area, is expanded, part of the wall is beveled, resulting in a full-fledged doorway into the living room. The kitchen space is not significantly optimized.
	Here the partition between the hallway and the living room has been demolished. There is a closet in this place. The partition between the living room and kitchen is partially missing. The bar counter serves as a space divider. By moving the dining area from the kitchen to the living room, the kitchen has become much more spacious. The kitchen set in this version is located in the letter “L” and occupies not only a long wall, but also a wall with a window. Perhaps we should note the lack of storage space and the small bathroom, which is not being rebuilt, but instead of a bathtub a shower and a washing machine are installed.
	Even such a small apartment as a one-room Khrushchev can be converted into a two-room apartment if necessary. For example, in this plan you can see that a bed and a bedside table have been placed in the far corner of the living room. The bedroom area is separated by a partial partition to allow access to natural light, since the bedroom has no window. The kitchen and dining area are united by a single countertop. Zoning was carried out using flooring. There are storage spaces both in the hallway and in the living room.
	In corner Khrushchev houses, where there are two windows in the room, there are more options for redevelopment; more precisely, from one room you can make two full-fledged bright rooms with natural light. This plan shows that the partition between the kitchen and living room has been demolished, but a new partition has been erected, which now divides the room into two parts. The result is an excellent apartment with separate rooms: a living-dining room and a bedroom. The redevelopment does not affect the bathroom area.
	This redevelopment option is similar to the previous one, but the entrance to the bedroom is from the living room. But you can order a large wardrobe for the bedroom, which will solve the problem of storage space.

Two-room Khrushchev apartments

The typical layout of a two-room Khrushchev apartment provides more design opportunities, especially if all the walls in the apartment are not load-bearing.

In a typical two-room Khrushchev house, you can significantly expand the bathroom due to the passage, and organize a spacious dining-living room. In addition, you can actually make a “three ruble” out of a two-room apartment. There are three common standard layouts of two-room apartments in Khrushchev-era apartment buildings, which are popularly given loving names: “book”, “tram”, “mini-improved”.

Redevelopment option	Description of the redevelopment
	The partition between the room and the living room is simply demolished. The space of the former passage is now divided between three rooms: hallway, bathroom and kitchen. There is a wardrobe in the hallway, a washing machine in the bathroom, and a niche for a refrigerator in the kitchen. The doorway to the storage room is closed. It turned into a dressing room with an entrance from the bedroom. The kitchen is combined with the living room.
	Similar option. The difference is that in the hallway there is no niche for a closet, but in the living room, opposite the front door, there is a workplace. The entrance to the wardrobe is not from the bedroom, but from the living room, next to the workplace.
	Here the redevelopment mainly affected the kitchen and living room. The wall between the living room and kitchen was demolished and replaced by an island kitchen sink. The dining area is now in the living room: the dining table is adjacent to the sofa. Behind the sliding partition there is a double bed, which we managed to fit in thanks to the extension of the wall between the hallway and the living room. From the bedroom area you can enter a spacious dressing room hidden behind a sliding door. The bedroom became a nursery for two children.
	The disadvantage of this redevelopment is immediately visible - it is too long and narrow a corridor, but, nevertheless, this option has a right to exist. After all, it allows you to make separate rooms, expand the bathroom through the corridor, and highlight a storage area. Both the bedroom and the living-dining room are separated by partial partitions, which serve as space zoning and highlight a relaxation area.
	In this option, at the passage site there is a niche for a refrigerator or wardrobe. The partition between the kitchen and living room is only partially removed, only to make a new entrance. The living room turned out to be dark; light comes in only thanks to transparent inserts in the partitions. But the new bedroom turned out to be very bright and with a balcony.
	This redevelopment option is also possible. Part of the pantry and bedroom become a common space with the living room, the partition between the living room and hallway is moved deeper into the room, and the kitchen partition is dismantled. It turns out a very spacious living-dining room, a small bedroom and a full-fledged dressing room.
	The kitchen and living room are not combined here, as in most previous options, but the bathroom is also expanded due to the passage. A partition in the bedroom divides the room into two bedrooms - one with a window, the other without it. The wall is made in a zigzag shape to leave space in both rooms for deep built-in wardrobes.
	This option is similar to the previous one. The bedroom here is also rebuilt in such a way that it becomes two separate rooms, but the bathroom is not rebuilt; in the passage there is now a dressing room and space for a built-in wardrobe in the hallway. The partition between the living room and the hallway is moved further - a comfortable workplace is organized.
	An interesting option is diagonal redevelopment, as, for example, seen in this plan. Thanks to this approach, it was possible to fit a corner bath into the bathroom and combine a washbasin and washing machine under a common countertop. The kitchen is not expanding, but its design is changing significantly. First, the partition is demolished. The table is replaced by a bar counter. Secondly, the sink is moved to the side of the wall with the window. The partition between the bedroom and living room is moved to install built-in furniture. The highlight of the project is the dressing room, on the sides of which you can place corner cabinets.
	There is also a diagonal hallway here. But the bedroom is significantly expanded at the expense of the living room. In fact, it turns out to be a three-room apartment, but the living room is small and separated from the kitchen by a low partition.
	A similar project, but the hallway is a little larger. There is a niche for a closet. The bathroom has been enlarged.
	Two-room Khrushchev house on two sides. The rooms here are adjacent. And the main task is to make them separate. The door to the bathroom is moved from the narrow hallway, and by reducing the area of ​​the living room, it is possible to allocate space for a pantry or dressing room. The bedroom is divided by a through shelving, thanks to which the illumination is not significantly reduced, but the space is zoned into a bedroom and a living room. Instead of the former living room there is now a children's room.

Three bedroom apartment

In a three-room Khrushchev house, the redevelopment tasks also come down to solving the problem of adjacent rooms and their small area.

The typical layout of a three-room apartment involves a small kitchen and a walk-through living room, from which there is an entrance to the bedroom, one bedroom is separate. This could be a book-type layout:

Or the “tram” layout:

Redevelopment options	Description of the redevelopment
	This plan shows that the entrance to the bathroom was moved and made at the junction of the walls, the partitions of the kitchen and hallway were dismantled. The pantry has been converted into a walk-in closet and has been slightly expanded to include a passage.
	In this option, there is no partition between the living room and the living room. The bathroom is combined. The partition between the living room and kitchen is partially removed, but remains opposite the bathroom. The entrances to one of the bedrooms and the wardrobe are located in the form of a semicircle.
	There is a large and comfortable dressing room, which is entered from the bedroom. In the living room there is a special round niche for the TV, which has become the central element. The living room also has a dining area.

Photos of redevelopments

Video: remodeling a bathroom in a Khrushchev building

Video: combining kitchen and living room

Hallway design

The hallway in Khrushchev has several disadvantages:

• miniature;
• long and narrow corridor;
• inconvenient layout in the shape of the letter "G".

To avoid lack of space, the hallway can be expanded to include a bathroom or living room, at least to install a wardrobe. The fact is that even a narrow closet in such a hallway will be inappropriate, because often the situation is aggravated by the bathroom door opening into the hallway. If you do not plan to enlarge the room, then you will have to resort to various design tricks to prevent the hallway from feeling cluttered.

Design techniques that will make the interior as uncluttered as possible:

• Minimalist furniture. This applies not only to the design of furniture, but also to its quantity. The hallway should contain only the essentials. These are, for example, places for shoes and clothes. Moreover, you should avoid open hangers, since even a couple of sets of winter clothes on it will create the effect of chaos. Still, you need to try to allocate space for the closet. This could be a small corner cabinet with a mirrored door. Nearby you can hang a small shelf for small things that should be at hand. In general, corner structures and mirrors should be used in the hallway of a Khrushchev building. But hanging a mirror opposite the door is not recommended according to Feng Shui.
• Will help expand the space competent selection of interior colors. It is known that light colors visually make the interior more spacious. This is also true for the hallway. However, if you follow this advice, choose materials that can be washed. For example, for walls it could be paint, for floors it could be tiles or ceramic tiles. Avoid materials with a porous texture; in a cramped hallway they can easily get dirty, but it will be difficult to return to their original appearance. Color accents will distract from the cramped hallway, but don’t overdo it – there shouldn’t be too many of them. As for the ceilings, they must certainly be light, no experiments with dark shades on the ceiling, otherwise the ceiling will feel very low.
• Lighting. Of course, the design of the corridor should include carefully thought out lighting. In a hallway, which is a priori deprived of a natural light source, this is extremely important. The best option would be a glossy stretch ceiling with spotlights. Their number should be sufficient. For example, lamps are often placed along the entire ceiling along the center line or along the perimeter of the walls in two rows. Additional wall lights can be provided. The switch must be positioned so that it can be reached from the threshold. It is completely inconvenient when it is located in the center of the hallway. You have to cross part of the hallway in the dark in dirty shoes, coming from the street, just to turn on the light. By the way, if the corridor is long, then it is advisable to install a pass-through switch, with which you can control the lighting from different ends of the corridor.
• Zoning. In a miniature hallway, zoning will probably be inappropriate, which cannot be said about a long corridor. Some designers advise dividing the space of such a corridor into two, maximum three zones using arches; you can also use color schemes.

Photos of hallway interiors

Living room design

When designing a living room, you will have to face the same problems as in the hallway: low ceilings, little light. In addition, the living room is often a passageway, which is why a significant part of it cannot be fully used. Some problems can be solved with the help of redevelopment, as mentioned above; some can be solved by using competent design ideas.

• laconic design, absence of protruding decorative elements;
• minimum amount of furniture,
• neutral colors, it is possible to use contrasting colors to transform the perception of space, but a professional approach is required.

Most likely, you will have to order furniture according to your measurements, since it will be difficult to choose something ready-made.

The best move would be to replace heavy curtains with light curtains that will allow maximum natural light into the room. In the evening, good artificial lighting should be provided. These can be the same spotlights in combination with a glossy light stretch ceiling, a plasterboard ceiling with niches that are well lit around the perimeter, or a so-called floating ceiling, implemented using LED backlighting.

Of course, you can make a separate bedroom in a Khrushchev-era building, but if you don’t want to sacrifice free space for the sake of placing a double bed, which will be a “dead weight,” you can choose transformable furniture as a solution. Now on sale there is not only a bed that transforms into a small sofa, you can buy corner sofas in combination with living rooms that turn into full-fledged beds at night.

As for style, with a skillful approach, you can decorate the living room in almost any style direction, at least you can use individual style elements. Here, for example, are living rooms in shabby chic and high-tech styles:

Bedroom design in Khrushchev

Bedrooms in such layouts as “book” and “tram” are narrow and long. In terms of area, they seem to be not so small, but this does not add functionality to them. If redevelopment is not carried out in the bedroom, then you should strive to bring the shape of the bedroom closer to a square with the help of furniture. This is easy to do if the layout is “book”. You can make a spacious dressing room or a spacious wardrobe. With the “tram” it is more difficult, but there is also a way out. As you can see above, with the help of redevelopment you can combine a living room and a bedroom in one room.

As for lighting, choice of furniture and colors, all the recommendations that were given for the living room and hallway apply to the bedroom. Separately, it is worth mentioning that in bedroom design it is better to avoid using cold, saturated shades in large quantities; however, bright contrasting shades in large quantities are also inappropriate here. The bedroom should be conducive to rest and peace. Use finishing materials and textiles in the bedroom mainly in light pastel shades, combining colors. You can even choose white as the main color, creating something in the Scandinavian style.

There are specially designed color schemes for interior design that can be successfully used when choosing the color of furniture, trim and accessories.

Do not use complex decorative elements with elaborate curved lines. If there is very little space, limit yourself to one bed. A mirror will be functional in the bedroom, especially if there is room for a small dressing table and a dressing room next to it. A chandelier is often hung in the bedroom. It’s better to give it up and limit yourself to spot lighting, but if you really want to, then choose flat models.

Kitchen in Khrushchev

There is too little space in the kitchen in the Khrushchev-era apartment, it’s literally impossible to turn around. You either need to do a redevelopment or try to transform the space so that it becomes functional and comfortable.

The main move is custom-made furniture. A minor point, but two or three centimeters here and there sometimes decide the “outcome of the battle.” Having carefully thought through the placement of the kitchen unit, or rather all the sections, drawers and household appliances, you can literally implement a European-quality renovation in a Khrushchev-era kitchen. Built-in appliances will serve well: microwave, oven, hob, dishwasher, which can be small. Even refrigerators can now be purchased built under the countertop: it seemed like a cabinet; but no, if you open it, it’s a refrigerator.

It has now become fashionable to move the kitchen sink to the window, so you can place a tall refrigerator in the corner. You'll have to tinker with the sewer system, but it's a worthwhile solution.

You don’t have to move the sink if you don’t see the need for it, but simply use the window sill as a countertop. Some people connect the work area and the bar counter with a single tabletop, which makes the interior more seamless.

As for textiles, choose short, light curtains for the kitchen, or better yet, horizontal blinds located directly on the sashes of plastic windows - very convenient.

The sewer and gas pipes in the kitchens are not very conveniently located in the Khrushchev-era apartments. Gas pipes can be moved if desired by contacting the appropriate authorities. Or you can disguise them with furniture or a plastic box, or assemble a box from plasterboard.

We hope that our advice will help you independently develop the redevelopment and design of your beloved and dear Khrushchev. And finally, we suggest you look at a selection of photographs of the design of Khrushchev buildings.

Design of Khrushchev buildings photo